JPH03259391A - Liquid supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce arranging space and to miniaturize the device main body of an automatic vending machine for drink, etc., by setting an air pump as a pressurizing supply source of liquid. CONSTITUTION:The air pump 18 is arranged in a machine room. The air pump 18 is always driven operably as far as a control circuit is energized, and pressurized air is supplied to an air pressurization path 29. The pressurized air is supplied uniformly to all the whisky bottles 12, which presses up whisky from a supply tube 16b to a liquid derivative path 32, and it is always filled in a control valve 9 in each fourchette 8. In such a way, it is possible to miniaturize and simplify pressurization structure to supply the liquid, and to reduce the height dimension of a device, and to perform global miniaturization.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a liquid supply device (prior art) applicable to a vending machine that vends liquid such as a beverage, for example. Vending machines are used that directly supply and vend liquids such as drinks to purchasers. In this type of vending machine, plates on which beverage cores, which are products, are written are lined up on the front surface, and a switch with a display function, such as an indicator lamp, corresponding to the beverage is provided near each of these beverage core plates.

For example, a coin input slot, an input amount display unit, and a return lever are all provided as operating units in the front corner, and the coin return slot opens at the lower part of the coin input slot. A beverage supply section is provided separately from these operation sections. This beverage supply unit automatically dispenses a paper cup into a concave part in which a lid made of a transparent plate is pivotally attached to be able to open and close freely, supports the paper cup, and supplies a designated beverage from the supply spout body to the paper cup. It is supposed to be done.

The supply port body in the beverage supply section communicates with a beverage storage section provided within the machine body via a beverage outlet path made of a vinyl tube or the like. The beverage storage section includes a tank for storing the undiluted solution of the beverage, a tank for storing the diluted water, and a compressor for the beverage to pressurize the undiluted solution and the diluted water and forcibly supply them from the beverage outlet to the supply port body. Depending on the model, there are also cylinders that collect carbon dioxide gas (hereinafter, these cylinders are referred to as ``drinking gas cylinders'').

In such a beverage vending machine, when a purchaser inserts a coin into the coin slot, the inserted amount is displayed on the inserted amount display section. When the amount of money inserted reaches the amount corresponding to the displayed product, the beverage, the display lamp in the switch with display function for that beverage lights up.

Usually, a vending machine has a plurality of products to sell, but the prices are summarized into one or a few products, and at least a plurality of the display lamps are lit at the same time. Next, the purchaser presses the switch for the beverage to be purchased. Then, only the indicator lamp of that switch continues to be lit, and the indicator lamps of the other switches go out. In the beverage storage section, the designated beverage stock solution and dilution water are delivered to a mixing tank and mixed. Then, the beverage gas cylinder is opened for a predetermined period of time, and the beverage mixture in the mixing tank is pressurized with compressed gas, guided to the beverage supply section via the beverage outlet, and supplied to the paper cup from the supply opening.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) It is no exaggeration to say that in such a beverage vending machine, the beverage storage section occupies most of the internal space of the machine body. That is, this is due to the fact that the beverage storage section must accommodate a plurality of large containers, such as a tank for storing the undiluted beverage solution, a tank for storing dilution water, and a beverage gas cylinder for storing compressed gas.

Therefore, the aircraft itself became extremely large,
On the aircraft manufacturing side, the cost is high and the transportation work is time-consuming, while on the sales side, it takes up space, and especially with the above-mentioned beverage gas cylinders, when the compressed gas runs out, the entire cylinder must be replaced, which is a hassle. It takes a lot of time and is troublesome.

Tanks that contain undiluted beverage solutions, tanks that contain diluted water, and cylinders that contain carbonated water are indispensable because they are the raw materials for the beverages to be sold. However, beverage gas cylinders for supplying these under pressure are particularly large, take up space, and are troublesome to replace. Therefore, it is desirable to adopt some kind of pressurized supply means that is small and does not require the hassle of replacement. It is rare.

Alternatively, some models do not require a beverage gas cylinder to pressurize the beverage. This is done by placing a difference in height between the beverage storage section, such as a tank that stores the undiluted beverage solution and the tank that stores diluted water, and the beverage supply section, such as the supply spout body, and utilizes these differences in height. It is a so-called drop type that dispenses beverages.

In this case, there is no need for at least a space for providing a drinking gas cylinder, which has the advantage of contributing to miniaturization of the aircraft body.

However, unless there is a sufficient height difference between the beverage storage section and the beverage supply section, the beverage cannot be supplied smoothly and in a short time. For this reason, either the beverage storage section should be placed far above the position of the beverage supply section, and the height of the aircraft should be made considerably higher than the model equipped with the above-mentioned beverage gas cylinder, or the beverage storage section should be placed at a certain level. The choice has to be made between moving the beverage supply to a considerably lower position without changing the height dimensions of the aircraft.

