JP6552854B2 - Beverage server - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage server for supplying a beverage contained in a bottle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, beverage servers that supply beverages such as water contained in bottles are known. Many beverage servers used in the prior art are beverage servers of the type in which bottles are placed on top of the water server housing. In this beverage server, gravity is used to drop the beverage in the bottle to the tank of the water server.

  However, setting the tank on the top of the case is not easy for women and elderly people, and the work of replacing the bottle is difficult. In order to solve such problems, Patent Document 1 proposes a water server in which a bottle is set in the lower part of a housing.

JP 2014-172624 A

  In the water server described in Patent Document 1, the control of the pumping of water from the bottle to the cold water tank is performed by driving the pump when the water level in the cold water tank falls below a preset lower limit water level. Drinking water is pumped into the tank to raise the water level in the cold water tank (Patent Document 1, paragraph [0067] and FIG. 12 etc.). Therefore, air enters the cold water tank from the outside until the water level in the cold water tank reaches the lower limit water level. If the outside air which has not been subjected to sterilization treatment enters the cold water tank, it causes the growth of bacteria and the generation of mold.

  Therefore, in view of the above background, the present invention provides a beverage server in which air does not enter the tank from the outside at the time of water intake, in a configuration in which a bottle is installed below the tank.

  The beverage server of the present invention connects a storage tank that stores beverages, an exchangeable bottle that is set below the storage tank and contains beverages to be supplied to the storage tank, and the bottle and the storage tank. A supply pipe provided with a pump for drawing the beverage from the bottle to the storage tank, a control unit for controlling the drawing of the beverage by the pump, and a cock for taking out the beverage from the storage tank, the control unit The pump is controlled to draw the beverage into the storage tank when the cock is opened.

  As described above, by opening the cock and taking out the beverage from the storage tank, the beverage can be supplied to the storage tank without pouring external air into the storage tank by pumping the beverage into the storage tank.

  In the beverage server of the present invention, an air port is formed at a position higher than the water level of the beverage to be stored in the storage tank, and the air port is closed when the beverage in the storage tank reaches a predetermined water level. When the bottle is set, the control unit controls the pump to pump up the beverage until the water level in the storage tank is higher than the predetermined water level by a predetermined threshold value. May be. Further, the beverage server may include a reverse branch valve provided in the air port so as to prevent the inflow of air into the storage tank.

  As described above, by pumping up a certain amount of beverage even after the air port is closed, the inside of the storage tank is slightly pressurized, and air can be prevented from entering the storage tank from the outside.

  In the beverage server of the present invention, the control unit may change the amount of pumping of the beverage into the storage tank according to the opening degree of the cock.

  By controlling the pumping amount to the storage tank according to the opening degree, such as increasing the pumping amount when the cock opening is large and decreasing the pumping amount when the opening is small, The water level can be kept constant.

  In the beverage server of the present invention, the storage tank is a cold water tank connected to the supply pipe, a hot water tank located below the cold water tank and connected to the cold water tank by a pipe, The control unit may control the pump so as to pump the beverage to the cold water tank in accordance with opening and closing of the faucet of the cold water tank and the hot water faucet. Thereby, the drink server which prevented the inflow of the air to the storage tank with one pump can be comprised.

  In the beverage server of the present invention, the bottle may be a bottle that is deformed in accordance with the outflow of the beverage. Thus, the beverage can be supplied without air entering the bottle.

  The beverage server of the present invention has an effect of being able to supply a beverage without putting air, which is a cause of breeding of bacteria and generation of mold, into the storage tank.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the water server of embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode when carrying out initial water filling to a water server. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode when carrying out initial water filling to a water server. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode when carrying out initial water filling to a water server. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode when the initial water injection to a water server is completed. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode when taking out cold water. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode when taking out warm water. It is a figure for demonstrating a control part. It is a figure which shows control of the pump by a control part. It is a figure which shows the example of the bottle installed in a water server. (A) And (B) is a figure which shows a mode that a bottle collapses when taking out water from a bottle.

  Hereinafter, a beverage server according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Although the water server which supplies the water which entered the bottle is explained to an example below, the drink server of the present invention can be applied not only for water but for supplying various drinks.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a water server according to the embodiment. The water server has a housing 1, and a cold water tank 2 and a hot water tank 3 are provided inside the housing 1 from above. Below the hot water tank 3, a bottle 20 is set. In FIG. 1, the bottle 20 is drawn smaller than the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 3, but the bottle 20 is actually larger.

