JPH0962929A - Beverage storing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To always keep the inside of a storage tank (beverage tank) sanitary by providing a means for stirring washing water the storage tank and a means for heating the storage tank, thereby washing and/or drying inside of the storage tank. SOLUTION: Hot water is fed to a batch tank 24 as washing liquid. An air pump 55 is driven to open an air valve 54. Pressurized air flows into the batch tank 24 through an air pipe 49 to stir the washing hot water C. Dirt within the batch tank 24 is removed thereby. The driving of the air pump 55 is stopped to open a discard valve 60 for a fixed time. The washing hot water C is discarded through a discard tube 38. After finishing this rinse operation, the discard valve 60 is closed and a heat-keeping hcter with the cylinder of the batch tank 24 is energized to raise the temperature of the wall face of the cylinder of the batch tank 24. An air pump 55 is driven to feed pressurized air for the batch tank 24 to dry inside of the batch tank 24.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage device for storing a plurality of drinks in a storage tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this kind of vending machine,
For example, JP-A-4-354912 (A47J31 /
As shown in 30) as an extracting device, a beverage such as coffee is extracted from a raw material such as coffee beans, mixed with other sugar or milk, and then poured into a cup for sale. In addition, until now, due to the Food Sanitation Law, it was impossible to store a predetermined amount of the extracted beverage in advance and store it in the vending machine, so conventionally one cup of coffee is extracted from the raw material for each sale. Then, the method of selling was adopted.

According to the extraction for each sale, although there is an advantage that fresh coffee can be extracted and sold every time, the extraction takes time, so that it takes a relatively long time (40 seconds / cup) from selection of a product to sale. The customer has to wait. In addition, since the consumption of consumables such as paper filters necessary for extraction increases, there is a problem that efficient sales cannot be performed.

With the revision of the Food Sanitation Law, it is possible to adopt a system in which a predetermined amount of a beverage is extracted in advance and stored in this kind of vending machine, and the beverage is poured into a cup and sold for each sale. Therefore, the applicant has filed Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-67778
As shown in Japanese Patent Publication, a predetermined amount of coffee is collectively extracted in advance, and this is kept warm in a beverage tank and placed.
We have developed a device that discharges one cup from the beverage tank for each sale.

[0005]

According to the above-mentioned device, since a predetermined amount of coffee is almost always stored in the beverage tank, it is necessary to keep the inside of the beverage tank hygienic. The object of the present invention is therefore to always keep the beverage tank hygienic in an inexpensive and simple manner.

[0006]

To achieve this object, the first invention is to store a plurality of beverages in a storage tank,
In a beverage storage device for appropriately discharging the beverage from the storage tank, the inside of the storage tank is washed and / or dried to maintain the hygiene of the storage tank.

In a second aspect of the invention, in the cleaning step of the storage tank, the first means for pouring the cleaning water into the storage tank and the second means for blowing the air into the poured cleaning water to stir the cleaning water
And the third means for discarding this cleaning water from the storage tank, the cleaning process can be easily performed without resorting to the work of a service person or the like. The third invention is provided with an air pump for blowing air into the wash water that has been poured into and stored in the storage tank. Therefore, by using the air pump, the wash water can be effectively used and washing can be performed without using a brush or the like. You can do it.

A fourth invention is that after cleaning the inside of the storage tank,
Since the means for introducing air into the storage tank and / or the heating means for heating the storage tank are provided, the cleaning time can be shortened. In the fifth invention, the beverage in the storage tank is forcibly discarded at the time of power failure, so that the quality of the beverage can be maintained and the storage tank can be prevented from being contaminated due to the storage of the degraded beverage. it can.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The vending machine of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this vending machine, coffee cooked in the vending machine is provided to a product purchaser in a cup, and FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a cooking section of the coffee. As shown in the figure, the cooking section 1 is roughly divided into a water supply section 2 and an extraction sales section 3.

The water supply unit 2 is provided on the cistern 11 for storing tap water and on the downstream side of the cistern 11, and pressurizes the water of the cistern 11 to supply it to each part in the vending machine through the water supply pipe 12. Pump (main pump) 13
And cooling the supplied water as dilution water as a cooling pipe 2
A cooling water tank 14 for supplying water to the cup C via 0 and a hot water tank 15 for heating the supplied water to store hot water are provided. In the water supply unit 2, after the water supplied from the water supply is temporarily stored in the cistern 11, the water pump 13 pressurizes the stored water to supply the cooling water tank 14 and the water supply pipe via the hot water tank 15 and the cooling pipe 20. It is supplied to the steam generator 16 described later via 12. The hot water tank 15
The supplied water is heated by the heater 17 to make hot water of 90 degrees or more and stored. The hot water stored in the hot water tank 15 is supplied to an extraction device 19 described later via a hot water valve 18. Further, the cooling water tank 14 stores water cooled by a refrigeration cycle (not shown), and the cooling tank 1
The supplied diluted water is supplied to the cup C through the diluted water valve 21 by passing the supplied water through the cooling water pipe 20 arranged in a meandering manner in the pipe 4.

