JPH0449737Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a beverage dispensing device such as a cup-type beverage vending machine equipped with an ice maker, and in particular, during the operation of the beverage dispensing device, a portion of the water in the ice making water tank is drained for each beverage dispensing operation. This invention relates to a new improvement for preventing deterioration of water quality in the water system for ice making water.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, various configurations of water circuits for cup-type beverage vending machines have been known, but representative configurations include those shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-45783 and The structure described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-89985 can be mentioned. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the reference numeral 1 in the figure is a water storage tank that receives water from an external water source, and the bottom 1aA of the water storage tank 1 contains:
A supply pipe 6 is provided in which a three-way joint 2, a water pump 3, a water cooling coil 4, and a cold water valve 5 are connected in series. An ice making water pipe 9 is connected to the ice making water pipe 9. A water supply pipe 12 connected to an external water supply 10 and having a water supply valve 11 is connected to the top portion 1c of the water storage tank 1. As is well known, in an auger-type ice maker, the ice making mechanism section 7a includes a cylindrical body around which a cooling pipe is wound, and an auger (screw) rotatably disposed within the cylindrical body. By supplying ice-making water into a cylinder that is cooled by a flowing refrigerant, an ice layer is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, which is scraped off by an auger and sent into the ice storage 15 above. It is. Since impurities are difficult to freeze and pure water mainly freezes, the concentration of impurities in the ice-making water inside the cylinder increases over time, so measures are taken to suppress the increase in concentration by releasing the ice-making water inside the cylinder. That is, the flowing water pipe 13 connected to the inlet part 2a of the three-way joint 2 is connected to the water outlet part 14 of the ice-making mechanism part 7a.
and an ice-melting water pipe 17 hanging down from the ice-melting water outlet part 16 of the ice storage 15.
6 and water from the water outlet 14 are supplied to the supply pipe 6. On the other hand, in the configuration shown in FIG. 3, to explain the different parts from the configuration shown in FIG. Kotoku 19
An ice-melting water pipe 17 is connected to this three-way pot 19. Therefore, water from the water outlet section 14 is supplied to the supply pipe 6 via the three-way joint 18, and is also supplied to the ice storage 1 by the three-way joint 19.
The melted ice water in 5 can be drained.

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

Since the water circuit of the conventional cup-type beverage vending machine was constructed as described above, there were various problems as described below. 1. In the water circuit described above, the water pump 3 is activated in response to the product sales signal, sucks water directly from the supply pipe 6 and the water pipe 13, and supplies water to the bend stage.
An unfavorable condition had occurred in the operation of the ice-making mechanism. That is, since water is directly sucked from the water pipe 13, the water level inside the ice making mechanism section 7a temporarily decreases, and the air that has entered the ice making mechanism section 7a lowers the water level inside the ice making mechanism section 7a after the water pump 3 is stopped. In such a case, the inside of the ice-making mechanism freezes and the auger becomes stuck, causing a serious accident. 2 Furthermore, depending on the ratio of the suction amount from the supply pipe 6 and the water flow pipe 13, the quality of the water supplied to the cup of the bend stage may change. As mentioned above, the water on the water pipe 13 side contains impurities, so when the amount increases, the amount of impurities contained in the water supplied to the cup increases.
There was a possibility that the taste of the supplied beverages would be impaired. Therefore, the present invention divides the water storage tank into a supply water tank section and an ice making water tank section using a partition plate.
For each beverage discharge operation, the ice-making water in the ice-making water path including the ice-making mechanism is guided to the supply water tank,
The main object of the present invention is to provide a cup-type beverage supply device in which water is discharged from the supply water tank by a pump to prevent the auger from becoming stuck in the ice-making mechanism.

[Means to solve the problem]

To achieve the above object, the present invention includes a water storage tank, a water pump for pumping the water in the water storage tank to the supply part through a supply pipe, and a water pump for pumping the water in the water storage tank to the supply part through the ice-making water pipe from the water storage tank. In a cup type beverage supply device having an ice maker that receives ice making water, the inside of the water storage tank has a water level detection device that detects an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level by means of a partition plate functioning as a weir plate. It is partitioned into a supply water tank section to which the supply pipe is connected and an ice making water tank section to which the ice making water pipe is connected, and the supply water tank section communicates with the ice making machine via a running water pipe. , the ice-making water tank section is arranged to receive water supply from a water supply pipe having the water supply valve that is closed and opened, respectively, when the water level detection device detects an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level. This is a characteristic feature. In a preferred embodiment, the partition plate extends higher than the upper limit water level, and the water flow pipe is connected to an overflow pipe that extends to a height between the upper limit water level and the lower limit water level in the supply water tank section.

