JPH0659775U - Beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To effectively utilize the cooling space in a refrigerator and to cool the space in a short time. [Structure] In the cooling space 20 defined inside the refrigerator 18,
The concentrated stock solution container 22 is detachably accommodated. Refrigerator 18
A liquid tank 26 in which a required amount of a cooling liquid 36 such as water is stored is disposed on the rear side. An evaporator 38, which is connected to the refrigeration mechanism 42 in communication, is arranged in the liquid tank 26. By circulating the refrigerant through the evaporator 38 and forcibly cooling it, a part of the cooling liquid 36 is frozen around the evaporator 38, and the cooling liquid 36 is cooled by the ice layer 48. Opening 1 on the rear side of the refrigerator 18
8b is opened, and the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 faces the cooling space 20 through the opening 18b. The blower fan 28 arranged in the cooling space 20 is configured to circulate the air sucked from the front side of the cooling space 20 while contacting the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 This invention is an apparatus for mixing a concentrated stock solution poured out from a container stored in a refrigerator and a beverage such as water cooled through a cooling mechanism for use in drinking and utilizing the cooling mechanism. The present invention relates to a beverage dispensing device that cools a concentrated stock solution container.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 BACKGROUND ART A beverage pouring device is known as a device for diluting concentrated stock solution of juice or the like with cooling water and using it for drinking. To describe the basic structure of this beverage dispenser as an example, the refrigerator is equipped with a container that stores a concentrated stock solution, and a required amount of stock solution is poured from the concentrated stock solution container stored in the refrigerator to the beverage mixing section. Is configured. In addition, the amount of cooling liquid for dipping the evaporator is stored in the liquid tank inside which the evaporator derived from the freezing / freezing mechanism is arranged, and the refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the evaporator to cool the evaporator. This allows some of the cooling liquid to freeze around the evaporator. Further, in this liquid tank, a beverage cooling pipe is arranged so as to be separated from the evaporator by a predetermined distance and to be immersed in a cooling liquid, and one end of the beverage cooling pipe is connected to an external water supply system for communication. The other end is connected to the beverage mixing section via an open / close valve. That is, the tap water supplied from the external water supply system to the beverage cooling pipe is cooled by heat exchange with the cooling liquid when passing through the portion arranged in the liquid tank. Then, by pouring the required amount of the concentrated solution in the concentrated concentrated solution container into the mixing section, the concentrated solution is diluted with the cooling water from the beverage cooling pipe in the mixing section and is then used for drinking.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 In the beverage dispenser, an evaporator is provided in the refrigerator, and the evaporator is used to cool the internal space to keep the concentrated stock solution container cool. This evaporator is connected to a refrigerating mechanism of the evaporator arranged in the liquid tank, and both evaporators are controlled by one refrigerating mechanism. In this case, the refrigeration mechanism is set to stop the refrigeration operation when a required amount of ice grows around the evaporator arranged in the liquid tank, and at this time, the internal space of the refrigerator cannot be cooled. is there. Therefore, in order to suppress the temperature rise in the internal space, it is conceivable to operate the freezing mechanism in a short cycle after the required amount of ice has grown in the evaporator in the liquid tank. However, in this case, the amount of ice accumulated on the evaporator (the amount of ice storage) becomes larger than the specified amount, the ice may approach the beverage cooling pipe, and as a result, the water in the cooling pipe may freeze. was there. Furthermore, it is pointed out that disposing the evaporator in the refrigerator reduces the space efficiency of the internal space, increases the size of the device, and increases the cost.

As a measure against the above problem, a device has been proposed in which a liquid tank is housed inside a refrigerator and the internal space of the refrigerator is cooled by the liquid tank itself. However, if the liquid tank is stored in the refrigerator, the internal space is narrowed by the amount of the liquid tank, and there is a drawback that the limited space cannot be effectively used. In addition, it is pointed out that the storage efficiency of the refrigeration mechanism is reduced due to the reduction of energy efficiency due to the useless space created by the storage of the liquid tank. Further, in the configuration in which the liquid tank is housed inside the refrigerator, there is a drawback that the seal between the refrigerator and the liquid tank against water is required, which makes the assembly complicated.

