JP5470172B2 - Beverage supply equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage supply device, and more particularly to a beverage supply device provided with a water supply cabinet containing a cassette-type tank for storing drinking water.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a beverage supply apparatus including a water supply cabinet that houses a cassette-type tank that stores drinking water is known (for example, Patent Document 1).
FIG. 6 shows a general configuration of a beverage supply apparatus provided with a water supply cabinet containing a cassette type tank.
The beverage supply apparatus 601 includes a water supply cabinet 602 and a beverage generator main body 603 that generates tea, coffee, and the like using the drinking water supplied from the water supply cabinet 602 as a raw material. The water supply cabinet 602 includes a cassette-type water supply tank 604 that stores drinking water, a water supply pump 605 that sends out drinking water in the water supply tank 604, and a water purifier 606 that filters the drinking water sent out from the water supply pump 605. ing. The drain of the water purifier 606 is connected to a water supply pipe 609, and a flow sensor 610 and an electromagnetic open / close type water supply valve 611 are provided in the middle of the water supply pipe 609.

When the beverage generator main body 603 generates tea or coffee using the drinking water supplied from the water supply cabinet 602 as a raw material, the drinking water in the water supply tank 604 decreases and eventually falls below the lower limit predetermined amount that can be supplied. It becomes exhausted.
When the drinking water in the water supply tank 604 is depleted, the beverage supply device 601 stops the water supply pump 605 after closing the water supply valve 611 as shown in the timing chart of FIG. Notify the user that the drinking water has been depleted. When the user detects that drinking water has been supplied to the water supply tank 604, the water supply valve 611 is opened for 2 seconds / closed for 2 seconds, and then the water supply valve 611 is opened again and the water supply pump 605 is operated. Let Thereafter, when a predetermined flow rate required for water supply to the beverage generator main body 603 is detected by a flow rate sensor 610 provided in the middle of the water supply pipe 609, the depleted state of the drinking water in the water supply tank 604 is eliminated and water can be supplied. The water supply valve 611 is closed and then the water supply pump 605 is stopped.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-23846

  In general, when the drinking water in the water supply tank 604 is depleted, air enters the water purifier 606 and the pressure on the downstream side of the water supply pump 605 is higher than the pressure on the upstream side. If the water supply pump 605 is operated in this state after replenishing drinking water to the water supply tank 604, the operation efficiency of the water supply pump 605 is lowered. Therefore, conventionally, as in the above example, when drinking water is supplied to the water supply tank 604, the water supply valve 611 is opened for a predetermined time (2 seconds in the example of FIG. 7), so that the inside of the water supply pipe 609 is opened. In the state where drinking water does not circulate, the communication state is established, whereby the air inside the water purifier 606 is removed, and the pressure on the downstream side and the pressure on the upstream side of the water supply pump 605 are balanced. However, conventionally, since the time for opening the water supply valve 611 is short, the air cannot be sufficiently extracted and the pressure cannot be sufficiently balanced, and the operation efficiency of the water supply pump 605 is lowered. I was doing it. Further, when the water supply pump 605 is operated in a state where a large amount of air has entered the water purifier 606, the air in the water purifier 606 flows through the water supply pipe 609 in a mixed state with drinking water and gradually escapes. Therefore, it takes time for the air in the water purifier 606 to completely escape and the drinking water flowing in the water supply pipe 609 to return to a predetermined flow rate required for water supply. As a result, when the drinking water in the water supply tank 604 is depleted, there is a problem that it takes a long time to return the water supply from the water supply tank 604 to a state where it can be supplied.

  This invention was made in order to solve such a problem, and when the drinking water in the tank that stores the drinking water is depleted, a beverage supply device that can quickly return to a state in which water can be supplied from the tank. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, a beverage supply device according to the present invention includes a tank for storing drinking water, a pump for sending drinking water in the tank, a water purifier for filtering drinking water sent from the pump, Drinks made from drinking water that has been filtered by the water purifier and that flows upward from the water purifier, an on-off valve provided in the middle of the distribution path, and drinking water that has circulated in the distribution path. A beverage supply device comprising: a beverage generating means for generating a water supply; and a control means for controlling a pump and an on-off valve, wherein the control means sets the on-off valve at least in the flow path when the drinking water in the tank is depleted. Is opened for a predetermined time or more required to return to the water purifier.
Thereby, at the time of the depletion of the drinking water in the tank which stores drinking water, it can return rapidly to the state in which the water supply from a tank is possible.

  The control means may open the on-off valve for at least a predetermined time immediately after the drinking water in the tank is depleted.