The extraction / sales unit 3 supplies a cup C for supplying a cup C, a coffee canister 23 for storing a coffee powder ingredient (beverage ingredient), and an extraction apparatus for mixing the powder ingredient and hot water to extract coffee. 19 and a batch tank 24 for storing the coffee extracted by the extracting device 19
, A cream canister 25 for storing cream, a sugar canister 26 for storing sugar, a syrup canister 27 for storing syrup, and sugar and cream supplied respectively from the sugar canister 26 and the cream canister 25 according to a sales order, A mixing ball 28 for mixing with the extracted coffee and a water pump 13
Steam generator 16 for evaporating the water supplied through the filter 29 to the extraction device 19, a cup holder 30 for placing the cup C, and a waste bucket 31 arranged below the cup holder 31. It has and. The filter 29 generates pure water by removing magnesium and calcium contained in the water flowing in the water supply pipe 12, and a compound such as magnesium on the surface of the heat storage body of the extraction device 16 described later. To prevent the adherence.

A steam pipe 32 for guiding the steam generated here is connected to the steam generator 16, and 2
One of the steam pipes 33 is led to the extraction device 19 through the extraction valve 34, and the other steam pipe 35
Is guided to the mixing ball 28 via the mixing valve 36. At the bottom of the batch tank 24, the sales pipe 3
7 and the waste pipe 38 are connected, and the sales pipe 37
Through the sales valve 39, the tip of which is the mixing ball 2
8 of the waste pipe 38, while the end of the waste pipe 38 faces the waste bucket 31 via the waste valve 40.

In the brewing and selling section 3, several cups of coffee that have been collectively extracted in advance by the brewing device 19 are stored in the batch tank 24 via the beverage supply pipe 41, and a coffee product selection switch (not shown). ) Is pressed, the cup supply device 22 supplies the cup C to the cub holder 30. At the same time, the mixing bowl 28 is supplied with one cup of coffee from the batch tank 24, sugar from the sugar canister 26 and cream from the cream canister 25, respectively, and these are mixed in the mixing ball 28. Is supplied to.

Here, the batch tank 24 is a storage tank, and the internal structure of the batch tank 24 is as shown in FIG. The batch tank 24 includes a cylindrical cylinder 42,
The cylinder is composed of an upper lid 43 that closes the upper opening and a lower lid 44 that closes the lower opening. A bolt 45 and a nut 46 that penetrate through both lids combine the three members integrally. Reference numeral 47 is a connection hole provided in the upper lid, to which an overflow tube 48 (not shown in FIG. 1) is connected. This overflow tube 48 is used for the waste bucket 3
1 (see FIG. 1) and the beverage overflowing in the batch tank 24 is guided to the waste bucket 31 through the tube 48. Further, the overflow tube 48 also acts as an air intake when the coffee is made to flow down from the batch tank 24 by opening a sales valve or a waste valve, which will be described later, so that the coffee can quickly flow out of the batch tank. become. A beverage supply pipe 41 is also attached to the upper lid.

The lower lid 44 has a substantially funnel-shaped cross section, and a hole 50 is provided on a side portion of the lower lid 44 to connect to an air pipe 49 (not shown in FIG. 1). Air tube 49
Are erected upward along the left side of the batch tank 24, and are branched left and right above the batch tank 24. One branch pipe 51 has a pressure sensor 52, and the other branch pipe 53 has an air solenoid valve. 54 and the air pump 55 are connected to each other.
This pressure sensor 52, air solenoid valve 54, air pump 55
The operation and the like will be described later. 56 is a cylinder 42
The heater is wound around and is controlled so as to keep the coffee stored in the batch tank at a constant temperature (about 65 ° C.).

On the other hand, in the lower part of the lower lid 44, there are holes 5 connected to the sales tube 37 and the waste tube 38, respectively.
7,58 are provided. Both tubes 37, 3
8 is made of silicone rubber and is deformed by being pushed by the tips 76 and 77 of the movable plates 61 and 69 of the sales valve 59 and the disposal valve 60, and the fluid (coffee) flowing to the tubes 37 and 38.
Perform control. Reference numeral 75 is an air vent hole provided in the sales tube 37.

The sales valve (sale means) 59 includes a movable plate 61 for deforming the sales tube, an inverted V-shaped lever 62 for applying a force to the movable plate, and a shaft 63 of the lever 62.
It is composed of a plunger 65 that is raised to the left of the lever and inserted into the electromagnetic coil 64, and a spring 67 that straddles the left end of the lever and the fixed hook 66. Then, at the time of selling the beverage, the plunger 65 is pushed up by energizing the electromagnetic coil 64, whereby the lever 62 pushes the left side up and the right end 68 goes down with respect to the shaft 63, and the movable piece is pushed back to the left side. The deformation is released, and the beverage flows down from the sales tube (see FIG. 3).

On the other hand, the discard valve (disposal means) 60 includes a movable plate 69 for deforming the discard tube 38, a V-shaped lever 70 for applying a force to the movable plate 69, and a shaft 71 of the lever 70. The right side of the electromagnetic coil 71
It is composed of a plunger 72 that is inserted in the spring and a spring 74 that straddles the right end of the lever 70 and the fixed hook 73. Then, normally, the plunger 72 is pulled down by energizing the electromagnetic coil 71, whereby the waste tube 38 is deformed by the tip 77 of the movable valve 69 so that the beverage in the batch tank 24 does not flow down from the waste tube 38. ing. When the beverage is discarded or a power failure occurs, the plunger 72 is pushed up by the non-energization of the electromagnetic coil 71, which causes the left end 78 of the lever 70.
Is lowered and the movable piece 69 is pushed back to the right side to release the deformation of the waste tube 38 (see FIG. 4), and from the viewpoint of hygiene, the beverage is discarded into the waste bucket 31 (see FIG. 1) through the waste tube 38. .

Next, the operation of the vending machine having the above-mentioned structure will be described, focusing on the batch tank 24. FIG.
Referring to, the hot water valve 18 and the coffee canister 23 start operating almost at the same time before the start of sales. The hot water valve 18 supplies a predetermined amount of hot water, and the coffee canister 23 supplies a predetermined amount of powder raw material to the extraction device 19. Thereby, the extraction device 1
At 9, about 3 cups of coffee are extracted. The extracted coffee is sent to the batch tank 24 by a pump (not shown) in the extraction device 19.

On the other hand, in the batch tank 24, as shown in FIG. 2, the electromagnetic coil 64 of the sales valve 59 is de-energized and the electromagnetic coil 71 of the discard valve 60 is energized, so that the movable pieces 61, 69 of these valves are separated. Both tubes 37 and 38 are deformed by the operation. Therefore, the coffee sent from the extraction device 19 to the batch tank 24 is stored in the batch tank 24.

Then, by operating a sales button (not shown) to energize the electromagnetic coil 64 of the sales valve 59, the lever 62 and the movable piece 61 move in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 3, and the deformation of the sales tube 37 is released. Then, the coffee A is mixed with the mixing ball 28 through the tube 37.
(See FIG. 1). In addition, sugar or cream is put into the mixing ball 28 from the sugar canister 26 or the cream canister 25 as needed, and these are mixed and then supplied to the cup. At this time, the amount supplied from the batch tank 24 to the mixing ball 28 also differs depending on the purchaser's preference. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the amount of coffee in the batch tank 24, newly extract the shortage, and guide it to the batch tank 24.

Prior to the detection of the amount of coffee A in the batch tank 24, a predetermined time (t ₁ ) is maintained with an air solenoid valve (hereinafter simply referred to as “air valve”) 54 closed as shown in FIG.
The air pump 55 is operated, and then the air valve 54 is opened for a predetermined time (t ₂ ) while continuing the operation of the air pump. As a result, the air compressed by the air pump flows into the air pipe 49 as indicated by the solid line arrow, and the ΔH amount of coffee B accumulated in the lower portion of the air pipe is batch tank 24.
Push it in. Here, the reason why coffee accumulates in the lower part of the air pipe 49 is that the air pipe 49 and the air valve 54 and the air pump 5 are
This is because there is air leakage at the connecting portion with 5, the air leakage of the air pump 55 itself, and thermal contraction of the air in the air pipe 49. In this way, when the coffee B accumulates in the air pipe 49, the amount of air in the air pipe 49 is reduced by ΔH and the amount of air in the batch tank 24 is changed according to each liquid level (H ₁ , H ₂ , H ₃ ). This is because the air pressure cannot be obtained. Therefore, the air pump 5
5, the coffee B in the air tube 49 is pushed out to maintain the air amount in the air tube 49 at a predetermined amount, and then the air pressure (Q ₁ , H ₂ ) corresponding to each liquid level (H ₁ , H ₂ , H ₃ ). Q ₂ , Q ₃ ) can be created as shown in FIG. Then, this air pressure (Q ₁ , Q ₂ , Q ₃ ) is detected by the pressure sensor 52, and the coffee amount (liquid level) in the batch tank 24 is calculated by the pressure, and the data is obtained by the control unit (Fig. Send to (not shown). Then, the control unit performs the following two controls based on the data.

