JPH084478Y2 - Device for correcting the amount of liquid poured out from a liquid container - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser for discharging or pouring liquid stored in a liquid container to the outside of the container by a body liquid head through a pouring valve. The present invention relates to such a device, and more particularly to a device for correcting the pouring amount.

[Prior Art] In a device of the type described above, if the opening of the spout valve is kept constant and the valve is opened for a certain period of time, the amount of spout from the liquid container will reach the head of the liquid in the container. Fluctuates accordingly. Therefore, various measures have been taken to compensate for this variation. As one example thereof, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-27334, a reference pulse generation circuit, a water level detection circuit for detecting a water level by a water level sensor, and frequency division switching of a reference pulse by the output of the water level detection circuit. A frequency divider that performs the operation, a pulse counter that counts the pulses from the frequency divider, and a control means that opens and closes the pouring valve for hot water supply, that is, the solenoid valve when the preset number of counts is reached. Even if the initial water level of the hot water supply system is different, quantitative hot water can be supplied by changing the frequency of the frequency divider output pulse by changing the output frequency of the frequency divider and adjusting the opening / closing time of the solenoid valve according to the water level. A quantitative hot water supply control device has been proposed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-described conventional example, the water level sensor merely determines whether the initial water level is in the high water level region or the low water level region, and the pulse width is determined according to this determination. Since the configuration is switched in two stages, not only must the initial water level be full (low or high water level), but if the initial water level is determined, the pouring amount will be set and the water level will change. It was not possible to expect precise control of the dispense volume.
Even if the initial water level is determined as described above, if the water is not replenished for a long period of time, the water level will change spontaneously (even if it is not extracted) due to evaporation of water, so the deviation from the set value will occur. Will occur.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser amount correction device capable of accurately controlling the dispensed amount even when water is added to an arbitrary initial level.

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve this object, the device for correcting the pouring amount according to the present invention opens a float type water level detector that moves according to a change in water level and a discharge request signal. In a liquid container provided with a solenoid valve, the float type water level detector is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements and a plurality of light receiving elements which are combined with each other in order to correct the amount of the liquid poured out from the solenoid valve. A single slit having a plurality of slits formed so as to indicate the water level by selectively blocking and transmitting the luminous flux from the light emitting element to the light receiving element in accordance with the change in the water level between the upper limit water level and the lower limit water level. A light-shielding plate, the plurality of light-receiving elements and the solenoid valve, a water level determination means for determining the water level in the liquid container from a combination of light-transmitting signals and light-transmitting signals from the plurality of light-receiving elements, Before according to the determined water level A controller having time setting means for setting the valve opening time of the solenoid valve is connected.

[Operation] A light-transmitting plate having a plurality of slits is integrally attached to a support rod that supports a float of a float-type water level detector. When the water level changes and the support rod rotates, the light-shielding plate also rotates. To do. Since the positions of the light projecting element and the light receiving element are unchanged in the embodiment, each light receiving element outputs a light shielding signal or a light transmitting signal according to the change of the water level. For example, 16 slits
In the case of four a to 16d (FIG. 3), three light emitting elements and three light receiving elements 17a to 17b and 18a to 18b as shown in FIG. 1 ", light-shielding signal" 0 "is generated and sent to the controller.

When the water level determination means of the controller determines the water level from these signals and sends it to the time setting means, the same time setting means outputs a signal representing the valve opening time corresponding to the determined water level to the hot water storage tank (liquid container). To the solenoid valve.

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a powder material container having a chute 2, 3 is a hot water storage tank (liquid container), 4 is a cold water tank, 5
Is a mixing bowl, 6 is a drinking cup, and 7 is a cup holder.

The powder raw material in the powder raw material container 1 is supplied to the mixing bowl 5 through the chute 2, and the supplied powder raw material is agitated and mixed by the flow of hot water supplied from the hot water storage tank 3 through the hot water supply pipe 3a to obtain a drinking cup. Poured into 6. Further, instead of hot water, cold water may be supplied to the mixing bowl 5 from the cold water tank 4 through the cold water pipe 4a, if desired.
Alternatively, hot water and cold water may be supplied together.

Now, in such a beverage dispenser, a well-known float type water level detector 8 is rotatably installed in the hot water storage tank 3, and when the same water level detector 8 detects the lower limit water level of the hot water storage tank 3, it is manually operated. Alternatively, the water supply is automatically performed, and when the upper limit water level is detected, the water supply is stopped manually or automatically. The hot water storage tank 3 is provided with a temperature sensor 9 and an electric heater 10 which are connected to a controller 11, and a signal from the temperature sensor 9 causes the electric heater 10 to pass through the controller 11.
Is turned on / off to control the hot water temperature to a desired value. The controller 11 may be an electric circuit including various relays, timers, etc., but is preferably a microcomputer. In the following description, the controller 11 is a microcomputer.

Although not shown, the beverage dispenser is provided with various operation buttons that can be turned on / off by a push button operation by a customer or a user as well known, and these operation buttons are also electrically connected to the controller 11. It is connected. For example, when the push button for requesting a warm beverage is pressed, in addition to the supply of the powder raw material from the powder raw material container 1, the pouring valve or the solenoid valve 3b provided in the hot water supply pipe 3a is opened for a predetermined time to store hot water. When hot water is supplied to the mixing bowl 5 by the head of the tank 3 and the push button requesting a cold beverage is pressed, in addition to the supply of the powder raw material from the powder raw material container 1, the solenoid valve 4b provided in the cold water pipe 4a is activated. The valve is opened for a predetermined time to supply cold water to the mixing bowl 5.

