JP2584001Y2 - Beverage making machine with water cooler - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beverage maker equipped with a chiller and a chiller tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a beverage maker of this type, as shown in FIG. 6, a cold water tank 1 is disposed inside the apparatus, and water stored in the cold water tank 1 is cooled by a cooling device (not shown). In general, the cold water is pumped up by the water supply pump 2 and supplied to the beverage production section at the top of the apparatus.

By the way, from the viewpoint of hygiene, it is preferable that the inside of the cold water tank 1 is periodically cleaned by discharging water. Therefore, in a conventional beverage maker with a water cooler, a drain port 5 with a cap 4 is provided at the lowermost part of the associated piping system 3 of the water supply pump 2, and when the inside of the cold water tank 1 is to be cleaned, the drain port is required. The cap 4 of 5 was removed and a drain hose 6 was connected to the cap 4 so that the residual water in the cold water tank 1 was discharged.

[0004]

However, in the above configuration, since the drain port 5 is generally located at the bottom of the lowermost part of the apparatus, it is easy to connect the drain hose 6 to the drain port 5, so that it is easy to take time. The water in the cold water tank 1 is easily spilled to the inner bottom or the installation floor of the beverage maker. For this reason, there has been a problem that the inside of the apparatus and the floor surface are easily contaminated with water every time when the water is drained from the cold water tank 1, which is liable to be unsanitary, and that the cleaning is troublesome.

In view of the above, as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1, a configuration in which a small drain pan 7 is provided in advance at a position below the drain port 5 in a detachable manner has been considered. However, such small parts are likely to be lost by the user during long-term use, and if lost, have the same problems as described above, and thus cannot be a sufficient solution. Also,
In such a small drain tray 7, depending on the amount of residual water in the cold water tank 1, the drain tray 7 may not be able to receive the drain water sufficiently, so that it may be unsanitary or troublesome in cleaning. Many.

In order to cope with this, it is conceivable that a large-capacity bucket 8 or the like is placed nearby as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. However, in this case, the middle part of the drain hose 6 is located above the lowermost part of the associated piping system 3 of the water supply pump 2, so that the water in the cold water tank 1 can be completely discharged. I can no longer do it.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage maker with a water chiller that can easily discharge the remaining water in a chilled water tank without polluting the surroundings. It is in.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beverage manufacturing machine with a water cooler, which cools water stored in a cold water tank by a cooling device, pumps the cold water with a water supply pump, and sends the cold water to a beverage manufacturing unit. In the supply, a drain tank is disposed at a position lower than a related piping system of the chilled water tank and the feedwater pump, and a lowermost position in a related piping system of the chilled water tank and the feedwater pump. It is characterized in that an openable / closable drain port connected to the opening of the drain tank is provided, and the capacity of the drain tank is set to be larger than the capacity of the cold water tank. The beverage maker with a chiller according to the invention of claim 2 cools water stored in a chilled water tank by a cooling device, pumps the chilled water with a water supply pump, and supplies the chilled water to a beverage manufacturing unit. A drain tank is arranged at a position lower than a related piping system of the water supply pump, and can be opened and closed to be connected to an opening of the drain tank at a lowermost position in the related piping system of the cold water tank and the water supply pump. A drain port is provided, and a drain pipe is connected to a container mounting portion provided corresponding to a spout of the beverage manufacturing section, and the opening faces the drain tank, and is provided on an outlet side of the water supply pump. Opening the chilled water valve and driving the water supply pump allows the water in the chilled water tank to be discharged to the drain tank, and that the drain tank becomes full. And a sensor for detecting,
A valve control means for closing the chilled water valve based on the detection of the sensor is provided. The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that in the invention of claim 2, the capacity of the drain tank is set to be larger than the capacity of the cold water tank.

[0009]

[Operation and Effect of Invention] <Invention of Claim 1> To drain water from the cold water tank for cleaning or the like, it is sufficient to simply open the drain port. Since the drain port is connected to the opening of the drain tank located below, the water flowing out from the drain port flows into the drain tank and is stored. In addition, since the drain port is provided at the lowermost position of the related piping system of the cold water tank and the water supply pump, if this drain port is opened, it remains in the related piping system of the cold water tank and the water supply pump. Water will be almost completely drained. In addition, since the capacity of the drain tank is set to be larger than the capacity of the cold water tank, if the drain tank is emptied in advance, the drain tank will overflow even if the cold water tank is filled with residual water. I will not do it. In other words, by simply opening the drain port, the residual water in the chilled water tank can be easily discharged without fear of spilling water to the surroundings. It is possible to prevent the tank from overflowing.

