JPH11169089A - Control device for frozen drink dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the subject control device capable of preventing the damage of a stirrer by the solidification of a drink when restarting the operation after electrical power failure in a dispenser for producing the sherbet-like drink by mixing a thin layer of ice peeled from the surface of a cooler with a raw material for the drink. SOLUTION: This control device for a frozen drink dispenser has a starting switch 23 for manually starting a stirrer 5, regulated so that the stirring motor 5 may not be started unless the starting switch 23 is pushed after power on. As a result, the fear of damage of the stirrer and the stirring motor is suppressed because the stirring motor 5 is not started simultaneously with the power on, and can be started by pushing the starting switch 23 after confirming the melt of the drink even if the drink in the drink container is solidified by the stop of the stirring by electrical power failure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dispenser for supplying a sherbet-like beverage containing fine ice (referred to as a frozen beverage).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a frozen beverage dispenser, a cylindrical cooler and a stirrer whose blades rotate along the surface of the cooler are installed in a beverage container. Is cooled by the cooler to form a thin layer of ice on the surface, and the thin layer of ice is mixed with the raw material while peeling off with the stirrer to produce a sherbet-like beverage. A simple dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,158, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-393.
No. 14, for example.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned frozen beverage dispenser, when the stirrer is stopped due to a power failure, ice particles in the beverage freeze with each other, and when left as it is, the periphery of the blade of the stirrer is covered with a lump of ice. I will. However, in the conventional frozen beverage dispenser, the cooler and the stirrer are activated at the same time as the power is turned on.If the beverage is solidified when the power is restored, the blade of the stirrer is broken or the stirring motor is locked. There was a risk of burning. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent an unreasonable force from being generated in the stirrer or the stirring motor when the operation is restarted after the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like during the operation of the frozen beverage dispenser.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a manually operated start switch in a control circuit of the stirring motor, and after turning on the power, starts the stirring motor by an operation signal of the start switch. It is something to do. Thus, the stirring motor does not start at the same time as the power is turned on, but can be safely started by operating the start switch if the state of the beverage in the beverage container is visually confirmed and the stirring is possible.

Further, according to the present invention, a timer for counting the elapse of a predetermined time is provided in a control circuit of the stirring motor, the timer is started simultaneously with turning on of the power supply, and the stirring motor is started by the time-up signal. Shall be.
Thus, the time required to melt the beverage in the once-consolidated beverage container to such an extent that it can be stirred can be set in the timer, and the stirring motor can be started safely.

The start switch and the timer are provided side by side, and the stirring motor can be started by either the operation signal of the start switch or the time-up signal of the timer. Thus, if the safety can be visually confirmed, the stirring motor can be started without waiting for the timer to expire.

Further, according to the present invention, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the beverage in the beverage container is provided in the control circuit of the agitation motor, and the agitation motor is started when the temperature of the beverage reaches a certain temperature or more after the power is turned on. Shall be Thus, the melting of the solidified ice via the temperature of the beverage can be confirmed, and the stirring motor can be started safely. In this case, a manually operated start switch can be provided in the control circuit of the stirring motor together with the temperature sensor. Accordingly, if the safety can be visually confirmed, the stirring motor can be started without waiting for the temperature of the beverage to rise.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, the schematic configuration of the frozen beverage dispenser will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, a hollow cylindrical cooler 3 is horizontally installed in a beverage container 2 supported by a base 1, and a stirrer 4 is combined with the cooler 3. The beverage container 2 includes a main body 2a and a cover 2
The cover 2b can be opened and closed with the hinge 2c as a fulcrum. The stirrer 4 has spiral blades 4a and 4b rotating along the inner and outer surfaces of the cooler 3, respectively, and is driven by a motor 5 with a speed reducer via a drive shaft 4c. The wings of the blades 4a and 4b are wound in opposite directions, and the blade 4a is wound around the drive shaft 4c, and the blade 4b is connected to the drive shaft 4c at the left end in FIG. These blades 4a and 4b are close to the inner and outer surfaces of the cooler 3 via a minute gap. The cooler 3 includes the base 1
The refrigerant sent from the refrigeration unit including the motor compressor 6 and the condenser 7 housed in the refrigeration unit is evaporated.

A raw material discharge nozzle 8 is attached to the cover 2b of the beverage container 2 downward, and the raw material discharge nozzle 8 has a syrup valve 9 composed of an electromagnetic valve and a dilution water valve 1.
Supply pipe 1 for syrup and water for diluting it through
1 and 12 are connected. In addition, flexible hoses are used for the pipes 11 and 12 outside the cover 2b. In such a dispenser, syrup is supplied from a syrup container (not shown) with the gas pressure of carbon dioxide gas.
Tap water is supplied by pipes through pipes 11 and 12, respectively, and these are mixed in the raw material discharge nozzle 8 and then discharged into the container body 2a. A capacitance type level sensor 13 is attached to the outer wall surface of the container main body 2a, and the liquid level in the main body 2a is maintained in a predetermined range by opening and closing the syrup valve 9 and the dilution water valve 10 based on the detection signal. .

When the raw material is filled in the main body 2a to the upper limit, the cooler 3 is operated and the stirrer 4 is driven to rotate in the direction of the solid arrow. As a result, as shown by the dashed arrow, the raw material is taken in from inside the cooler 3 by the blade 4a from the left end in FIG.
Is pushed out through a window hole 3a provided at the right end of the cooler 3, while outside the cooler 3, the raw material is sent to the left by the blades 4b, and at the left end of the cooler 3, a part is taken in and the rest is Turn around and circulate to the right.

During that time, a thin layer of raw material ice forms and adheres to the inner and outer surfaces of the cooler 3. When the thickness of the thin layer increases, it hits the rotating blades 4a and 4b, is separated from the cooler 3 and is introduced into the liquid material, and is stirred and mixed with the material during the circulation process. As the growth and peeling of such a thin layer of ice are repeated, the amount of ice in the raw material gradually increases, finally forming a sherbet shape to complete the desired frozen beverage 14. Beverage 14 is operated by operating handle 15 to extract beverage 1
When the beverage container 6 is opened, the beverage container 2 is taken out from the lower opening 2d into a cup (not shown). The amount of ice in the beverage is detected via a required rotation torque of the stirrer 4 and the like, and the on / off control of the cooler 3 is performed according to the detection result.

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention according to claim 1, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the control operation. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 17 denotes a CPU for controlling the entire dispenser; 18, a ROM for storing the control program; 19, a RAM for storing data; and 20, an input / output unit. The input / output unit 20 is connected to a drive relay 21 of the stirring motor 5, a drive relay 22 of the motor compressor 6 for compressing the refrigerant to be sent to the cooler 3, a manual start switch 23, and the like.

In FIG. 2, the CPU 17 checks whether the power is turned on (S1), and immediately turns off the stirring motor 5 and the motor compressor 6 when the power is turned on (S2). Next, it is checked whether or not the start switch 23 has been pressed (S3). When the switch has been pressed, the stirring motor 5 is started (S4). Thereafter, the hardness of the beverage is detected from the load torque of the stirring motor 5 and the like (the beverage becomes harder as it hardens and becomes softer as it melts), and it is checked whether cooling is necessary (S5). Activate (S6).

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the invention according to claim 2, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the control operation. FIG.
1, a timer 24 is connected to the CPU 17 in place of the activation switch 23 in FIG. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. The timer 24 is set with a time necessary for the solidified beverage to be softened until it can be stirred, for example, several hours, due to a sudden stop of the dispenser due to a power failure or the like, for example, several hours. Is output.

In FIG. 4, the CPU 17 checks whether the power is turned on (S1), and immediately turns off the stirring motor 5 and the motor compressor 6 (S2), and at the same time, starts the timer 24 (S3). . Thereafter, it is checked whether the time of the timer 24 has expired (S4). If the time has not expired, the timer 24 is counted down and waits for the time to expire (S4).
5). Then, when the time is up, the stirring motor 5 is started (S6). Then, it is checked whether cooling is necessary (S
7) If necessary, start the motor compressor 6 (S)
8). Since the degree of consolidation of the beverage also changes depending on the stop time of the stirring, the stop time of the stirring due to a power failure or the like is measured and stored in the RAM 19, and the standby time set in advance according to the stop time is measured. It is also possible to set the timer 24 and start it.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a control operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, both the start switch 23 of FIG. 1 and the timer 24 of FIG. 3 are provided, and the control block diagram is omitted. In FIG. 5, the CPU 17 checks whether the power is turned on (S17).
1), the stirring motor 5 and the motor compressor 6 are turned off immediately after the charging (S2), and at the same time, the timer 24 is started (S3). Thereafter, it is checked whether the time of the timer 24 has expired (S4). If the time has not expired, the timer 24 is counted down (S5), and it is checked whether the start switch 23 has been pressed (S6). Then, when pressed, the stirring motor 5 is started (S7).
If it is not pressed, it waits for the time to elapse (S4), and when the time elapses, the stirring motor 5 is started (S7). Thereafter, it is checked whether cooling is necessary (S8), and if necessary, the motor compressor 6 is started (S9).