First, if the amount of coffee in the batch tank 24 is small, a signal is output to the extraction device 19 to extract coffee, and the batch tank 24 is replenished with coffee. Secondly, the opening time of the sales valve 59 is controlled. That is, the relationship between the opening time T of the sales valve 59 and the liquid level H is determined by the following calculation formula.

[0024]

[Equation 1]

Since the opening time of the selling valve is determined by the calculation formula based on the liquid level in the batch tank 24, each memory can be saved while saving the memory capacity of the microcomputer incorporated in the vending machine. It is possible to correspond to the sales volume of various types of coffee products. In other words, conventionally, the liquid level of coffee in the batch tank has to be changed from time to time due to sales and replenishment, and it is necessary to cope with each vending machine product (type of coffee) and each user ( In order to deal with different amounts of coffee ingredients, sugar and cream, etc., it was necessary to prepare a data table with a large memory capacity in the microcomputer. Further, when it is necessary to change the sales factor or the like at the installation location of the vending machine, the operator has to change all the corresponding data in this data table. On the other hand, like the present invention, if the opening time of the sales valve is calculated by a calculation formula based on the liquid level in the batch tank, A, K, B, C Since it suffices to change the constant and the coefficient, it is possible to control even a microcomputer having a small memory capacity as described above, which can contribute to cost reduction.

Next, considering the pressure sensor 52, the coffee A heated in the batch tank 24 is not directly touched by the pressure sensor 52, and the air pressure compressed by the coffee is detected. Pressure sensor 52
Since it is not necessary to consider the heat resistance and corrosion resistance of the conventional type, it is possible to use an inexpensive pressure sensor and reduce the cost. Furthermore, this pressure sensor 52
Since the pressure applied to is not the weight of the coffee A directly applied as in the conventional case, but the pressure value of air (Q _{1 to} Q ₃ ) that changes depending on the stored amount of coffee, this pressure sensor
Since a so-called slight pressure sensor (pressure resolution 0.5 g / cm ² ) is sufficient, cost reduction can be achieved also by this. Moreover, by using such a pressure sensor, it is possible to keep the height low compared to the conventional batch tank that keeps sufficient height to obtain the water head pressure and detects the weight of coffee. As a result, the design flexibility of the vending machine in which this batch tank is incorporated can be improved. This point is also one of the gist of the present invention.

The purpose of providing the air pump 55 is not only to discharge the coffee B from the air pipe 49 as described above, but also to rinse or dry the inside of the batch tank 24, and this point of the present invention. This is one of the points. This will be described below. Since the inner surface of the batch tank 24 may be contaminated by the coffee A or the like stored in the batch tank 24, in such a case, the inside of the batch tank is cleaned by the following operation. First, the extraction device 19
(Refer to FIG. 1), the powdered raw material of coffee is not supplied, but only the hot water is introduced into the extraction device 19 by opening the hot water valve 18, and this hot water is supplied to the batch tank as washing hot water using a pump (not shown). Yes (first means). At this time, the sales valve 59 and the discard valve 60 are closed as shown in FIG. Therefore, the hot water C is stored in the batch tank 24. Then, the air pump 55 is operated and the air valve 54 is opened. Then, the pressurized air discharged from the air pump 55 vigorously agitates the wash water C in the batch tank 24 through the air pipe 54 as indicated by the solid arrow, so that the dirt in the batch tank 24 is removed (second). means). The time for feeding the pressurized air into the batch tank 24 as described above varies depending on the size of the batch tank 24, the amount of cleaning hot water, and the state of dirt, but it is considered that about 1 minute is appropriate. Next, the operation of the air pump 55 is stopped and the waste valve 60 is opened for a certain period of time, so that the hot water C is poured into the waste bucket 31 (see FIG. 1) through the waste tube 38 (third means). After storing the hot water C in the batch tank 24 in this manner, the air pump 55 is forcibly used.
Since the pressurized air is sent into the batch tank 24, the pressurized air effectively removes dirt in the batch tank 24 and enhances the rinse effect.

