JPH1118951A - Bevarage supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently clean a storage tank inside surface by a small quantity of water by arranging a cleaning nozzle in a bottom part in a storage tank to store plural cups of beverage of an automatic vending machine or the like, and injecting it toward a ceiling surface of the storage tank from a water injection hole by supplying pressurized water to the cleaning nozzle. SOLUTION: In the case of cleaning the inside of a storage tank 13 of an automatic vending machine to sell coffee or the like by a cup, a control device supplies hot water in the storage tank 13 through a deriving tube 31 from a hot water tank by opening a hot water valve, but a hot water quantity at this time is set to a quantity of a degree that a water injection hole 45 of a cleaning nozzle 44 sinks under the water. Next, a pump is operated, and pressurized water is injected toward a ceiling surface 13C of the storage tank 13 from the water injection hole 45 of the cleaning nozzle 44 through a cleaning tube. Water injected at a high speed from the water injection hole 45 of the cleaning nozzle 44 collides with the ceiling surface 13C of the storage tank 13 as a thin water column, and changes the direction in the side wall 13B direction of the storage tank 13, or scatters, and cleans an inside surface of the storage tank 13. After claning is finished, wash water is discharged through a pipe.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beverage supply apparatus for storing a plurality of beverages in a storage tank and appropriately supplying the beverage from the storage tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a vending machine,
As disclosed in JP-A-9-62929 (G07F13 / 00), a beverage such as coffee is extracted from a ground bean material such as coffee, mixed with other sugar or milk, and then poured into a cup for sale. It is configured as follows. In particular, in recent years, due to the revision of the Food Sanitation Law, this kind of vending machine has made it possible to extract and store a plurality of drinks in advance, store them, and inject one drink into a cup for each sale and sell them. The above publication also discloses a so-called batch extraction system in which a plurality of drinks extracted by the extraction device are stored in a storage tank and sold.

According to such a method, it is possible to shorten the waiting time of the customer as compared with the extraction for each sales, and also to reduce the consumption of consumables such as a paper filter required for the extraction, thereby improving the efficiency. Beverage sales can be achieved. In addition, since a sufficient time can be taken for beverage extraction in the extraction device, there is an advantage that a beverage having a good taste can be produced.

[0004] On the other hand, in the case of such a batch extraction method, dirt adheres to the inner wall surface of the storage tank due to stored coffee or the like. This soiling causes hygiene problems and also impairs the flavor of the coffee, so the storage tanks need to be cleaned regularly (eg once a day).

In the above-mentioned publication, the storage tank is cleaned by the method shown in FIG. 3 when such cleaning is performed. That is, FIG. 3 shows the structure of a conventional vending machine. In this figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a plurality of cups of coffee (for example, 12 cups).
Cup) (for example, 2.5 liter capacity). An outlet tube 102 connected to an extractor (not shown) is connected to an upper portion of the side wall of the storage tank 101, and a sales tube 103 for selling a cup of coffee to a chute (not shown) is connected to a lower end portion. In addition, 10
4 is an overflow pipe.

An air tube 106 is inserted into a lower portion of the storage tank 101, and the air tube 106 is connected to an air pump (not shown). When cleaning the inside of the storage tank 101, first, hot water (wash water) is fully stored in the storage tank 101 from the outlet tube 102 through an extractor from a hot water tank (not shown). Next, the air pump is operated to blow out pressurized air from the air tube 106 into the storage tank 101, and the hot water is vigorously agitated.
It was intended to wash dirt on the inner wall.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Such a storage tank 10 is described.
The hot water (wash water) used for the washing of No. 1 is discarded from the sales pipe 103 into a drain bucket (not shown). The capacity of the drainage bucket is limited by the handling and the space restrictions in the vending machine (usually about 12 liters). When the drainage bucket is full, the vending machine stops selling. In addition to the washing water as described above, drinks and the like (about 1.5 liters / day) remaining in the storage tank 101 also flow in. Therefore, if about 2.5 liters of washing water is discarded per day, three days In the eyes, the drain bucket is full and sales are stopped.

