JP4794913B2 - Beverage cooler - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage cooling apparatus, and more particularly to a beverage cooling apparatus including an ice thickness control device that controls the thickness of ice formed around an evaporator in the process of cooling cooling water in a water tank.

In a beverage cooling apparatus that always supplies cold beverages or the like, an ice block having a desired thickness is generated around an evaporation pipe (evaporator) disposed in a water tank in which cooling water is stored, and ice that uses the latent heat of the ice block is generated. The bank type is known. In this beverage cooling device, a coiled beverage cooling pipe through which a beverage circulates and a coiled evaporation tube led out from the freezing device are coaxially arranged inside a water tank in which a predetermined amount of cooling water is stored. Both pipes are immersed in cooling water. In this state, a part of the cooling water by freezing around the evaporator tube to produce ice blocks, is cooling by the latent heat of ice lumps by circulating and supplying a coolant to the evaporation pipe by operating the refrigeration system The beverage flowing through the beverage cooling pipe is indirectly cooled with the cooling water.

The beverage cooling apparatus includes an ice thickness control device that controls the ice thickness of ice blocks generated in the water tank, and the control device controls ON / OFF of the refrigeration device so that ice blocks having a predetermined thickness are always maintained. It is configured as follows. The ice thickness control device includes a pair of electrodes positioned at a predetermined ice thickness position, if lower than the threshold impedance is set Me pre between the electrodes, the thickness of the ice blocks were frozen in the evaporation tube a predetermined ice thickness and equal to or less than the continued operation of the refrigeration apparatus, when the at least one electrode is higher than covered by the impedance threshold between the two electrodes in ice cubes, the ice thickness thickness of a given ice masses reach It is set to stop the refrigeration system when it is determined that it has been. Thereafter, as time elapses, the ice block begins to melt as the temperature of the cooling water rises, and when the thickness of the ice block falls below a predetermined ice thickness, the electrode is exposed to water. The exposure of the electrode, and the impedance between the electrodes is lower than the threshold value again, the ice thickness controller signals the resuming operation of the refrigeration system. As described above, the ice block thickness is always maintained at a desired ice thickness by performing ON / OFF control of the refrigeration apparatus based on the level of impedance changing between both electrodes with respect to a preset threshold value. ing.
Japanese Patent No. 36000812.

Generally, tap water is used as the cooling water of the beverage cooling device as described above, and the quality of this tap water may vary depending on the region and season, and the change in electrical conductivity with respect to the temperature of the cooling water due to the difference in water quality. May also change. Furthermore, when the beverage cooling device is operated, the cooling water in the water tank may increase by absorbing water vapor in the air or may evaporate and decrease. When the cooling water in the water tank is increased or decreased, it may change the characteristics of the electrical conductivity with respect to temperature of the cooling water is changed, the result will vary also change characteristic of the impedance between the electrodes in the cooling water. However, the threshold for performing the ice thickness control described above, although the impedance between the two electrodes changes according to the electric conductivity of the cooling water, because it is predetermined fixed value, for the temperature of the cooling water the difference in the change characteristic of the electric conductivity is eliminated deeds give normal ice thickness control. That is, when the change characteristic of the electrical conductivity with respect to temperature of the cooling water is extremely high, Razz electrode is high beyond the impedance threshold between covered even both electrodes in the ice mass, therefore the refrigeration apparatus stops ice blocks is too grown beverage cooling pipes do not have will be covered with ice cubes, that such not Deki pouring drink itself is frozen. On the contrary, since if the change characteristic of the electrical conductivity with respect to temperature of the cooling water is extremely low, the ice blocks regardless refrigeration device falls below even the impedance threshold between the electrodes without does not start the operation In addition, the beverage cannot be cooled .

Furthermore, the electrodes of the above because it is disposed in the cooling water, the impedance between the dirt adheres to the electrodes, such as the scale to the electrodes may not be normal ice thickness control gone be accurately measured.

Therefore, the present invention includes an ice thickness control device that accurately controls the thickness of the ice formed around the evaporator tube without being affected by the change in electrical conductivity with respect to the temperature of the cooling water in the water tank. Another object is to provide a beverage cooling apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a beverage cooling apparatus in which a coiled evaporating pipe is disposed around a coiled beverage supply pipe provided upright in a water tank in which cooling water is stored.
A pair of electrodes that are immersed in the enclosed conductive water while being separated from each other in a sealed container made of a heat conductive metal material in which a predetermined amount of conductive water is sealed inside and air or nitrogen gas is sealed in a space above the water surface. And an ice thickness detector in which the hermetic container is arranged at a predetermined interval around the evaporation pipe, and a refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the evaporation pipe for the same evaporation. Circulation of the refrigerant by detecting the impedance between the electrodes when the frozen water of the cooling water around the pipe adheres to the sealed container of the ice thickness detector and the conductive water sealed in the sealed container is frozen. An ice thickness control device provided with a control means for stopping supply is provided.

