JP7299922B2 - Beverage supply system cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a beverage supply system for cleaning lines of the beverage supply system.

2. Description of the Related Art Beverage supply systems for dispensing beverages such as beer stored in beverage storage containers using the pressure of gas filled in cylinders are widely used in restaurants and the like. Such a beverage supply system usually includes a gas cylinder and a beverage storage container, a dispensing head attached to the mouth of the beverage storage container, a beverage dispenser for pouring the beverage into a glass or the like, and a pipeline connecting them. It has

2. Description of the Related Art In a beverage supply system, pipelines through which beverages flow need to be cleaned regularly for sanitary reasons and to maintain the flavor of beverages. For cleaning, the dispense head is usually removed from the beverage storage container, but Cited Document 1 describes a configuration in which the pipeline can be cleaned while the dispense head is attached to the beverage storage container in order to facilitate cleaning. ing. When cleaning the dispense head while it is attached to the beverage storage container, great care must be taken to prevent cleaning liquid from accidentally entering the beverage storage container. Therefore, in Document 1, the cleaning liquid is supplied only when the dispensing head is in the cleaning mode, and the fluid to be supplied is selected based on the signal of the tilt sensor attached to the operating lever of the dispensing head. It is configured.

JP-A-2006-36221

Since the dispense head may be placed in an environment where it may become soiled or wet with beverages, there is concern that the probability of failure due to liquid accretion on electronic components, such as tilt sensors, may increase. Also, routing signal lines between the tilt sensor attached to the movable operating lever of the dispense head that is repeatedly attached and detached from the beverage storage container and the controller that communicates with it may not be straightforward.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device for a beverage supply system that overcomes the drawbacks described above and that can prevent erroneous supply of cleaning liquid to the interior of a beverage storage container.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, according to the present invention, there is provided a first flow path for communicating gas from a gas supply, the first flow path being connected to a fluid inlet of a dispense head mounted on a beverage storage container. a second flow path for communicating cleaning fluid from a cleaning fluid supply, the second fluid path being connected to a fluid inlet of a dispense head mounted on a beverage storage container; at least one solenoid valve for independently opening and closing the channel and the second channel, a detector for measuring the flow rate of the gas, a controller capable of communicating with the detector and operating the solenoid valve, The control unit determines whether or not cleaning is possible based on the measured gas flow rate, and closes the first channel and opens the second channel when it is determined that cleaning is possible. Provided is a cleaning device for a beverage supply system that circulates cleaning liquid and does not open the second flow path when it is determined that cleaning is not possible.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus for a beverage supply system having a completely new configuration that determines whether or not cleaning can be performed based on the flow rate of gas flowing through the pipeline of the beverage supply system. Further, according to this, there is no need to attach a sensor or the like to the dispensing head, and the device including the detector can be integrated into one housing, so that a cleaning device with high operational reliability is realized. can.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device and a beverage supply system including the cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a beverage supply system, also showing the internal configuration of the cleaning device of FIG. 1; FIG.

First, a beverage supply system 100 including a beverage supply system cleaning apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention as a component will be described with reference to FIG. The beverage delivery system 100 utilizes the pressure of gas to serve to dispense the beverage within the beverage storage container 50 which is the source of the beverage. Therefore, the beverage supply system 100 includes a beverage supply system cleaning device (hereinafter also referred to as “cleaning device”) 10, a beverage storage container 50, a dispense head 51 attached to the beverage storage container 50, a dispense head 51 and A gas cylinder 70 that supplies gas to the beverage storage container 50 via the cleaning device 10, a beverage dispenser 60 that cools the beverage from the beverage storage container 50 and pours it into a glass or the like, and a water supply that supplies water as a cleaning liquid. A water supply tap 80 as a source, a pressure reducing valve RV disposed between the water supply tap 80 and the washing device 10, and a first connecting line P1 to a fourth connecting line P4 connecting the aforementioned components. Equipped with

