JPH0442622Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Field of application This invention relates to the improvement of pressure control valves for pressurized carbon dioxide gas used in carbonators of draft beer dispensers and carbonated beverage cup servers, etc., and is particularly applicable to temperature changes in draft beer and carbonated beverages. The present invention relates to a temperature-responsive pressure control valve that automatically corrects the pressure of carbon dioxide gas and maintains it at an appropriate pressure at all times.

BACKGROUND ART A draft beer dispenser is configured to use carbon dioxide gas from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder to forcefully feed draft beer in a beer barrel to an instant cooler through a tube pipe, and then pour it out from a server to a brewer.

When making a carbonated beverage using a carbonated beverage cup server, carbonated water obtained by pumping carbon dioxide gas from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder and a predetermined amount of syrup, etc., which is pumped with carbon dioxide gas, are added to the drinking water in the carbonator. It consists of mixing and pouring it out into a pot.

In order to maintain the taste of draft beer, carbonated drinks, etc. and stable pouring, it is necessary to adjust the pressure of the pumped carbon dioxide gas.Generally, if the pressure of carbon dioxide gas is too low, carbon dioxide gas will be released from draft beer, etc. If the pressure of carbon dioxide gas is too high, carbon dioxide gas will dissolve into draft beer, etc. In either case, there will be a lot of foaming when pouring out the beer, which will spoil the unique taste of various beverages.

Moreover, the higher the temperature of such draft beer, the easier it is for carbon dioxide gas to separate, so as the temperature rises, it is necessary to increase the pressure of carbon dioxide gas.

For this reason, a method has been adopted in which a pressure control valve for carbon dioxide gas is disposed in a pressure-feeding pipeline that connects a carbon dioxide gas cylinder and a beverage tank such as a beer barrel.

However, conventionally used pressure control valves usually have a structure that reduces the pressure from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder to a required pressure and maintains that pressure constant, or a structure that manually adjusts the pressure as needed. This configuration is extremely inconvenient for adjusting the appropriate pressure in response to changes in the temperature of draft beer, etc. as described above.

Purpose of the invention In view of the above-mentioned problems, this invention enables the pressure of the pumped carbon dioxide gas to be automatically adjusted to an appropriate pressure in response to temperature changes of draft beer, carbonated drinks, etc., and has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture. The objective is a temperature-responsive pressure control valve with a

Structure of the invention This invention is a piston member in which a plurality of curved bimetals are stacked on the closed side of a cylinder with one side open, and a thrust bearing is interposed between the bimetal holding plate and the bimetal holding plate. The valve body has a structure in which a stem for adjusting the opening degree of the valve part is pressed by a spring on one pressure receiving surface of a built-in diaphragm having a relief hole in the center. are integrally screwed together so that the amount of pressure applied to the other pressure receiving surface of the diaphragm at the tip of the piston member can be adjusted, and the cylinder and/or the valve body are provided with an internal space formed by the cylinder, the valve body, and the diaphragm, and an external connection. This is a temperature-responsive pressure control valve characterized by having a gas vent hole that communicates with the air.

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention The temperature-responsive pressure control valve (hereinafter referred to as pressure control valve) of this invention has a temperature-sensing portion that most easily senses the temperature of a plurality of curved bimetals and so that its spring force is effectively transmitted. By arranging the valve directly in the cylinder, it is possible to adjust the opening degree of the valve part in response to changes in the temperature of draft beer, carbonated drinks, etc., and to connect the valve body with a built-in diaphragm and stem to the cylinder It has a structure in which the pressure control valves are screwed together to facilitate setting and adjusting the initial pressure of the pressure control valve.

The specifications of the plurality of curved bimetals constituting the pressure control valve of this invention are appropriately selected depending on the pressure-controlled fluid, the application, and the like.

For example, in the case of the bimetal pressure control valve used in the draft beer dispenser of the example, the high expansion side is placed on the convex side and the low expansion side is placed on the concave side, which is processed into a so-called disc spring shape, and they are mutually connected. The piston member is stacked so that the bending directions are alternate, that is, the high expansion side faces the high expansion side, and the low expansion side faces the low expansion side, and deforms in the bending direction in response to ambient temperature changes. The diaphragm on the valve body side is pressed at a predetermined pressure through the valve body. Further, in the case of pumping syrup in a carbonated beverage cup server, the high expansion side and low expansion side of the bimetal have a configuration opposite to the above configuration.

