JP3257909B2 - Liquid supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid supply apparatus using an electric pump, and more particularly to a liquid supply apparatus capable of switching the capacity of the electric pump.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a dispenser for dissolving and mixing powdered tea put in a mixing bowl with hot water and discharging the same. In such a dispenser, a hot water storage tank that stores hot water is placed at the top, and when the tea brewing button is operated, the electromagnetic open / close valve is opened and hot water is supplied from the hot water storage tank by the action of gravity. Is common.

[0003]

By the way, in order to reliably dissolve the powdered tea in the mixing bowl, the supply speed of the hot water into the mixing bowl is set higher than the discharge speed, and the hot water is stored in the bowl. Must be dissolved. However, in the above, since the hot water in the hot water storage tank is introduced into the mixing bowl by gravity, when the remaining amount of hot water in the hot water storage tank decreases, the supply speed of the hot water to the mixing bowl decreases. descend. In such a case, a sufficient amount of hot water is not stored in the mixing bowl and the powdered tea is not sufficiently dissolved, so that a portion of the powdered tea may adhere to and remain on the inner wall of the bowl. Was.

[0004] This seems to be an effective solution for the time being by supplying a constant amount of hot water in the tank by a pump. However, even in this case, the following problem still remains. In general, many dispensers allow both the dispensing of "tea" and the dispensing of "hot water". In the case of “tea”, the operation time of the pump may be limited by a timer or the like according to the capacity of a normal cup. On the other hand, in the case of "hot water", "tea"
It is required that the setting is such that the hot water supply is continued while the "hot water" button is operated, and a desired amount of hot water is obtained, as in the case of (1).
However, since the mixing bowl is originally set only to a volume that does not overflow due to a single brewing of tea, if the supply of hot water to the mixing bowl continues at a rate exceeding the discharge speed, Hot water overflows immediately and pollutes the surroundings. This problem can also be solved by separately setting the hot water supply path for "tea" and the hot water supply path for "hot water" so that the path for "hot water" does not pass through the mixing bowl. However, providing such a path dedicated to "hot water" requires a switching valve, a separate pipe, and the like, which causes a problem that the structure of the entire apparatus becomes complicated and the cost increases.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object to provide a liquid supply device capable of changing the supply amount of liquid as necessary with a simple configuration. It is.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus , comprising:
Hot water is supplied to the mixing bowl by an electric pump.
Then, the ingredients are dissolved and mixed in this mixing bowl.
A liquid supply device for driving the electric pump.
The electrical circuit for the hot water in the mixing bowl
Dissolve the raw materials and mix and dissolve the powdered tea
Sometimes, the feed rate of hot water from the electric pump is
A circuit that makes the discharge speed faster than the discharge rate from the bowl,
When feeding only hot water into the mixing bowl,
Hot water provided with a resistor connected in series to the electric pump
Feed speed is slower than the discharge speed from the mixing bowl
The circuit is configured to be switchable to a circuit to be set to a state .

[0007]

When the electric pump is driven, the liquid stored in the tank is pumped up. However, by switching the circuit for the electric pump as necessary, the voltage applied to the electric pump increases and decreases. Is switched between large and small.

[0008]

The effects of the present invention are as follows. With a simple configuration in which a circuit for interposing a resistor is added to the electric pump, the capacity of the electric pump can be switched.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the beverage dispenser of the present embodiment, which is used while being placed on a table (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the beverage dispenser includes a dispenser main body 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a main body 1) and a front door 2 attached to a front surface of the dispenser so as to be opened and closed by a hinge. As shown in FIG. 1, the front door 2 is provided with an operation panel 5 on which a button for pouring operation (a button 3 for tea and a button 4 for hot water in this example) or an indicator lamp is arranged at the upper part of the front surface. I have. In addition, front door 2
A pouring portion 6 is formed in a recessed portion at a lower portion of the container, and a receiving tray 7 on which a cup or the like can be placed is provided on a lower surface thereof. Saucer 7
The drain pan 8 is formed in a lotus shape, and is detachably attached below the drain pan 8.

The back side (inner side) of the front door 2
A mixing bowl 9 for dissolving and mixing powdered tea with hot water is arranged at a height near the pouring section 6. The mixing bowl 9 has a cylindrical shape on the upper side and a conical shape tapered on the lower side, and is formed in a funnel shape that opens up and down as a whole. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the bowl receiver 1 fixed to the inner surface of the front door 2 in a horizontal posture.
The distal end is removably inserted into one of the insertion holes 12 to hold the insertion hole. Above the mixing bowl 9, a funnel-shaped guide 10 which is substantially coaxial with the mixing bowl 9 and opens up and down is arranged.
It plays the role of guiding the powdered tea discharged from the canister 13 described below to the mixing bowl 9 without scattering to the surroundings. The guide 10 is fitted into a holding ring 15 of a support plate 14 vertically attached to the inner surface of the front door 2 and is attached.

On the other hand, a canister 1 for supplying a fixed amount of powdered tea stored therein is provided at an upper portion of the front surface of the main body 1.
Although not shown, it is fixed to the main body 1 by a support member such as a bracket. A discharge portion 13a for powdered tea is formed at the bottom of the canister 13. One end of the discharge portion 13a extends forward, and a discharge port 16 that opens diagonally upward is formed at the end surface. Further, a screw device 17 for carrying out the powdered tea is incorporated in the discharge section 13a. The screw device 17 has a screw body 17a supported rotatably and horizontally with respect to the discharge portion 13a, and its front end extends to the vicinity of the discharge port 16. Screw body 17
The rear end of a protrudes through the inner wall surface of the canister 13,
Motor 18 attached to the lower rear part of canister 13
The screw body 17a can be rotated slowly.

The outlet 16 is always closed by an opening / closing lid 19 containing a sheet heater H1 in order to protect the powder tea near the outlet 16 from moisture. further,
A solenoid SOL is attached to a lower portion of the outer surface of the canister 13, and when the solenoid SOL is excited, its operating piece can push out the rotating shaft 20 of the opening / closing lid 19, thereby turning the opening / closing lid 19 in the opening direction. It can be moved. Reference numeral 21 denotes a return spring. On the other hand, a hot water storage tank 22 having a built-in heater H2 is fixed to the bottom in the main body 1, and a water supply tank 23 is set in a state where it can be taken out. A water supply valve mechanism is provided on the lower surface of the water supply tank 23 so that water can be supplied to the hot water storage tank 22 according to the water level in the hot water storage tank 22. The heater H2 incorporated in the hot water storage tank 22 is controlled by three thermostats TH1 to TH3 which are mounted on the tank 22 and have different set temperatures.

Further, at the rear of the hot water storage tank 22, a water pump 24 for pumping hot water in the tank 22 is attached. The pump 2 is connected to the hot water supply pipe 2.
The pipe 25 extends along the side wall inside the main body 1, and its tip is extended toward the front door 2 and faces the mixing bowl 9. The pump 24 is incorporated in the electric circuit shown in FIG. 6 so as to be driven by operating the tea or hot water button 4. That is, the pump 24 is a pump motor PM (DC motor).
The pump motor PM is connected to a DC power supply circuit 26. The DC power supply circuit 26 changes the capacity of the pump motor PM between when the tea button 3 is operated and when the hot water button 4 is operated.
A circuit 27 for tea and a circuit 28 for hot water are provided. In the case where the resistor R is connected in series to the circuit 28 for hot water while the resistor R is not interposed in the circuit 27 for tea and the circuit 27 for tea is selected, The DC power supply voltage from the DC power supply circuit 26 is applied to the pump motor PM as it is, but when the hot water circuit 28 is selected, the voltage dropped by the resistor R is applied, and accordingly, The capacity of the pump motor PM is reduced.

However, the circuit for tea has a timer contact T2M1.
Is provided, the pump motor PM is driven for the set timer time. During this time, the amount of hot water stored in the mixing bowl 9 is set smaller than the capacity of the mixing bowl 9. On the other hand, since such a timed contact is not provided in the hot water circuit 28, the switch S3 is kept closed while the hot water button 4 is operated. The hot water is supplied continuously, but depending on the reduced pump capacity, the hot water does not overflow from the mixing bowl 9, that is, the hot water supply capacity is slightly lower than the natural drainage capacity from the mixing bowl 9. , The resistance value of the resistor R is set.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described. First, when the power is turned on to the equipment, water at a certain level or higher enters the hot water storage tank 22. Switch S1 is closed and the relay X
1, the contact X11 is closed and the hot water storage tank 2 is closed.
The heater H2 in the tank 2 is energized and the tank 22
The water inside is heated to a certain temperature. On the other hand, in a state where the temperature of the hot water storage tank 22 has reached a certain temperature, when a cup is set on the receiving tray 7 and the tea button 3 of the operation panel 5 is pressed in order to dispense “tea”, the switch S2 is closed. Can be Then, the relay X3 is excited and the contact X31 is closed, so that the motor 18 of the screw device 17 is driven, and at the same time, the solenoid SOL is excited, so that the opening / closing lid 19 opens the discharge port 16. Thus, a certain amount of powdered tea is dropped and discharged from the discharge port 16 and is introduced into the mixing bowl 9 through the guide 10.