  In the water server of the present embodiment, the position where the bottle 20 is set is the lower part of the housing 1, and it is not necessary to lift the bottle 20 high, so even a woman or an elderly person can easily set the bottle 20 Can do. A cold water faucet 7 and a hot water faucet 8 for water supply are connected to the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 3, respectively.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing the bottle 20 set in the water server. The bottle 20 has a substantially square shape when viewed from above, and includes a bottom portion 21 positioned below, a body portion 22 that surrounds the side surface, a shoulder portion 24 that covers the top surface, and a neck portion 23 that protrudes in a cylindrical shape from the center of the shoulder portion 24. The cap 23 is attached to the neck 23 for sealing. The bottom portion 21 is a portion that literally becomes the bottom of the bottle 20, and has a simple plate shape, and a wall-like trunk portion 22 protrudes upward from the outer edge thereof. The body portion 22 is composed of a skirt aperture portion 27 near the bottom portion 21 and a bellows portion 25 on the top portion. The skirt aperture portion 27 is narrowed in cross section as it approaches the bottom portion 21. The bellows 25 has a structure in which a plurality of bellows 26 are stacked vertically, and the height of the bellows 25 is reduced by crushing the individual bellows 26.

  FIG. 11A is a view showing the bottle 20 at a stage where about half of the water W has been consumed, and FIG. 11B is a view showing the bottle 20 at a stage where the whole water W has been consumed. In FIG. 11A, the liquid level reaches almost the center of the bellows part 25, the bellows 26 located above the liquid level is crushed by atmospheric pressure, and the bottom 21 is also inside the bellows part 25. Has been drawn into. Thereafter, the bellows portion 26 is further crushed as the liquid W is consumed, and finally the bellows portion 25 is completely crushed as shown in FIG. The part 27 is retracted and the volume is greatly reduced. In FIG. 11A, reference numeral 33 denotes an inside plug fitted to close the communication hole 31.

  Returning to FIG. 10, the configuration of the bottle 20 will be described. A shoulder portion 24 that covers the bottle 20 is formed on the body portion 22. The shoulder portion 24 is in the shape of a pyramid that protrudes toward the neck portion 23, and in order to improve its strength, a plurality of ribs 28 are formed. Although the entire bottle 20 from the bottom 21 to the neck 23 is integrally manufactured using PET resin as a material, the cap 29 needs to ensure sealing performance, and other materials are used. A split groove 30 is formed on the side surface of the cap 29, and by tearing this off, only the cap 29 can be detached from the neck 23.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the configuration of the water server will be described. The housing 1 includes a door 40 for taking the bottle 20 into and out of the housing 1. Open the door 40, set the bottle 20 on the water server, and close the door 40 after setting. The bottle 20 is set in the water server with the neck 23 down. At this time, the pipe 4 is inserted into the communication hole 31 (see FIG. 10) formed in the cap 31. By holding the shoulder 24 of the bottle 20 by the support 32 (see FIG. 11), the bottle 20 is turned upside down. The pipe 4 is connected to the cold water tank 2 through the supply pipe 5. On the supply pipe 5, a pump 6 for pumping up the water in the bottle 20 to the cold water tank 2 is provided.

  An air port 9 is formed at the top of the cold water tank 2. A float valve 10 is attached to the air port 9, and the air port 9 is closed when the water level in the cold water tank 2 reaches a predetermined level. Further, a check valve 41 is provided in the air port 9 to prevent the inflow of air from the outside. Thereby, for example, even when there is a water surface change (such as waving), air can be prevented from flowing into the cold water tank 2.

  The cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 3 are connected by a water supply pipe 13. The inlet 12 of the water supply pipe 13 on the cold water tank 2 side is not provided at the bottom of the cold water tank 2 but at the center of a disk 11 disposed at a predetermined height. Thus, water is supplied to the hot water tank 3 only when the water is filled to the height of the disk 11 in the cold water tank 2. The upper part of the hot water tank 3 and the upper part of the cold water tank 2 are connected by an exhaust tube 14. As a result, the air in the hot water tank 3 exits from the air port 9 of the cold water tank 2 through the exhaust tube 14 and the cold water tank 2.

  FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the control unit 15 of the water server. The water server has a control unit 15 that controls pumping of water by the pump 6. The control unit 15 includes a water level sensor 16 for measuring the water level in the cold water tank 2, a cold water cock opening and closing sensor 17 for detecting opening and closing of the cold water cock 7, a hot water cock opening and closing sensor 18 for detecting opening and closing of the hot water cock 8, It is connected to a door sensor 19 that detects the opening and closing of the door 40. The control unit 15 controls the amount of water pumped by the pump 6 based on the detection results of the water level sensor 16, the cold water cock opening / closing sensor 17, the hot water cock opening / closing sensor 18, and the door sensor 19.

  The control unit 15 has two modes of "water supply mode" and "stop mode". The water supply mode is an operation mode in a state where water remains in the bottle 20, and the water in the bottle 20 is pumped up so as to keep the water level in the cold water tank 2 at a predetermined water level L2 (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, the stop mode is an operation mode in a state where there is no residual water in the bottle 20, and the pump 6 does not perform the pumping operation. The switching from the water supply mode to the stop mode is when the pump 6 pumps up, but the pump 6 runs idle and can not pump up water. The switching from the stop mode to the water supply mode is when the door sensor 19 detects that the door 40 is closed. When it is detected that the door 40 is closed in the water supply mode, the water supply mode remains unchanged.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of control of the pump by the control unit 15. As shown in FIG. As described above, after the bottle 20 is set in the water server, the door 40 is closed. When the control unit 15 detects that the door 40 is closed (YES in S10), the control unit 15 shifts to the water supply mode and pumps up the water in the bottle 20 until the water level measured by the water level sensor 16 reaches the water level L2 (S11).

  The control unit 15 determines whether or not the water has been successfully pumped up to the water level L2 of the cold water tank 2 (S12). If the pumping is not successful (NO in S12), there is no residual water in the bottle 20. The determination is made to shift to the stop mode, and the process returns to the determination of whether the door 40 is closed (S10). If the pumping up to the water level L2 is successful (YES in S12), the process shifts to a determination as to whether the cold water cock 7 or the hot water cock 8 is opened. That is, first, it is detected whether the cold water cock 7 is opened (S13), and when it is determined that the cold water cock 7 is opened (YES in S13), the control unit 15 controls the amount of water discharged from the cold water cock 7 The pump 6 is controlled to pump up from the bottle 20 (S15). Thereby, the water level in the cold water tank 2 is maintained at a predetermined water level L2 (see FIG. 5).

  If it is not determined that the cold water cock 7 is opened (NO in S13), it is determined whether the hot water cock 8 is opened (S14), and if it is determined that the hot water cock 8 is opened (YES in S14) The unit 15 controls the pump 6 so as to pump up the amount of water discharged from the hot water cock 8 from the bottle 20 (S15). Thereby, the water level in the cold water tank 2 is maintained at a predetermined water level L2 (see FIG. 5). If it is determined that neither the cold water cock 7 nor the hot water cock 8 is open (NO in S13 and NO in S14), the process proceeds to step S13 where it is determined whether the cold water cock 7 is open.

  The control unit 15 determines whether the pumping is successful or not in the pumping process (S15) following the opening of the cold water cock 7 or the hot water cock 8 (S16). If the pumping is successful (YES in S16), the process returns to step S13 for detecting whether the cold water cock 7 has been opened. If the pumping fails (NO in S16), it is determined that there is no residual water to be pumped in the bottle 20, the mode is shifted to the stop mode, and the replacement of the bottle 20 is awaited. That is, the process returns to step S10 for determining whether or not the water server door 40 is closed.

  FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 are diagrams showing that the bottle 20 is set in the water server, and initial water entry to the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 3 is performed. Although FIGS. 2 to 5 are schematic views and do not show that the bottle 20 is crushed with the water supply, in fact, the bottle 20 is crushed as much as the water comes out of the bottle 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the bottle 20 is set in the water server, the water in the bottle 20 is pumped up to the cold water tank 2 by the pump 6. At this time, since the float valve 10 is lowered, the air port 9 is open, and the air in the cold water tank 2 is discharged to the outside through the air port 9 with the inflow of water. When the water supply to the cold water tank 2 proceeds and the water level reaches the height of the disk 11, water is supplied from the inlet 12 of the water supply pipe 13 at the center of the disk 11 to the hot water tank 3 as shown in FIG. 3. . At this time, along with the inflow of water into the hot water tank 3, the air in the hot water tank 3 flows to the cold water tank 2 through the exhaust tube 14 and exits from the air port 9 of the cold water tank 2.