  According to the beverage supply device of the present invention, when the drinking water in the tank that stores the drinking water is depleted, it can be quickly returned to a state where water can be supplied from the tank.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the main control part periphery of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on the modification of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on a prior art. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on a prior art.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
A configuration of a beverage supply device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is shown in FIG.
The beverage supply apparatus 1 includes a water supply cabinet 2 and a beverage generator main body 3 that generates beverages such as tea and coffee from the drinking water supplied from the water supply cabinet 2 and powdered beverage raw materials.

  The water supply cabinet 2 includes a water supply tank 4 for storing drinking water, a water supply pump 5 for sending drinking water in the water supply tank 4, and a water purifier 6 for filtering out the drinking water sent from the water supply pump 5 to remove impurities and germs. And. Further, the front panel 2a that can be opened and closed by the user, the open / close sensor 7 that detects the open / closed state of the front panel 2a, and a notification lamp 8 that is provided on the front panel 2a and notifies the user of the depletion of drinking water in the water supply tank 4. And.

  The drain of the water purifier 6 is connected to a main water supply pipe 9 extending vertically upward of the water purifier 6, and is proportional to the flow rate of drinking water flowing in the main water supply pipe 9 in the middle of the main water supply pipe 9. There are provided a flow rate sensor 10 for outputting the number of pulses and an electromagnetic open / close main water supply valve 11.

  The beverage production machine main body 3 includes a cold water tank 12, a hot water tank 13, a powder raw material supply unit 14, and a mixer 15. The cold water tank 12 stores cooling water for cooling drinking water, and the internal cooling water is cooled by a cooling circuit (not shown). The hot water tank 13 stores hot water used when pouring hot beverage, and the internal drinking water is heated by a heating circuit (not shown). The powder raw material supply unit 14 supplies the powdered beverage raw material to the mixer 15. The mixer 15 mixes the cold water cooled by the cooling water in the cold water tank 12 or the hot water supplied from the hot water tank 13 and the powdered beverage raw material supplied from the powder raw material supply unit 14 to make tea, coffee, etc. To produce a cold or hot beverage.

Inside the cold water tank 12, a cooling coil 16 is provided for circulating drinking water and exchanging heat with the cooling water in the cold water tank 12. One end of the cooling coil 16 is connected to the main water supply pipe 9 via a water supply pipe 17, and the other end of the cooling coil 16 is connected to the mixer 15 via a cold water pipe 18 and an electromagnetic open / close cold water valve 19. Yes.
On the other hand, the water supply port of the hot water tank 13 is connected to the main water supply pipe 9 through a water supply pipe 20 and an electromagnetic open / close sub-water supply valve 21, and the water discharge port of the hot water tank 13 is a hot water pipe 22, hot water pouring A pump 23 and an electromagnetic open / close hot water valve 24 are connected to the mixer 15.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the beverage supply device 1 has a main control unit 25 configured by a microcomputer. The main control unit 25 acquires outputs from the open / close sensor 7 and the flow rate sensor 10, and also includes a water supply pump 5, a notification lamp 8, a main water supply valve 11, a powder raw material supply unit 14, a sub water supply valve 21, a cold water valve 19, hot water The dispensing pump 23 and the hot water valve 24 are controlled.

  Returning to FIG. 1, when the cold drink is poured out in the beverage supply device 1, the main control unit 25 opens the main water supply valve 11 after opening the cold water valve 19 and also supplies the auxiliary water supply. The valve 21 is closed and the feed pump 5 is operated. Further, a powdery beverage raw material is supplied from the powder raw material supply unit 14 to the mixer 15. At this time, the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 flows through the water supply pump 5, the water purifier 6, the main water supply pipe 9, and the water supply pipe 17 and is sent to the cooling coil 16. After the heat exchange with the cooling water in 12 becomes cold water, the cold water pipe 18 is circulated and supplied to the mixer 15. The main control unit 25 stops the water supply pump 5 when the flow rate sensor 10 detects that a predetermined amount of drinking water has been sent from the water supply tank 4 to the mixer 15. As a result, a predetermined amount of cold water and powdered beverage ingredients are mixed in the mixer 15, and a cold beverage such as tea or coffee is produced and poured out.

  Next, about the operation | movement until it detects that the state was canceled after detecting the depletion state of the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 in the drink supply apparatus 1 which concerns on this Embodiment 1, it pours out the cold drink The case where the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is exhausted will be described as an example.

