JPH05149662A - Device for cooling liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to cool a liquid while it is kept in a container and to easily take it out from the container to the outside. CONSTITUTION:There are provided a refrigerant line 11, wherein a compressor 6, condenser 8, pressure reducing device 9, and evaporators 10A, 10B are provided, and a cooling tank 2, to which the evaporators are mounted, to cool a container 14 containing a liquid which is put in the tank 2. At least a part of a liquid flow line interconnecting the interior of the container 14 and the exterior of the tank 2 is formed from a flexible tube 13 and a press type valve V is provided in the tube 13 to open and close the internal passage of the tube 13.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid cooling device suitable for cooling beverages such as sake, juice and coffee.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional liquid cooling device of this type is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-27820.
A refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a compressor, a condenser, a pressure reducing device and an evaporator, and a cooling tank to which the evaporator is attached,
It is known to cool a beverage (liquid) such as wine stored in a cooling tank.

[0003]

In the above-described liquid cooling device, the beverage such as wine sealed in the container is unsealed and put in the cooling tank to cool it. There was a defect that the taste of the beverage was deteriorated by being touched and oxidized.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned facts, and cools a liquid while it is contained in a container, and
The purpose of this is to enable the liquid to be taken out from the container to the utilization part, thereby preventing the oxidation of the liquid and improving the usability.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a compressor,
A refrigerant circuit having a condenser, a decompression device, and an evaporator connected to each other, and a cooling tank to which the evaporator is attached, which cools a liquid container contained in the cooling tank. At least a part of the liquid flow path that communicates with the outside of the cooling tank is formed of a flexible tube, and a pressing valve that opens and closes the internal passage is attached to the flexible tube.

In the above-described liquid cooling device, the flexible tube may be provided integrally with the liquid-filled container,
The liquid flow path may include a connector penetrating an opening provided at the bottom of the cooling tank and a flexible tube connected to the connector, and the upper part of the connector may be formed in a sharp shape.

[0007]

With this configuration, the liquid in the liquid-containing container can be cooled together with the container in the cooling tank, and the cooled liquid can be guided from the container to the utilization portion outside the cooling tank through the liquid flow path. Since at least a part of the liquid flow path is formed of a flexible tube, when the liquid is taken out, it is only necessary to open the internal passage by using a pressing valve attached to the flexible tube. , It is easy to use.

Further, according to the second aspect, since the flexible tube integrally provided in the liquid-containing container can be used as it is as the liquid flow path, the structure is simple. Even if the liquid-containing container does not have a flexible tube, it is possible to easily connect the liquid flow path consisting of the connector and the flexible tube to the liquid-containing container by utilizing the sharp part of the connector. is there.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show a liquid cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an outer case, and inside the outer case 1, a cooling tank 2 and a machine room 3 are provided vertically. The cooling tank 2 is provided with an upper lid 4 which can be opened and closed, and the cooling tank 2 and the upper lid 4 are heat-insulated by a urethane foam heat insulating material 5. A compressor 6, a condenser 8 having an air-cooling fan 7 and a capillary tube (pressure reducing device) 9 are housed in the machine room 3, and these are installed together with evaporators 10A and 10B attached to the peripheral wall and the bottom wall of the cooling tank 2, respectively. The refrigerant circuit 11 is configured.

An opening P is provided at the bottom of the cooling tank 2, and a lead-out pipe 12 is connected to the opening P. Further, the cooling tank 2 accommodates a liquid-containing container 14 integrally provided with a flexible tube (liquid flow path) 13 made of silicon or rubber. The liquid container 14 is made of a flexible bag 15 made of polyethylene or the like, and is filled with a liquid 16 for drink such as liquor (eg wine), juice, coffee, water (mineral water), etc. There is. When the liquid container 14 is housed in the cooling tank 2, the flexible tube 13 is led out of the cooling tank 2 through the lead-out tube 12, and the flexible tube 13 led out of the cooling tank is pressed. Valve V is attached. Further, below the valve V, a drain tank 17 having a drainboard-shaped receiving portion 17A on the upper portion is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the valve V includes a valve body 18, an operating lever 19, and the operating lever 1.
8 is rotated counterclockwise about the fulcrum X when the manual operation is performed downward, and the internal passage 13A of the flexible tube 13 is rotated.
The movable plate 20 (see FIG. 4) that opens the lever, and the operating lever 1
When the hand is released from 9, the movable plate 20 and the operating lever 19
Is returned to its original position, and the movable plate 20 is pressed against the valve body 18, whereby the flexible tube 13
And a spring 21 that closes the internal passage 13A (see FIG. 3). The tip of the flexible tube 13 is previously closed as shown in FIG. 2, but this closed portion is cut when the valve V is attached.