2 and 3 show the details of the float type water level detector 8 described above.
Bearings 13 are provided on the side wall of the hot water storage tank 3 having a and horizontal legs 12b.
The support rod 12 rotatably supported by the support rod 12, the spherical float 14 in the hot water tank attached to the lower end of the vertical leg 12a of the support rod 12, and the free end of the horizontal leg 12b of the support rod 12. For example, a light shielding plate 16 fixed by screws 15 is provided.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the fan-shaped shading plate 16 is attached to the horizontal leg portion 12b at its essential part, and several (three in the embodiment) radii centered on the essential part. A plurality of slits 16a to 16d are concentrically formed at positions in the direction. Further, three light emitting elements 17a to 17c and three light receiving elements 18a to 1c are fixed at fixed positions sandwiching a passage or a path through which the slits 16a to 16d of the light shielding plate 16 pass when the support rod 12 rotates.
A light projector 17 and a light receiver 18 made of 8c are provided. In the embodiment, passage of the light flux from the light projecting element 17a to the light receiving element 18a is allowed when the slit 16d of the intermediate length intersects the light flux, and the passage of the light beam from the light projecting element 17b to the light receiving element 18b is The longest slit 16c is allowed when intersecting the light flux, and the passage of the light flux from the light projecting element 17c to the light receiving element 18c is allowed when the shortest slit 16a or the slit 16b having an intermediate length intersects the light flux. It has become.

By defining the correspondence between each slit and each element as described above, and defining the length and arrangement of each slit, the transmission and reception between the light projector 17 and the light receiver 18 are performed in the following pattern, for example. be able to. Here, the signal "0" represents the light-shielded state, and the number "1" represents the light-shielded state.

As schematically shown in FIG. 1, a projector 17 and a receiver
18 is also connected to the controller 11, and the combination of the above signals from the light receiver 18 is sent to the controller 11 and the water level determination means (not shown) included in the controller 11 determines the water level. Done. The controller 11 also includes a time setting means (not shown) connected to the water level determination means, and the time setting means is the pouring or opening according to the water level determined by the above-mentioned determination means. Variable valve time,
The signal is given to the solenoid valve 3b.

It should be noted that the following example is suitable as an example of the pouring time according to the water level, but this can of course be variable.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

For example, in recent years, a triac (bidirectional three-terminal thyristor) has tended to be frequently used as a control element. When the two terminals of this triac are connected in series with the heater 10 shown in FIG. If the triac fails, the heater 10 has a property of always conducting. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a contact of a micro switch in series with the circuit of the heater 10 and turn the contact on and off by the support rod 12. is there. That is, in FIG. 3, when the float 14 of the support rod 12 falls below the lower limit water level, the microswitch MS is moved to the position shown in the figure where rotation of the support rod 12 due to the drop (clockwise in FIG. 3) can be detected. If the water level is lower than the lower limit water level due to continuous operation of the heater 10 due to a failure of the triac, the micro switch MS detects the lowering and opens the aforementioned contact.
The heater can be turned off. In this way, even if an abnormality occurs in which the water level of the hot water storage tank 3 drops below the lower limit water level, the water microswitch MS can detect this abnormality and turn off the heater. Accidents can be prevented.

In the embodiment, the positions of the light transmitter and the light receiver are fixed,
Although the slit is movable, it may be reversed, and the water level detector 8
Is a rotary type, but may be a vertical up / down type.

Further, although the present invention is applied to the pouring amount control of the hot water storage tank of the beverage dispenser in the embodiment, the present invention is similarly applicable to a fluid container of the type in which the fluid is discharged to the outside by the head of the fluid.

[Advantages of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a float type detector whose position changes in response to a change in water level is used, and an optical type detector including a plurality of light emitting and receiving elements is used. Therefore, it is possible to divide the detection water level between the upper limit water level and the lower limit water level into a relatively fine number according to the number of light emitting and receiving elements, and if the pouring time is changed according to each detected water level. ,
Even if the water is not supplied up to the maximum water level (full water), almost constant pouring amount can be obtained. Further, since the fine water level can be displayed, it becomes easy for the customer or the user to understand the standard of water supply.

Moreover, in the correction device according to the present invention, the light flux is shielded / transmitted by a plurality of slits formed on a single shield plate, and the combination of the shield / transmitted light indicates the water level. In addition, the number of parts such as the light receiving element is reduced, and the device can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a beverage dispenser equipped with a dispensing amount control device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a float type water level detector in a hot water storage tank used in the beverage dispenser of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the float type water level detector of FIG. 3 ... Hot water storage tank (liquid container), 3b ... Solenoid valve, 8 ...
Float type water level detector, 11 …… controller, 16 …… shading plate,
16a to 16d …… Slits, 17a to 17b, 17c …… Emitting element, 1
8a, 18b, 18c ... Photosensitive element.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A liquid container provided with a float type water level detector that moves according to a change in water level and a solenoid valve that opens in response to a release request signal, in order to correct the pouring amount from the solenoid valve. The float type water level detector responds to changes in the water level between an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level with a plurality of light emitting elements and a plurality of light receiving elements that are combined with each other, and a light flux from each of the light emitting elements that are combined to the light receiving element. A single light-shielding plate in which a plurality of slits are formed so as to selectively shield and transmit light to indicate the water level, and the plurality of light-receiving elements and the solenoid valve are provided with the plurality of light-receiving elements. Control having a water level determination means for determining the water level in the liquid container from a combination of a light-shielding signal and a translucent signal from the element, and a time setting means for setting the valve opening time of the solenoid valve according to the determined water level Is connected, Pouring amount of the correction device from the body vessel.