The beverage dispenser 60 has a cock-type beverage dispensing valve (hereinafter referred to as “cock valve”) 61 . A glass or the like (not shown) is prepared below the discharge port 62 of the cock valve 61 when pouring out the beverage. During washing, a bucket 90 for receiving drainage is prepared below the discharge port 62 of the cock valve 61 . The dispense head 51 and the beverage dispenser 60 are connected by a fourth connection line P4. The fourth connection pipeline P4 is connected to the cooling pipe 64 of the beverage dispenser 60, and the tip of the cooling pipe 64 is connected to the cock valve 61. As shown in FIG. The cooling pipe 64 has a helical winding portion shaped like a cylindrical coil for its cooling. The beverage dispenser 60 typically has a cooling device 65 and a cooling water bath 63 cooled by the cooling device 65 , in which the helical winding of the cooling tube 64 is cooled.

In the beverage supply system 100 of FIG. 1, the beverage to be supplied is beer, so the gas filled in the gas cylinder 70 is carbon dioxide, the beverage storage container 50 is exemplified as a beer keg, and the beverage dispenser 60 is a beer dispenser. Illustrated as a dispenser. However, the cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is any carbonated beverage other than beer, for example, a beer-flavored sparkling alcoholic beverage made from raw materials other than malt and mixed with another alcoholic beverage (third beer), non-alcoholic beer, chuhai, highballs, or non-alcoholic carbonated beverages. Moreover, the beverage supplied by the beverage supply system 100 may be a beverage supplied using, for example, nitrogen gas or compressed air other than carbon dioxide gas. is filled.

In the beverage supply system 100 of FIG. 1, the internal flow path (not shown) of the dispensing head 51, the fourth connection pipeline P4, and the cooling pipe 64 of the beverage dispenser 60 are flow paths for the beverage and It is also the channel for the cleaning liquid.

Next, the dispense head 51 used in the beverage supply system 100 of FIG. 1 will be described below. The dispense head 51 normally cooperates with a spear valve (not shown) fixedly mounted inside the beverage storage container 50 to introduce high pressure gas from the gas cylinder 70 into the beverage storage container 50 to Provision is made to pump the beverage in the beverage storage container 50 to the beverage dispenser 60 based on the gas pressure. Dispense head 51 thus, in its beverage delivery mode, opens its own fluid inlet 52 and moves its plunger (not shown) to open the spear valve gas inlet and beverage outlet (neither shown). is opened, and the beverage is discharged from the fluid outlet 53. In its closed mode, the dispense head 51 retracts the plunger to close the gas inlet and beverage outlet of the spear valve.

An operating lever 54 is provided on the dispense head 51 for moving a plunger (not shown). Normally, the operating lever 54 is pushed down to the beverage dispensing position and pulled up to the closed position for the beverage dispensing mode and the closed position. corresponding to each mode. It should be noted that the dispense head 51 is normally left in the beverage dispensing mode during the restaurant's business hours, and therefore dispensing and stopping of beverage is accomplished by opening and closing the cock valve 61 of the beverage dispenser 60 . A closed mode of the dispense head 51 is also required, for example, when the beverage reservoir 50 is changed.

The dispense head 51 of the beverage delivery system 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a cleaning mode in addition to a beverage delivery mode and a closed mode. The wash mode is the plunger of the dispense head 51 so that gas or wash liquid is introduced through the fluid inlet 52 of the dispense head 51 but is not introduced into the beverage storage container 50 and is expelled through the fluid outlet 53 toward the beverage dispenser 60 . is the mode in which is positioned. The operating lever 54 during the cleaning mode is arranged in a cleaning position which is a certain intermediate position between the upper position in the closed mode and the lower position in the dispensing mode.

When cleaning the fourth connection line P4 and the cooling pipe 64 of the beverage dispenser 60, the dispensing head 51 must be set to cleaning mode. If cleaning fluid is supplied to the fluid inlet 52 of the dispense head 51 while the beverage dispensing mode is set, the cleaning fluid will flow into the beverage reservoir 50 . A cleaning device 10 for a beverage supply system according to a first embodiment of the present invention that can prevent this problem will now be described.