When the relay X3 is excited by operating the tea button 3, the contact X32 is also closed, so that the pump motor PM of the water pump 24 is energized. In this case, a circuit 27 for tea is provided to the pump motor PM.
As described above, since the resistor R is not interposed in the circuit 27 for tea, the pump motor PM
The power supply voltage from the DC power supply circuit 26 is applied as is. Therefore, the pump motor PM is driven with a high capacity, and the mixing bowl 9 is supplied through the hot water supply pipe 25.
Hot water is supplied. Thus, when the timer T1M times out while hot water is being supplied, the switch S4 is opened, the motor 18 of the screw device 17 is stopped, and at the same time the solenoid SOL is demagnetized. by this,
The opening / closing lid 19 is closed, and the supply of the powdered tea is stopped. But,
Even if the timer T1M times out, the timer T2M has not yet timed up, and the hot water supply operation by the water pump 24 is still continuing. Since the hot water supply speed is higher than the natural drainage speed in the mixing bowl 9, the hot water is gradually accumulated in the mixing bowl 9 as long as the hot water supply is continued without overflowing. Accordingly, the powdered tea in the mixing bowl 9 has a sufficient amount of hot water for dissolving the powdered tea, and has a high hot water supply speed because the pump motor PM is driven with a high capacity. Tea is completely dissolved without any undissolved residue. Thus, a certain concentration of tea can be poured. And
When the timer T2M times out, the timer contact T
2M1 is opened and the power supply to the pump motor PM is stopped, and the hot water supply operation is completed. Since the timer T2M is timed up, the timer contact T2M2 is closed and the relay X4 is excited, so that the contact X41 is opened and the relay X3 is opened.
Degauss.

On the other hand, when "hot water" is desired, the hot water button 4 is operated. Then, since the switch S3 is closed, power is supplied to the pump motor PM through the hot water circuit 28, and power supply is continued while the hot water button 4 is operated. However, since the voltage applied to the pump motor PM is reduced by the voltage drop due to the resistance R interposed in the hot water circuit 28, the pump motor PM is driven with a low capacity. As a result, the hot water supply speed is suppressed to be lower than the natural drainage speed of the mixing bowl 9, so that even if the hot water is continuously supplied for a long time, the hot water does not overflow from the mixing bowl 9.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, unlike the conventional case, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 22 is supplied by the pump 24, so that the hot water in the hot water storage tank 22 is constant regardless of the remaining amount of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 22. Hot water supply speed and hot water supply amount are secured. Therefore, hot water is always supplied in the mixing bowl 9 in a constant state, so that the powdered tea is reliably dissolved. on the other hand,
When only hot water is to be continuously supplied, the hot water circuit 28 is selected, and the power supply path to the pump motor PM is switched. Since the pump capacity is limited by a simple configuration in which the resistance R is slightly interposed, the problem of hot water overflow can be solved with a simple configuration and at low cost.

The present invention can be modified in various ways.
The following modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In this example, a DC motor is used as the pump motor, but an AC motor can be used instead. As the resistance R, a variable resistance R may be used so that the hot water supply speed can be freely adjusted within a range where hot water does not overflow from the mixing bowl 9. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is not limited to beverage dispensers, and can be widely applied to liquids requiring a change in liquid supply speed and supply amount.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a beverage dispenser.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the internal structure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a mixing bowl when a front door is opened.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a partially broken canister.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a canister.

FIG. 6 is an electric circuit diagram

[Explanation of symbols]

9 Mixing bowl 13 Canister 22 Hot water storage tank 24 Pumping pump R Resistance

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] The hot water stored in the tank is supplied to an electric
Pumped into a mixing bowl,
This is a liquid supply device that dissolves and mixes raw materials in a bowl.
Therefore, the electric circuit for driving the electric pump is
In the mixing bowl, melt the raw materials with the hot water
When dissolving and mixing the tea, the electric
Speed of hot water from the mixing bowl
Circuit in the mixing bowl
When only hot water is supplied to the electric pump,
Mixing hot water supply speed with resistors connected in series
Cut to a circuit that is slower than the discharge speed from the bowl.
A liquid supply device characterized by being replaceable .