<Invention of Claim 2> According to the invention of Claim 2, when draining water from the cold water tank, the following usage can be performed. When the water supply pump is operated and the chilled water valve is opened with nothing placed on the container mounting part, the residual water in the chilled water tank falls from the spout of the beverage production department to the container mounting part, and then the drain pipe is connected. And is discharged to the drain tank. If the drain tank becomes full during this time, the sensor detects this, and the chilled water valve is closed, and the drainage from the drain pipe is stopped. Therefore, the drain tank does not overflow.
If the drain tank is emptied and set again to open the drain port, the water remaining in the cold water tank and the associated piping system of the water supply pump is almost completely discharged. That is, in draining the water from the cold water tank, it is possible to use the drainage through the drainage pipe and the container mounting portion using the driving force of the water supply pump, so that water can be efficiently drained, In addition, when drainage is performed through the container mounting portion and the drain pipe, it is possible to prevent the drain tank from overflowing.

If the drain tank is emptied in advance, the drain tank overflows even if the cold water tank is filled with the residual water using both the drain pipe and the drain port. There is no.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hot and cold tea dispenser will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The tea dispenser of this embodiment includes a lower-stage chiller unit 10 and a dispensing unit 30 which is placed on top of the chiller unit 10. First, the pouring unit 30 will be described. The pouring unit 30 includes a hot water storage tank 32 and a powder raw material supply mechanism 33 inside a main body box 31. Powder material supply mechanism 3
Reference numeral 3 denotes a known configuration including a canister 34 storing the raw material powder, a screw mechanism 35 for feeding the raw material powder by a predetermined amount, and a shooter 37 for supplying the raw material powder to the mixing ball 36. The hot water storage tank 32 also has a well-known configuration including a heater (not shown) for supplying fresh water to the inside so as to have a predetermined range of water level and heating the same to a predetermined temperature. The hot water is supplied through a hot water supply valve into a mixing ball 36 that forms a part of the beverage production section.

The mixing ball 36 has a closed funnel shape, and the lower spout 36 a faces above a cup holder 39 provided on a front door 38 of the main body box 31.
When a warm tea dispensing button provided on an operation panel (not shown) on the front of the main body box 31 is operated, first, the screw mechanism 35 of the powder raw material supply mechanism 33 operates to supply a predetermined amount of raw material powder into the mixing ball 36, The hot water supply valve is opened, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 32 is supplied into the mixing ball 36, and hot tea is poured out. The hot tea is poured into the cup 40 placed on the cup holder 39 from the outlet 36a.

The cup holder 39 is shaped like a saw blade, and is provided with a tray 41 below the tray. The tray 41 can be used to receive tea overflowing from the cup 40 or discarded by the cup holder 39. Is available. An outlet 41 a is formed at the bottom of the receiving tray 41, and water flowing down from the outlet 41 a can be received by the water collectors 42 and 43 provided in two stages, upper and lower.

On the other hand, the chiller unit 10 has the following configuration. Inside the main body box 11, the outer surface is made of a heat insulating material 12.
A cold water tank 12 insulated by a is provided. The water stored in the cold water tank 12 is cooled by a well-known cooling device, and flows into a water supply pump 14 via a water supply pipe 13 connected to the bottom. The water supply pump 14 is disposed below the cold water tank 12, and can pump cold water to the pouring unit 30 through a water pump 16 connected to a discharge side thereof. The pumping pipe 16 is provided with a heat insulating material on its outer surface, extends upward in the water chiller unit 10, is introduced into the pouring unit 30, and is provided with the cold water valve 4 provided at the uppermost part in the pouring unit 30.
4 is connected to the entrance side.

A return pipe 17, which is also insulated, is connected to the inlet side of the chilled water valve 44, and the distal end of the reflux pipe 17 is returned to the chiller unit 10 and communicated with the chilled water tank 12. Further, a cold water supply pipe 45 is connected to the outlet side of the cold water valve 44, and the distal end thereof is connected to the mixing ball 36. The water supply pump 14 is constantly operated during the operation of the water chiller unit 10. Therefore, when the chilled water valve 44 is closed, the chilled water in the chilled water tank 12 is supplied to the water supply pipe 13, the water supply pump 14, the pumping pipe. 1
6. The cold water flows through the cold water valve 44 and the reflux pipe 17 in order and circulates in the cold water tank 12.