A cleaning apparatus 10 for a beverage supply system according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a first inlet 11 connected to a gas cylinder 70 via a first connecting pipe line P1 and a second connecting pipe to a tap 80 for tap water. It has a second inlet 12 connected via a path P2 and a pressure reducing valve RV and a fluid outlet 13 on the side of its housing 14 . Fluid outlet 13 is connected to fluid inlet 52 of dispense head 51 via connecting line P3. A display unit 15 , a wash button 16 , a drink supply button 17 and a close button 18 are arranged on the front of the housing 14 .

Inside the washing device 10, a first flow path 21 connecting the first inlet 11 and the fluid outlet 13 and a second flow path 22 connecting the second inlet 12 and the fluid outlet 13 are formed. ing. The cleaning device 10 includes a first electromagnetic valve V1 that opens and closes the first flow path 21 and a second electromagnetic valve V2 that opens and closes the second flow path 22 . Although the first solenoid valve V1 and the second solenoid valve V2 are separate in this embodiment, they may be replaced by one solenoid valve having the same function as those two solenoid valves. The cleaning device 10 further comprises a first check valve CV1 arranged in the first flow path 21 and a second check valve CV2 arranged in the second flow path 22 .

The cleaning device 10 has a cleaning mode, a beverage dispensing mode and a fully closed mode selectable by a cleaning button 16, a beverage dispensing button 17 and a closing button 18 respectively. In the beverage dispensing mode, the first channel 21 is open while the second channel 22 is closed. In the cleaning mode, the first flow path 21 is opened, then closed, and the second flow path 22 is opened, as will be described later in detail. In the fully closed mode, both the first channel 21 and the second channel 22 are closed.

The cleaning device 10 further comprises a detector 23 for detecting the flow rate of gas flowing through the first flow path 21 . As the detector 23, a thermal flow rate detector is used in this embodiment. However, embodiments in which other types of flow detectors such as differential pressure, ultrasonic, Karman vortex, impeller, and float are used as the detector 23 are also possible in the present invention. Furthermore, an embodiment in which a detector for detecting flow velocity is used instead of detector 23 for detecting flow rate is also possible in the present invention.

In this embodiment, the detector 23 is arranged inside the housing 14 of the cleaning apparatus 10, but may be arranged outside the housing 14 in the first connection pipeline P1 from the gas cylinder 70. . Furthermore, if the detector 23 is of the water-resistant type, it may be arranged in the third connecting line P3 leading to the dispensing head 51 .

The cleaning device 10 also includes a controller 24 . The control unit 24 receives signals from the wash button 16, the beverage supply button 17, the close button 18, and the detector 23, and operates the first solenoid valve V1 and the second solenoid valve V2 by a processor (not shown). , timer, and memory. The control unit 24 determines whether or not cleaning can be performed based on the gas flow rate measured by the detector 23. When it is determined that cleaning can be performed, the control unit 24 closes the first electromagnetic valve V1 to open the first flow path. 21 is closed and the second solenoid valve V2 is opened to open the second flow path 22 to allow the cleaning liquid from the water tap 80 to flow. It is configured to maintain the closed state of the second electromagnetic valve V2, that is, not to open the second flow path 22 . At this time, the controller 24 also closes the first solenoid valve V1.

We now describe in more detail how the cleaning device 10 according to the first embodiment works in the beverage supply system 100 .
Normally, the cleaning device 10 is selected for the beverage dispensing mode, so that the first flow path 21 for gas is open but the second flow path 22 for cleaning liquid (water) is closed. At this time, the beverage supply mode is also selected for the dispensing head 51 . In this state, when the cock valve 61 of the beverage dispenser 60 is opened by the operator, gas is supplied from the gas cylinder 70 through the cleaning device 10 and into the beverage storage container 50 via the fluid inlet 52 of the dispensing head 51 . Based on the applied gas pressure, beverage is pumped from the beverage storage container 50 through the dispense head 51 towards the beverage dispenser 60 and discharged from the cock valve 61 thereof. To stop the ejection of the beverage, the cock valve 61 is closed.