[0005]

[The purpose of the device]

 The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the above-mentioned conventional technology, and is proposed to suitably solve this problem. In this way, the cooling space in the refrigerator is effectively used and the space inside the space is shortened. It is an object to provide a beverage pouring device that can be cooled efficiently in time.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and preferably achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides a refrigerating unit which defines a cooling space for accommodating a concentrated stock solution container therein, and is disposed adjacent to the refrigerating unit. A liquid tank that stores a required amount of cooling liquid, an evaporator that is derived from the freezing mechanism, is placed in the liquid tank and is immersed in the cooling liquid, and is connected in communication with a beverage supply source. A beverage pouring device provided with a cooling pipe that is disposed and immersed in a cooling liquid, and mixes the concentrated stock solution poured from the concentrated stock solution container with a beverage that is cooled and supplied through the cooling pipe. In one aspect, one side surface of the liquid tank is exposed to the cooling space through an opening formed in the refrigerating unit, and a blower fan disposed inside the refrigerating unit is rotated so that the inside of the cooling space is opened. The air is circulated while contacting one side of the liquid tank. Characterize.

[0007]

【Example】

 Next, a beverage dispenser according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, with reference to preferred embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of a beverage dispensing device according to an embodiment. The device 10 includes an outer box 12 which is largely opened to the front side, and an outer box 12 inside the outer box 12. A refrigerator 18 having a heat insulating structure, which is built in with a gap of 2 and is also opened to the front side, and a heat insulating material 16 such as urethane foam filled between both boxes 12 and 14, is provided. There is. A plurality of (three in the embodiment) concentrated stock solution containers 22 that are objects to be cooled are detachably housed in a cooling space 20 defined inside the inner box 14 of the refrigerator 18. .

As shown in FIG. 1, a heat insulating door 24 is provided on the front surface of the refrigerator 18 so as to open and close the opening 18 a corresponding to the opening 18 a opened in the refrigerator 18. There is. Further, an opening 18b having a required size is formed on the rear surface side of the refrigerator 18, and one side surface (exposed surface) 26a of a liquid tank 26 described later is configured to face the cooling space 20 through the opening 18b. . Further, the inner box 14 is provided with a blower fan 28 at a position facing above the opening 18b, and the blower fan 28 draws the air sucked from the cooling space 20 to the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26. It is configured to circulate while making contact. The blower fan 28 is ON / OFF controlled by a thermostat 62 arranged in the cooling space 20, so that the temperature in the space can be kept constant.

The concentrated stock solution container 22 detachably accommodated in the cooling space 20 is provided with a discharge port 22 a at the bottom thereof, and the discharge port 22 a is provided in the cooling space 20. It is adapted to be connected to the section 30. Each of the pouring mechanisms 30 is driven by a geared motor 32 arranged outside the refrigerator 18 and pours out a desired amount of concentrated stock solution from the concentrated stock solution container 22 to the beverage mixing section 34. Then, the concentrated stock solution is diluted with cooling water supplied from a cooling pipe 44, which will be described later, in the mixing section 34, and is supplied for drinking.