In order to perform highly accurate pressure control, it is desirable to use a large number of curved bias metals. It is also desirable to select the shape, dimensions, and material.

In addition, the piston member that presses and stores the curved Bametal in the cylinder via a bias spring and transmits the spring force to the diaphragm has a push pin configuration as shown in the embodiment, and has the above function and is a bimetallic member. A bias spring that provides the necessary reaction force to the valve body can be inserted, and a thrust bearing is arranged between the curved bimetal and the piston member via a presser member, and the spring is generated by the screwing movement of the cylinder and the valve body. Any configuration is applicable as long as force adjustment can be made easily and reliably.

The material and structure of the bimetal holding plate and thrust bearing can be selected appropriately depending on the dimensions of the bimetal, the spring force, the shape of the piston member, etc. In addition to the structure where each component is independent as shown in the example,
A holding plate made of a heat insulating material or a configuration in which a thrust bearing box also serves as a holding plate can be adopted.

Note that the bias spring has a function of not changing the set pressure even when the pressure control valve is exposed to an extremely low temperature atmosphere.

The valve body, which is screwed together with the cylinder, may have a configuration in which the insertion hole of the valve stem serves as a flow path as shown in the embodiment, or a configuration in which the valve portion that closes the flow path is pressed to open and close by the stem. Any known structure can be used as long as the stem for adjusting the opening degree of the valve part is pressed by a spring on one pressure receiving surface of the built-in diaphragm, and the other pressure receiving surface of the diaphragm can be pressed by a piston member such as a push pin on the cylinder side. Configurations are also available.

Further, in this invention, the gas vent hole has the function of responding to temperature changes in the draft beer that occur when the draft beer dispenser is not in use, and preventing carbon dioxide gas remaining in the closed pipe line from being absorbed into the draft beer.

Further, the gas vent hole may be formed in the cylinder and/or the valve body (for example, the diaphragm support in the embodiment) if it is configured to communicate the internal space formed by the cylinder, the valve body, and the diaphragm with the outside. Although the position, shape, and dimensions can be selected arbitrarily, it is preferable to provide the diaphragm support downwardly on the diaphragm support as in the embodiment in order to prevent moisture, dust, etc. from entering through the hole.

The pressure control valve according to this invention can have the outer surface of the cylinder containing the curved bimetal made into a smooth surface or have a desired shape, so it can be placed in direct contact with a beverage tank such as a beer barrel or a pressure feed pipe. Immediate response to temperature changes in draft beer, etc. can be further improved.

Further, the arrangement shape of each component mentioned above can be appropriately selected depending on the required control accuracy, main body dimensions, etc.

Disclosure of the invention based on drawings FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressure control valve showing one configuration of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a draft beer dispenser equipped with the pressure control valve of this invention. The bimetal used in this embodiment has a configuration in which the high expansion side is placed on the convex side and the low expansion side is placed on the concave side.

The pressure control valve is integrated by screwing the male threaded part 23 of the valve body 10 containing the diaphragm 21 and the valve stem 15 into the female threaded part 6 on the opening side of the cup-shaped cylinder 1 containing the bimetal 2. Consisting of:

The valve body 10 is constructed by screwing together a diaphragm support 20 on which a disc-shaped diaphragm 21 with a relief hole is provided in the center is stretched, and a valve body 11. By screwing the body 11 into the diaphragm 21
This is a structure in which the is fixed.

That is, the diaphragm support 20 has a female threaded portion 22 at the lower end of the opening for screwing and integrating with the valve body 11, and a male threading portion 23 for screwing and integrating the cylinder 1 at the upper opening end. At the same time, a through hole 24 is provided in the central portion in which a push pin 4, which will be described later, is located.

The valve body 11 is provided with a through hole 12 in the center, which communicates an inlet 13 and an outlet 14 for carbon dioxide gas, and the through hole 12 has a valve stem having a flange 15a around the center. 15 is inserted,
A valve spring 17 is wound around the valve stem 15 between the end cap 16 screwed onto the outer end of the through hole 12 and the flange 15a. When pressing the center part (lower surface of the diaphragm), that is, the relief hole part, the diaphragm 21
In conjunction with this, the opening degree of the valve portion 18 formed by the through hole 12 and the flange portion 15a is adjusted.