[Effect]

In the cup-type beverage dispensing device according to the present invention, when a supply request signal is input and the beverage dispensing device is operated, the water pump is activated, and the water in the supply water tank is sucked and passes through the supply pipe to the supply section. Water will be supplied to the cup in the area. At the same time, the water level in this supply water tank decreases, and when the water level detection device (float switch) in the supply water tank detects the lower limit water level, the water supply valve opens and water starts to be supplied to the ice making water tank. . When the ice-making water tank section becomes full, the supplied water flows over the partition plate into the supply water tank section, and the ice-making water of the ice-making mechanism section flows into the supply water tank section from the water flow pipe side. When the water level detection device in the supply water tank section detects the upper limit water level, the water supply valve closes. In this way, while the water pump is operating, water is not directly sucked from the running water pipe, so water is supplied to the supply section without lowering the water level inside the ice making mechanism.
Prevent freezing accidents in the ice making mechanism. Also, since the water level change due to ice making on the ice maker side is small compared to the amount of water level change due to the beverage supply operation, if we ignore the former water level change, the supply water tank section will exceed the partition plate. Since the structure is such that water from the ice-making water tank flows in, its maximum water level is lower than the maximum water level of the ice-making water tank, and if an overflow pipe is provided, the overflow pipe will not exceed the above upper and lower water levels. Since the ice-making water tank extends between the water levels, water in the ice-making water tank flows into the supply water tank via the ice-making mechanism and the water pipe until the water levels in both tanks are balanced. Therefore, the mixing ratio between the raw water and the water from the flowing water pipe is set by the water level difference between the supply water tank section and the ice making water tank section.

【Example】

Hereinafter, a case in which the present invention is implemented in a cup-type beverage vending machine will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent parts as in the conventional example will be described using the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing the water circuit of a cup-type beverage vending machine according to the present invention. In the figure, the reference numeral 1 indicates a water storage tank that receives water from an external water source. The interior is divided into a supply water tank section 1a and an ice-making water tank section 1b by a partition plate 20 vertically disposed so as to terminate before the top section 1c. A first float switch (water level detection device) 21 is provided in the supply water tank section 1a, and a second float switch 22 is provided in the ice making water tank section 1b. The partition plate 20 is formed to extend to a position approximately 2 to 3 mm higher than the water level detected by the second float switch 22 of the ice-making water tank section 1b, and the first float switch 21 is connected to the ice-making water tank section 1b.
is arranged to operate at a height operating between an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level for each beverage dispensing operation. A supply pipe 6 in which a water pump 3, a water cooling coil 4, and a cold water valve 5 are connected in series is provided at the bottom portion 1aA of the supply water tank portion 1a, and an overflow pipe 23 is also provided. Further, an ice-making water pipe 9 connected to a water inlet section 8 of the ice-making mechanism section 7a of the ice-making machine 7 is connected to the bottom section 1bA of the ice-making water tank section 1b. Further, a water supply pipe 12 having a water supply valve 11 connected to an external water supply 10 is connected to the top portion 1c of the water storage tank 1. The flowing water pipe 13 connected to the overflow pipe 23 is connected to the outlet section 18a of a three-way joint 18 that communicates with the water outlet section 14 of the ice-making mechanism section 7a. 19 are connected. An ice melting water outlet 16 connected to the ice storage 15 of the ice maker 7 is provided at the inlet 19a of the three-way pot 19.
An ice-melting water pipe 17 is connected to the ice-melting water pipe 17 . The distal end 6a of the supply pipe 6 mentioned above and the spout pipe 24a of the carbonator 24 into which the pipe 5a from the cold water valve 5 extends are connected to the cup 26 placed on the bend stage (supply section) 25. The cup 26 is opened upward and is positioned so that liquid can be supplied into the cup 26. The upper and lower limit water levels of the first and second float switches 21 and 22, as well as the upper end position of the overflow pipe 23, are set so that the water level in the ice making mechanism section 7a is kept at a wide range in order to stabilize the ice quality. It is necessary to perform control so that no significant height difference occurs, and for this purpose, it is preferable to ensure the water level in the ice making mechanism section 7a between the upper limit water level and the lower limit water level of the second float switch 22. It is set to satisfy the desired conditions. The water circuit of the cup-type beverage vending machine according to the present invention is constructed as described above, and its operation will be explained below. First, by turning on a power supply (not shown), the water supply valve 11 is opened and the ice-making water supplied to the ice-making water tank section 1b enters the ice-making mechanism section 7a from the ice-making water pipe 9, and from there flows into the flowing water pipe 13. and the overflow pipe 23 to the supply water tank section 1a.
is supplied to An overflow pipe 2 is provided in the supply water tank section 1a.
Water corresponding to the water level difference between the ice-making water tank section 1b and the ice-making water tank section 1b is supplied via the overflow pipe 23.
Since the water supply valve 11 is open until the float switch 21 detects the upper limit water level A, the water level in the ice-making water tank 1b becomes higher than the partition plate 20, and the ice-making water passes over the partition plate 20 and flows into the supply water. When water flows into the tank portion 1a side and the first float switch 21 detects the upper limit water level A, the water supply valve 11 closes. On the other hand, in the above-mentioned state, the ice making operation is started when the second float switch 22 detects the upper limit water level, and the ice made by the ice making mechanism section 7a is stored in the ice storage 15 and is in a sales standby state. Become. Next, when the water pump 3 is operated each time in response to a sales signal (supply request signal), the water in the supply water tank section 1a is supplied to the supply pipe 6 via the water cooling coil 4 and the cold water valve 5. The water is then supplied to the tap 26 and also to the carbonator 24. Therefore, if this state continues, the water level in the supply water tank section 1a will drop to the lower limit water level B, the first float switch 21 will operate, the water supply valve 11 will open, and water will be supplied to the ice making water tank section 1b side. water from the ice-melting water pipe 17 and the ice-making mechanism section 7a flows into the supply water tank section 1a through the water pipe 13 by the water level difference from the overflow pipe 23, and the partition plate 20 is The water that has crossed over flows in, and the first float switch 21 sets the upper limit water level A.
When detected, the water supply valve 11 closes. Due to the above-mentioned flow of water, water does not remain in the ice-making water pipe 9, ice-making mechanism section 7a, and ice-melting water pipe 17 for a long time, and the supply water tank section is filled with water for each sales operation. 1a, ice making mechanism section 7a, ice making water pipe 9 and running water pipe 13
At least a part of the water in the ice-making water tank section 1b
It is replaced by fresh water brought in from Therefore, the water in the water circuit of the ice making mechanism section 7a does not stagnate, so there is no fear of breeding of microorganisms, algae, etc., and a state that meets predetermined water quality standards can be maintained. In addition, when cleaning the ice making mechanism section 7a side,
By opening the three-way valve 19 in the drainage direction indicated by the arrow, ice-melting water and ice-making water can be drained outside the machine, making it possible to periodically clean the water circuit and manage the water circuit sanitarily. This makes it extremely easy. Note that the above-described partition plate 20 is merely an example, and it goes without saying that various configurations can be used. In addition, in the case of this embodiment, the supply water tank section 1
The water in a is transferred to the water cooling coil 4 or the carbonator 24.
Although the description has been made using a circuit that supplies hot water to a hot water tank, it is clear that similar effects can be obtained even if the hot water is supplied to a tank or the like instead.

