JP4225256B2 - Beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some beverage dispensers that dispense effervescent beverages such as beer are configured to incline the container while the beverage is being dispensed in order to suppress excessive foaming. As this type of beverage dispenser, there is a dispenser body including a container mounting table and an arm member. The container mounting table has, for example, a back plate and a mounting plate, and is configured to be substantially L-shaped in a side view, and is attached to a support member via a tilting shaft provided on the upper portion of the back plate. It is arranged to be tiltable. The arm member swings by a drive source such as a motor and presses the container mounting table via the tip, thereby tilting the container via the container mounting table.

  In this beverage dispenser, by appropriately pressing the tip of the arm member against the back plate of the container mounting table, for example, the container is inclined relatively greatly during the initial period of dispensing the beverage, while the beverage is dispensed. If the tilting angle is gradually reduced and the tilting state of the container mounting table is changed so that the container is almost upright just before the end of the dispensing, the beverage to be poured will hit the side of the container, and the beverage will be excessive. Foaming can be prevented (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-261098

  By the way, in the beverage dispenser as described above, when the arm member swings with the foreign object inserted in the movement region of the arm member, the foreign object is caught between the arm member and the dispenser main body. There is a risk that the mechanism for tilting the container may be damaged.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage dispenser capable of dispensing a beverage while suppressing excessive foaming without causing a situation in which a foreign object is bitten.

In order to achieve the above object, a beverage dispenser according to claim 1 of the present invention is a mode in which a container mounting table on which a container is mounted is disposed so as to be tiltable with respect to a support member, and protrudes from the support member. In the beverage dispenser, wherein the arm member is disposed so as to be swingable, and the container is tilted through the container mounting table by bringing the arm member into contact with the container mounting table while dispensing the beverage, the arm member One end of the guide roller is fixed to the output shaft of the drive unit disposed inside the support member, and the output shaft is swingably disposed as a swing shaft, and the guide roller is disposed at the other end. The container mounting table is inclined by pressing the container mounting table through the arm , and the arm member has a flat plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis, and at least a support member. Or Characterized in that it has an outer shape which gradually becomes wider toward the pivot axis from the tip in the entire region of the tip portion projecting.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the beverage dispenser according to the first aspect is characterized in that the cover member is disposed in a manner covering the moving area of the swinging arm member .

The beverage dispenser according to claim 3 of the present invention is the beverage dispenser according to claim 1 described above, wherein the outer surface of the support member is regressed in a direction in which the crossing angle between the arm member and the outer surface of the support member is increased. It is characterized by.

  Moreover, the drink dispenser which concerns on Claim 4 of this invention has covered the surface of the arm member with the resin material in any one of Claims 1-3 mentioned above, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the beverage dispenser of the first aspect of the present invention, since the cover member is disposed in such a manner as to cover the moving area of the swinging arm member, a foreign object is inserted into the moving area of the arm member and bites this. There is no fear of inviting a situation.

  In the beverage dispenser according to claim 2 of the present invention, the arm member is formed so that at least at the tip portion protruding from the support member, the outer shape gradually increases from the tip toward the swing axis. Therefore, the crossing angle between the arm member and the outer surface of the support member becomes larger than when other shapes of the arm member are applied, and there is no possibility of entrapment of foreign matter.

  Moreover, according to the drink dispenser which concerns on Claim 3 of this invention, since the outer surface of a support member is formed backward in the direction which expands the crossing angle of an arm member and the outer surface of a support member, arm member And the outer surface of the support member have a large crossing angle, and there is no possibility of biting foreign matter.