Inside the cylinder 1, on the inner surface of the flat surface on the side of the head 5,
The pressure-receiving disc part of the push pin 4 is brought into contact with the pressure-receiving disc part of the push pin 4 via a disc-shaped holding plate 3 so that the bimetals 2, which are stacked and arranged so that the bending directions are alternate, are brought into contact with each other. A thrust bearing 8 is interposed between the push pin 4 and the push pin 4.

Further, a bias spring 8 is wound around the pressing rod portion of the push pin 4, and the tip of the rod portion is inserted through the through hole 24 of the diaphragm support base 20.
It is in contact with the other pressure receiving surface of the diaphragm 21 (the upper surface of the diaphragm in the figure).

The pushing force of the push pin 4 against the diaphragm 21 is the spring force of the bimetal 2, and this spring force is caused by the screw engagement between the female threaded portion 6 on the opening side of the cylinder 1 and the male threaded portion 23 of the valve body 10. It can be adjusted by moving forward or backward, and the positioning after adjustment can be determined by a lock screw 7 provided in the female threaded part 6 of the cylinder 1 and abutting on the male threaded part 23 of the valve body 10.

When assembling the pressure control valve, after arranging each component shown in FIG.
The screwing amount between the cylinder 1 and the valve body 10 is adjusted until the pressure on the 4 side reaches a predetermined pressure (initial pressure).

In other words, the spring force of bimetal 2 and the valve spring 1
When the spring force of 7 and the gas pressure are balanced (initial pressure), the lock screw 7 is tightened to fix the cylinder 1 and the valve body 10.

However, if the push pin 4 and the bimetal holding plate 3 are brought into direct contact without intervening the thrust bearing 8, there is a risk that the bimetal 2 will rotate together when adjusting the amount of screw engagement between the cylinder 1 and the valve body 10.
At this time, since the degree of curvature of the bimetal differs slightly depending on the rolling direction of the material, the positioning that takes this into account may shift, making it difficult to adjust the required pressure, or the bimetal 2 may be placed inside the cylinder 1. The cylinder 1 and the valve body 10 may be bitten into the circumferential surface.
The threading movement between the screws and the screws will not proceed smoothly.

Furthermore, the tip of the push pin 4 may twist the diaphragm 21 that is in contact with it, causing damage to the rubber diaphragm 21 or causing misalignment between the relief hole of the diaphragm 21 and the valve stem 15, which may cause the valve stem 15 to become misaligned during normal use. Carbon dioxide gas may leak from the relief hole, making it impossible to obtain the required pressure.

However, by interposing the thrust bearing 8 between the presser plate 3 and the push pin 4, the bimetal 2 is not rotated, so the above-mentioned problem does not occur at all, and the cylinder 1 and the cylinder 1 can be connected very easily. Pressure setting and adjustment are possible by screwing the valve body 10 forward and backward.

Furthermore, as will be described later, in the embodiment, since the lower surface of the protrusion D1 at the bottom of the beer barrel D is arranged in contact with the head 5 of the cylinder 1 of the pressure control valve, the head 5 is made into a flat surface. However, the outer shape of the cylinder 1 can be made into any shape depending on the location where the cylinder 1 is placed so as to easily sense the temperature.

By making and arranging the presser plate 3 of the bimetal 2 shown in FIG.
It is also possible to reduce the diffusion of heat from the inside and improve the responsiveness to temperature changes.

The diaphragm 21 does not necessarily need a relief hole, and especially the valve stem 15 is connected to the diaphragm 2.
Any known means can be used as the connecting means as long as the connecting means is linked to the displacement of one.

Furthermore, the configuration of the valve portion 18 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. etc. also valve stem 15
Any known means may be used as long as the diaphragm 21 is pressed through the diaphragm 21.

Furthermore, cylinder 1, diaphragm support 2
For grade 0, it is desirable to use A1 material in consideration of workability, etc. However, especially in this field of use, considering corrosion resistance, multi-layer plating of electroless Ni plating and Cr electroplating is applied to the surface of A1 material. This is desirable.

Effects The pressure control valve of this invention having the above configuration can achieve the effects of this invention if it is placed in the same atmosphere as the beverage tank or in the same atmosphere as the beverage tank or the pressure feed pipe. can. Below, as shown in Figure 2, the protrusion D at the bottom of the beer barrel D
An example will be described in which the lower surface of the pressure control valve 1 and the head 5 of the cylinder 1 of the pressure control valve are placed in direct contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, the draft beer dispenser is configured to force draft beer E in a beer barrel D to an instantaneous cooler F using carbon dioxide gas from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder A, and then pour it out from a server tank G to a brewer H.

