JPH0457788A - Beverage supply apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely detect that beverage is out of stock, by identifying the deficiency of supply beverage when the suction side of a pump for sucking beverage from a flexible bag detects a negative pressure or detects that bever age is out in a pump discharge side pipeline. CONSTITUTION:When the mixed gas of a bag 1 is little, an object for a pump 7 to suck in is lost abruptly if beverage in the bag 1 is out, and the beverage is not supplied because the pump suction side is under a negative pressure though the pump discharge side is filled with the beverage. Because a first detector 18 generates the detection signal of the negative pressure though a second detector 20 does not detect that the beverage is out of stock, a controller 23 can surely identify the deficiency of the beverage. When the mixed gas of the bag 1 is much, the negative pressure is not generated if the gas is left though the beverage is out in the bag 1, and the first detector 18 does not generate the detection signal of the negative pressure. However, because there is no beverage on the pump discharge side, the second detector 20 detects that the beverage is out of stock, and the controller 23 can identify the deficiency of the beverage.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (A) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a beverage supply device that uses a pump to suck and supply beverages from a flexible bag filled with beverages.

(B) Prior Art One of the most important things in such a beverage dispensing device is to detect when the beverage is sold out. For this reason, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-6538 proposes a method of detecting the sold-out of a beverage using a switch that is operated by negative pressure when the inside of the bag contracts due to lack of beverage.

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention This beverage supply device uses a bag that is filled with the beverage in advance, but the problem here is that the beverage is contained together with the beverage in the bag. The presence of a gas (often air or nitrogen). Generally, to fill a bag with beverage, first inject gas into the bag and inflate it.
From this state, a method is adopted in which the beverage is injected while replacing it with gas. As a result, gas gets mixed into the bag along with the beverage, but the amount of gas is not constant for each bag.
In the case of bags containing a large amount of gas, there is a problem in that even after all the beverages have been supplied, the remaining gas does not create a negative pressure in the supply pipe line, making it impossible to detect when the bag is sold out.

Therefore, the present invention provides negative pressure detection on the suction side of the pump as well as
The present invention provides a beverage supply device that can reliably detect when a beverage is sold out by also detecting when the beverage runs out on the discharge side of a pump.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the beverage supply device according to the present invention includes a first detection device that detects when the suction side of the pump becomes negative pressure, and a first detection device that detects when the suction side of the pump becomes negative pressure, and a first detection device that detects when the suction side of the pump becomes negative pressure. a second detection device that detects when the beverage runs out in the conduit; and a beverage that is supplied either when the first detection device detects negative pressure or when the second detection device detects that the beverage runs out. and a control unit that determines that there is a shortage.

(*) Effect (1) When there is little gas mixed in the bag In this case, when the bag runs out of beverage, the pump suddenly has nothing to suck into, and even though the discharge side of the pump is full of beverage. Nevertheless, a situation occurs in which the suction side of the pump becomes negative pressure and no beverage is supplied. At this time, the second detection device does not detect that the beverage has run out because the discharge side of the pump is full of beverage, but since the first detection device generates a negative pressure detection signal, the control unit Beverage deficiency can be reliably determined.

(2) When there is a lot of gas mixed in the bag In this case, if gas remains in the bag even if there is no beverage left, no negative pressure will be generated and the first detection device will not generate a negative pressure detection signal. However, since there is no beverage on the discharge side of the pump, the second detection device detects that the beverage has run out, and the control unit can determine that the beverage has run out.

(f) Example The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a piping system diagram of the beverage supply device, and 1 is a bag made of a flexible and easily shrinkable material such as thin synthetic resin, which stores the beverage inside. At the same time, a beverage outlet pipe 2 is provided at one end. The tip of the beverage outlet tube 2 is normally sealed to maintain airtightness, but when the bag 1 is set in the beverage supply device, this seal is broken and the tube 5 is inserted. This pipe 5 is a conduit that leads the beverage in the bag 1 from the beverage outlet pipe 2 to the cup 6 placed on the beverage supply section, and has a beverage supply valve 5a at the end on the beverage supply section side. It is arranged.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a box body for storing the bag 1 storing beverages to protect it from external shocks and improve operability, and a part thereof has an outlet 4 for taking out the beverage outlet pipe 2 of the bag 1. It is formed.

7 is a pump installed in the pipe 5, and in this example, pump 7
A first detection device for detecting the negative pressure in the suction side pipe is incorporated into the device. From Figure 2 to Figure 4, pump 7
The structure and operation of the pump 7 are explained, and this pump 7 drives the reciprocating body 10 for one rotation via the cranks 9a and 9b by driving the pump motor 8, which can rotate in both forward and reverse directions, once in a predetermined direction. The beverage is reciprocated within the pressure chamber 11 having a volume equal to the volume of the beverage to be delivered, and the beverage is sucked (Fig. 2) and discharged from the suction port 14 and the discharge port 15 by the change in volume within the pressure chamber 11 caused by this reciprocation. (Figure 3)
It is now possible to do this.

At this time, the non-return valves 12, 13 prevent the beverage from flowing in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrows shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 16 is an actuator that turns on and off the first detection device 18, and one end 1 on the pressure fill side
A diaphragm 17 is attached to the diaphragm 6a, and the other end 16b normally contacts the first detection device 18 to close the contact. Then, when the drink in the bag 1 runs out and the pump 7 performs suction (Fig. 4) in this state, a large negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber 11, so the actuator 16 moves the spring 19
The contact point of the first detection device is opened by being displaced against the urging force of the first detection device. Therefore, the first detection device 18 detects the negative pressure in the suction side pipe of the pump 7 by detecting the negative pressure in the pressure chamber 11 .

20 is a second detection device, as shown in FIG.
Case 22 equipped with a pair of electrodes 21 on the discharge side pipe 5 of
By detecting the presence or absence of a beverage in the case 22 using the electrode 21, it is possible to detect if the bag 1 is out of beverage.

23 is a control unit to which respective detection signals S, S, are input from both the first detection device 18 and the second detection device 20, and the first detection device 18 detects the negative pressure in the pressure chamber 11. It is determined that the beverage is sold out either when the beverage is sold out or when the second detection device 20 detects that the beverage is sold out. When the control unit 23 determines that the beverage is sold out, it stops driving the pump motor 8 and drives a sold out lamp (not shown).

With the above configuration, in the standby state, the beverage is previously sucked into the pressure chamber 11 from the bag 1 through the suction port 14. In this state, when there is a beverage in the bag 1, the suction side of the pump 7 does not have a negative pressure, the first detection device 18 does not output a negative pressure detection signal, and the case 22 is full of beverage. Therefore, the second detection device 20 also does not output a beverage-out detection signal. If the pump motor 8 is allowed to rotate once in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
It moves in the direction of arrow A from the position shown in the figure, reduces the volume inside the pressure chamber 11, and discharges the beverage inside the pressure chamber 11 from the discharge port 15. The beverage discharged from the discharge port 15 is case 2.
2 to the cup 6. Incidentally, at this time, the beverage supply valve 5a is open.

Then, the reciprocating body 10 moves to the position shown in FIG.
When all the beverage in the pressure chamber 11 is discharged from the discharge port 15, the beverage supply valve 5a is closed. Next, the reciprocating body 10
moves in the direction of arrow B and the volume inside the pressure chamber 11 increases, the beverage is sucked from the bag 1 into the pressure chamber 11 through the suction port 14, returning to the standby state shown in FIG. Supply is complete. Note that the pressure chamber 1 is also
Although a negative pressure is generated within the sensor 1, it is not a large negative pressure, so the actuator 16 is not displaced and the contacts of the first sensing device 18 remain closed.

When the above-mentioned beverage supply operation is repeated, the amount of beverage stored in the bag 1 decreases, and the bag 1 also deforms accordingly, reducing its internal volume.

When the beverage in the bag 1 is exhausted during suction by the pump 7 and the internal volume of the bag 1 reaches its reduction limit, a large negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber 11. This allows actuator 1
6 resists the biasing force of the spring 19 to C in FIG.
In order to move in the direction of the arrow and move the end 16b of the actuator 16 away from the operating rod of the first detection device 18 to open the contact, the control unit 23 stops the pump motor 8 and turns on the out-of-beverage indicator lamp (Fig. (not shown) lights up.

Furthermore, when the beverage runs out as shown in FIG. 4, the pump motor 8 is reversed and controlled to rotate clockwise in FIG. 4, and the reciprocating body 10 is returned to the position shown in FIG. By continuing to generate negative pressure within the crank 9a.

9b and the pump motor 8 are prevented from being held in a state where a load is applied to the actuator 16. As a result, the end portion 16b of the actuator 16 shown in FIG. Return to closed state.

In such a sold-out detection operation, when the amount of gas mixed in the bag 1 is extremely large, negative pressure is not generated even if there is no beverage in the bag, and the first detection device 18 detects the negative pressure. No detection signal is generated.

Therefore, the pump 7 will discharge gas without stopping. However, in this case, since the second detection device 20 can detect that the drink has run out, the control unit 23 can determine that the drink has run out.

On the other hand, when the amount of gas mixed in the bag 1 is extremely small, when the beverage in the bag runs out, the pump 7 suddenly has nothing to suck into, and there is no beverage on the discharge side of the pump 7. Even though it is full, there is nothing to push out on the suction side of the pump 7, so a situation occurs where the beverage cannot be fully supplied. In this case, since the discharge side of the pump 7 is filled with beverage, the second detection device 20 detects the bag 1.
However, since the first detection device 18 generates a negative pressure detection signal, the control unit 23
can reliably determine the lack of beverage and stop the pump 7. Therefore, an accident in which the pump is damaged due to continued driving of the pump despite the occurrence of negative pressure can be reliably prevented.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, in a beverage supply device that suctions and supplies a beverage from a flexible bag filled with a beverage using a pump, the beverage can be consumed regardless of the amount of gas mixed in the bag. It is possible to accurately detect when a product is sold out.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a piping system diagram of a beverage supply device as an example, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a 2nd detection device. 1...bag, 5...pipeline, 7...pump,
18...First detection device, 20...Second detection device, 23...Control unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a beverage supply device that suctions and supplies beverage from a flexible bag filled with beverage using a pump, a first detection detects that the suction side of the pump becomes negative pressure. a second detection device that detects when the first detection device detects negative pressure or when the second detection device detects the lack of beverage in the discharge side conduit of the pump; A beverage supply device comprising a control section that determines that there is a shortage of beverage to be supplied in either one of the devices.