JPH11342080A - Liquid storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect a liquid level and a temperature and to easily clean the inside of a tank. SOLUTION: To the upper surface of the tank 1, a lid body 13 is air-tightly put on. A cylinder part 18 in a vertical direction is formed at the center of the lid body 13 and float switches 21 and 22 for detecting the water level of stored hot water and a thermister 30 for detecting a hot water temperature are housed on the lower surface side of a closing plate 19. A set water level is held by controlling the opening/closing of a water valve 3 by the water level detection of the float switches 21 and 22 and a set temperature is held by controlling energizing/interruption to a heater 11 by the temperature detection of the thermister 30. Since the inside of the cylinder part 18 is protected from the waves of an outer water surface and the flow of the hot water, the water level detection and the temperature detection are accurately performed. Since the float switches 21 and 22 and the thermister 30 are removed to the outside of the tank 1 accompanying the detachment of the lid body 13, the inside of the tank 1 is easily cleaned.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid storage device for storing a liquid supplied into a tank while maintaining the liquid at a set liquid level and at a set temperature.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an example of this type of liquid storage device,
2. Description of the Related Art A hot water storage tank device mounted on a tea machine is known. In this hot water storage tank device, as shown in FIG. 5, a water supply port b is provided on an upper side of a tank a, and a tap hole c is provided on a bottom side, and a float type water level sensor d for detecting a water level in the tank a is provided. It has. This water level sensor d has a base end of an L-shaped arm f provided with a float e at the tip, which is rotatably supported on a side wall, and an arm f associated with the vertical movement of the float e
This is a type in which the water level is detected by photoelectrically detecting the rotation angle of. A throw-in type heater g is provided on the bottom side in the tank a, and a temperature sensor h for detecting a water temperature is attached to the inner wall.

When the first water valve i is opened, fresh water is supplied from the water supply port b into the tank a. When it is detected by the water level sensor d that the fresh water level has reached the set water level, the first water level is detected. Water valve i closes. On the other hand, power cutoff to the heater g is controlled based on the water temperature detected by the temperature sensor h, and the temperature of the stored hot water is maintained at the set temperature. When the second water valve j is opened, hot water is supplied from the hot water outlet c to the tea producing mechanism side, and when the water level in the tank a falls to a predetermined water level, fresh water is supplied to the set water level as described above. By repeating the above, hot water is stored in the tank a at the set water level and at the set temperature.

[0004]

In the prior art, the float e of the water level sensor d has a structure in which it is simply floated on the water surface, and the temperature sensor h has a structure in which it is simply immersed in hot water. When the water surface is wavy or hot water is agitated due to the supply of water, both the float e and the temperature sensor h of the water level sensor d are susceptible to the influence. Was. Further, the water level sensor d has a float e and an L-shaped arm f protruding into the tank a, and the temperature sensor h is also mounted so as to protrude from the inner wall together with the lead wire k. However, there was a problem that it was difficult to clean it. The present invention has been completed based on the circumstances described above, and the purpose is to
The purpose of the present invention is to accurately detect the liquid level and the temperature and to easily clean the tank.

[0005]

As a means for achieving the above object, the present invention relates to a method for detecting a liquid level in a tank provided with a liquid supply means and a heat generating means. A sensor and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the stored liquid are provided, and the liquid supply unit is controlled based on the detected liquid level of the liquid level sensor, and is held at a set liquid level,
And in the liquid storage device that is maintained at a set temperature by controlling the heat generation means based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, the back surface of the lid attached to the upper opening of the tank The storage cylinder part which can be submerged in the stored liquid is provided, and the liquid level sensor and the temperature sensor are stored in the storage cylinder part. The heat generating means in the above configuration includes a heating means and a means for generating cold heat, that is, a cooling means.

[0006]

Since the liquid level sensor and the temperature sensor are both housed in the housing cylinder on the back surface of the lid, they are provided in a place protected from waviness of the liquid surface and the flow of the liquid accompanying the liquid. In addition, the liquid level detection and the temperature detection can be accurately performed. In addition, the liquid level sensor and the temperature sensor are removed outside the tank as the lid is removed, and there is no obstacle in the tank, so that the tank can be easily cleaned.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hot water storage tank device provided in a tea machine will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a tank for storing hot water, which is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom. A water supply port 2 is provided at an upper end of a peripheral wall, and a first water valve 3 is provided. In addition to being connected to the water supply pipe 4, a tap hole 6 is provided at the center of the bottom surface, and is connected to a tap pipe 8 provided with a second water valve 7. A heating base 10 made of aluminum is attached to the bottom of the tank 1, and a heater 11 is embedded in the heating base 10.