Now, the lower part of the water chiller unit 10 is
8, a drain tank 19 is housed below the main body box 11 so that it can be taken in and out. The drain tank 19 is manufactured by, for example, blow molding of plastic, and has a structure as shown in detail in FIGS. 3 to 5. A circular opening 20 is formed on one side (on the left side in the figure). . A rectangular region surrounding the opening 20 is tapered to form an inclined wall 20a, and the opening 20 is located at the lower end of the inclined wall 20a. A handle 19a is formed on the side of the side where the opening 20 is formed. The handle 19a is lowered to hold the drain tank 19a.
Can be carried with the opening 20 up. In addition,
A drain port 21 which is opened and closed by a cap 21a is formed near the handle 19a.

When the front door 22 of the main body box 11 is opened, the drain tank 19 can be set in the water chiller unit 10 as shown in FIG.
Is located below the associated piping system of the cold water tank 12 and the water supply pump 14 (the water supply pipe 13, the water supply pipe 16, and the reflux pipe 17). In this setting state, the rear end of the drain tank 19 rides on the weighing plate spring 23 and is in a slightly upwardly inclined state. A leaf spring 31a for positioning the drain tank 19 is provided at the lowermost portion of the right side wall of the main body box 31.

The rear end of the measuring leaf spring 23 is bent upward, and a magnet 24 is attached thereto. On the other hand, a reed switch 26 is fixed to the bottom of the water cooler unit 10 via an L-shaped fixture 25. When the drain tank 19 becomes full (for example, in a state of storing about 8 liters), the weight of the drain tank 19 shifts from the inclined state to the horizontal state against the elastic force of the weighing plate spring 23, and accordingly, The switching operation is performed with the magnet 24 of the measuring plate spring 23 facing the reed switch 26.

A drain pipe 27 is attached to the inside of the main body box 11 and extends vertically. The upper end of the drain pipe 27 is connected to the water collector 43 located at the bottom of the pouring unit 30, and the lower end is connected to the drain tank 19. Is located above the opening 20. In addition, the cold water tank 12 and the water supply pump 1
Water supply pipe 1, which is the lowest position in the related piping system of 4
In the middle part of 3, a drain discharge pipe 28 is provided branching downward at a portion located at the center of the lower front surface of the main body box 31, and a cap 29 is detachably attached to a drain port at the tip thereof. .

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
To dispense warm tea, a warm tea dispense button (not shown) provided on the front door 38 of the dispense unit 30 is turned on. Then, first, a predetermined amount of the raw material powder is supplied into the mixing ball 36 by the powder raw material supply mechanism 33, and then the hot water supply valve is opened and the hot water in the hot water storage tank 32 is supplied into the mixing ball 36. As a result, warm tea is produced in the mixing ball 36, which is supplied to the spout 36a.
Is poured into the cup 40.

To dispense cold tea, a cold tea dispense button (not shown) provided on the front door 38 is turned on. Then, first, a predetermined amount of the raw material powder is supplied into the mixing ball 36 by the powder raw material supply mechanism 33, and then the hot water supply valve is opened for a short time to supply a small amount of hot water into the mixing ball 36. The cold water that has been opened and circulated for a predetermined time is supplied into the mixing ball 36 through the cold water supply pipe 45. This produces cold tea, which will be poured into the cup 40 from the spout 36a.

When water or tea is thrown away into the cup holder 39, it is received by the receiving tray 41 and collected by the water collectors 42, 43.
Then, it flows into the drain tank 19 from the opening 20 through the drain pipe 27 and is stored therein. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect a drain hose to drain the waste water from the beverage maker and insert the end of the hose into a drain port or the like on the installation floor.

The pouring unit 30 in which the hot water is stored
Unlike the hot water storage tank 32, the inside of the chilled water tank 12 of the chilled water unit 10 is in a condition under which various germs are easy to propagate. Therefore, it is preferable in terms of hygiene to periodically discharge and clean the water. In the present embodiment, the water in the cold water tank 12 may be discharged as follows.