[0008] The disposal of such drainage buckets is to be performed by a rootman, but in recent years, due to a reduction in labor costs, routeman patrols have come to once every five days, and this tends to be extended. It is in. Therefore, a reduction in the amount of washing water in the storage tank has been eagerly desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problems, and has as its object to provide a beverage supply device capable of remarkably reducing the amount of washing water in a storage tank.

[0010]

A beverage supply device according to the present invention stores a plurality of drinks in a storage tank and discharges the beverage from the storage tank as appropriate. The beverage supply apparatus is provided at the bottom of the storage tank. A washing nozzle, a small-diameter fountain hole provided in the washing nozzle, and means for supplying pressurized water to the washing nozzle and jetting the water from the fountain hole toward the ceiling surface of the storage tank.

According to the present invention, a washing nozzle is provided at the bottom of a storage tank for storing a plurality of drinks, a small-diameter fountain hole is provided in the washing nozzle, and pressurized water is supplied to the washing nozzle to supply the fountain hole. From the washing tank, the water jetted at high speed from the fountain hole of the washing nozzle collides with the ceiling surface of the storage tank as a thin water column, It turns or scatters and flows down along the inner surface of the side wall of the storage tank.

The inner surface of the storage tank is washed by the flow of the jet water, and the scattered water droplets scatter at a high speed and collide with the inner surface of the storage tank.
In particular, in this case, since the washing water is not stored in the storage tank as in the related art, the amount of water used for washing the storage tank is significantly reduced.

[0013] In addition to the above, the beverage supply device according to the second aspect of the present invention, prior to injection from the washing nozzle, supplies hot water or water into the storage tank to a predetermined low water level at which the fountain hole of the washing nozzle is slightly submerged. It has means for storing.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above, prior to the injection from the washing nozzle, hot water or water is stored in the storage tank to a predetermined low water level at which the fountain hole of the washing nozzle is slightly submerged. The water sprayed from the fountain hole is
Hot water or water stored at the bottom of the storage tank is rolled up, and a large jet collides with the ceiling surface. As a result, the amount of water or water droplets flowing down the inner surface of the storage tank or scattered in the storage tank increases, so that a remarkable improvement in the cleaning effect can be achieved.

A beverage supply device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the beverage supply device according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein the bottom surface of the storage tank has a substantially inverted conical shape.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the bottom surface of the storage tank has a substantially inverted conical shape in addition to the above inventions, the amount of water for submerging the washing nozzle can be reduced, and the amount of washing water can be further reduced. It can be achieved.

A beverage supply apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention uses a pressurized water supply pump for producing a cold beverage as a means for supplying pressurized water to the washing nozzle in addition to the above-mentioned inventions.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned inventions, a pump for supplying pressurized water for producing a cold beverage is used as means for supplying pressurized water to the washing nozzle. Thus, there is no need to attach such components, so that the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration inside a vending machine 1 as an embodiment of a beverage supply device of the present invention. The vending machine 1 according to the embodiment sells coffee or juice (both drinks) and the like adjusted inside in a cup to a customer, and heats tap water to make hot water of + 90 ° C. or more inside. A hot water tank 6 for storing the hot water, a hot water valve 8 for supplying hot water stored in the hot water tank 6 to an extractor 7 described below, and a cup C
Not shown and a coffee canister 1 for storing coffee ground bean raw material (beverage raw material)
2, an extractor 7 for mixing the powdered raw material and hot water to extract coffee, a storage tank 13 for storing the coffee extracted by the extractor 7, a cream canister 14 for storing cream, and an instant coffee An instant coffee canister 15 for storing powdered raw materials for use, a sugar canister 16 for storing sugar, and sugar and cream respectively supplied according to a sales order, are mixed with the extracted coffee, or an instant coffee powder as described below. A mixing ball 17 for mixing with cold water, a drainage bucket 19 disposed below a cup receiving stand (not shown) for placing a cup C, and the like are provided.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a cistern connected to the water pipe 33, which stores a predetermined amount of tap water. A pump 34 for sucking, pressurizing and feeding water in the cistern 32 is attached to an outlet of the cistern 32, and a manifold 35 is attached to a discharge port of the pump 34.