As shown in FIG. 5, the above-mentioned refrigerant circuit 11 has a compressor 6, a condenser 8, a capillary tube 9, a first evaporator 10A and a second evaporator 10B which are connected in an annular shape to form a first evaporator. The refrigerant flows in the order of the container 10A and the second evaporator 10B. The coil-shaped first evaporator 10A attached to the peripheral wall of the cooling tank 2 allows the refrigerant to flow from the top to the bottom. Further, a temperature sensor 22 such as a thermistor is attached to the bottom wall of the cooling tank 2, and the compressor 6 and the air cooling fan 7 start and stop so that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 22 becomes a preset temperature. I am trying.

This is because when the liquid 16 in the cooling tank 2 is cooled, the liquid 16 moves from the top to the bottom, so that the upper liquid 16 in the cooling tank 2 is preferentially cooled.
This is for efficiently cooling the entire unit. Further, since the relatively dry refrigerant flows in the second evaporator 10B attached to the bottom wall of the cooling tank 2, the liquid temperature detection by the temperature sensor 22 is less affected by the second evaporator 10B,
The liquid temperature can be detected with high accuracy.

In this embodiment, since the liquid-containing container 14 is placed in the cooling tank 2 and is cooled together with the container, it is possible to prevent the liquid 16 in the container from being exposed to air and being oxidized during cooling. In the case of a beverage such as wine, the taste can be kept good. Further, the liquid 16 in the container can be easily taken out of the cooling tank 2 through the flexible tube 13 having the pressing valve V, which is excellent in usability. Further, since the flexible tube 13 is provided integrally with the liquid-containing container 14, there is no fear that the structure of the device will be complicated.

6 to 8 show another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the liquid container 14 has a liquid outlet 2 sealed with a sealing film 23 such as an aluminum foil.
4 are provided. Further, a recess 25 into which the liquid outlet 24 is fitted is integrally formed at the bottom of the cooling tank 2, and the opening 25 and the outlet pipe 12 are provided in the recess 25. Further, a liquid flow path is formed by the connector 26 penetrating the outlet pipe 12 and the opening P and the flexible tube 27 connected to the lower portion of the connector 26. A sharp shape is formed on the upper portion of the connector 26, and the connector 26 penetrates the seal film 23 and is inserted into the liquid container 14. Also, the connector 26
An o-ring 28 for preventing liquid leakage is attached to this.

In this embodiment, the liquid container 14
Even if the flexible tube 13 is not attached in advance, a liquid flow path is formed by the connector 26 and the flexible tube 27, and the liquid 16 in the cooled container 14 can be easily and reliably taken out to the outside. You can

In the embodiment described above, there is a concern that the dew condensation water in the cooling tank 2 may flow out through the opening P and further along the flexible tube 27 to the outside. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, it is preferable to provide a raised portion 29 around the opening P and a liquid reservoir 30 around the raised portion 29. This liquid reservoir 30
The dew condensation water collected in can be guided to the drain tank through the drain pipe 31 and the drain hose 32. As shown in FIG. 10, the connector 26 may be provided with a collar portion 33 for preventing the connector 26 from coming off, and another O-ring 34 may be added so that the dew condensation water collects in the recess 25. In this case, the dew condensation water accumulated in the recess 25 can be discharged from the outlet pipe 12 into the drain tank 17 when the liquid container 14 is replaced.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the liquid-filled container is cooled to prevent oxidation of the liquid inside, and the cooled liquid is attached to the flexible tube. It is ideal for cooling beverages such as liquor, juice, coffee, etc., which tend to lose its taste when exposed to the air, because it can be easily taken out to the outside by using the valve.

Further, according to the second aspect, since the flexible tube integrally provided in the liquid-containing container is used, the structure of the device is simplified, and further, the third aspect of the invention is Even if the liquid-containing container does not have a flexible tube, the liquid in the liquid-containing container can be easily taken out, which is highly practical.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a liquid cooling device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid cooling device in a state before accommodating the liquid-containing container.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of a pressing valve.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another state of the pressing valve.

FIG. 5 is a system explanatory diagram of a refrigerant circuit.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a liquid cooling device showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid cooling device in the same state as before containing the liquid-filled container.

8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main parts of FIG.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of a liquid cooling device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a liquid cooling device of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Cooling Tank 6 Compressor 8 Condenser 9 Capillary Tube (Decompressor) 10A, 10B Evaporator 11 Refrigerant Circuit 13, 27 Flexible Tube (Liquid Flow Path) 14 Liquid Container 16 Liquid 26 Connector (Liquid Flow Path) V Pressed valve

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerant circuit comprising a compressor, a condenser, a decompression device and an evaporator connected to each other, and a cooling tank to which the evaporator is attached. The container containing liquid contained in the cooling tank is cooled. At least a part of a liquid flow path that connects the inside of the liquid-containing container and the outside of the cooling tank is formed of a flexible tube, and a pressing valve that opens and closes the internal passage is attached to the flexible tube. Liquid cooling device characterized by being provided. 2. The liquid cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tube is provided integrally with the container containing the liquid. 3. The liquid flow path comprises a connector penetrating an opening provided at the bottom of the cooling tank and a flexible tube connected to the connector, and the upper part of the connector is formed in a sharp shape. The liquid cooling device according to claim 1, wherein: