JP4794968B2 - Drinking water supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drinking water supply device, and more particularly to water supply control of a drinking water supply device.

  A conventional drinking water supply apparatus is described in Patent Document 1. This drinking water supply device has a hot water storage tank in which water is stored, and heats water with a heater attached under the hot water storage tank to make hot water, and pours the tea by pouring this hot water into tea leaves. . The hot water storage tank is provided with a water level sensor that detects the water level of hot water and a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of hot water.

  When the door that can be opened and closed is closed on the front of the drinking water supply device, the control unit detects the signal of the door switch attached to the door and opens the water supply water valve to start water supply to the hot water storage tank The Two reed switches with different positions in the vertical direction are built in the water level sensor, and each of them detects an upper limit and a lower limit of the hot water level in the hot water storage tank. While the hot water level in the hot water storage tank is below the lower limit, tea is not poured out and the heater is not operated regardless of the hot water temperature. When the hot water level reaches the upper limit, the control unit closes the water supply water valve to stop water supply to the hot water storage tank.

After the water supply to the hot water storage tank stops, when the user presses the pouring switch, the pouring water valve is opened for a certain period of time due to the head pressure of the hot water in the hot water tank, thereby pouring out a set amount of tea. When the dispensing is completed, the dispensing water valve is closed, and the control unit opens the water supply water valve, so that the same amount of water as the amount of tea dispensed is supplied. A water supply amount (water supply speed) per unit time is set in the control unit, and the water supply amount to the hot water storage tank is controlled by adjusting the opening time of the water supply water valve based on this water supply speed.
When the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank is lower than a certain temperature, the hot water is heated by the heater without supplying water into the hot water storage tank even after the tea is poured out. In this case, since the water level of the hot water in the hot water storage tank decreases every time tea is poured out, the head pressure of the hot water also decreases. Therefore, the controller calculates the water level of hot water in the hot water storage tank from the amount of water dispensed and the amount of water supplied, and adjusts the opening time of the water pouring water valve according to the water level of the hot water in the hot water storage tank. Correction is made so that the output amount is constant. When hot water exceeds a certain temperature, the operation of supplying water to the hot water storage tank after pouring tea is performed again.

JP 2000-37299 A

  However, when the control unit calculates the hot water level in the hot water storage tank based on the amount of water dispensed and the amount of water supplied, if the water supply speed is fixed and the calculation is performed, There may be a difference between the calculated water level and the calculated water level. If the water level of the hot water is different, there is a difference in the head pressure of the hot water when the drinking water is poured out, which makes it impossible to dispense a certain amount. In addition, there is a method of providing a flow rate sensor for measuring the amount of water supply or the amount dispensed, but in this case, there is a problem that the cost of installing the flow rate sensor increases.

  This invention was made in order to solve such a problem, and it aims at providing the drinking water supply apparatus with which the amount of drinking water extraction is exact.

The water level in the tank is calculated based on the amount of water dispensed using the water stored in the tank and the amount of water dispensed to the tank after the drinking water is dispensed. In a drinking water supply device that adjusts the amount of drinking water to be constant based on the water level, the drinking water supply device detects a water supply valve that controls water supply to the tank, and a lower limit and an upper limit of the water level in the tank. A water level detection means and a control unit that calculates a water supply speed to the tank by measuring a time required for the water level to reach the upper limit from the lower limit at the start of water supply to the tank, the control unit based on the water supply speed The opening time of the water supply valve is determined.
In addition, the drinking water supply device includes a water supply valve that controls water supply to the tank, a water level detection means that detects the upper limit of the water level in the tank, and the water level from the start of water supply to the tank after pouring of the drinking water. It measures the time required to reach the upper limit, calculates the water supply rate to the tank, and has a control unit that updates the water supply rate every time drinking water is dispensed , and the control unit supplies water based on the water supply rate The valve opening time is determined.