  If the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted while the cold beverage is being dispensed, no pulse is output from the flow sensor 10. At this time, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 3, the main control unit 25 waits for 0.2 seconds to elapse after the main water supply valve 11 is closed while the sub-water supply valve 21 is closed. Then, the water supply pump 5 is stopped, and the chilled water valve 19 is closed after 0.3 seconds. And the notification lamp 8 provided in the front panel 2a of the water supply cabinet 2 is blinked.

  When the notification lamp 8 notifying that the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted flashes, the user opens the front panel 2a, replenishes the water supply tank 4 with drinking water, and closes the front panel 2a again.

  When the main control unit 25 detects that the front panel 2a is closed, that is, that the open / close sensor 7 is turned on, it determines that the water supply tank 4 has been supplied with drinking water. Then, the main water supply valve 11 and the sub water supply valve 21 are opened for at least a predetermined time (= 4 seconds) or more, thereby bringing the water supply pipes 9 and 20 into a communication state without drinking water. The predetermined time of 4 seconds is the time required for the drinking water remaining in the main water supply pipe 9 to return to the water purifier 6 by gravity, and the air that has entered the water purifier 6 by this. And the pressure on the downstream side of the feed water pump 5 and the pressure on the upstream side are sufficiently balanced, so that a reduction in efficiency when the feed water pump 5 is operated and drinking water is delivered is prevented. Moreover, since the quantity of the air in the water purifier 6 reduces because the drinking water which remains in the main water supply pipe 9 returns in the water purifier 6, the air in the water purifier 6 is operated after operating the water supply pump 5. The time required for the drinking water flowing completely through the main water supply pipe 9 to return to the predetermined flow rate required for water supply is also shortened.

  The main control unit 25 operates the water supply pump 5 when the predetermined time has elapsed, and the drinking water sent from the water supply pump 5 flows through the water purifier 6, the main water supply pipe 9, and the water supply pipe 20 to the hot water tank 13. It is sent. After that, when a flow rate sensor 10 provided in the middle of the main water supply pipe 9 detects a pulse having a pulse number (= 15 pulses / 0.5 seconds) or more corresponding to a predetermined flow rate (= 13 ml / second) over 10 seconds, After determining that the drinking water depletion state has been resolved and the water supply is ready, the main water supply valve 11 is closed, and then the water supply pump 5 is stopped after 0.2 seconds have elapsed. The sub-water supply valve 21 is closed after 3 seconds.

  As described above, in the beverage supply device 1 according to the first embodiment, when the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted and the drinking water is replenished to the water supply tank 4, the main water supply valve 11 and the auxiliary water supply valve. 21 is opened for at least a predetermined time (= 4 seconds) required for the drinking water in the main water supply pipe 9 to return to the water purifier 6. Thereby, at the time of the depletion of the drinking water in the water supply tank 4, it can return rapidly to the state in which the water supply from the water supply tank 4 is possible.

Further, conventionally, air in the water purifier 6 is mixed as bubbles in the drinking water flowing in the main water supply pipe 9 immediately after the water supply from the water supply tank 4 becomes possible, and the inside of the main water supply pipe 9 is actually In some cases, the flow rate of drinking water flowing through the flow rate is less than the flow rate measured by the flow sensor 10. As a result, immediately after the water supply from the water supply tank 4 becomes possible, there is a problem that a predetermined amount cannot be dispensed when the cold drink is dispensed.
On the other hand, in the beverage supply device 1 according to the first embodiment, the air in the water purifier 6 is sufficient until a predetermined time elapses after the main water supply valve 11 and the sub water supply valve 21 are opened. Therefore, even after the water supply from the water supply tank 4 becomes possible, a predetermined amount can be poured out when the cold drink is poured out.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
A beverage supply device 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.
In the first embodiment, when the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted and the drinking water is supplied to the water supply tank 4, the main water supply valve 11 and the auxiliary water supply valve 21 are opened for a predetermined time or more. . On the other hand, in Embodiment 2, immediately after the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted, the main water supply valve 11 and the sub water supply valve 21 are opened for a predetermined time or more. In addition, since the structure of the drink supply apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 2 is the same as the structure of Embodiment 1, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  When the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted while pouring out the cold drink, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 4, after the sub water supply valve 21 is opened while the main water supply valve 11 is open, The water supply pump 5 is stopped after 0.2 seconds elapses, and the chilled water valve 19 is closed after 0.3 seconds elapses. Thereafter, the main water supply valve 11 and the sub water supply valve 21 are closed after a predetermined time (= 30 seconds) has elapsed since they were opened. When it is detected that drinking water has been replenished to the water supply tank 4 and the open / close sensor 7 has been turned ON, the main water supply valve 21 waits for 0.5 seconds to elapse after the sub-water supply valve 21 is opened. 11 is opened and the water supply pump 5 is operated.

  As described above, immediately after the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted, the water supply pump 5 is stopped and the main water supply valve 11 and the auxiliary water supply valve 21 are opened for a predetermined time (= 30 seconds) or more. In the meantime, the water supply pipes 9 and 20 are in communication with each other without drinking water, and the drinking water remaining in the main water supply pipe 9 returns to the water purifier 6 by gravity. As a result, the air that has entered the inside of the water purifier 6 is sufficiently removed, and the pressure on the downstream side of the water supply pump 5 and the pressure on the upstream side are sufficiently balanced. A reduction in efficiency during sending is prevented. Moreover, the time required for the drinking water flowing in the main water supply pipe 9 to return to a predetermined flow rate required for water supply after the water supply pump 5 is operated and the air in the water purifier 6 is completely removed is also shortened.

  As described above, in the beverage supply device 1 according to the second embodiment, immediately after the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted, the main water supply valve 11 and the auxiliary water supply valve 21 are kept at least for a predetermined time (= 30 seconds). Leave it open for the above. Even if it operates in this way, it is possible to quickly return to a state where water can be supplied from the water supply tank 4 as in the first embodiment.

Other embodiments.
In the first embodiment, when the depletion of drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is detected, the water supply pump 5 is stopped after the main water supply valve 11 is closed as shown in the timing chart of FIG. It was. This is to prevent the contents (such as activated carbon) in the water purifier 6 from flowing out by pressurizing the inside of the main water supply pipe 9 between the water supply pump 5 and the main water supply valve 11. The state where the pressure between the water supply pump 5 and the main water supply valve 11 is pressurized communicates with the main water supply pipe 9 not flowing through the main water supply pipe 9 during the predetermined time after the water supply tank 4 is replenished with drinking water. It is canceled when it becomes a state. However, in order to more reliably bring the pressure in the main water supply pipe 9 into an equilibrium state, the main water supply valve 11 is closed after the water supply pump 5 is stopped as shown in the timing chart of FIG. The pressure between the water supply pump 5 and the main water supply valve 11 may not be pressurized. Thereby, the downstream pressure of the feed water pump 5 and the upstream pressure can be more reliably balanced.

  In the first embodiment, the predetermined time may be set longer than 4 seconds. In the second embodiment, the predetermined time may be set longer than 30 seconds or may be set shorter.

  In the first and second embodiments, values such as the flow rate, the number of pulses, and the elapsed time are not limited to the values shown in the embodiment, and can be adjusted as appropriate.

  In the first and second embodiments, the drinking water sent when the water supply pump 5 is operated is caused to flow into the hot water tank 13, but the main water supply pipe 9 is communicated with a drain pipe (not shown) to thereby provide a beverage supply device. 1 may be drained to the outside.

  In the first embodiment, when the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted and the drinking water is supplied to the water supply tank 4, the main water supply valve 11 and the sub water supply valve 21 are opened for a predetermined time or more, In Embodiment 2, immediately after the drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is depleted, the main water supply valve 11 and the sub water supply valve 21 are opened for a predetermined time or more. However, the timing at which the main water supply valve 11 and the sub water supply valve 21 are opened for a predetermined time or more is not limited to these, and the water supply pump 5 is detected after the depletion of drinking water in the water supply tank 4 is detected. It is sufficient that the time until the drive is restarted.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage supply apparatus, 3 Beverage production | generation means (beverage production machine main body), 4 Tank (water supply tank), 5 Pump (water supply pump), 6 Water purifier, 9 Distribution channel (main water supply pipe), 11 Main water supply valve (open / close valve) ), 21 Sub-water supply valve (open / close valve), 25 Control means (main control unit).

Claims (2)

A tank for storing drinking water,
A pump for delivering drinking water in the tank;
A water purifier for filtering drinking water delivered from the pump;
A flow path through which drinking water filtered by the water purifier flows and extends upward of the water purifier;
An on-off valve provided in the middle of the distribution channel;
Beverage generating means for generating a beverage from the drinking water that has been distributed in the distribution channel, and
A beverage supply device comprising a control means for controlling the pump and the on-off valve,
The control means includes
When the drinking water in the tank is depleted, the beverage supply device opens the on-off valve for at least a predetermined time required for the drinking water in the flow path to return to the water purifier. The control means includes
The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve is opened for at least the predetermined time immediately after the drinking water in the tank is depleted.

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