A lid 13 is attached to an opening on the upper surface of the tank 1. A flange 14 is formed on the periphery of the upper end of the tank 1. The lid body 13 includes a lid body 15 having a circular shallow dish shape, and its peripheral surface has a stepped shape whose diameter is reduced in two stages downward, and the lower stepped portion has It is formed in a groove shape. An annular packing 16 is fitted in the groove, and the lid 13 is abutted against the flange 14 while making the packing 16 elastically adhere to the inner peripheral surface of the tank 1, so that the lid 13 is hermetically sealed. It is possible to wear.

At the center of the lid main body 15, a vertical cylindrical portion 1 is provided.
8 are formed. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 18 reaches a position substantially flush with the upper surface of the lid main body 15, and one lower end protrudes greatly, and when the lid 13 is attached to the tank 1, the central depth of the tank 1 is increased. To reach near.
A closing plate 19 is formed at a position near the upper end in the cylindrical portion 18.

Two float switches 21 and 22 are housed in the cylindrical portion 18. The upper first float switch 21 is for detecting the upper set water level (full water level) of the tank 1, and the lower second float switch 2
Reference numeral 2 is for detecting a lower set water level (supply water level). These first and second float switches 2
Each of the structures 1 and 22 has a structure in which the float 24 is vertically movably fitted with respect to the common longitudinal axis 23, and is, for example, always in an on state and turned off when the float 24 rises above a predetermined position. A mounting flange 25 provided at the upper end of the vertical axis 23 is airtightly fitted and mounted in a mounting hole 26 of the closing plate 19. A lead wire 27 connected to each of the float switches 21 and 22 is drawn upward from the vertical axis 23.

A thermistor 30 is mounted in the cylindrical portion 18 at the lower end of the inner wall opposite to the side where the water supply port 2 is provided. Specifically, as shown in FIG.
The thermistor 30 applied to the inner wall is pressed by a mounting plate 31 and is fixed by fixing the mounting plate 31 with a screw 32.

The lead wire 33 of the thermistor 30 extends upward through the closing plate 19. For this reason, a thick portion 35 is formed in the closing plate 19, and a stepped through hole 36 whose upper end is enlarged is formed in the thick portion 35 as shown in FIG. A female screw 37 is cut at the upper end of the through hole 36. On the other hand, a bush 3 made of silicon rubber or the like that can be fitted to the bottom side of the enlarged diameter portion of the through hole 36.
8 and a flanged mounting ring 40 with an external thread 41 cut on the outer circumference
Is provided. Then, the lead wire 33 of the thermistor 30 is inserted into the through hole 36 from the lower surface side, and the lead wire 33
The center hole 38 </ b> A of the bush 38 is passed through the drawn-out portion and is fitted to the bottom of the enlarged diameter portion of the through hole 36. Subsequently, when the mounting ring 40 similarly passed through the lead wire 33 is screwed into the female screw 37 of the through hole 36 and tightened, the bush 38 is pressed by the mounting ring 40 and elastically deformed.
Of the lead wire 33 and the outer peripheral surface of the lead wire 33.
3 is pulled upward through the closing plate 19 in an airtight state.

The above-mentioned closing plate 1 on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 18
The air vent hole 43 is located slightly below the thick portion 35 of FIG.
Is open. The air vent 43 communicates between the inside and the outside of the cylindrical portion 18 and functions to ensure that the water level rises inside the cylindrical portion 18 in the same manner as at the outside without generating air accumulation in the cylindrical portion 18.

An overflow pipe 45 is provided at the upper end of the tank 1 at a position opposite to the water supply port 2 described above. The overflow pipe 45 is connected to the water inlet 2
The projection protrudes slightly below the outside of the tank 1, and the protruding end is bent downward. A hose 46 is connected to a lower end of the overflow pipe 45, and a tray 4 is provided below the hose 46.
7 are provided. That is, the hot water overflowing in the tank 1 is received by the receiving tray 47 from the overflow pipe 45 through the hose 46, and is discharged from the discharge port 48 to the outside of the machine. The overflow pipe 45 also functions as a steam vent in the tank 1. The steam that has entered the overflow pipe 45 is cooled while flowing through the hose 46 and becomes water droplets to form an inner wall. , Is dropped on the receiving tray 47, and is similarly discharged from the discharge port 48.

