JPS629504Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to a beverage cooling dispensing device.

Such beverage cooling and dispensing devices generally include a cooling liquid such as water or antifreeze in a liquid tank, and an evaporation pipe that is wound approximately in a coil shape in the cooling liquid and connected to a refrigerator, and a beverage cooling pipe that passes the beverage. The cooling liquid is cooled by an evaporation pipe, the cooling liquid is made to flow by a stirring blade, and the flowing cooling liquid cools the beverage flowing through the beverage cooling pipe.

Here, to describe the conventional example with reference to FIG. 1, the liquid tank 1
An evaporation pipe 3 and a beverage cooling pipe 4 are provided, each of which is connected to a refrigerator so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid 2. Both pipes 3 and 4 are wound into a substantially coiled shape, respectively. The evaporation pipe 3 cools the cooling liquid 2, and the beverage cooling pipe 4 has its base end connected to a beverage supply source (not shown) via a pot 5, and its tip connected to a pouring pot. 6 to form a spout 7. A stirring blade 8 is provided approximately on the coil center line of both tubes 3 and 4 so as to be submerged in the cooling liquid 2, and by rotating the stirring blade 8 by an electric motor 9, the cooling liquid 2 is brought into the center of the coil. The coolant 2 is circulated in the liquid tank 1 by flowing from above to below, and the coolant 2 cooled around the evaporation pipe 3 flows around the beverage cooling pipe 4 to effectively cool the beverage in the beverage cooling pipe 4. I have to. In FIG. 1, 10 indicates the cylindrical ice formed around the evaporation tube 3, and 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes an ice storage control element for detecting the thickness of ice 10, that is, the amount of ice stored, and controlling the operation of the refrigerator to store a predetermined amount of ice. Note that 11 is a liquid temperature control element that detects the liquid temperature of the coolant 2 and controls the operation of the refrigeration system when an antifreeze liquid is used as the coolant 2 and ice storage is not performed.

The circulation flow path of the cooling liquid 2 is divided into an inner side and an outer side of the coil by a cylindrical beverage cooling pipe 4 that is wound in a substantially coil shape inside the liquid tank 1 . Cooling liquid 2 is stirred by stirring blade 8
Due to the rotation of the beverage cooling pipe 4, water is absorbed and flows downward from the upper end of the coil of the beverage cooling pipe 4 toward the inner side.
It is discharged to the outside of the beverage cooling pipe 4 and the evaporation pipe 3 through the gap flow path between the lower end opening of the liquid tank 1 and the bottom surface of the liquid tank 1 . The discharged cooling liquid 2 flows around the evaporation tube 3 and forms a circulating flow as shown by an arrow, which is guided to the upper end opening of the coil of the beverage cooling tube 4 while being cooled. As described above, by winding the beverage cooling pipe 4 into a coil, the cooling liquid 2 flows through the rotation of the stirring blade 8 such that the upper end opening of the coil becomes the suction port and the lower end opening of the coil becomes the discharge port. The action is constituted. The coolant 2 is cooled by the evaporator tube 3 while being circulated as shown by the arrow, and ice 10 is stored around the evaporator tube 3 under control by the ice storage control element 11.

Beverage flows from a beverage supply source (not shown) through the beverage cooling pipe 4 via the pot 5 and is poured out from the spout 7 by opening and closing the dispensing pot 6. 2.

At this time, the ice 10 exchanges heat with the beverage flowing through the beverage cooling pipe 4, and the ice 10 is absorbed by the heated cooling liquid 2 and gradually melts. The thickness of the ice 10 formed around the evaporation tube 3 in this way gradually becomes thinner,
A portion of the evaporator tube 3 becomes exposed in the coolant 2. The temperature of the refrigerant flowing inside the evaporator tube 3 is also increased by exchanging heat with the cooling water 2, and the surface temperature of the evaporator tube 3 reaches 0°C or higher, and finally, the ice 10 separates from the evaporator tube 3 and cools inside the cooling water 2. It turns into pieces of ice and becomes floating. When the floating ice pieces are sucked in from the upper opening of the cylindrical beverage cooling pipe 4 and discharged to the lower opening, they collide with the stirring blade 8, causing abnormal noise and damage to the stirring blade 8 due to the collision. This causes damage to the electric motor 9. The same applies to foreign matter that has entered the coolant 2 for some reason. For this reason, conventionally, although not shown in the drawings, in order to prevent damage to the stirring blades, the stirring blades are protected by surrounding them with a wire mesh or by providing a filter device at the suction side opening end of the cylindrical beverage cooling pipe 4. was. However, all of them have the drawback of requiring a protective member, making them complicated and costly.

The present invention eliminates these drawbacks, and its purpose is to provide a beverage cooling and dispensing device that has a simple structure, reduces costs, does not damage the stirring blades and electric motor, and does not generate noise.

An embodiment of the present invention will be explained below with reference to FIG. 2. The outer periphery of the liquid tank 21 is covered with a heat insulating material 22, and a cooling liquid 23 is stored inside the liquid tank 21. In this cooling liquid 23, there is an evaporation pipe 25 connected to a refrigerator 24 to cool the cooling liquid 23, and a beverage. A beverage cooling pipe 26 to be cooled is provided substantially concentrically and vertically, and at least the upper part of the beverage cooling pipe 26 is wound substantially tightly;
The base end is connected to a beverage supply source (not shown) via an inlet 27, and the tip forms a spout 29 via a spout 28. Both tubes 25 and 2
A stirring blade 31 driven by an electric motor 30 is disposed approximately on the center line of the coil 6, and the cooling liquid 23 is caused to flow from above to below at the center of the coil, thereby circulating the liquid in the liquid tank 21 and forming the evaporation tube. 25 cools the beverage in the beverage cooling pipe 26 via the cooling liquid 23. In this embodiment, as in the conventional example described above, when water is used as the coolant 23, the amount of ice around the evaporation tube 25 is detected, and when antifreeze is used as the coolant, the temperature of the liquid is detected and freezing is performed. Machine 24
The operation of the vehicle is controlled.