  Exemplary embodiments of a beverage dispenser according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional side view showing a beverage dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention. The beverage dispenser exemplified here provides beer or sparkling liquor that is a sparkling beverage as a beverage, and is used by connecting a beverage barrel 31 and a gas cylinder 33. The beverage barrel 31 is filled with beer, for example, and is connected to a beverage pipe 23 described later via a valve means 36 and a beverage supply passage 32. The gas cylinder 33 is filled with carbon dioxide gas, and is connected to the beverage barrel 31 via the valve means 36 after passing through the gas supply passages 34 and 35 and the pressure adjusting means (not shown). The valve means 36 is a so-called dispense head. For example, in the dispensing mode, the carbon dioxide gas sealed in the gas cylinder 33 is fed into the beverage barrel 31 to increase the internal pressure. It functions to feed beer filled in the barrel 31 into the beverage pipe 23.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the beverage dispenser includes a dispenser body 10. The dispenser body 10 is configured in a box shape by a plurality of exterior panels 15, and includes a machine room 11 at a lower part and a cooling room 20 at an upper part.

  The machine room 11 is for accommodating the compressor 12, the heat exchanger 13, and the air blower 14 in the inside. The compressor 12, the heat exchanger 13, and the blower 14 constitute a cooling unit (refrigeration cycle) 16 using a refrigerant pipe 22 described later as an evaporator.

  The cooling chamber 20 has a heat insulating space inside. The heat insulating space is configured by disposing a heat insulating member 21 inside the exterior panel 15. The cooling water 25 is stored inside the heat insulation space, and the refrigerant piping 22 and the beverage piping 23 are arranged in a coil shape so as to be immersed in the cooling water 25. The cooling water 25 in the heat insulation space is appropriately stirred by the agitator 24.

  The dispenser main body 10 is provided with a beverage dispensing means 41 in a manner protruding from the exterior panel 15. The beverage dispensing means 41 includes a dispensing valve 42 and a valve driving means 43. The pouring valve 42 has a beverage pouring port 42b and a foam pouring port 42c. By tilting the pouring lever 42d, the beverage in the beverage pipe 23 supplied via the beverage pouring port 42a is discharged into the beverage pouring port 42b. Or it pours out from the bubble spout 42c. The valve driving means 43 performs the pouring of the beverage from the beverage pouring outlet 42b or the foam from the foam pouring outlet 42c by tilting the pouring lever 42d by an actuator (not shown).

  Below the beverage pouring means 41, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a motor cover 17 serving as a support member is disposed on the front surface of the exterior panel 15. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the motor cover 17 is for housing the drive unit 50 therein. The drive unit 50 is for tilting a container mounting table 60, which will be described later. For example, the drive unit 51 is fixed to the drive source 51 such as a motor, an output shaft (oscillation shaft) 51a driven by the drive source 51, and the output shaft 51a. The arm member 53 is configured to be attached to the exterior panel 15 via the bracket 52 in such a manner that the output shaft 51a is substantially horizontal.

  The arm member 53 has a flat plate shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the output shaft 51 a, and a tip portion of the arm member 53 projects outside through a slit 19 formed in the motor cover 17. A guide roller 55 is rotatably supported at the tip of the arm member 53. Although not shown in the figure, the surface of the arm member 53 is coated with a resin material such as vinyl chloride or polyethylene.

  On the other hand, a container mounting table 60 is attached to the motor cover 17 via arm portions 56 provided at both end portions of the upper surface 17a. The container mounting table 60 is for mounting a container G such as a paper cup, a glass, or a mug for receiving a beverage poured out from the beverage spout 42b. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the back plate 60b. , Side plates 60c and 60d and a mounting plate 60g. The back plate 60b and the side plates 60c and 60d have a substantially U-shaped cross section and are formed in a vertically long shape so as to surround a part of the periphery of the container G. Further, the mounting plate 60g is attached to the lower portions of the side plates 60c and 60d, and is disposed in such a manner as to protrude in a right angle direction from the lower portion of the back plate 60b toward the front.

  A tilting cylinder portion 60a into which the tilting pin 61 is inserted is formed on the upper portion of the back plate 60b. The container mounting table 60 is attached to the arm portion 56 so as to be tiltable about the horizontal axis around the tilt pin 61 by inserting the tilt pin 61 of the tilt cylinder portion 60a into the tilt hole 56a of the arm portion 56. is there.

  A container receiving portion 60e with which a part of the side surface of the container G contacts is disposed on one surface of the back plate 60b, and a stopper portion 60f with which the guide roller 55 contacts with the other surface of the back plate 60b. Is arranged. In the side plates 60c and 60d, a plurality of mounting holes 60h for changing the vertical position of the mounting plate 60g corresponding to the size of the container G are arranged in two rows along the vertical direction.

  The container mounting table 60 configured as described above is tilted by the drive of the drive unit 50 described above, and the container G mounted on the mounting plate 60g is tilted. That is, in the drive unit 50, when in the initial state, the arm member 53 is inclined and arranged in a manner of gradually separating from the exterior panel 15 downward as shown in FIGS. In this case, the container mounting table 60 is maintained in a state in which the back plate 60b is substantially vertical, and the container G placed on the mounting plate 60g is also substantially upright.

  When the drive source 51 of the drive unit 50 is driven from this state, the arm member 53 swings clockwise by a preset angle around the output shaft 51a in FIGS. 4 and 6, and as shown in FIG. It reaches the ascending position. While the arm member 53 reaches the raised position from the initial state, the container mounting table 60 pressed by the guide roller 55 is tilted so that the mounting plate 60g is directed upward about the tilting pin 61. The container G placed on the plate 60g is inclined. Therefore, if the beverage is poured out of the container G from this state, the beverage to be poured hits the side surface of the container G, and the beverage can be prevented from foaming excessively.

  Thereafter, when the drive source 51 of the drive unit 50 is driven in the reverse direction, the arm member 53 swings counterclockwise about the output shaft 51a and returns to the initial state shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 again. become.

  Here, during the above-described operation, a gap that opens and closes is defined between the swinging arm member 53 and the front surface of the motor cover 17, and the motor cover 17 and the back plate 60 b of the container mounting table 60. A gap that opens and closes is also defined. Therefore, when the arm member 53 swings with foreign matter inserted in these gaps, there is a risk that the foreign matter will be damaged and the drive unit 50 may be damaged.

  Therefore, in the beverage dispenser of the present embodiment, the cover members 62 are provided on the side plates 60c and 60d located on both sides of the container mounting table 60, respectively, and at least the tip end portion protruding from the motor cover 17 in the arm member 53 is curved. In addition, an inclined plane 17f is formed in a portion of the motor cover 17 located below the front surface.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cover member 62 is a flat plate member that protrudes from the side plates 60 c and 60 d of the container mounting table 60 so as to cover both sides of the motor cover 17. This cover member 62 is used when the back plate 60b of the container mounting table 60 is substantially upright, and when the container mounting table 60 is largely inclined as shown in FIG. In either case, the arm member 53 is configured to be large enough to cover the portions facing both side surfaces. That is, the cover member 62 is configured to cover the moving region 63 due to the swing of the arm member 53. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover member 62 is configured such that the front end surface facing the exterior panel 15 is convex outward when the back plate 60 b of the container mounting table 60 is substantially upright. It has a curved portion 62a curved at.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the arm member 53 has an outwardly curved shape so that the width gradually decreases from the center toward both ends, and is simply formed in a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. Compared to the arm member 53, the crossing angle with the front surface of the motor cover 17 tends to increase. The crossing angle between the arm member 53 and the front surface of the motor cover 17 is a crossing angle between the motor cover 17 and the tangent at the crossing point with the motor cover 17 in the outer shape of the arm member 53.