  When the hot water tank 3 is full, the water level of the cold water tank 2 rises above the disk 11 and pushes up the float of the float valve 10. As shown in FIG. 4, when the water level rises to the position indicated by L1, the float valve 10 is closed and the air port 9 is closed. When the water level of the cold water tank 2 further rises and reaches a position shown by L2 as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 15 stops the pumping of water by the pump 6, and the initial water entry is completed. As described above, by performing water injection even after the float valve 10 is closed, the inside of the cold water tank 2 is slightly pressurized, and the inflow of air from the outside can be effectively prevented. Further, since the float valve 10 does not open even if the water level is slightly lowered by taking water from the cold water tank 2 or the hot water tank 3, the effect of preventing the inflow of air from the outside can be enhanced.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a state when water is taken from the cold water cock 7. When the cold water cock 7 is opened and water is taken as shown in FIG. 6, at the same time, the control unit 15 controls the pump 6 to pump the water in the bottle 20 into the cold water tank 2. As a result, the water level in the cold water tank 2 is maintained, and in the state where the float valve 10 is closed, the cold water tank 2 can be taken without entering external air.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a state of water intake from the hot water cock 8. When the hot water cock 8 is opened and water is taken as shown in FIG. 7, at the same time, the control unit 15 controls the pump 6 to pump up the water in the bottle 20 to the cold water tank 2, and flows out to the hot water tank 3 through the water supply pipe 13. Water is supplied to the cold water tank 2. Thereby, the water level in the cold water tank 2 is maintained, and in the state where the float valve 10 is closed, the hot water can be taken without putting the external air into the cold water tank 2.

  The water server according to the present embodiment can take water while preventing the air from entering the cold water tank 2 from the outside, so it is possible to prevent the growth of various bacteria and the generation of mold. In addition, about the air which exists in the cold-water tank 2 at the time of initial stage incoming water completion, heat sterilization can be performed. For the heat sterilization, the method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-539083 (WO 2011/024390) filed by the present applicant can be used.

  The water server according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above by way of the embodiment, but the water server according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, the float valve 10 is used as a configuration for closing the air port 9 when the water level in the cold water tank 2 becomes L1, but an electromagnetic valve may be used instead of the float valve 10. Good.

  The beverage server also includes a cold water cock opening sensor that detects the opening degree of the cold water cock 7 and a hot water cock opening sensor that detects the opening degree of the hot water cock 8, and the control unit 15 includes the cold water cock 7 and the hot water cock 8. It is also possible to pump up water at a flow rate corresponding to the degree of opening. Thereby, control of the water level in cold water tank 2 can be performed appropriately.

  The beverage server of the present invention is useful as a beverage server or the like for temporarily storing and supplying a beverage replenished from a bottle in a tank.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 2 Cold water tank 3 Hot water tank 4 Pipe 5 Supply pipe 6 Pump 7 Cold water cock 8 Hot water cock 9 Air port 10 Float valve 11 Disc 12 Water supply pipe inlet 13 Water supply pipe 14 Exhaust tube 15 Control part 16 Water level sensor 17 Cold water cock Open / close sensor 18 Hot water cock open / close sensor 19 Door sensor 20 Bottle 21 Bottom portion 22 Body portion 23 Neck portion 24 Shoulder portion 25 Bellow portion 26 Bellow portion 27 Bottom throttle portion 28 Rib 29 Cap 30 Split groove 31 Communication hole 32 Support base 33 Central plug 40 Door 41 Check valve

Claims (5)

A storage tank that has an air inlet is formed in the beverage was stored, at a position higher than the water level of the beverage to be stored,
A replaceable bottle set below the storage tank and containing a beverage to be replenished to the storage tank;
A supply pipe comprising a pump for connecting the bottle and the storage tank and pumping a beverage from the bottle into the storage tank ;
And cock to extract a beverage from the previous Symbol storage tank,
A control unit for controlling the pump so as to pump the beverage into the storage tank when the cock is opened;
A float valve or a solenoid valve that closes the air port when the beverage in the storage tank reaches a predetermined water level;
Equipped with
The control part controls the pump to pump up the beverage until the water level in the storage tank becomes higher than the predetermined water level by a predetermined threshold when the bottle is set . Beverage server according to claim 1, further comprising a check valve provided in said air inlet so as to prevent the inflow of air into the storage tank. 3. The beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the amount by which the beverage is pumped to the storage tank according to the opening degree of the cock. The storage tank is a cold water tank connected to the supply pipe, and a hot water tank located below the cold water tank and connected to the cold water tank by a pipe.
The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the control unit controls the pump so as to pump the beverage to the cold water tank in accordance with opening and closing of the faucet of the cold water tank and the hot water faucet. server. The beverage server according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the bottle is a bottle that is deformed according to a beverage outflow.

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