When washing the fourth connection pipe P4 and the cooling pipe 64, which are the beverage supply pipes, the operation lever 54 of the dispensing head 51 is placed at the washing position and the washing mode is selected, and the washing device 10 is also in the washing mode. Button 16 is pressed to select wash mode. In the cleaning device 10 with the cleaning mode selected, initially the first flow path 21 for the gas is open and the second flow path 22 for the cleaning liquid is closed, similar to when the beverage dispensing mode is selected. ing.

In this state, when the cock valve 61 of the beverage dispenser 60 is opened by the operator, gas begins to flow through the first flow path 21 of the washing device 10 . The control unit 24 of the cleaning device 10 starts the timer from the time the gas starts to flow, and displays the remaining time of the cleaning process on the display unit 15 . When the gas starts to flow, the beverage remains in the fourth connection pipe P4 and the cooling pipe 64 and acts as a resistance, so the flow rate of the gas is small compared to when there is no beverage. When the beverage remaining in the fourth connection pipeline P4 or the like is pushed out, the flow rate of gas increases. The control unit 24 evaluates the gas flow rate obtained after a predetermined time has elapsed since the timer was activated. The predetermined time is set as a time required for pushing out the beverage remaining in the fourth connecting pipe line P4 and the cooling pipe 64 plus a margin. Therefore, if the dispense head 51 is correctly selected for cleaning mode, the gas flow rate should increase after the predetermined period of time. Therefore, when the flow rate of the gas is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the control unit 24 determines that cleaning is possible, closes the first electromagnetic valve V1 to close the first flow path 21, and closes the first flow path 21. 2 The solenoid valve V2 is opened to open the second flow path 22 . As a result, the cleaning liquid from the water tap 80 is supplied to the fourth connection pipe line P4 and the cooling pipe 64 through the cleaning device 10 and the dispensing head 51 .

When a predetermined cleaning time elapses after the second channel 22 is opened, the controller 24 closes the second channel 22 to stop the supply of the cleaning liquid, while opening the first channel 21 again. is released to supply gas. Re-supply of gas is performed to remove water remaining in the fourth connecting line P4, etc., and to dry the lines. After the predetermined drying time has passed, the control unit 24 closes the first flow path 21 to stop the gas supply. At this stage, the remaining time of the cleaning process displayed on the display unit 15 becomes zero. When the remaining time reaches zero, the operator closes the cock valve 61 of the beverage dispenser 60 and places the operating lever 54 of the dispense head 51 in the beverage supply or closed position. All the stages of cleaning were completed normally by the above.

Next, how the cleaning device 10 operates when the cleaning button 16 of the cleaning device 10 is pushed due to operator error while the operating lever 54 of the dispensing head 51 is positioned at the beverage supply position. explain whether In this case, the cleaning device 10 in which the cleaning mode is selected initially opens the first flow path 21 for the gas and closes the second flow path 22 for the cleaning liquid, as described above. In this state, when the cock valve 61 of the beverage dispenser 60 is opened by the operator, gas begins to flow through the first flow path 21 of the washing device 10 . However, since the operating lever 54 of the dispense head 51 is set to the beverage dispensing position, the gas will continue to pump the beverage and therefore the flow rate of the gas will be relatively low even after the aforementioned predetermined time has elapsed since activation of the timer. remains small. If it is detected that the flow rate of the gas is less than the predetermined value even after the predetermined time has passed, the control unit 24 determines that cleaning is not possible, and the first flow path 21 is closed and the second flow path 22 is also kept closed. At this time, the controller 24 also sounds an alarm. As a result, the supply of cleaning liquid to the beverage reservoir 50 is prevented and the operator will notice that the operating lever 54 of the dispense head 51 is not in the cleaning position.