  The inclined flat surface 17f of the motor cover 17 recedes toward the direction gradually approaching the exterior panel 15 downward as shown in FIG. 9 in order to increase the crossing angle with the arm member 53 in the initial state described above. It is inclined in the manner of

  According to the beverage dispenser configured as described above, the movement region 63 of the arm member 53 is covered by the cover member 62 while the beverage is being dispensed while the container G is inclined via the container mounting table 60. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a foreign matter from being inserted into the gap between the swinging arm member 53 and the front surface of the motor cover 17, and there is no possibility of biting the foreign matter.

  Further, since the opening on the side of the gap between the motor cover 17 and the back plate 60b of the container mounting table 60 is almost covered by the cover member 62, it is possible to prevent a foreign matter from being caught between them. It becomes like this. Even if a foreign object exists between the cover member 62 and the motor cover 17, as described above, the curved portion 62a of the cover member 62 is curved so as to protrude outward, and further, Since the motor cover 17 is formed with the inclined plane 17f, the crossing angle between the two is larger than when the front end surface of the cover member 62 is formed linearly or when the front surface of the motor cover 17 is not inclined. When the cover member 62 moves in the direction in which the gap becomes narrower, foreign matter is discharged from both sides. Therefore, there is no possibility of biting in foreign matter, and there is no possibility that the drive unit 50 will be damaged.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cover member 62 is provided only on the container mounting table 60. However, the cover member is provided only on the motor cover 17 serving as a support member or the dispenser main body 10 serving as a support member. Alternatively, a cover member may be provided on both the container mounting table 60 and the support member.

  In the embodiment described above, the inclined flat surface 17f is provided at the lower end portion of the motor cover 17 that is a support member. However, the inclined flat surface 17f is not necessarily provided. For example, as shown in FIG. The lower end of the motor cover, which is a member, may be curved in a manner gradually approaching the dispenser body downward. Also in this case, since the outer surface of the curved portion is formed so as to recede toward the direction in which the crossing angle between the arm member and the outer surface of the support member is enlarged, the same effect can be expected. .

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, since the surface of the arm member 53 is coated with the resin material, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a foreign object or the like is damaged due to the contact of the arm member 53.

It is the schematic of the drink dispenser which is embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the container mounting base with which the drink dispenser shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a top view of the container mounting base with which the drink dispenser shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a side view which shows the inside of the motor cover with which the drink dispenser shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a front view which shows the inside of the motor cover with which the drink dispenser shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the initial state of the drink dispenser shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the inclination state of the drink dispenser shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the crossing angle of the arm member with which the drink dispenser which concerns on this invention is equipped, and the outer surface of a dispenser main body. It is a side view which shows the crossing angle of the arm member with which the drink dispenser which concerns on this invention is equipped, and the outer surface of a dispenser main body. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows another example of the motor cover of the drink dispenser shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Dispenser main body 15 Exterior panel 17 Motor cover 17a Upper surface 17f Inclined plane 31 Beverage barrel 32 Beverage supply passage 33 Gas cylinder 50 Drive unit 51 Drive source 53 Arm member 60 Container mounting table 62 Cover member 63 Moving area G Container

Claims (4)

A container mounting table on which the container is placed is disposed so as to be tiltable with respect to the support member, and the arm member is disposed so as to be swingable in a manner protruding from the support member, and the arm member is disposed while the beverage is being dispensed. In the beverage dispenser in which the container is inclined through the container mounting table by contacting the container mounting table,
One end of the arm member is fixed to the output shaft of the drive unit disposed inside the support member, and the arm member is swingably disposed with the output shaft as a swing shaft, and disposed at the other end. The container mounting table is tilted by pressing the container mounting table through the guide roller.
Further, the arm member has a flat plate shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the swing axis, and at least in the entire tip portion protruding from the support member, the width gradually increases from the tip toward the swing axis. A beverage dispenser characterized by having an outer shape. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is disposed in such a manner as to cover a moving area of the swinging arm member . The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the support member is formed so as to regress in a direction in which the crossing angle between the arm member and the outer surface of the support member is increased .   The beverage dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a surface of the arm member is covered with a resin material.

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