While increasing the height of the aircraft will not impair operability,
This may have a negative impact on cost and may limit the placement location. If the height of the machine body is not changed, there will be no problems in terms of cost and placement, but on the other hand, the position of the liquid supply section will be quite low, resulting in very poor operability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to miniaturize and simplify the pressurizing structure for supplying liquid, and to secure the liquid supply section at an optimal position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid supply device that can reduce the height dimension of the device and downsize the device as a whole.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means and Effects for Solving the Problems) That is, the present invention includes a liquid storage section for storing liquid in the device main body, and an air pump is communicated with the liquid storage section via an air pressurizing path. The air pump supplies pressurized air to the liquid storage section via the air pressurization path to pressurize the liquid level, and communicates the liquid storage section with the liquid supply section via the liquid outlet path. , a liquid pushed up from the liquid storage section by pressurizing the liquid surface of the air pump fills the liquid supply section together with the liquid outlet path, and the liquid supply section has a built-in on-off valve that can be operated from the outside, and the on-off valve This liquid supply device operates to cut off the supply of liquid pressurized to the liquid storage portion by an air pump to the outside.

Since the air pump is used as a pressurized liquid supply source, the space occupied in the main body of the apparatus is extremely small, and the main body of the apparatus is downsized and maintenance is facilitated. Moreover, since the above air pump has sufficient pressurizing supply power,
There is no need to make the liquid storage part high or the liquid supply part low. That is, the height of the device main body is suppressed, and the operability of the liquid supply section is improved.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
For example, whiskey is used as the liquid beverage to be supplied. Therefore, the liquid supply device to be described is
We will call it the "Whiskey Server".

FIG. 1 shows a whiskey server which is a liquid supply device. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes the main body of the apparatus, which is composed of a rice server part 3, which is the upper part of a shelf board 2 that projects from the upper center of the front side, and a storage compartment 4, which is the lower part. The above-mentioned whiskey server part 3 is a place where whiskey is sold, as will be described later, and the opening/closing door 5 has a front side with a transparent plate 5a such as a glass plate on the lower side and a normal plate 5b on the upper side.
is provided so that it can be opened and closed freely. The housing 4 is capable of storing, for example, whiskey bottles, ice boxes, and other utensils therein. Also on this front side, an opening/closing door 6 is provided so as to be openable and closable.

The whiskey server part 3 is configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

That is, the liquid supply section 7 is provided on the plate 5b of the opening/closing door 5. The liquid supply section 7 is composed of faucets 8, which are a plurality of supply ports protrudingly provided at predetermined intervals. On-off valves 9, which are electromagnetic valves, are housed inside each faucet 8, and a supply port 10 protrudes from the lower end surface of the faucet 8, and is further located at the back of the supply port 10 and protrudes further downward than the supply port 10. It is equipped with an operating lever 11 for controlling the operation. This operating lever 11 can be operated from the outside of the faucet 8, and by operating it when the necessary conditions described later are met, the opening/closing valve 9 can be opened for a predetermined period of time.

As shown in FIG. 4, the supply port 10 has a tapered shape in which the diameter of the lower end opening, which is the distal end, is smaller than the diameter of the upper end, which is the base end. The operating lever 11 protrudes further downward than the lower end of the supply port 10, and is slightly bent in the middle. When the necessary conditions are met, a tip is placed opposite to the lower part of the supply port 10, and by pressing the operating lever 11 to the rear with the tip, the on-off valve 9 is opened for a predetermined period of time, and the supply port is opened as described below. Whiskey is being supplied from 10 onwards.

As shown again in FIGS. 1 to 3, the interior of the whiskey server part 3, which is opened and closed by the opening/closing door 5, has a space only in the portion facing the transparent plate 5a,
A liquid storage section 13 in which a plurality of whiskey bottles 12 are arranged is formed here. In this liquid storage part 13, the above-mentioned whiskey bottles 1 of the same brand are arranged in the front and back direction.
2 are arranged side by side, and for example, three whiskey bottles 12 of different brands are arranged in the left-right direction. Then, by making the peripheral surface of the space chamber forming the liquid storage part 13 glass-covered, for example, and embedding a lighting lamp in the lower surface side to illuminate the whiskey bottle 12,
The whiskey bottles 12... and the whiskey contained in each float together, making an extremely beautiful display possible.