That is, in the state where nothing is placed on the cup holder 39, the chilled water drain switch (not shown) is turned on to operate the water supply pump 14 and open the chilled water valve 44. As a result, the remaining water in the cold water tank 12 flows down from the cup holder 39 to the receiving tray 41 and flows into the drain tank 19 through the drain pipe 27. Here, if the inside of the drain tank 19 becomes full, the weighing plate spring 23 bends and deforms due to its weight, and the magnet 24 becomes opposed to the reed switch 26. Will be As a result,
Since the chilled water valve 44 is closed, the chilled water from the chilled water tank 12 returns to a circulating state, and the flow of the chilled water into the drain tank 19 is stopped. Therefore, the front door 22 of the water chiller unit 10
, The drain tank 19 is pulled out with the handle portion 19a, taken out of the chiller unit 10, transported to the drainage place, and discarded. After this, the drain tank 19
Is set again in the chiller unit 10 and the chilled water tank 1
The user inserts his hand under 2 and removes the cap 29 attached to the drain discharge pipe 28 to open the drain port 28a. Then, the water remaining in the pumping pipe 16 and the reflux pipe 17 flows down from the drain discharge pipe 28 into the opening 20 of the drain tank 19 and flows into the drain tank 19. What is necessary is just to take out from the water cooler unit 10, carry it to a drainage place, and throw it away.

In this embodiment, since the capacity of the drain tank 19 is set to be larger than the capacity of the cold water tank 12, the drain tank 19 may be emptied beforehand and the cap 29 may be removed. If you remove the cap 29,
Since the drain discharge pipe 28 is provided at the lowermost part, all remaining water in the cold water tank 12 is stored in the drain tank 19, and water does not overflow from the drain tank 19.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by opening the front door 22 of the chiller unit 10 and removing the cap 29 provided on the drain discharge pipe 28, the piping system related to the chilled water tank 12 and the water supply pump 14 can be removed. The water remaining inside can be completely drained. In addition, since the drain discharge pipe 28 is located substantially at the center of the lower part of the front of the water chiller unit 10, the operation can be easily performed only by opening the front door 22. As described above, since the cleaning operation inside the cold water tank 12 is extremely easy, the inside of the cold water tank 12 can always be kept clean.

Further, in this embodiment, when the measuring tank spring 23, the magnet 24, the reed switch 26 and the like are provided and the drain tank 19 becomes full, the cold water valve 44 is closed so that drainage can be interrupted. Therefore, even if a large amount of waste water has already entered the drain tank 19 or a large amount of cold water has entered the cold water tank 12, it is necessary to surely prevent the water from overflowing from the drain tank 19. Can be.

Further, in the present embodiment, an inclined wall 20a which is inclined downward toward the opening 20 is formed around the opening 20 of the drain tank 19.
Even if there is a slight shift in the set position of No. 9, wastewater flowing down from the drain pipe 27 and the drain discharge pipe 28 can be reliably received, and the bottom surface of the device and the installation floor can be prevented from being contaminated with water. .

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, a solenoid valve or a manual valve may be provided in the drain discharge pipe to open it at the time of drainage. Various modifications can be made.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a drain tank.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a drain tank.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the drain tank taken along line VV in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a drainage structure in a conventional chiller unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Chilled water unit 12 ... Cold water tank 13 ... Water supply pipe 14 ... Water supply pump 19 ... Drain tank 20 ... Opening 20a ... Slope wall 27 ... Drain pipe 28 ... Drain discharge pipe 30 ... Pouring unit 44 ... Cold water valve

Claims (3)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An apparatus for cooling water stored in a chilled water tank by a cooling device, pumping the chilled water by a water supply pump, and supplying the chilled water to a beverage manufacturing unit, wherein the cooling water is provided below a piping system related to the chilled water tank and the water supply pump. And a drain port that can be opened and closed to communicate with an opening of the drain tank is provided at a lowermost position in a piping system related to the cold water tank and the water supply pump, and the drain is provided. A beverage maker with a chiller, wherein the capacity of the tank is set to be larger than the capacity of the chilled water tank. 2. A method for cooling water stored in a chilled water tank by a cooling device, pumping the chilled water by a water supply pump, and supplying the chilled water to a beverage production unit, wherein the cooling water is provided below a piping system related to the chilled water tank and the water supply pump. A drain tank is disposed at a position where the drain tank is located, and an openable / closable drain port connected to an opening of the drain tank is provided at a lowermost position in a piping system related to the cold water tank and the water supply pump. A drain pipe is connected to a container mounting part provided corresponding to the spout of the water supply unit so as to face the opening of the drain tank, and a chilled water valve provided at an outlet side of the water supply pump is opened to supply the water. By driving a pump, water in the cold water tank can be discharged to the drain tank, and a sensor for detecting that the drain tank is full, And a valve control means for closing the chilled water valve based on the detection of the water. 3. The beverage maker with a water chiller according to claim 2, wherein the capacity of the drain tank is set larger than the capacity of the chilled water tank.