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the invention according to claim 4, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the control operation. FIG.
In place of the timer 24 in FIG. 3, a temperature sensor 25 for detecting the temperature of the beverage 14 (see FIG. 9) in the beverage container 2
The output voltage is provided to the CPU 17 via the A / D converter 26. Other configurations are shown in FIG.
Is the same as

In FIG. 7, the CPU 17 checks whether the power is turned on (S1), and immediately turns off the stirring motor 5 and the motor compressor 6 when the power is turned on (S2). Next, the beverage temperature is constant, for example, 2-3 ° C.
It is checked whether or not the temperature has reached the above (S3). When the temperature reaches a certain temperature or higher, the stirring motor 5 is started (S4). Thereafter, it is checked whether cooling is necessary (S5), and if necessary, the motor compressor 6 is started (S6).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, both the start switch 23 of FIG. 1 and the temperature sensor 25 of FIG. 6 are provided, and the control block diagram is omitted. In FIG. 8, the CPU 17 checks whether the power is turned on (S1), and immediately turns off the stirring motor 5 and the motor compressor 6 when the power is turned on (S2). Next, it is checked whether or not the beverage temperature has reached a certain temperature or higher (S3), and if not, it is checked whether or not the start switch 23 has been pressed (S4). When pressed, the stirring motor 5 is started (S5). When the button is not pressed, it waits until the beverage temperature reaches a certain level (S3).
Is started (S5). Thereafter, it is checked whether cooling is necessary (S6), and if necessary, the motor compressor 6 is started (S7).

[0020]

According to the present invention, the stirring motor can be started only when the beverage in the beverage container can be stirred without starting the stirring motor immediately after the power is turned on. There is no danger of damaging the stirrer or the stirrer motor when trying to stir the solidified beverage when restarting the operation after the stoppage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control operation of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control operation of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram showing a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control operation of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a frozen beverage dispenser.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Beverage Container 3 Cooler 4 Stirrer 8 Raw Material Discharge Nozzle 14 Beverage 23 Start Switch 24 Timer 25 Temperature Sensor

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A beverage container comprising a cylindrical cooler and a stirrer driven by a stirring motor and having blades rotating along the surface of the cooler, and the raw material supplied to the drink container is cooled by the cooling. A frozen beverage dispenser for producing a sherbet-shaped beverage by mixing with the raw material while peeling off the thin layer of ice with the stirrer while cooling with a dispenser to form a thin layer of ice on the surface; A control device for a frozen beverage dispenser, characterized in that a manually operated start switch is provided in the control circuit of (1), and after the power is turned on, the stirring motor is started by an operation signal of the start switch. 2. A beverage container comprising a cylindrical cooler and a stirrer driven by a stirring motor and having blades rotating along the surface of the cooler, wherein the raw material supplied to the beverage container is cooled. A frozen beverage dispenser for producing a sherbet-shaped beverage by mixing with the raw material while peeling off the thin layer of ice with the stirrer while cooling with a dispenser to form a thin layer of ice on the surface; A control circuit for a frozen beverage dispenser, characterized in that a timer for counting the elapse of a predetermined time is provided in the control circuit, the timer is started at the same time as power is turned on, and the stirring motor is started by a time-up signal. apparatus. 3. A manual start switch is provided in the control circuit of the stirring motor, and after the power is turned on, the stirring motor is started by either an operation signal of the start switch or a time-up signal of the timer. 3. The control device for a frozen beverage dispenser according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A cylindrical cooler and a stirrer driven by a stirring motor and having blades rotating along the surface of the cooler are installed in a beverage container, and the raw material supplied to the beverage container is cooled by the cooling device. A frozen beverage dispenser for producing a sherbet-shaped beverage by mixing with the raw material while peeling off the thin layer of ice with the stirrer while cooling with a dispenser to form a thin layer of ice on the surface; Wherein a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the beverage in the beverage container is provided in the control circuit, and after the power is turned on, the stirring motor is started when the temperature of the beverage reaches a certain temperature or more. Dispenser control device. 5. A stirrer motor control circuit is provided with a manual start switch, and after turning on the power, the stirrer motor is operated by either an operation signal of the start switch or when the temperature of the beverage becomes a predetermined temperature or more. 5. The control device for a frozen beverage dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the control device is activated.