In order to keep the water level of the cooling liquid 23 in the liquid tank 21 constant, a water overflow port 32 is provided in a part of the wall surface of the liquid tank 21. The upper end opening of the beverage cooling pipe 26 wound in a coil shape is connected to the water level of the cooling liquid 23, that is, the overflow port 32.
The cooling liquid 23 is made to protrude further upward to prevent the cooling liquid 23 from directly flowing inward from the upper end opening of the beverage cooling pipe 26. On the other hand, by enlarging the pitch at which the beverage cooling pipe 26 is wound slightly below the upper end, the suction port 3 for the pumping action of the stirring blades 31 is
3 is formed. In addition, when the lower end of the beverage cooling pipe 26 is in contact with the liquid tank 21, the discharge port 34 is formed slightly above the lower end.

Therefore, when the stirring blades 31 are rotated, the cooling liquid 23 does not flow into the upper end opening of the beverage cooling pipe 26, and the cooling liquid 23 does not flow into the upper end of the beverage cooling pipe 26, which is wound almost tightly. Since it flows through the gap and the suction port 33 below the gap, it prevents ice pieces (not shown) or foreign matter that have separated from the periphery of the evaporation pipe 25 and floated on the upper surface of the cooling liquid 23 from flowing into the beverage cooling pipe 26. It can be prevented. For this reason, the stirring blade 31 and the electric motor 30
No damage. In addition, the discharge port 34 is
The cooling liquid 2 flowing out of the beverage cooling pipe 26 from
Most of 3 are outside the beverage cooling pipe 26 and the evaporation pipe 2.
5 and cools the beverage in the beverage cooling pipe 26.

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
In this example, the stirring blades 31 are provided at the bottom of the liquid tank 21, and the upper end of the beverage cooling pipe 26 is higher than the water surface of the cooling liquid 23, as in the first embodiment described above. flows in from the intermediate suction port 33, passes inside the beverage cooling pipe 26, and is discharged radially between the lower end opening of the beverage cooling pipe 26 and the bottom surface of the liquid tank 21, and most of the water flows outside the beverage cooling pipe 26. A portion of the water flows inside the evaporation tube 25 and a portion flows outside the evaporation tube 25. The beverage cooling pipe 26 is cooled by the cooling liquid 23 flowing inside and outside, and the beverage flowing inside is also cooled.

As another example, although not shown, the upper end of the beverage cooling pipe may be submerged in the cooling liquid, and a closure such as a lid may be attached to the upper end to prevent the cooling liquid from flowing in from the opening at the upper end. good. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiments, an independent evaporation tube was described, but the evaporation tube may be integrated into the wall of the liquid tank 1.

The evaporator tube 25 generates ice around the evaporator tube 25 by circulating low-temperature refrigerant from the refrigerator 24, and even if the entire evaporator tube 25 is iced with a substantially uniform thickness when the outside temperature is normal, When the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, ice forms in lumps only at the inlet of the evaporator tube 25, with almost no ice forming at the outlet, or due to the shape of the liquid tank 21 or the poor circulating flow of the coolant 23. Foreign matter resulting from equilibrium may also form ice. In this case, a portion of the beverage cooling pipe 26 may become covered with ice, causing a problem in which the beverage inside freezes and cannot be poured. However, in the present invention, the stirring blade 31
Since most of the flow of the cooling liquid 23 flows between the beverage cooling pipe 26 and the evaporation pipe 25, the heat exchange rate between the evaporation pipe 25 and the cooling liquid 23 is high and irregular icing is corrected. The cooling pipe 26 is not surrounded by ice. Therefore, stable pouring operation is possible.

As mentioned above, the beverage cooling dispensing device of the present invention has the following features:
By preventing the cooling liquid from flowing into the beverage cooling pipe from the upper end, and allowing the cooling liquid to flow from a portion slightly below the upper end of the beverage cooling pipe, the ice that had formed around the evaporation pipe can be removed. Even if dirt or other foreign matter floats on the upper surface of the coolant, it will not flow into the water flow caused by the stirring blades. Therefore, ice and foreign objects no longer collide with the stirring blades, so the stirring blades and drive motor are not damaged, and furthermore, noise is no longer generated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional example, FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention. 21... Liquid tank, 23... Cooling liquid, 24... Refrigerator, 25... Evaporation tube, 26... Beverage cooling pipe, 31
...Agitation blade.

Claims (1)

[Scope of claims for utility model registration] (1) Storing a cooling liquid such as water or antifreeze in a liquid tank,
In an apparatus for cooling beverages, an evaporation pipe connected to a refrigerator and a beverage cooling pipe for cooling beverages are installed submerged in the cooling liquid to circulate the cooling liquid approximately at the center line of the liquid tank. A beverage cooling system having a stirring blade provided therein, and a beverage cooling pipe which is wound in a coil so as to surround the stirring blade, the upper part of the coil is wound almost tightly, and the upper part and the lower part of the pipe are wound loosely. Pour device. (2) The beverage cooling dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the beverage cooling pipe protrudes above the water surface of the cooling liquid. (3) The beverage cooling and dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the beverage cooling pipe is submerged in the cooling liquid, and a lid is attached to the upper end of the beverage cooling pipe. (4) The beverage cooling and dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 of the utility model registration claim, characterized in that stirring blades are provided on the bottom of the liquid tank. (5) The beverage cooling and dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 of the utility model registration claim, characterized in that a stirring blade is provided in the middle or on the upper surface of the liquid tank.