After the completion of this rinsing operation, as shown in FIG. 8, the waste valve 60 is closed, and the warming heater 56 provided in the cylinder 42 of the batch tank 24 is energized to change the temperature of the wall surface of the cylinder 42 of the batch tank 24. Aim to rise (heating means). After that, the air pump 55 is operated and the air valve 54 is opened to supply pressurized air to the batch tank 24 for a fixed time (for example, about 1 minute) (a means for introducing air). This can shorten the drying time in the batch tank 24. The air pressurized and guided to the batch tank 24 is passed through the connection hole 47 to the overflow pipe 4
Emitted from 8. With such a series of rinsing operation and drying operation, the hygiene in the batch tank 24 can be maintained.

Finally, energization / de-energization of the sales valve 59 and the disposal valve 60 will be described. The selling valve 59 is opened by energizing the electromagnetic coil 64 when the coffee is sold (FIG. 3), and is closed by de-energizing the electromagnetic coil 64 when the selling is stopped (FIG. 2). On the other hand, the discard valve 60 is closed by energizing the electromagnetic coil 71 when the coffee is not discarded (FIG. 2), and opened by not energizing the electromagnetic coil 71 when the coffee is discarded (FIG. 4). Here, it should be noted that the discard valve 60 is opened by non-energization and closed by energization when it is discarded. These specifications are used to ensure the hygiene of the vending machine during a power failure.

That is, when the power is cut off (blackout),
It is impossible to maintain the function of the vending machine, and the flavor is lost in some beverages such as coffee, where flavor is important.
There are also drinks that rot worst. If the time from power interruption to re-energization (power recovery time) is short, there is no concern as described above, but in general the power recovery time is not necessarily short. Therefore, in such a vending machine for beverages to which a preservative such as coffee has not been added or subjected to antiseptic treatment, it is necessary to discard the beverage stored in the vending machine when the power is cut off. is there. Therefore, the discard valve has a structure that opens when the power is not supplied.

[0031]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a beverage storage device for storing a plurality of beverages in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverages from the storage tank, the inside of the storage tank Since the washing and / or the drying of the storage tank are performed, the hygiene of this storage tank can be maintained.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in the cleaning step of the storage tank, the first means for pouring the cleaning water into the storage tank and the second means for blowing the air into the poured cleaning water to stir the cleaning water Since this means and the third means for discarding this cleaning water from the storage tank, the storage tank can be cleaned without resorting to manual work by a service person or the like.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the air is blown into the cleaning water that has been poured into and stored in the storage tank by the air pump, the cleaning water can be effectively used for cleaning without using a brush or the like. It can be carried out. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, after cleaning the inside of the storage tank, the means for introducing air into the storage tank and / or the heating means for heating the storage tank are provided, so that the cleaning time can be shortened. .
Further, this shortening can improve the use efficiency of the storage tank.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the beverage in the storage tank is forcibly discarded at the time of power failure, so that the quality of the beverage is maintained and the storage tank is provided by storing the degraded beverage. Contamination can be prevented, and thereby hygiene management of the storage tank can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the batch tank shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the batch tank at the time of sale.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the batch tank at the time of disposal.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing operating states of an air pump and an air valve.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a beverage and a pressure value in a batch tank.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the batch tank at the time of rinsing.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the batch tank during drying.

[Explanation of symbols]

 24 storage tank 50 waste valve 56 heater C wash water

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. In a beverage storage device for storing a plurality of drinks in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverage from the storage tank, the inside of the storage tank is washed and / or dried to perform the storage of the storage tank. A beverage storage device characterized by maintaining hygiene. 2. A beverage storage apparatus for storing a plurality of beverages in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverages from the storage tank, wherein the cleaning step of the storage tank is performed by pouring cleaning water into the storage tank. Means, a second means for blowing air into the poured wash water to stir the wash water, and a third means for discarding the wash water from the storage tank. Beverage storage device. 3. A beverage storage device for storing a plurality of beverages in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverages from the storage tank, for blowing air into the wash water stored by pouring the beverage into the storage tank. A beverage storage device comprising an air pump. 4. A beverage storage device for storing a plurality of beverages in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverages from the storage tank, and means for introducing air into the storage tank after cleaning the inside of the storage tank. Alternatively, the beverage storage device is provided with a heating means for heating the storage tank. 5. A beverage storage device for storing a plurality of beverages in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverages from the storage tank, wherein the storage tank discards the beverage in the tank when a power failure occurs. Beverage storage device.