The present embodiment has the above-described structure,
Subsequently, the operation will be described. When water is supplied first, the first water valve 3 of the water supply pipe 4 is opened, so that fresh water is supplied from the water supply port 2 into the tank 1, and the water level gradually rises. In this case, since the air vent 43 is opened in the cylindrical portion 18, the water level rises smoothly inside the cylindrical portion 18 as well as outside thereof. When the first float switch 21 detects that the water level in the tank 1 has reached the upper set water level, the first water valve 3 closes and water supply stops. During this time, the heater 11 is energized,
The hot water is generated by heating the fresh water stored through the hot water.
The temperature of the hot water is detected by the thermistor 30, and the power cutoff of the heater 11 is controlled based on the detected temperature.
Hot water temperature is maintained at the set temperature.

During this time, steam can enter the tank 1, but since the tank 1 is sealed except for the overflow pipe 45, steam can escape from the overflow pipe 45. This steam is, as already mentioned, the hose 4
6 as a water droplet while passing through 6
Is discharged to the outside of the machine, so that steam does not leak into the machine and adhere to members and the like in the machine as water droplets.

When the dispensing switch of the tea dispenser is operated, the second water valve 7 interposed in the tapping pipe 8 is opened for a predetermined time, and the hot water is supplied to the tea generating mechanism side, and the hot water is supplied as tea or white hot water. Will be poured out. When this dispensing operation is repeated,
When the second float switch 22 detects that the water level in the tank 1 has gradually decreased and has reached the lower set water level, the first water valve 3 of the water supply pipe 4 is opened to supply fresh water. Is stored to the upper set water level.

When the fresh water is supplied in this manner, the surface of the water is wavy, and particularly, the hot water is stirred at the portion where the fresh water is supplied. The float switches 21 and 22 are housed in the cylindrical portion 18. Since the water is protected from the outside in the cylindrical portion 18 and is kept in a state of no undulation, the water level can be accurately detected. Since the one thermistor 30 is also provided at a position apart from the portion where the fresh water is supplied in the cylindrical portion 18, the influence of the flow of the hot water is small, and thus the temperature detection is also performed accurately. As described above, hot water is stored in the tank 1 at the upper set water level and at the set temperature.

When cleaning the inside of the tank 1, the stored hot water is discharged, and then the lid 13 is removed as shown in FIG. With the removal of the lid 13, the float switches 21 and 22 and the thermistor 30 are connected to the lead wires 27 and 33.
Since it is removed outside the tank 1 and there is no obstacle in the tank 1, it is easy to clean.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
The float switches 21 and 22 and the thermistor 30 are both housed in the cylindrical portion 18 provided on the back surface of the lid 13 and are provided in a place protected from waving of the water surface and the flow of hot water accompanying the water. , Water level detection and temperature detection can be accurately performed. When cleaning the inside of the tank 1, the float switch 2
Since the thermistors 1 and 22 and the thermistor 30 are removed together with the lead wires 27 and 33 outside the tank 1 and there is no obstacle in the tank 1, cleaning can be performed easily.

The tank 1 contains an overflow pipe 4
5 is a closed structure except for the steam that stood in the inside will flow out of the overflow pipe 45 exclusively, but the steam is formed into water droplets while passing through the hose 46 and is discharged outside the machine. There is no possibility that steam leaks into the body and adheres to members or the like in the body as water droplets. In addition, a packing 16 is used to remove a seal between the lid 13 and the tank 1, and the packing 16 has a fixing force due to friction when pushed in.
It is not necessary to provide a special fixing member to fix the head to the tank 1. On the other hand, the lid 13 can be removed relatively easily by pulling up the lid 13 against the frictional force.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) The present invention can be similarly applied to a chilled water tank device having a cooling mechanism and storing chilled water in a tank at a predetermined cooling temperature and at a predetermined water level. (2) Further, the present invention can be widely applied to all liquid storage devices that store and retain a liquid other than water at a set liquid level and a set temperature.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a hot water storage tank device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a thermistor mounting structure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a penetrating portion of a lead wire of a thermistor.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view with a lid removed.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 tank 2 water supply port 3 7 water valve 6
… Tap hole 13… lid 16… packing 18… cylindrical part 19… closure plate 21,
2 ... Float switch 30 ... Thermistor

Claims (1)

[Claims] A tank provided with a liquid supply means and a heat generation means has a liquid level sensor for detecting a liquid level in the tank,
A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the stored liquid is provided, and the liquid supply means is controlled based on the detected liquid level of the liquid level sensor to maintain the set liquid level and detect the temperature sensor In the liquid storage device in which the heat generation unit is controlled based on the temperature to maintain the set temperature, the liquid stored in the liquid stored on the back surface of the lid attached to the upper opening of the tank. A storage cylinder part that can be submerged in water, wherein the liquid level sensor and the temperature sensor are stored in the storage cylinder part.