A liquid tank 26 in which a required amount of a cooling liquid 36 such as water is stored is disposed on the rear side of the refrigerator 18, and a part of the liquid tank 26 facing the refrigerator 18 is the opening portion. The inner wall surface of the inner box 14 defining the cooling space 20 and the exposed surface 26 a of the liquid tank 26 are positioned so as to face the inside of 18 b. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a coil-shaped evaporator 38 is arranged in the liquid tank 26 at a position close to the inner wall surface. The evaporator 38 is a refrigeration mechanism provided in the apparatus body 40. 42 is connected for communication. Inside the evaporator 38, there is provided a heat exchange coil 44a in which a cooling pipe 44 for beverage such as water is wound midway, and one end of the cooling pipe 44 is connected to an external water supply system (not shown). The other end is connected to the beverage mixing section 34 through an open / close valve 46 (see FIG. 3). The cooling liquid 36 is stored in the liquid tank 26 in such an amount that the evaporator 38 and the cooling pipe 44 are submerged in water. That is, by circulating the refrigerant through the evaporator 38 and forcibly cooling it, a part of the cooling liquid 36 is frozen around the evaporator 38, and the cooling liquid 36 is cooled by the ice layer 48. Then, when water is passed through the heat exchange coil 44 a of the cooling pipe 44, the water exchanges heat with the cooling liquid 36 and is cooled. The liquid tank 26 is made of a heat conductive metal plate such as stainless steel, and a portion extending to the rear of the refrigerator 18 is covered with a heat insulating material 50.

A motor 52 is placed upside down above the liquid tank 26, and a stirring blade 54 rotated by the motor 52 is immersed in the cooling liquid 36. Therefore, by rotating the stirring blade 54 by the motor 52, the cooling liquid 36 in the liquid tank 26 is stirred and the water passing through the heat exchange coil 44a can be efficiently cooled. Further, a detecting means 56 is disposed in the liquid tank 26, and the detecting means 56 is set to detect the amount of ice accretion growing around the evaporator 38 and control the operation of the refrigeration mechanism 42. .

On the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 facing the cooling space 20 of the refrigerator 18, a plurality of fins 58 extending in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 1 are provided in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. They are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. A cover body 60 that surrounds the fin group and opens vertically is disposed on the exposed surface 26a, and the air blown from the blower fan 28 is introduced into the cover body 60 through the upper opening. Is configured. Then, the air flowing down in the cover body 60 is cooled by contacting the exposed surface 26a and the fins 58 for heat exchange, and is blown into the cooling space 20 as cold air from the lower opening of the cover body 60. As shown in FIG. 1, the cold air blown out from the cover body 60 flows under the concentrated stock solution container 22 and the places where the pouring mechanism section 30 and the beverage mixing section 34 are arranged, and then flows to the blower fan 28 again. Be sucked.

[0014]

[Operation of the embodiment]

 Next, the operation of the beverage dispenser according to the embodiment will be described below. The refrigerant is circulated and supplied from the refrigeration mechanism 42 to the evaporator 38 arranged in the liquid tank 26, and the evaporator 38 is cooled. In addition, the stirring blade 54 is rotated by the motor 52, the cooling liquid 36 stored in the liquid tank 26 is stirred and cooled while being in contact with the evaporator 38, and the periphery of the evaporator 38 is gradually frozen. Leading to.

When the ice layer 48 grows around the evaporator 38, the liquid tank 26 itself made of a heat conductive metal plate is cooled. Since the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 is exposed in the cooling space 20 of the refrigerator 18 as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling space 20 is cooled via the exposed surface 26a. Further, the air in the cooling space 20 is forcibly blown into the cover body 60 through the upper opening by the rotation of the blower fan 28 arranged in the inner box 14, and this air is exposed to the fins 58 and the exposed portions. After being cooled in contact with the surface 26a, it is blown into the cooling space 20 through the lower opening as cold air. This cold air cools each concentrated stock solution container 22 contained in the cooling space 20, is sucked by the blower fan 28, and is blown again toward the cover body 60 to repeat the circulation. As a result, the cooling space 20 is efficiently cooled in a short time, and the concentrated stock solution container 22 can be kept cool.

When the ice layer 48 that freezes around the evaporator 38 reaches a required amount, the detection means 56 detects it and the circulation supply of the refrigerant to the evaporator 38 is stopped. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the ice layer 48 is also in contact with the inner wall surface of the liquid tank 26, so that even if the supply of the refrigerant to the evaporator 38 is stopped, the liquid tank 26 itself remains iced. It is cooled by the bath 48. Since the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 faces the cooling space 20, the cooling space 20 is continuously cooled by heat exchange between the exposed surface 26a and the air in the cooling space 20. Moreover, since the air inside the cooling space 20 is circulated while being in contact with the exposed surface 26a and the fins 58 by the blower fan 28, the inside of the cooling space 20 is efficiently cooled and the concentrated stock solution container 22 can be kept at a low temperature. . Further, the blower fan 28 is ON / OFF controlled by the thermostat 62, and the inside of the cooling space 20 is maintained at a constant temperature.