  According to this invention, the drinking water supply device includes a water supply valve that controls water supply to the tank, a water level detection means that detects a lower limit and an upper limit of a change in the water level in the tank, and a water level at the lower limit when water supply to the tank is started. And a controller that calculates the water supply rate to the tank by measuring the time required to reach the upper limit, and the controller determines the opening time of the water supply valve based on the water supply rate, Since there is no difference between the actual water level and the water level calculated by the control unit, the amount of drinking water dispensed can be made accurate.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
A drinking water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described based on a tea machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the tea dispenser 1 includes a main body 2 having a vertically long box shape with an upper portion protruding. An overhanging portion is formed on the front surface of the upper portion of the main body 2, and the door 3 is attached to the front surface via a hinge 4 (see FIG. 2) so as to be opened and closed. Moreover, the door 17 which can be opened and closed is attached also to the upper surface. On the front surface of the door 3, a pouring switch 16 for pouring hot water or tea is provided. Referring to FIG. 2 with the doors 3 and 17 opened, a panel 5 is provided in the interior of the projecting portion, and the projecting portion and the interior of the main body 1 are separated from each other. The panel 5 is provided with a canister 6 for storing tea leaves. Below the canister 6, there is provided a tea leaf supply unit 7 having a fixed quantity drum capable of dropping tea leaves by a predetermined amount, and a tea leaf supply port 8 at the lower end thereof is covered with an openable / closable shutter 9. Next to the tea leaf supply port 8, a shower type hot water supply port 10 communicating with the hot water storage tank 20 (see FIG. 3) is provided. Below the tea leaf supply port 8 and the hot water supply port 10, a tea strainer 11 that accommodates tea leaves supplied from the tea leaf supply port 8 and into which hot water supplied from the hot water supply port 10 is poured is attached to the funnel 12. . An auxiliary hot water supply pipe 18 communicating with the hot water storage tank 20 is provided on the right side of the funnel 12. The funnel 12 is rotatable counterclockwise about the shaft 13. A tea discard container 14 is provided below the left side of the funnel 12 so that the tea strainer 11 faces the opening 14a of the tea discard container 14 when the funnel 12 is inverted. Below the funnel 12, there is provided a mounting table 15 on which a hot water cup or the like is mounted.

Next, the internal configuration of the main body 1 will be described based on the schematic diagram shown in FIG.
Inside the main body 1, a hot water storage tank 20 for storing hot water is provided. At the upper part of the peripheral surface of the hot water storage tank 20, an end portion of a water supply pipe 21 whose one end is connected to a water intake portion such as a water tap (not shown) is provided so as to penetrate from the outside of the hot water storage tank 20 to the inside. The water supply pipe 21 is provided with a water supply valve 22 that is an on-off valve that communicates or shuts off the water intake section and the hot water storage tank 20. A pouring pipe 23 having one end communicating with the hot water storage tank 20 and the other end passing through the panel 5 and communicating with the hot water supply port 10 is provided at the lower peripheral surface of the hot water storage tank 20. The pouring pipe 23 is provided with a pouring valve 24 that is an on-off valve that communicates or blocks the interior of the hot water storage tank 20 and the hot water supply port 10. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the dispensing valve 24 is electrically connected to the dispensing switch 16 (see FIG. 1). A heater 25 is provided below the hot water storage tank 20.

A lid 26 is provided in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 20, and a float switch 27 that extends through the lid 26 and extends downward in the hot water storage tank 20 is provided. An upper limit stopper 29 and a lower limit stopper 30 are fixed to the stem 28 of the float switch 27 so as to be separated from each other up and down. A float 31 that floats on the water surface in the hot water storage tank 20 along with the stem 28 is provided along the stem 28. The upper limit stopper 29 and the lower limit stopper 30 are provided so as to be movable up and down according to the water level. Here, the lower limit water level is when the float 31 is in contact with the lower limit stopper 30, and the upper limit water level is when the float 31 is in contact with the upper limit stopper 29.
As shown in FIG. 4, a substrate 35 is provided inside the stem 28, and two reed switches 32 and 33 provided at different positions in the vertical direction on the base 35 and the hot water storage tank 20. A thermistor 34 for measuring the temperature of hot water is provided. The upper reed switch 32 is provided at a position where the float 31 faces when the float 31 is in contact with the upper limit stopper 29, and the lower reed switch 33 is when the float 31 is in contact with the lower limit stopper 30. The float 31 is provided at a position facing the float 31. Each of the reed switches 32 and 33 is energized by a magnet built in the float 31 and is turned on. Here, the float switch 27 constitutes a water level detection means.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a control unit 40 is provided inside the main body 1. The control unit 40 is electrically connected to the water supply valve 22, the extraction valve 24, and the heater 25. The control unit 40 is also electrically connected to the reed switches 32 and 33 (see FIG. 4) and the thermistor 34 (see FIG. 4).

Next, operation | movement of the drinking water supply apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated based on FIGS.
When the user turns on the tea machine 1, the control unit 40 opens the water supply valve 22, so that water is supplied from the water intake unit (not shown) through the water supply pipe 21 into the hot water storage tank 20. When the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 rises and the float 31 rises together with the water surface and moves away from the lower limit stopper 30, the reed switch 33 is turned off by the absence of excitation by the magnet built in the float 31. Then, when the control unit 40 detects this, measurement of elapsed time is started. At the same time, the controller 40 operates the heater 25 to heat the water in the hot water storage tank 20. When the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 further rises and the float 31 rises with the water surface and comes into contact with the upper limit stopper 29, the reed switch 32 is turned on by excitation by the magnet built in the float 31. Then, when the control unit 40 detects this, the control unit 40 closes the water supply valve 22. Thereby, the water supply to the hot water storage tank 20 is completed. Moreover, the control part 40 complete | finishes the measurement of elapsed time. Thereby, the time required for the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 to reach the upper limit from the lower limit is measured. The control unit 40 calculates and stores the water supply speed to the hot water storage tank 20 by performing a calculation to divide the amount of water corresponding to the water level change of the hot water storage tank 20 from the lower limit to the upper limit by the measured time.

  The thermistor 34 measures the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 20, and the control unit 40 controls the heater 25 so that the measured value becomes equal to or higher than the water temperature (set temperature) preset in the control unit 40. When the measured value by the thermistor 34 is equal to or higher than the set temperature, an appropriate temperature lamp (not shown) is turned on to inform the user that tea can be poured out at an appropriate temperature. Moreover, when the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 falls below the lower limit, the control unit 40 prevents the tea from being poured out by preventing the pouring valve 24 from opening.

The user opens the doors 3 and 17 and puts the tea leaves into the canister 6. When the doors 3 and 17 are closed, the metering drum built in the tea leaf supply unit 7 rotates and the shutter 9 opens, whereby a predetermined amount of tea leaves are supplied to the tea strainer 11 from the tea leaf supply port 8. Thereafter, the user places a cup of water on the mounting table 15 and operates the dispensing switch 16. By operating the pouring switch 16, the pouring valve 24 opens for a certain period of time, and hot water circulates through the pouring pipe 23 by the head pressure of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 20, and is supplied from the hot water inlet 10 into the tea strainer 11. Become poured into a cup of tea. In addition, when pouring hot water, it is poured into hot water via the auxiliary hot water supply pipe 18 from the hot water storage tank 20.
After the tea has been dispensed, the same amount of tea is dispensed to the hot water storage tank 20, but the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 20 is set in order to dispense tea above the set temperature. If the temperature falls below the temperature, water supply after pouring is not performed. Thus, when the frequency of tea pouring is frequent, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 20 does not fall below the set temperature because the heating by the heater 25 is not in time due to frequent water supply. Water supply to the hot water storage tank 20 is not performed after the completion of the dispensing. Thereby, the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 will fall whenever it pours out. When the water temperature rises above the set temperature by the heater 25, water supply is performed again. When the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 changes, the water head pressure of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 20 changes. Therefore, if the open time of the extraction valve 24 remains constant, the amount of tea discharged will change. For this reason, the control unit 40 calculates the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 from the relationship between the amount of tea dispensed and the amount of water supplied to the hot water storage tank 20. In order to make the amount of tea dispensed constant, when the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 becomes low, the opening time of the dispensing valve 24 must be lengthened. That is, the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 and the opening time of the pouring valve 24 are inversely proportional. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 40 incorporates a map indicating the relationship between the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 and the opening time of the pouring valve 24. The control unit 40 is based on this map. The opening time of the extraction valve 24 is determined from the water level in the water 20. Thereby, the amount of tea dispensed becomes constant. However, if the amount of water supplied to the hot water storage tank 20 differs from the amount of tea dispensed due to a change in the amount of water supplied due to a change in the water supply pressure or the like, a difference occurs between the water level calculated by the control unit 40 and the actual water level. As a result, the amount of tea dispensed is not constant. Therefore, the control unit 40 calculates the open time of the water supply valve 22 by calculating the water amount corresponding to the water level change of the hot water storage tank 20 from the lower limit to the upper limit by the stored water supply speed. The water supply valve 22 is opened for the time and water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 20. Thereby, since a certain amount of water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 20, there is no difference between the calculated water level and the actual water level, and the amount of tea dispensed becomes constant.

  Thus, the control unit 40 calculates the water supply speed to the hot water storage tank 20 by measuring the time required for the water level of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 20 to reach the upper limit from the lower limit when supplying water to the hot water storage tank 20. The opening time of the water supply valve 22 is calculated by dividing the amount of water corresponding to the change in the water level of the hot water storage tank 20 from the lower limit to the upper limit by this water supply speed. The difference between the water level and the actual water level is eliminated, and the amount of tea dispensed can be made accurate.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a drinking water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. The drinking water supply apparatus according to the second embodiment measures the time until the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 reaches the upper limit when the water is supplied after the end of the tea pouring, as compared with the first embodiment. The water supply speed is calculated by calculating by dividing the amount by the measured time. The structure of the drinking water supply device is the same as that of the first embodiment.

After the pouring of tea ends, the control unit 40 opens the water supply valve 22 to start water supply to the hot water storage tank 20. At the same time, the control unit 40 starts measuring elapsed time. When the control unit 40 detects that the water level in the hot water storage tank 20 reaches the upper limit and the reed switch 32 of the float switch 27 is turned on, the control unit 40 ends the elapsed time measurement. Thereby, the time required to supply the same amount of water as the amount of tea dispensed is measured. The control part 40 calculates and memorize | stores the water supply speed | rate to the hot water storage tank 20 by performing the calculation which divides by the time which measured the amount of tea dispensed. Thereby, the water supply speed is updated every time tea is dispensed.
In the case where tea is dispensed less frequently and water is always supplied after tea is dispensed, the opening time of the water supply valve 22 is not calculated using the stored water supply speed. However, if the water level drops due to frequent tea pouring and water supply is not in time, or if the water level drops because the hot water temperature is below the set temperature, the control unit The opening time of the water supply valve 22 is calculated using the water supply speed stored in 40.

  In this way, the water supply rate is updated every time tea is dispensed, so that the latest water supply rate is always stored in the control unit 40, so even when the water supply pressure of the water intake unit temporarily changes And the dispensing amount can be made more accurate.

  Although Embodiment 1 and 2 demonstrated as an example the tea supply machine which pours tea by pouring hot water into a tea leaf as a drinking water supply apparatus, it is not limited to this. An apparatus for pouring drinking water by dissolving powder of tea, black tea, oolong tea, coffee or the like with hot water may be used. Moreover, it is not limited to warm drinking water, The water cooler of the system which accumulates water in a tank, cools, and pours out cold water may be used. That is, any device may be used as long as it stores water (hot water) or drinking water in a tank and uses the water head pressure to pour out drinking water.

1 is a perspective view of a tea machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the state which opened the door of the tea machine which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure inside the main body of the tea machine which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows a part inside float switch. It is a map which shows the relationship between the water level in a hot water storage tank, and the open time of a pouring valve.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tea machine (drinking water supply apparatus), 20 Hot water storage tank (tank), 22 Water supply valve, 27 Float switch (water level detection means), 40 Control part.

Claims (2)

The water level in the tank is calculated on the basis of the amount of water dispensed using the water stored in the tank and the amount of water dispensed to the tank after the drinking water is dispensed. In the drinking water supply apparatus for adjusting the amount of drinking water to be constant based on the calculated water level,
The drinking water supply device is
A water supply valve for controlling water supply to the tank;
Water level detection means for detecting the lower limit and upper limit of the water level in the tank;
A control unit that measures a time required for the water level to reach the upper limit from the lower limit at the start of water supply to the tank, and calculates a water supply speed to the tank;
The said control part determines the open time of the said water supply valve based on the said water supply speed, The drinking water supply apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The water level in the tank is calculated on the basis of the amount of water dispensed using the water stored in the tank and the amount of water dispensed to the tank after the drinking water is dispensed. In the drinking water supply apparatus for adjusting the amount of drinking water to be constant based on the calculated water level,
The drinking water supply device is
A water supply valve for controlling water supply to the tank;
Water level detection means for detecting the upper limit of the water level in the tank;
After the end of pouring of the drinking water, the time required for the water level to reach the upper limit from the start of water supply to the tank is calculated to calculate the water supply speed to the tank , A control unit for updating the water supply speed ,
The said control part determines the open time of the said water supply valve based on the said water supply speed, The drinking water supply apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.

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