In other words, the carbon dioxide gas in carbon dioxide cylinder A is
Once the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure by the pressure reducing valve B, it is fed to the pressure control valve C, and the pressure is automatically regulated by the pressure control valve C to a pressure corresponding to the temperature of the draft beer E in the beer barrel D. It is pumped into beer barrel D.

The draft beer E in the beer barrel D always contains carbon dioxide gas corresponding to its temperature due to the pressure control described above, and after being cooled to the appropriate temperature via the instantaneous cooler F, it is turned into a cold beer H by opening and closing the server barrel G. It is poured.

In the pressure control valve configured as described above, when the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas pumped from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder A increases, the pressure on the outlet 14 side increases, pushing up the diaphragm 21, and the valve stem 15 interlocked with this increases. , the opening degree of the valve part 18 decreases to reduce the gas flow rate, and the outlet port 1
Decrease the gas pressure on the 4th side.

On the other hand, when the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas pumped from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder A decreases, the pressure on the outflow port 14 side decreases, and the spring force of the bimetal 2 pushes down the diaphragm 21, and the valve stem 15 interlocked with this moves downward. Therefore, the opening degree of the valve portion 18 is expanded, the gas flow rate is increased, and the gas pressure on the outlet port 14 side is increased.

In this way, the above-mentioned action makes it possible to maintain the preset initial pressure at a constant pressure without changing it.

Furthermore, the bimetal 2 senses the temperature change of the draft beer via the beer barrel D and the cylinder 1, and as the temperature rises, the bimetal 2 deforms in a curved manner.
By pushing the diaphragm 21 downward via the push pin 4 and increasing the degree of opening of the valve portion 18, it is possible to increase the pressure on the outflow port 14 side.

Similarly, when the temperature of the draft beer decreases, the curvature of the bimetal 2 is corrected accordingly, the force pressing the diaphragm 21 via the push pin 4 decreases, the diaphragm 21 is pushed upward, and the degree of opening of the valve portion 18 decreases. However, it becomes possible to reduce the pressure on the outlet 14 side.

That is, with respect to the initial pressure at a preset temperature, the pressure on the outlet 14 side can be automatically increased or decreased by deforming the bimetal 2 in response to changes in draft beer temperature, and can immediately respond to the temperature of draft beer. This makes it possible to obtain the optimum pressure.

In this invention, when adjusting the set pressure of the pressure control valve, the bias spring 9 is used in advance as a bimetallic
By adding a required pressure to the pressure control valve, the pressure control valve has the function of not changing its set pressure even if it is exposed to an extremely low temperature atmosphere.

In other words, when bimetal 2 senses low temperature,
When the curvature is corrected and becomes almost flat, the spring force decreases, and in particular, when the inflow of carbon dioxide gas decreases and the pressure decreases at the valve body 11, gaps are created between the plurality of laminated bimetals 2. When the temperature rises again, the initial set pressure changes and it becomes difficult for the control valve to adjust the pressure.

However, by disposing the bias spring 9, even if the bimetal becomes flat, the bimetal can be pressed and placed with a required pressure so that the mutual position at the time of pressure setting does not change, and the above-mentioned problem will not occur.

Also, when the draft beer dispenser is not in use,
The supply of carbon dioxide gas from carbon dioxide gas cylinders has been stopped, and beer servers have also been closed. At this time, between the server cock G and the outlet 14 of the valve body 11, carbon dioxide gas remains at the pressure just before the use is stopped, and when the temperature of the draft beer decreases, the pressure of carbon dioxide gas cannot be adjusted. Excess carbon dioxide gas is absorbed into the draft beer, and when it is restarted, draft beer with impaired taste will be supplied.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a gas vent hole 25 that communicates the internal space formed by the cylinder 1, the diaphragm support 20, and the diaphragm 21 with the outside is installed perpendicularly to the male threaded portion 23 of the diaphragm support 20. Provided by drilling in the direction.

As shown in FIG. 3b, when the diaphragm 21 bends as required while the valve portion 18 is kept closed by the bimetallic (not shown) temperature-sensitive, deformable valve stem 15, in response to a decrease in the temperature of the draft beer, By passing through the relief hole 21a of the diaphragm 21, the gas guide groove 4a provided at the tip of the push pin 4, and the gas vent hole (not shown), excess carbon dioxide can be released to the outside of the valve and the carbon dioxide pressure can be reduced. , the gas pressure can be adjusted to correspond to changes in the temperature of draft beer.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3a, when the carbon dioxide pressure decreases to an appropriate value, the diaphragm 21 corrects its curvature by balancing the bimetallic spring force and the carbon dioxide pressure, and the relief hole 21a is aligned with the valve stem 15. It is possible to maintain appropriate pressure at all times.