A water supply pipe 36 is drawn out of the manifold 35 and connected to the hot water tank 6 via a water supply valve 37. A cold water pipe 38 is further drawn out of the manifold 35 and passes through a cooling water tank 39. An opening is provided on the mixing ball 17 via a cold water valve 40.

Hot water is supplied from the hot water valve 8 to the extractor 7 through a hot water supply pipe 21. The extractor 7 includes a cylinder 22 that can be moved up and down, a beverage tray 23 disposed below the cylinder 22, and a filter paper 26 interposed between the cylinder 22 and the beverage tray 23. Have been.
Further, an extraction chamber 28 is formed inside the cylinder 22 in a state where the cylinder 22 is lowered onto the beverage receiving stand 23, and the extraction chamber 28 has a capacity sufficient to accommodate, for example, three cups of hot water and powdered raw material. Prepare.

Further, the filter paper 26 is wound into a roll by a predetermined amount. The filter paper 26 is pulled out from the roll and placed on the beverage tray 23. When the cylinder 22 is lowered, the filter paper 26 is placed between the beverage tray 23 and the cylinder 22. The cylinder 22 is configured to be able to move (feed) in the longitudinal direction in a state where the cylinder 22 is pulled up.

A flexible outlet tube 31 is drawn out from the lower surface of the beverage receiving table 23 and is connected to the upper portion of the side wall 13 B of the storage tank 13. Further, the washing pipe 30 is also pulled out from the manifold 35, and the washing valve 4
1 is connected to the bottom of the storage tank 13. At this time, the bottom surface 13A of the storage tank 13 has a substantially inverted conical shape as shown in FIG. 2, and the cleaning nozzle 44 attached to the tip of the cleaning pipe 30 moves from the center of the bottom surface 13A of the storage tank 13 to the storage tank 13. It is drawn inside and stands upright.

A small diameter fountain hole 45 is formed at the tip of the cleaning nozzle 44. An overflow pipe 46 is connected to the ceiling surface 13C of the storage tank 13 so as to communicate therewith. Further, a sales pipe 42 is drawn out from the bottom surface 13A of the storage tank 13 and communicates with the mixing ball 17, and a sales valve 43 is interposed in the sales pipe 42.

A chute 47 for guiding the cream or sugar discharged from the cream canister 14 and the sugar canister 16 to the mixing ball 17 is provided below the cream canister 14 and the sugar canister 16. Beverage tube 4 on top of cup C
8 extend.

The hot water valve 8, the pump 34, and the cold water valve 4
0, the washing valve 41, the sales valve 43, etc. are controlled by the control device 51 composed of a general-purpose microcomputer. Also, other equipment, namely, a cup supply device, a coffee canister 12, a cream canister 14, an instant coffee canister 15, a sugar canister 16,
The control device 51 also controls the vertical movement of the cylinder 22 and the feeding operation of the filter paper 26.

Next, the operation of the vending machine 1 of the present invention by the control device 51 having the above configuration will be described. The control device 5
1 operates the pump 34 and opens the water supply valve 37 to supply tap water to the hot water tank 6. The hot water tank 6 is assumed to generate and store the hot water as described above. In addition, the cooling water tank 39
Is cooled to a predetermined temperature by a cooling device (not shown).

First, when the storage tank 13 is empty, the control device 51 executes an operation of storing, for example, five cups of coffee in the storage tank 13. That is, the control device 51 lowers the cylinder 22 of the extractor 7 to remove the filter paper 26 from the beverage tray 2.
First, three cups of ground bean raw material from the coffee canister 12 and three cups of hot water from the hot water tank 6 are put into the extraction chamber 28 in a state of being sandwiched between them. At this time, sales valve 4
3 and the cleaning valve 41 are closed.

In the extraction chamber 28, the ground bean raw material is suspended in the hot water, and the coffee component is eluted from the ground bean raw material into the hot water. Then, it is filtered downward from the inside of the extraction chamber 28 via the filter paper 26, sent to the storage tank 13 through the outlet tube 31, and kept warm.

Next, the controller 51 raises the cylinder 22, sends out the filter paper 26, discards the coffee residue, and returns to the standby state. Next, the control device 51 receives data on the amount of coffee in the storage tank 13 from a measuring device (not shown). In this case, three glasses are stored and it is determined that two glasses are insufficient, so the above operation is repeated,
Two cups of coffee are extracted by the extractor 7 and a total of five cups of coffee are stored in the storage tank 13.

When the customer inputs money and presses, for example, a selection button for coffee containing sugar and cream, the control device 51 first supplies the cup C from the cup supply device onto the receiving table. Next, the sales valve 43 is delayed for about two seconds.
Is opened and a cup of coffee is dispensed from the storage tank 13 into the mixing ball 17. In addition, cream canister 1
A predetermined amount of cream and sugar are supplied into the mixing bowl 17 from the sugar canister 4 and the sugar canister 16, mixed there, and then injected into the cup C via the beverage tube 48.

When the instant coffee selection button is pressed, for example, the control device 51 opens the chilled water valve 40 and operates the pump 34 to feed water to the chilled water pipe 38.
The water sent to the cold water pipe 38 is cooled while passing through the inside of the cooling water tank 39, and passes through the cold water valve 40 to mix the mixing ball 17.
Flows into. Meanwhile, Instant Coffee Canister 1
From No. 5, the instant coffee powder is supplied into the mixing bowl 17, where it is mixed with cold water and then poured into the cup C via the beverage tube.

Next, the operation of cleaning the storage tank 13 by the control device 51 will be described. The controller 51 executes the cleaning operation described below once a day (for example, at midnight) while the coffee in the storage tank 13 is empty.

That is, the controller 51 closes the sales valve 43 and opens the hot water valve 8 to supply a predetermined amount (for example, 200 g in the embodiment) of hot water from the hot water tank 6 to the extractor 7. At this time, since there is no raw material in the extractor 7, the raw material is stored in the storage tank 13 via the outlet tube 31 as it is. At this time, the amount of hot water is such that the fountain port 45 of the washing nozzle 44 is slightly submerged as shown in FIG.

Next, the control device 51 operates the pump 34, opens the cleaning valve 41, and through the cleaning pipe 30 through the fountain hole 45 of the cleaning nozzle 44 to the ceiling surface 13C of the storage tank 13.
And pressurized water (washing water). Cleaning nozzle 44
Of water sprayed from the fountain hole 45 at a high speed (15 g per second in the embodiment) collides with the ceiling surface 13C of the storage tank 13 as a thin water column (about 1 mm in diameter), and the side wall 13B of the storage tank 13
It turns or scatters, and flows down along the inner surface of the side wall 13B of the storage tank 13 (FIG. 2).

The inner surface of the storage tank 13 is washed by the flow of the jet water, and the scattered water droplets scatter at a high speed and collide with the inner surface of the storage tank 13, thereby facilitating the removal of dirt. In particular, since the hot water is stored in the storage tank 13 up to the water level at which the fountain hole 45 of the washing nozzle 44 is slightly submerged, the water jetted from the fountain hole 45 is the hot water stored at the bottom in the storage tank 13. It winds up and becomes a large jet and comes to collide with the ceiling surface 13C. Thereby, the storage tank 1
Since the amount of water or water droplets flowing down on the inner surface of the storage tank 3 or scattered in the storage tank 13 increases, a remarkable improvement in the cleaning effect can be achieved.