When water is supplied to the cooling pipe 44, the water is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling liquid 36 when passing through the heat exchange coil 44 a. Therefore, if the required amount of concentrated stock solution is poured into the beverage mixing section 34 by the operation of the pouring mechanism section 30, and the on-off valve 46 is opened to supply cooling water to the mixing section 34, The concentrated stock solution is diluted with cooling water and then used for drinking.

As described above, according to the beverage pouring apparatus according to the present embodiment, since only the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 faces the cooling space 20 of the refrigerator 18, only the cooling space 2 is exposed. The space within 0 can be effectively used. Further, since only one evaporator is required, the refrigeration circuit can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, by controlling the operation of the blower fan 28 by the thermo 62, the fan 28 can be operated efficiently, and the ice layer 48 in the liquid tank 26 can be made to last longer. Therefore, it is possible to achieve efficient operation of the refrigeration mechanism 42 and keep running costs low. Moreover, since the amount of the ice layer 48 can be accurately controlled by the detecting means 56, there is no possibility that the water in the heat exchange coil 44a is frozen.

[0019]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the beverage dispenser of the present invention, one side of the liquid tank storing the cooling liquid is exposed in the cooling space in which the concentrated concentrated liquid container of the refrigerating unit is stored. Thereby, the space can be cooled by the exposed surface of the liquid tank. That is, since only the exposed surface of the liquid tank faces the cooling space of the refrigeration unit, the internal space of the refrigeration unit can be effectively used. Further, since no useless space is created in the refrigerating section, energy efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, since the air is forcibly contacted with the exposed surface of the liquid tank via the blowing fan to circulate the air, the cooling space can be efficiently cooled in a short time.

By providing a plurality of fins on the exposed surface of the liquid tank to increase the heat transfer area, efficient cooling in the cooling space can be achieved and running cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to seal the refrigerating unit and the liquid tank, it is possible to easily assemble the refrigerating unit and the liquid tank after they are separately assembled.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of a beverage pouring device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of the beverage dispensing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a cooling system and a water supply system for cooling water.

[Explanation of symbols]

 18 Refrigerator, 18b Opening, 20 Cooling space 22 Concentrated stock solution container, 26 Liquid tank, 26a Exposed surface 28 Blower fan, 36 Coolant, 58 Fin 60 Cover body

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A cooling space (2) for accommodating a concentrated stock solution container (22).
0) is defined inside, and a liquid tank (2) which is arranged adjacent to the refrigeration unit (18) and stores a required amount of cooling liquid (36).
6), the evaporator (38), which is drawn out from the freezing mechanism (42), is placed in the liquid tank (26) and is immersed in the cooling liquid (36), and is connected to a beverage supply source, and Coolant placed in the liquid tank (26)
(36) is provided with a cooling pipe (44), so as to mix the concentrated stock solution poured out from the concentrated stock solution container (22) and a beverage cooled and supplied through the cooling pipe (44). In the beverage pouring device according to, the one side surface (26a) of the liquid tank (26) is exposed to the cooling space (20) through the opening (18b) opened in the refrigerating unit (18), By rotating the blower fan (28) arranged inside the refrigeration unit (18), the air in the cooling space (20) is circulated while being in contact with one side surface (26a) of the liquid tank (26). A beverage pouring device characterized by being configured. 2. A plurality of fins (58) are provided on one side surface (26a) of the liquid tank (26), and a cover body (60) that surrounds the fin group and is opened vertically is provided. , The blower fan (2
The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the air circulated by 8) is introduced into the inside of the cover body (60).