A bottle cap 14 as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is fitted into the upper end opening of each whiskey bottle 12. The bottle cap 14 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material, and has a flange-shaped gripping portion 14a at its upper end.
Further, a tapered fitting part 14b whose diameter gradually decreases from the upper part to the lower part is integrally provided on this lower surface. A spiral groove 14c is protruded on the circumferential surface of the fitting part 14b, and the fitting part 14b can be fitted into and removed from the upper end opening of the whiskey bottle 12 by grasping the gripping part 14a. In the open state, the spiral lines 14c easily maintain complete airtightness to prevent air leakage.

On the upper end surface of the bottle cap 14, a pair of tube joints 15a protrude from the upper end surface and the lower end surface, respectively.
15d (hereinafter, the portion of the tube joints 15a and 15d that protrudes from the upper end surface of the bottle cap 14 will be referred to as the upper end surface section, and the portion that similarly protrudes from the lower end surface of the bottle cap 14 will be referred to as the lower end surface section). A whiskey supply tube (hereinafter simply referred to as a supply tube) 16a is connected to the upper end surface 15b of the joint 15a, and an air tube 17 is connected to the upper end surface 15e of the other tube joint 15d. These tubes 16a
, 17 protrude from the ceiling surface of the liquid storage section 13 into the interior thereof, and the part halfway up to the connection part is wound in a spiral shape. That is, the liquid storage portion 13 of each tube 16a, 17
Keep the protruding position from the ceiling as it is, and remove the bottle cap 1.
The position of 4 can be changed freely.

A straight supply tube 16b is connected to a lower end surface portion 15C of one tube joint 15a that protrudes from the lower end surface of the bottle cap 14. This supply tube 16
b has a length that extends approximately to the inner bottom of the whiskey bottle 12 when the bottle cap 14 is fitted into the upper opening of the whiskey bottle 12. And the tip is about 4
It is cut at an angle of 5@, so that even if the tip comes into contact with the inner bottom of the whiskey bottle 12, the tip is not completely blocked by the inner bottom. Note that no tube is connected to the lower end surface portion 15f of the other tube joint 15d.

As shown again in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper part of the liquid storage section 13 is a machine chamber 19 that houses an air pump 18, which will be described later, and a lid 20 that can be opened and closed at its front opening. It is pivoted. In other words, since the beverage product being sold is, for example, whiskey, it is necessary to close one machine room to ensure a clean and luxurious feel.
Naturally, the lid 20 must be opened during maintenance.

As shown in FIG. 8, the air pump 18 may be a commercially available small and lightweight one, and is fixedly attached to a mounting bracket 21 provided in one machine room by a tie wrap 22. A power cord 23 extends from one end thereof and is connected to an in-cloth power source via a connector 24. An air tube 25 is connected to the other end to configure a circuit as described below.

That is, a circuit as shown in FIG. 9 is housed in one of the machine rooms. The air tube 25 of the air pump 18 is connected to the introduction part of the main flow divider 26 . This main flow divider 26 is equipped with three distribution lead-out parts, each of which has an air tube 28... at the introduction part of the auxiliary flow divider 27...
communicate via.

Each auxiliary flow divider 27... is equipped with three distribution lead-out parts like the main flow divider 26, but here, one of the distribution lead-out parts is closed and the remaining two distribution lead-out parts are closed. An air tube 17 extending from the bottle cap 14 of the whiskey bottle 12 is connected. Note that the two air tubes 17 connected to the auxiliary flow divider 27
．． 17 must be selected to extend from the bottle caps 14.14 of the same brand of whiskey bottles 12.12 arranged in the front-rear direction in the liquid storage section 13. In this way, the bottle cap 1 is supplied from the air pump 18 through the main flow divider 26 and the auxiliary flow divider 27.
4 to the tube joint 15d facing the liquid level of the whiskey contained in each whiskey bottle 12, an air pressurizing path 29 is configured.

On the other hand, the supply tubes 16a, 16a extending from the bottle caps 14.14 fitted into the same brand of whiskey bottles 12.12 are connected to the same header 30. The header 30 includes the supply tube 16a.
, 16g are connected, and one outlet. This outlet is connected to an on-off valve housed in the faucet 8 via a supply tube 31. In this way, the supply tube 16b is immersed in the whiskey in the whiskey bottle 12.
A liquid outlet path 32 communicating with the bottle cap 14, the supply tube 16a1 header 30, and the on-off valve 9 in the faucet 8 is constructed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 again, an operating section 33 is provided on the front side of the opening/closing door 5 on the front side of the main body 1 of the apparatus. This operation section 33 is divided into upper and lower parts,
A coin slot 34 is provided on the upper side of the coin slot 34, and an input amount display section 35 for displaying the total amount of coins inserted through the coin slot 34 is provided. A return lever 36 is provided directly below the coin insertion slot 34, and by operating the return lever 36, such as when the coin is inserted incorrectly, the coins inserted from the coin return opening 37 provided at the lower part are returned. It has become.

Note that change can also be returned through the coin return port 37. At the lower part of the input amount display section 35, a pair of injection amount selection buttons 38a and 38, which are switches with a display function, are provided.
b is provided. That is, for example, one injection amount selection button 38a is for "single order", and the other injection amount selection button 38b is for "double order".

A coin mech and a control circuit (not shown here) are accommodated inside the device main body 1, which is the back side of the operating section 33 configured in this manner.

The coin mech accepts coins inserted from the coin slot 34, calculates the total amount, and displays the total amount on the input amount display section 35 via the control circuit,
It also serves to return coins such as change to the coin return slot. The control circuit is electrically connected to the on-off valves 8, the air pump 18, the input amount display section 35 of the operation section 33, the injection amount selection buttons 38a and 38b, the coin mech, etc., and is connected to various switches, Relay Consists of solenoids, timers, counters, etc.

Next, the operation of the whiskey server configured in this way will be explained.

The air pump 18 is constantly driven as long as the control circuit is energized, and pumps pressurized air to the air pressure path 2.
is supplied to. This pressurized air is evenly sent into all the whiskey bottles 12, where the liquid level of the whiskey receives a predetermined air pressure. Due to this influence, the whiskey flows from each supply tube 16b to the liquid outlet path 32.
is pushed up, and the on-off valves 9 in each faucet 8, which are in the closed state, are always filled with water.

The purchaser inserts a predetermined amount of coins into the coin slot 34. The total amount of coins inserted is shown in the input amount display section 35.
will be displayed. When a predetermined amount of coins is inserted, one or both of the injection amount selection buttons 38a and 38b lights up. Rather than “single order”
It is natural that the set amount for a "double order" is higher, and when making a "double order", the amount set for a "single order"
Even if the injection amount selection button 38a lights up, it is unnecessary to insert coins until the injection amount selection button 38b lights up.

When the required amount is reached and the display lights up, the purchaser moves to the whiskey bottle 12 to be purchased with a separately prepared tip, and presses the supply port 10 of the faucet 8.
While facing the lower part, press the operating lever 11 with a tap. Then, the on-off valve 9 in the faucet 8 is opened, and two whiskey bottles 12 of the specified brand are released.
．． Equal amounts of whiskey from 12 are supplied to the cup via the supply port 10. The timer of the above control circuit is the on-off valve 9.
The opening time is counted, and when the set time has elapsed, a closing signal is sent to the on-off valve 9 to close it.

In the end, an amount of whiskey equivalent to a ``single order'' or ``double order'' will be sold.

For example, it is possible to place an ice box filled with ice or a container filled with water on the shelf board 2, and add ice and water to the cup before or after dispensing the whisky, depending on one's preference.

The whiskey sales operation in the whiskey server part 3 will be explained with reference to the time chart shown in FIG.

Initially, a predetermined power is supplied to the terminals of the coin mech, so the claim coil of the coin mech is turned on and the coin receiver is in the inserted state. However, in this case, since the pend signal (signal sent when the set amount is reached after coin insertion) is not output from the coin mech, no selling operation is performed even if the injection amount selection buttons 38a, 38b are pressed. When the total amount of coins inserted by the purchaser from the coin slot 34 reaches the set amount of the coin mech, the coin mech issues a bend signal. This transmitted bend signal lights up the selection lamp of the injection amount selection button 38a or 38b corresponding to the amount. When the purchaser presses the selection switch, which is a button for selecting the desired injection amount, the selection relay turns on and holds itself, and when the selection relay turns on, the delivery relay (a relay for transmitting a sales start signal) also turns on. Note that the power to the select switch is cut off when the delivery relay is turned on, so even if another select switch is pressed, that selection relay will not turn on.

Further, by pressing the select switch, the delivery relay sends a sales start signal to the terminal of the coin mech via the pend relay, and the bend signal of the coin mech is turned off. A price selection signal is sent to the coin knock through the contact between the delivery relay and the self-held selection relay, and the coin knock dispenses change.

When the purchaser presses the operating lever 11 with a tap, the take-out switch connected thereto is turned on, a pen relay (a relay that transmits the command of the take-out switch to the solenoid) is activated, and the timer and the pen solenoid are energized. The above timer adjusts the time according to "single order" or "double order".

The pen solenoid is a solenoid for taking out an item, and when turned on, the on-off valve 9 is kept open and whiskey is supplied.