The beverage cooling apparatus configured as described above has the following advantages.
(1) Since the electric conductivity of the conductive water sealed in the sealed container is always constant even if the electric conductivity of the cooling water stored in the water tank changes, the change characteristic of the impedance between the two electrodes changes. Therefore, the thickness of the ice formed around the evaporation tube can be accurately regulated.
(2) Since the conductive water sealed in the sealed container is always kept clean, scales do not adhere to the electrodes, and the impedance detection between the electrodes is not hindered.
(3) By enclosing air or nitrogen gas above the surface of the conductive water sealed in the sealed container, the volume expansion of ice formed by freezing the conductive water is absorbed, so the sealed container is It is not damaged by the ice formed inside.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present onset Ming beverage beverage dispenser that employs a cooling device, the beverage dispenser includes a device main body B, a gas cylinder G enclosing the carbon dioxide, the beverage Is constituted by a beverage supply source T and a pouring cock P.

Apparatus main body B, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower housing B1, is constituted by an upper housing B2 which is mounted and fixed on the lower housing B1.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a water tank 10, a coiled evaporator 21, a coiled 30, a stirring device 40, and an ice thickness detector 50 of an ice thickness control device are arranged inside the upper housing B <b> 2. Has been. Water tank 10, Ru Tei stored the cooling water W to cool the beverage in the beverage cooling pipe 30.

Coiled evaporator 21, have been erected on the peripheral wall near the water tank 10 is connected to a refrigeration system disposed within the lower housing B1 (not shown). Frozen equipment, as is known, the refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor is liquefied by cooling by a condenser, to vaporization and have guide the evaporator 21 disposed in the water tank 10 through an expansion valve and a capillary the liquefied refrigerant The As a result, the cooling water in the water tank is frozen to form cylindrical ice around the evaporator.

Beverage cooling tube 30, as shown in FIG. 2, is immersed in concentrically erected to the cooling water to the inside of the evaporator 21 in a water bath 10, the carbon dioxide gas pressure of the gas cylinder G from drinking source T A beverage to be pumped is supplied. The beverage supplied to the beverage cooling pipe 30 and cooled by the cooling water is poured out from the dispensing cock P into the beverage container through the hose shown in FIG .

As shown in FIG. 2, the stirring device 40 includes a motor 41 and a propeller 42. The motor 41 is mounted on a support plate fixed to the upper end opening of the water tank 41 . A propeller 42 is connected to the tip of a rotating shaft that is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the motor 41 and hangs down in the water tank 10. Propeller 42 was stirred cooling water W stored rotates in the water tank 10 by driving the motor 41, in contact with the ice I the entire body of cooling water W is formed around the vapor Hatsuki 21 To ensure uniform cooling.

The ice thickness detector 50 of the ice thickness control device ( ice thickness control means) is for detecting and controlling the thickness of the ice I formed around the evaporator 21 , as shown in FIG. , any vertical position in the water tank 10 (in this embodiment a middle position) is disposed by appropriate support means spaced from the periphery of the evaporator 21 at. As shown in Figure 3, ice thickness detector 50 is internal to a predetermined amount of conductive water the air or nitrogen gas 54 is sealed and functions as a buffer gas in the space above the water surface while enclosing the closed container 51, with each other A pair of electrodes 52 to be immersed in conductive water sealed and separated are assembled to the sealed container 51.

The sealed container 51 is formed of a heat conductive metal material such as stainless steel, and is configured by welding the periphery of the lid body 51b to the upper end opening of the container body 51a. The conductive water sealed in the sealed container 51 is isolated from the cooling water in the water tank 10 and blocked. The pair of electrodes 52 is held by an electrode holding member 51c that is liquid-tightly incorporated in the upper part of the container body 51 and is immersed in conductive water. The pair of electrodes 52 are covered with an insulating member so as not to contact the lid 51b and the electrode holding member 51c from the middle part to the upper part. Further, since the O-ring is interposed around the through hole of the lid 51b in which the electrode 52 is inserted, the conductive water 53 does not leak from the inside of the sealing member 51 .

The conductive water 53 sealed in the sealed container 51 freezes when ice formed around the evaporation tube 21 adheres to the sealed container 51. Sodium bicarbonate is added to pure water to obtain a predetermined electrical conductivity (for example, electrical conductivity). The degree of adjustment is 300 μS / cm. In addition, it is desirable to add silver iodide as a supercooling preventive agent to the conductive water 53 , so that the conductive water can be prevented from freezing due to supercooling in the sealed container 51.

The ice thickness control device including the ice thickness detector 50 configured as described above is connected to a control circuit (microcomputer) of a refrigeration apparatus (not shown) installed in the lower housing, and the ice thickness control device is provided. It functions so that the operation of the refrigeration apparatus is controlled under the control of the control circuit in accordance with the measured value of the impedance between both electrodes 52 in the detector 50.

In the beverage dispenser configured as described above, the refrigerant gas compressed by the operation of the compressor during operation of the refrigeration apparatus is cooled and liquefied by the condenser, and the liquefied refrigerant passes through the expansion valve to the evaporator 21 in the water tank 10. Vaporize. Thereby, the cooling water W in the water tank 10 is gradually cooled by heat exchange with the evaporator 21 to form ice I around the evaporator 21. At this time, the cooling water W is stirred and uniformly cooled by the propeller that is rotationally driven by the operation of the motor 41, and the beverage supplied to the beverage supply pipe 30 is cooled.

When ice I formed around the evaporator 21 grows and adheres to the sealed container 51 of the ice thickness detector 50 during the cooling of such cooling water, the conductive water sealed in the sealed container 51 is frozen. The measured value of the impedance between both electrodes becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value (threshold value). At this time, the operation of the refrigeration apparatus stops under the control of the control circuit in response to the increase in impedance between both electrodes measured by the ice thickness control apparatus.

When the operation of the refrigeration apparatus 20 is stopped, the ice I formed around the evaporator 21 is gradually melted and the ice thickness is reduced. Thus, when the ice I formed around the evaporator 21 is dissociated from the sealed container 51 of the ice thickness control device, the impedance between the electrodes 52 becomes a predetermined value or less,
In response to the drop in impedance between the electrodes 52 measured by the ice thickness control device, the operation of the refrigeration device resumes under the control of the control circuit.

In the beverage dispenser configured as described above, since the conductive water 53 adjusted to a predetermined electrical conductivity (for example, 300 μS / cm) is sealed in the sealed container 51, the change characteristic of the electrical conductivity changes. The impedance change characteristic between the electrodes 52 hardly changes. Therefore, the ice thickness control device including the ice thickness detector 50 can always accurately control the ice thickness without being affected by the water quality (electrical conductivity) of the cooling water W.

Further, since the sealed container 51 is formed of a metal material having high thermal conductivity such as stainless steel , when the ice I formed around the evaporator 21 adheres, the conductive water sealed in the sealed container 51 Freeze immediately. Therefore, according to the ice thickness control device including the ice thickness detector 50 described above, the thickness of ice formed around the evaporator 21 can be accurately controlled. In addition, since the conductive water sealed in the sealed container 51 of the ice thickness detector 50 is isolated from the cooling water stored in the water tank 10 and is not affected by the water quality, there is no possibility that scales adhere to both electrodes 52. . Further, by sealing air or nitrogen gas functioning as a buffer gas in the sealed container 51, it is possible to prevent the sealed container from being damaged due to the volume expansion of ice frozen in the sealed container 51.

Moreover, since the conductive water 53 contains silver iodide as a supercooling preventive agent, the conductive water 53 is not frozen in a supercooled state .

(Second Embodiment)
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the pair of electrodes 52 are immersed in the conductive water sealed in the sealed container 51. However, as shown in FIG. 4, a single electrode 52A is immersed in the conductive water 53A. 3 may be implemented such that the peripheral wall of the sealed container 51A formed in the same manner as the sealed container 51 shown in FIG. 3 functions as another electrode to detect the impedance between these two electrodes.

It is a schematic block diagram of the drink dispenser which is one Embodiment of the drink cooling device which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of the apparatus main body of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the ice thickness detector in 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the ice thickness detector in 2nd Embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Water tank, 20 ... Refrigeration apparatus, 21 ... Evaporator, 50 ... Ice thickness detector of ice thickness control apparatus , 51 ... Sealed container , 52 ... Electrode, 53 ... Conducting water, 54 ... Air or nitrogen gas .

Claims (2)

In the beverage cooling apparatus in which the coiled evaporating pipe is arranged separately around the coiled beverage supply pipe erected inside the water tank storing the cooling water,
A pair of electrodes that are immersed in the enclosed conductive water while being separated from each other in a sealed container made of a heat conductive metal material in which a predetermined amount of conductive water is sealed inside and air or nitrogen gas is sealed in a space above the water surface. And an ice thickness detector in which the sealed container is arranged at a predetermined interval around the evaporation pipe, and the cooling water around the evaporation pipe during a freezing operation. When the frozen ice adheres to the airtight container of the ice thickness detector and the conductive water sealed in the airtight container freezes and the impedance between the electrodes exceeds a predetermined value, the circulation supply of the refrigerant is stopped. An ice thickness control device comprising a control means is provided.   The beverage cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a supercooling inhibitor is mixed in the conductive water sealed in the sealed container.

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