As described above, the present invention provides the beverage supply system cleaning apparatus 10 having a completely new configuration that determines whether or not cleaning is possible based on the flow rate of the gas flowing through the pipeline. According to this cleaning device 10, there is no need to attach a sensor or the like to the dispensing head 51, and the device including the detector 23 can be integrated into one housing 14. Therefore, the reliability of operation is improved. A high cleaning device 10 can be realized.

Next, a cleaning device (hereinafter also referred to as “cleaning device”) 10 for a beverage supply system according to a second embodiment will be described. This cleaning apparatus 10 differs from that of the above-described first embodiment in the method of determining whether or not cleaning is possible, but the rest of the configuration is the same. In the cleaning device 110 according to the second embodiment, the control unit 24 controls the initial flow rate measured when the cleaning button 16 is operated and the gas starts to flow and a relatively short predetermined first time has passed, and the gas Compare the latter flow rate of the gas measured after the lapse of a relatively long predetermined second time from when the flow started, and determine that cleaning is possible when the latter flow rate increases by a predetermined factor or more with respect to the initial flow rate. If the magnification is less than a predetermined magnification, it is determined that cleaning is not possible.

The predetermined first period of time is set as a period of time during which the gas pushes out the beverage when the beverage remains in the fourth connecting pipe P4. The predetermined second time is set as the same time as the predetermined time in the first embodiment. That is, the predetermined second time is a time obtained by adding a margin to the time required for the beverage remaining in the fourth connection pipeline P4 and the cooling pipe 64 to be pushed out.

Although an example in which the beverage is beer has been described above, it is also possible to apply the present invention to alcoholic beverages such as highballs, wine, and Japanese sake, carbonated beverages such as cola and cider, and non-carbonated beverages such as juice.

In the above, an example in which the gas filled inside is carbon dioxide gas has been described, but it is also possible to fill other types of gas such as nitrogen gas. In particular, when filled with nitrogen gas, the effect of suppressing oxidative deterioration in alcoholic beverages such as wine can be expected.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 beverage supply system cleaning device 11 first inlet 12 second inlet 13 fluid outlet 15 display 16 cleaning button 21 first channel 22 second channel 23 detector 24 controller V1 first solenoid valve V2 Second Solenoid Valve 50 Beverage Storage Container 51 Dispensing Head 60 Beverage Dispenser 70 Gas Canister 80 Water Tap 100 Beverage Supply System

Claims (4)

a first flow path for communicating gas from the gas supply, the first flow path being connected to a fluid inlet of a dispense head mounted on the beverage reservoir;
a second flow path for communicating cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid supply, the second flow path being connected to the fluid inlet of the dispense head mounted on the beverage reservoir;
at least one electromagnetic valve that independently opens and closes the first flow path and the second flow path;
a detector for measuring the flow rate of said gas;
a control unit that can communicate with the detector and that operates the solenoid valve;
and
The control unit determines whether or not cleaning is possible based on the measured flow rate of the gas, and closes the first channel and opens the second channel when it is determined that cleaning is possible. A cleaning device for a beverage supply system, which circulates the cleaning liquid and does not open the second flow path when it is determined that cleaning is not possible. It also has a wash button,
When the cleaning button is operated and the gas starts to flow, the control unit determines that cleaning is possible when the flow rate of the gas measured after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the flow is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 2. The washing apparatus for a beverage supply system according to claim 1, wherein washing is not possible when it is less than the predetermined value. It also has a wash button,
When the cleaning button is operated and the gas starts to flow, the control unit controls the initial flow rate of the gas measured after a relatively short predetermined first time has elapsed from the start of the flow, When the latter flow rate of the gas measured after the lapse of a relatively long predetermined second time from the start of the gas flow increases by a predetermined factor or more, it is determined that cleaning is possible, whereas the predetermined 2. The washing apparatus for a beverage supply system according to claim 1, wherein washing is determined to be impossible when the magnification is less than the magnification. The first flow path and the second flow path are provided, and further comprising a housing that accommodates the control unit and the electromagnetic valve,
The cleaning device for a beverage supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detector is housed inside the housing or arranged outside the housing.

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