The cleaning operation is performed for 20 seconds. After that, the control device 51 opens the sales valve 43 and discards the washing water in the storage tank 13 into the drainage bucket 19 via the cup receiver. At this time, the amount of washing water discharged is 500 in total.
g, but in the past, about 2.5 liters of washing water was used, so that the drainage amount was reduced to 1/5, and the period until the drainage bucket 19 became full and the sales stopped was extended. Become like Further, since the bottom surface 13A of the storage tank 13 has a substantially inverted conical shape, the amount of hot water for submerging the washing nozzle 44 can be reduced, and the amount of washing water can be further reduced.

In particular, since the pump 34 for supplying cold water for producing instant coffee to supply pressurized water to the cleaning nozzle 44 is used, it is not necessary to attach a special pump or the like for cleaning the storage tank 13. Thus, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

Here, in the embodiment, a predetermined amount of hot water is stored in the storage tank 13 in advance, and the fountain hole 45 of the cleaning nozzle 44 is submerged to perform the cleaning operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to simply inject water from the cleaning nozzle 44 without performing this operation. In this case, the washing operation is performed for about 30 seconds. In this case, the amount of washing water is 450 g in total, so that the amount is further reduced. Also in this case, if the fountain hole 45 of the washing nozzle 44 is submerged in the washing water gradually accumulated in the storage tank 13, the same effect as described above can be obtained. However, in this case, what is stored in the storage tank 13 is not water but water.

In the embodiment, the case where coffee is extracted has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is effective when applied to black tea, green tea, etc., and is not limited to vending machines. The present invention is effective for various beverage supply devices.

[0042]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a washing nozzle is provided at the bottom of a storage tank for storing a plurality of drinks, and a small-diameter fountain hole is provided in the washing nozzle. Pressurized water is supplied and injected from the fountain hole toward the ceiling surface of the storage tank, so that water jetted at high speed from the fountain hole of the washing nozzle collides with the ceiling surface of the storage tank as a thin water column. Then, it turns to the side of the storage tank, or scatters, and flows down along the inner surface of the side wall of the storage tank.

The inner surface of the storage tank is washed by the flow of the jet water, and the scattered water droplets scatter at a high speed and collide with the inner surface of the storage tank.
In particular, in this case, since the washing water is not stored in the storage tank as in the related art, the amount of water used for washing the storage tank is significantly reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above, prior to injection from the washing nozzle, hot water or water is stored in the storage tank to a predetermined low water level at which the fountain hole of the washing nozzle is slightly submerged. The water sprayed from the fountain hole is
Hot water or water stored at the bottom of the storage tank is rolled up, and a large jet collides with the ceiling surface. As a result, the amount of water or water droplets flowing down the inner surface of the storage tank or scattered in the storage tank increases, so that a remarkable improvement in the cleaning effect can be achieved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the bottom surface of the storage tank has a substantially inverted conical shape in addition to the above inventions, the amount of water for submerging the washing nozzle can be reduced, and the amount of washing water can be further reduced. It can be achieved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above inventions, a pump for supplying pressurized water for producing a cold beverage is used as a means for supplying pressurized water to the washing nozzle. Thus, there is no need to attach such components, so that the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration inside a vending machine as an embodiment of a beverage supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a storage tank of the vending machine of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a storage tank of a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 6 Hot water tank 7 Extractor 8 Hot water valve 12 Coffee canister 13 Storage tank 26 Filter paper 30 Cleaning pipe 34 Pump 44 Cleaning nozzle 45 Fountain hole 51 Control device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A beverage supply device for storing a plurality of beverages in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverage from the storage tank, wherein a cleaning nozzle provided at a bottom portion in the storage tank, and a cleaning nozzle provided at the cleaning nozzle. A beverage supply device, comprising: a small-diameter fountain hole provided; and means for supplying pressurized water to the washing nozzle and jetting the water from the fountain hole toward a ceiling surface of the storage tank. 2. A means for storing hot water or water in a storage tank up to a predetermined low water level at which a fountain hole of the washing nozzle is slightly submerged before jetting from the washing nozzle. 1 beverage supply device. 3. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the storage tank has a substantially inverted conical shape. 4. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pump for supplying pressurized water for producing a cold beverage is used as means for supplying pressurized water to the washing nozzle.