In addition, in the case of a carbonated beverage cup server, carbonated water obtained in a carbonator and a predetermined amount of syrup are mixed by being pumped using carbon dioxide gas, but as the temperature of the syrup decreases, the viscosity increases, so the pumping pressure must be adjusted. If the pressure is increased and the syrup temperature rises, it is necessary to reduce the pumping pressure.

A pressure control valve with the same configuration as above is used to forcefully feed carbon dioxide gas to the carbonate, but in order to forcefully feed such syrup, the bimetallic pressure control valve has a convex surface on the low expansion side and a concave surface on the high expansion side. By using a bimetal structure placed on the side, it is possible to maintain the optimum carbon dioxide pressure in response to changes in syrup temperature.

Effects of the invention The pressure control valve according to this invention can automatically adjust the pressure of carbon dioxide gas in response to changes in the temperature of draft beer, etc., and can maintain the pressure at an appropriate level at all times, so draft beer, etc. can be enjoyed without impairing the taste. can be supplied.

In particular, the pressure control valve of this invention has a configuration in which a thrust bearing is interposed between the presser plate and the push pin, and the cup-shaped cylinder and the valve body are screwed into one body. A sheet of curved bimetal can be easily and well-positioned stored in a cylinder, and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder becomes a guide surface for push pins, bimetal holding plates, etc., making assembly even easier.

In addition, by inserting a thrust bearing between the holding plate and the push pin, the bimetal does not rotate, so all you have to do is adjust the screwing amount between the cylinder and the valve body, and when setting the initial pressure, , enables highly accurate pressure adjustment with easy work.

In addition, the bias spring allows the pressure control valve to be used even when exposed to extremely low temperatures, regardless of whether the pressure control valve is used or not.
There is no fluctuation in the mutual position of the laminated bimetals, and the initial pressure during assembly and adjustment can be maintained.

Furthermore, by providing the gas vent hole, it is possible to respond to temperature changes in the draft beer that occur when the draft beer dispenser is not in use, and to prevent carbon dioxide gas remaining in the closed pipe line from being absorbed into the draft beer.

Furthermore, even if the head of the cylinder comes into direct contact with a beverage tank such as a beer barrel, the pressure control valve of this invention has good sealing properties, which prevents draft beer from entering, thereby extending the life of the control valve. can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a draft beer dispenser equipped with the pressure control valve of this invention. Figures 3a and 3b are longitudinal sectional views showing details of the diaphragm and relief hole of the pressure control valve of this invention. 1... Cylinder, 2... Bimetal, 3... Holding plate, 4... Push pin, 4a... Gas guide groove, 5... Head, 6, 22... Female threaded portion, 7...
Lock screw, 8 thrust bearing, 9... bias spring, 10... valve body, 11... valve body, 1
2, 24...through hole, 13 inlet, 14...outlet 15...valve stem, 15a...flange,
16... End cap, 17... Valve spring, 18
... Valve part, 19, 23 ... Male thread part, 20 ... Diaphragm support base, 21 ... Diaphragm, 21
a... Relief hole, 25... Gas vent hole, A...
Carbon dioxide cylinder, B...Pressure reducing valve, C...Pressure control valve, D...Beer barrel, E...Draft beer, F...Instant chiller, G...Server kettle, H...Jockey.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A plurality of curved bimetals stacked in alternating curved directions are placed on the closed side of a cylinder with one side open, and a piston member with a thrust bearing interposed between the bimetal holding plate and a bias spring is used. The cylinder is compressed and housed, and the valve body is configured such that a stem for adjusting the opening degree of the valve portion is pressed by a spring on one pressure receiving surface of a diaphragm having a built-in relief hole in the center, at the tip of the piston member. The diaphragm is integrally screwed into the cylinder so that the amount of pressure applied to the other pressure-receiving surface can be adjusted, and the cylinder and/or the valve body is provided with a gas vent hole that communicates the internal space formed by the cylinder, the valve body, and the diaphragm with the outside. A temperature-responsive pressure control valve characterized by: