JPH0426399Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a frozen carbonated beverage dispenser.

[Prior Art] Generally, frozen carbonated drinks are obtained in a semi-solid state by cooling and freezing a mixture of carbon dioxide gas, syrup and water to -2°C to -5°C while stirring in a cooling tank. The temperature is controlled by turning the compressor on and off based on the signal from the temperature sensor. However, since frozen carbonated drinks contain carbon dioxide gas, it is difficult to achieve a constant frozen state, and there is a limit to the detection differential of the temperature sensor, so it is difficult to maintain frozen carbonated drinks within a predetermined temperature range. is quite difficult.

In particular, frozen carbonated drinks contain carbon dioxide gas as mentioned above, so if they are not kept within a specified temperature range, the frozen carbonated drinks taken out of the cooling tank may become too soft and slump due to insufficient cooling. It may not swell or may solidify due to supercooling. Moreover, when the frozen carbonated beverage becomes solidified, it not only impairs the taste, but also makes it difficult to pour out the frozen carbonated beverage from the cooling tank, and overloads the agitator, which adversely affects the drive system.

In order to prevent such problems from occurring, for example, in the soft-serve ice cream manufacturing machine disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-136590, a temperature sensor is attached to the outer peripheral wall of the cooling tank in contact with the outer peripheral wall of the cooling tank. We are trying to control the temperature by turning on and off the power to the compressor based on the signal from the temperature sensor that detects the temperature.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, when such temperature control is applied to a frozen carbonated beverage dispenser, a cooling pipe is required to be installed in the metal cooling tank with good thermal conductivity to produce frozen carbonated beverages. In addition, in order to maintain the frozen carbonated beverage within the desired temperature range as described above, the refrigerant in the cooling pipe, the wall surface of the cooling tank, and the frozen carbonated beverage in the cooling tank must be A temperature gradient is required for cooling, and there is usually a temperature difference of more than 10 degrees between the refrigerant and the frozen carbonated beverage. Since the temperature of the cooling tank wall surface, which is considerably lower than that of the carbonated beverage, is detected, it is difficult to set the appropriate detection temperature of the temperature sensor, and as a result, it is difficult to maintain the frozen carbonated beverage within the desired temperature range. Therefore, it is impossible to obtain frozen carbonated drinks of stable quality.

Moreover, in a frozen carbonated drink dispenser, when the pressure inside the cooling tank decreases as the frozen carbonated drink is dispensed from the cooling tank, a relatively high temperature gas consisting of carbon dioxide, syrup, and water is stored in the cooling tank. Since the mixed liquid before cooling is supplied, even though this mixed liquid mixes with the frozen carbonated beverage remaining in the cooling tank and the overall temperature rises considerably, the cooling tank is If the low temperature of the outer peripheral wall is detected, it will not be possible to respond quickly to such a temperature increase, and as a result, it will be impossible to maintain the frozen carbonated beverage within the desired temperature range, resulting in poor quality. It is not possible to obtain stable frozen carbonated drinks.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a frozen carbonated beverage dispenser that can produce a frozen carbonated beverage of stable quality by accurately responding to temperature changes of the frozen carbonated beverage in a cooling tank. be.

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve this object, the frozen carbonated beverage dispenser according to the present invention has a relay for mixing carbon dioxide gas from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder, syrup from a syrup tank, and water from a water storage tank. a cooling tank for cooling the mixed liquid from the relay tank; a cooling pipe provided on the outer periphery of the inner wall of the cooling tank; a stirrer rotatably provided in the cooling tank; The cooling tank includes an injection pipe and an extraction pipe provided in the cooling tank, and a temperature control sensor provided in the cooling tank at a position apart from the cooling pipe, and a temperature sensing portion at the tip of the temperature control sensor, The cooling tank is disposed close to the inner wall of the cooling tank, but is spaced apart from the inner wall.

[Function] When the compressor stops operating and refrigerant is no longer supplied to the cooling pipe, the temperature of the frozen carbonated beverage in the cooling tank gradually rises due to heat entering from the outside. The closer the frozen carbonated beverage is to the inner wall of the cooling tank, the larger it is, and the further away from the inner wall the closer it is to the center of the cooling tank, the smaller it becomes.

On the other hand, when the compressor starts operating and refrigerant is supplied to the cooling pipe, the frozen carbonated beverage in the cooling tank is gradually cooled down by the low-temperature refrigerant and its temperature drops. Since it is wrapped around the outer circumference of the inner wall of the cooling tank,
Due to the temperature gradient, the frozen carbonated beverage closer to the inner wall has a larger temperature and becomes smaller as it moves away from the inner wall and toward the center of the cooling tank.

Therefore, the temperature change of the frozen carbonated beverage in the cooling tank is larger as the frozen carbonated beverage is closer to the inner wall of the cooling tank. The temperature sensing part of the temperature sensor is installed at the location where the temperature change is the largest, so if you control the temperature of the frozen carbonated drinks near the inner wall to the desired temperature range, you can control the frozen carbonated drinks near the inner wall to the desired temperature range. will also fall within the desired temperature range.

Furthermore, the temperature sensing part at the tip of the temperature sensor is spaced apart from the inner wall, so that even if new mixed liquid is supplied into the cooling tank, it will respond appropriately to the resulting temperature change.

[Embodiments] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 1 indicates a carbon dioxide gas cylinder, and the carbon dioxide gas in this carbon dioxide gas cylinder 1 is supplied to a first regulator 2, a first electromagnetic valve 3, a second
It is connected to a relay tank 6 via a first connecting pipe 5 having a regulator 4, and is also connected to a syrup tank 8 via a branch 7.

The syrup tank 8 has a second solenoid valve 9 and a first
It is connected to the relay tank 6 via a second connecting pipe 11 having a check valve 10, and the relay tank 6 includes a second check valve 12 and a third regulator 13.
A water storage tank 16 is connected via a third connecting pipe 15 having a pump motor 14 and a pump motor 14 .

A pressure switch 17 is connected to the first connecting pipe 5 and detects the pressure of carbon dioxide gas within the first connecting pipe 5. A float 18 is provided in the relay tank 6 in a state floating on the mixed liquid 19, and a fourth connecting pipe 2 attached to the bottom plate 6a of the relay tank 6 is installed.
0 is connected to an injection pipe 22b attached to the bottom wall 22a of a horizontal cylindrical cooling tank 22 in the cooling chamber 21, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cooling pipe 22c connected to a compressor (not shown) is wound around the outer periphery of the cooling tank 22.
A stirrer 23 is pivotally supported within the cooling tank 22 and is rotated by a drive motor (not shown).
Furthermore, at a position spaced apart from the end of the cooling pipe 22c on the bottom wall 22a of the cooling tank 22,
A temperature control sensor 24 for detecting the temperature of the frozen carbonated beverage 22d in the cooling tank 22 is attached, and a temperature sensing portion at the tip of the temperature control sensor 24 is connected to the cooling tank as shown in FIG. Although it is close to the inner wall part 22e of 22, it is arranged apart from it.

Further, a spout pipe 22f having a spout valve 25 is attached to the end of the cooling tank 22, and a heat insulating material 26 is interposed between the outer periphery of the cooling tank 22 and the inner surface of the cooling chamber 21. Further, the temperature control sensor 24 is connected to the compressor control circuit via a control circuit (not shown).

To explain the operation of the frozen carbonated beverage dispenser of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, carbon dioxide gas, syrup, and water in the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 1, syrup tank 8, and water storage tank 16 are supplied to the first, second, and third connecting pipes. 5, 11, and 15 into the relay tank 6, and becomes a mixed liquid 19.
The amount of this mixed liquid 19 is detected by a float switch (not shown) corresponding to the float 18, and based on the detection result, it is replenished in a pre-mixed form in a well-known manner. At the same time, the carbon dioxide gas is forced to be fed into the cooling tank 22 via the fourth connecting pipe 20 by the gas pressure of the carbon dioxide cylinder 1.

When the compressor (not shown) is operated in this state, refrigerant is supplied to the cooling pipe 22c, and the frozen carbonated beverage 22d in the cooling tank 22 is heated to -2°C.
The frozen carbonated beverage 22d is cooled and frozen to an appropriate temperature of ~-5°C to produce a fluffy, snow-like frozen carbonated beverage 22d.

In addition, the frozen carbonated beverage 22d in the cooling tank 22
A stirrer 23 is rotated to keep the whole at this appropriate temperature.

When the temperature sensing portion of the temperature control sensor 24 detects that the temperature of the frozen carbonated beverage 22d has reached the lower limit, the operation of the compressor is stopped via a control circuit (not shown). As a result, due to the heat entering from the outside, the temperature of the frozen carbonated beverage 22d, which is located near the inner wall of the cooling tank 22 and is easily affected by the entered heat, rises faster than that of the frozen carbonated beverage located at other locations, and reaches the upper limit. When this temperature rise is reached, the temperature control sensor 24 located near the inner wall immediately detects this temperature rise, and the compressor starts operating again to cool the cooling tank 22.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, according to the invention, the temperature-sensing part of the temperature control sensor is placed near the inner wall of the cooling tank where the temperature change of the frozen carbonated beverage is greatest, and is spaced apart from the inner wall of the cooling tank. Because of this, if the temperature of the frozen carbonated beverage near the inner wall is controlled within the desired temperature range, the frozen carbonated beverages in other locations can also be maintained within that temperature range. The frozen carbonated beverage inside can be maintained at a suitable temperature.

Therefore, it is not only possible to produce a stable frozen carbonated beverage with a fluffy, snow-like quality with almost no variation in serving size, taste, etc., but also to prevent overloading of the stirrer that stirs the frozen carbonated beverage. You can also do it.

Moreover, since the temperature sensing part of the temperature control sensor is separated from the inner wall of the cooling tank, even if the relatively high temperature mixed liquid is replenished into the cooling tank, the temperature inside the cooling tank due to the replenishment of the same mixed liquid can quickly respond to an increase in temperature of the entire frozen carbonated beverage and maintain it within the desired temperature range described above.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram showing the overall structure of a frozen carbonated beverage dispenser according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the cooling tank in FIG. 1. 1... Carbon dioxide cylinder, 6... Relay tank, 8
...Syrup tank, 16...Water storage tank, 22
...Cooling tank, 22b...Injection pipe, 22c...
Cooling pipe, 22d...Frozen carbonated drink, 22e...
...Inner wall part, 22f... Pour pipe, 23... Stirrer,
24...Temperature control sensor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A relay tank 6 for mixing carbon dioxide gas from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 1, syrup from a syrup tank 8, and water from a water storage tank 16, and a cooling tank 2 for cooling the mixed liquid from the relay tank 6.
2, a cooling pipe 22c provided on the outer periphery of the inner wall of the cooling tank 22, an agitator 23 rotatably provided in the cooling tank 22, an injection pipe 22b provided in the cooling tank 22, and a Exit pipe 2
2f, and a temperature control sensor 24 provided in the cooling tank 22 at a position spaced from the cooling pipe 22c, and the temperature sensing portion at the tip of the temperature control sensor 24 is located within the cooling tank 22. A frozen carbonated beverage dispenser located adjacent to but spaced from the interior wall.