In addition, a preset counter that measures the number of sales for each brand of whiskey bottle 12 and a total counter that measures the total number of sales are also energized,
When the timer turns OFF, the product returns to the sales standby state.

When the number of sales overlaps and the whiskey in a predetermined brand whiskey bottle 12 is sold out, the preset counter for that brand is switched and a sold-out lamp is lit, and even if the selection switch is pressed, the selection relay is not turned on and the product is not in a sales state.

In this case, two whiskey bottles of the same brand 1
2. There is no more whiskey left in both of the 12 bottles, and both must be replaced with new ones. That is, after turning off the pump switch (not shown), the bottle cap 14 is pulled out from the upper end opening of the whiskey bottle 12 as shown in FIG. At this point, be sure to hold the grip part 14a of the bottle cap 14 and pull it out.

After removing the bottle caps 14.14 from the two whiskey bottles 12.12, raise the lower end of one of the supply tubes 16b higher than the remaining whiskey in the whiskey bottles 12, as shown in FIG. That is, by providing a difference H from the other supply tube 16b, all the whiskey in the supply tubes 16a, 16b is returned to the other whiskey bottle 12 in a few seconds.

In this way, since the air pump 18 pressurizes and supplies the whiskey, there is no need to replenish pressurized air, which saves time and effort. There are no longer any restrictions on the placement relationship. Furthermore, since the air pump 18 is small, the device main body 1 can be made as small as possible in height, and the installation space can be reduced, making it possible to downsize the device. The faucet 8 and the operation section 3
3 can be selected as the height position that is the easiest to operate, and the purchaser's posture becomes comfortable for purchasing operations, resulting in improved operability.

Further, since the purchaser places the tip on the bottom of the faucet 8 in front of the whiskey bottle 12 of the specified whiskey and operates the operating lever 11, more brands of whiskey bottles 12 are prepared. Even if it is a part of the whiskey server, there is no chance of making a mistake in selecting it.

Since the faucet 8 is made to protrude from the front of the opening/closing door 5, it is easy to apply the tip to the lower part of the faucet 8, and the supply status can be easily checked.

The lower part of the opening/closing door 5 is made into a transparent plate 5a, and the liquid storage part 1
3 can be seen through, so whiskey bottle 12
You can easily check the remaining amount of whiskey.

In the above example, whiskey was used as the beverage product to be sold, but it is not limited to this, and examples include Nihon Sakesen's alcoholic beverages, juices,
Can be applied to carbonated drinks, etc. Furthermore, in addition to these beverages, liquid seasonings such as soy sauce, vinegar, and mirin, liquid washing agents such as liquid detergent and liquid bleach, liquid cosmetics, and equipment for supplying the liquid of the raw materials. useful as.

Therefore, the whiskey bottle 1 is placed in the liquid storage section 13.
The present invention is not limited to arranging a liquid storage container such as 2.
For example, the liquid storage section 13 may have a seal structure to directly store the liquid.

Alternatively, it is not necessarily necessary to adopt a product sales structure, and it can also be applied as a free liquid supply device that does not require coins, and the structure of the liquid supply section 7 and the operation section 33 are optimal structures according to the purpose of use. It can change to

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, since the air pump is used as the pressurized supply source of the liquid, the space occupied in the main body of the device is extremely small, and the air pump has a sufficient pressurized supply source. Because of the high power, there is no need to make the liquid storage part high or the liquid supply part low, and the height of the device main body can be suppressed, the installation space can be reduced, and the device main body can be made smaller.

The liquid supply section can be set at an ideal height, resulting in improved operability and easier maintenance of the air pump as a pressurized supply source.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a whiskey server that is a liquid supply device, Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of its main parts, and Fig. 4. 5 is a perspective view of the bottle cap, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the relative relationship between the bottle cap and the whiskey bottle, and FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram thereof. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the air pump, and FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of the air pressurizing path and liquid outlet path, jf! FIG. 10 is a time chart of the sales operation. 13...Liquid storage section, 1...Device main body, 2...
Air pressurization path, 18...Air pump, 32...Liquid outlet path, 7...Liquid supply section, 9...Opening/closing valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A device main body including a liquid storage portion for storing liquid, communicated with the liquid storage portion of the device main body via an air pressurization path, and supplying pressurized air to the liquid storage portion via the air pressure path. An air pump that pressurizes a liquid surface is communicated with the liquid storage section through a liquid outlet path, and the liquid is filled together with the liquid that is pushed up from the liquid storage section by pressurizing the liquid surface of the air pump. a supply section;
A liquid supply device comprising: an on-off valve that is built into the liquid supply section and opens and closes when operated from the outside to cut off the supply of the liquid to the outside.