[Effect of the idea]

According to the present invention, the water storage tank is divided into the ice-making water tank section and the supply water tank section, so that when drinking is supplied, the water from the supply water tank section is supplied, so that the water from the ice-making mechanism section is directly supplied. This prevents the ice making mechanism from freezing and causing the auger to become stuck, which can be a serious accident. Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supply water tank section is provided with an overflow pipe, and by changing the height of the overflow pipe, ice is fed from the ice making mechanism section to the supply water tank section. Since the amount of water can be adjusted, there will be no excess impurities in the water supplied to the cup.
The taste of the supplied beverage is not impaired.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing the water circuit of a cup-type beverage vending machine according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the conventional configuration of the water circuit. 1... Water storage tank, 1a... Supply water tank section,
1b...Ice making water tank section, 3...Water pump, 6...
... Supply pipe, 7 ... Ice making machine, 9 ... Ice making water pipe, 11 ... Water supply valve, 12 ... Supply pipe, 13
...Water pipe, 20...Partition plate, 21...1st
Float switch (water level detection device), 23... overflow pipe, 25... bend stage (supply section).

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A water storage tank 1, a water pump 3 for pumping water in the water storage tank 1 to a supply section 25 via a supply pipe 6, and an ice-making water pipe 9 from the water storage tank 1. In a cup-type beverage supply device having an ice maker 7 which receives ice making water through the ice maker 7,
The inside of the water storage tank 1 has a water level detection device 21 for detecting an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level by means of a partition plate 20 functioning as a weir plate, and a supply water tank section 1 to which the supply pipe 6 is connected.
a, and an ice-making water tank section 1b to which the ice-making water pipe 9 is connected, and the supply water tank section 1a communicates with the ice-making machine 7 via a flowing water pipe 13, Part 1b
is arranged to receive water supply from a water supply pipe 12 having the water supply valve 11 which is closed and opened, respectively, when the water level detection device 21 detects an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level. Cup-type beverage supply device. 2. The partition plate 20 extends higher than the upper limit water level, and an overflow pipe 23 that extends to a height between the upper limit water level and the lower limit water level is connected to the water pipe 13 in the supply water tank portion 1a. A cup-type beverage dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: