JPH1075889A - Upright unboiled-water container type cold and hot water generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically lift an absorption tube to the interior and exterior of an unboiled water container by winding the absorption tube around the outer periphery of a pulley rotated normally or reversely by a motor or unwiding the absorption tube. SOLUTION: This upright unboiled-water container type cold and hot water generator includes a pump 41 for pumping water from an unboiled water container erected at the lower part of a main body, a cold water tank 42, in which water fed from the pump 41 is cooled by a cooling means and stored, and a hot water tank 43, in which water fed from the pump 41 is heated by a heating means and stored. In addition, therethere are provided an intermi ttently dischaging means to intermittently discharge water stored in the tanks 42, 43, an absorption tube 30 connected to the pump 41, through which water in the unboiled water container is fed to the tanks 42, 43, lifting means 20, 25 which lift or lower the absorption tube 30 by winding the tube around a pulley or unwinding the tube by rotating the pulley normally or reversely by a motor 25, and a control means for controlling the action of the pump 41 and lifting means 20, 25.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fresh water container upright type cold / hot water heater designed to be placed under the main body while the fresh water container is standing upright. An up-and-down water cooler / heater in which the absorption tube is wound up or down around the pulley that is rotated forward and reverse automatically so that the absorption tube moves up and down automatically inside and outside of the fresh water container. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the pollution of drinking water sources has become more serious due to factory wastewater and the like, and the use of raw water sold in the market instead of tap water has increased, and public places have been increasingly used. A chiller / heater for cooling or heating raw water is installed in offices and offices or in general homes so that cold water or hot water can be selected according to the user's preference. Currently, the water heater is generally used, the water container is turned upside down, the neck of the water container is submerged in the water can, and the water in the water container is cooled and heated. Falls naturally according to the amount of flood water.

[0003] However, when the above-mentioned fresh water container is placed upside down on the chiller / heater, considerable force is required to lift the fresh water container containing water to the upper portion of the chiller / heater. It is necessary for the elderly and children to replace the fresh water container even if all the water in the container is exhausted, or during the process of turning the fresh water container upside down with the lid open, There is a risk of spilling outside and soiling the surroundings. Further, there is a problem that the spout portion of the raw water container contaminated during the distribution process sinks in the cold water can, which is not hygienic.

[0004]

Conventionally, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the water in the fresh water container has been conventionally placed in a state where the fresh water container can be placed on the lower portion of the main body of the water cooler / heater with the fresh water container standing. There has been a proposal of an upright chilled / hot water machine designed to pump the cold water can and hot water can at the top of the main unit. When replacing the fresh water container with the fresh water container, the operation of separating the suction pipe connected to the pump from the fresh water container or inserting it into the inside of the fresh water container is performed manually, or a rack and pinion device as shown in FIG. The suction pipe moves up and down automatically using a belt pulley or the like.

However, when the suction pipe is manually operated,
There is a problem that operation is not easy in the narrow space inside the water cooler / heater, and when rack and pinion equipment or belt pulleys are used for raising and lowering the suction pipe, a lot of space is required It is pointed out that the cost of installation increases and the cost increases, depending on the size of the water machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has a simple structure, is reliably operated, and has a minimum amount of installation space. It is an object of the present invention to provide an upright container type hot / cold water heater.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a fresh water container erecting chiller / heater according to the present invention pumps water from a fresh water container which is erected in a lower part of a main body in an upright state. Pump, a cold water can and a hot water can for cooling or heating water supplied from the pump by cooling or heating means, and an intermittent operation for intermittently discharging the water stored in the cold or hot water can. Means, a suction pipe connected to the pump and serving as a passage for supplying water from the fresh water container to the cold water can and the hot water can, and a pulley operated by a motor in a reverse direction to wind the suction pipe around the pulley. It is characterized by comprising lifting means for raising and lowering the suction pipe by loosening, and control means for controlling the operation of the pump and the lifting means.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A fresh water container upright type chiller / heater according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a drawing of a fresh water container upright type cold / hot water machine according to the present invention, and cold / hot water cocks (2, 3) serving as intermittent means for intermittently discharging cold / hot water on the front upper part of the cold / hot water machine. A water trough (4) and its lid (5) are provided below the cock. At the bottom of the chiller / heater, a place for storing fresh water containers (6)
And the front cover (8), a groove is formed in the lower part of the fresh water container holding part (6) to serve as a guide for holding the fresh water container in the correct position. It is desirable that the front cover 8 is made of a transparent material that allows the state of the fresh water container placed inside to be checked, or that a large number of holes are formed as shown in the figure.

Reference numerals 10 and 10 'denote magnets for maintaining the closed state of the front cover (8), and 11 is operated in accordance with opening and closing of the front cover (8) to control the operation of a suction pipe elevating device described later. Operating switches of the lifting device for the vehicle.

3 to 5 are views showing a suction pipe lifting / lowering apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part, FIG. 4 is a front view, and a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5 is a side view and represents a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. The suction pipe lifting / lowering device of the present invention is configured such that the motor (25) rotates the pulley (20) in the normal or reverse direction to wind the suction pipe around the outer periphery of the pulley (20), or unwind the suction pipe to raise and lower the suction pipe. Has become. The suction pipe (30)
A pulley (32), which is arranged on the side surface of the pulley (20) and has a spiral torsion preventing portion (31) and an elevating portion (32) which is arranged on the outer periphery of the pulley (20) and moves up and down according to the rotation of the pulley (20). At the outer periphery of (20), a suction pipe (30)
A groove (21) is formed to guide the suction pipe (3).
0) The side surface of the torsion prevention part (31) and the elevating part (32)
Are lifted and lowered so that they are located on the same plane (32).
A through hole (22) for feeding the suction pipe (30) through a portion forming the guide groove (21) is formed so that the operation of the pipe can be smoothly performed. The guide groove (21) and the through hole (22) are not necessarily required and can be omitted.

It is desirable that the suction tube (30) be made of a plastic tube having a certain degree of strength and elasticity. The torsion prevention part (31) and the elevating part (32) can be integrated, but as in the example shown in this embodiment, a connection pipe made of a metal material such as plastic or aluminum having strong properties. It is also possible to combine by mediation. An unexplained reference numeral (34) designates a band-type fastener (Ba) for connecting the suction pipe to the pulley.
nd Fastener), and reference numeral 23 denotes
Represents a small bar for connecting the pulley to the motor shaft (24).

Next, a preferred embodiment of an upright chiller-heater for fresh water containers provided with the above-described suction pipe lifting device will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7
FIG. 8 schematically shows a front sectional view and a side sectional view of the cooling and heating water heater according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 shows a control block diagram. The water of the fresh water container (12) placed in the fresh water container storage part (6) at the lower part of the chiller / heater body (1) is supplied to the suction pipe (30) connected to the suction side and the discharge side of the pump (41), respectively. ) Or pumped into the cold water tank (42) through the supply pipe (35), and flows into the hot water can (43) through the connecting pipe (36) connecting the cold water can and the hot water can.

The raw water flowing into the cold water can (42) and the hot water can (43) is cooled and heated by the cooling means and the heating means, respectively, and the digesting heater (47) provided at the lower part of the hot water can in the heating means. ) Is preferred. In the cooling means, it is possible to use the cooling action of the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle consisting of an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion valve, but taking into account that the fresh water container is stored inside the main body It is desirable to use a thermoelectric cooling element (46) that performs a cooling action in a small volume.

In the above case, when the thermoelectric cooling element (46) is used for cooling the chilled water can, a cooling section of the thermoelectric cooling element is arranged inside the chilled water can (42) to directly cool the raw water. It is desirable to use a material such as plastic having low thermal conductivity as the material. The hot water can is made of a metal material that can be externally heated by a heater. Alternatively, the connector (36 ') installed through the top of the cold water can is made of a metal material such as brass, and the connector (36 ") installed through the top of the hot water can is made of a plastic material. Experiments have shown that when the connecting pipe (36) to be tied is a silicone rubber tube, the transmission of hot air from the hot water can to the cold water can is minimized. In the case where the connection between the hot water can and the hot water can is made as described above, it is possible to prevent cold water from being heated by the hot air of the hot water can and always drink cold water and hot water at appropriate temperatures.

Float sensors (Float Sensors: 44, 45) for sensing the flow rate inside the cold and hot water cans and controlling the operation of the pump are provided inside the cold and hot water cans. When the raw water is full, this signal is sent to the control unit (50) and the pump (4)
In the opposite case, the operation of 1) is stopped, and in the opposite case, the pump is operated to pump the raw water in the raw water container (12).

By the float sensors (44, 45),
When it is detected that the fresh water inside the cold water can and the hot water can is insufficient for a certain period of time or more, the fresh water container (12) completely runs out of fresh water and operates the pump even though the pump is operated. In this case, the control unit (50) is provided with an alarm device (51) to indicate a state in which raw water does not flow into the vehicle.
To alert the user that the raw water is completely depleted and, at the same time, to stop the operation of the pump. After the alarm sounds, when the front cover is opened to replace the fresh water container, the elevating device operation switch (11) is activated, the alarm is stopped, and the pulley (20) is rotated by the forward / reverse rotation motor (25). According to the suction pipe (3
0) is wound around the pulley (20).

When the suction pipe has been lifted, the fresh water container that has been put in is taken out and a new fresh water container is set in place. At the lower part of the storage section of the fresh water container, there is a groove that serves as a guide for placing the fresh water container in the correct position.
It is possible to easily prevent the fresh water container from falling or the center of the inlet of the fresh water container from being shifted back and forth or left and right from the drop point of the suction pipe.

After replacing the fresh water container, the front cover (8)
Is closed, the elevating device operating switch (11) is turned on, and the suction pipe descends into the fresh water container in the reverse order of the above process.

In the above, when the pulley is rotated, the helical twist preventing portion (31) of the suction pipe can keep the flow of fresh water smoothly to prevent the twist of the suction pipe, and can prevent the twist of the suction pipe. Completion of the ascent or descent is detected as the microswitches (56, 57) installed on both sides of the upper portion of the pulley fixing bracket (26) are actuated by the contacts (58, 59) fixed to the pulley, The control unit (50) is a micro switch (5
When it is detected that the suction pipe has been lifted or lowered by (6, 57), the operation of the forward / reverse rotation motor (25) is stopped. Reference numeral 37 denotes a guide port for guiding the ascending and descending of the suction pipe, and reference numeral 38 denotes a fresh water container cup for covering an entrance portion of the fresh water container to prevent foreign matter from entering the inside of the fresh water container. (Cap),
Reference numeral 39 denotes a projection formed on the outside of the suction pipe, and after the suction pipe is completely inserted into the fresh water container, the cup (38)
In order to securely press down the inlet portion of the container and at the same time to close the gap between the suction pipe and the cup, reference numeral 40 denotes a suction block forming an inlet for fresh water.

FIG. 9 shows a bellows pump used in a chiller / heater in another embodiment for detecting that the fresh water in the fresh water container has completely run out. If there is, the float sensor (61) is built in the middle part of the pipe connecting the pump and the cold water can using the fact that water remains on the discharge side even though the operation of the pump is stopped. The figure shows a pumping detector (60) installed. If water remains in the tap water container,
The float sensor (61) is located above the pumping detection unit by buoyancy because the water is filled inside the pumping detection unit (60) regardless of whether the pump is operating or not operating. When pumping is performed after the container is closed and the water in the container is completely depleted, the air inside the fresh water container flows in and the air is exchanged instead of the water into the detection unit (60), and the float sensor (61) is used as the detection unit. To open the contacts. The control unit determines the presence or absence of water in the container by detecting the opening and closing of the above-mentioned contacts, and when it is determined that there is no more water, activates the alarm device (51) and simultaneously stops the operation of the pump. Become.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which a small submersible pump (62) is used as a pump for pumping water from a container. The submersible pump is provided with the end of the suction pipe at the discharge side of the submersible pump. As the pipe moves up and down, the submersible pump moves up and down.

FIGS. 11 to 13 show different embodiments of the storage section of the fresh water container. FIG. 11 shows a sliding projection (71) and a stopper (72) at the lower part of the container storage section instead of the groove. ) Is provided, and FIG.
A container storage part is made separately from the main body, and a caster (73) and a storage groove (74) and a handle (75) for holding the fresh water container in the correct position are installed in the above-mentioned storage part. FIG. 13 shows an embodiment in which the front surface and the front cover (77) of the storage portion (70 ') are integrally formed, and the casters (73) are formed in the lower portion. Shows what is installed and mobile.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Rather than the method of keeping the fresh water container upside down as in the conventional case, the fresh water container is housed at the lower part of the main body of the water cooler and hot water container and is not exposed to the outside, and the appearance is good, and Containers are easily replaced. In addition, since it has a built-in suction pipe elevating device that operates reliably with a simple structure and minimizes the installation area, the volume of the fresh water container erecting chiller / heater can be minimized to reduce production costs. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a conventional absorption pipe lifting device.

FIG. 2 is an upright type cold / hot water heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an absorption pipe elevating device shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the absorption pipe elevating device shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the absorption pipe elevating device shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the fresh water container upright type cold / hot water machine shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a fresh water container upright type cold / hot water machine shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of a fresh water container upright type cold / hot water machine shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example for detecting exhaustion of water in a fresh water container shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the small submersible pump shown as one embodiment of the present invention is used.

FIG. 11 is another example of the fresh water container storage section shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is another example of the fresh water container storage section shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is still another example of the fresh water container storage section shown as one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 20 pulley 21 guide groove 22 through hole 25 motor 30 inhaler 31 twist prevention unit 32 elevating unit 41 pump 42 cold water can 43 hot water can 44, 45, 61 float sensor 46 thermoelectric cooling element 50 control means 60 pumping detection unit 61 submersible pump 73 Caster 74 Security groove 77 Front cover

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A pump for pumping water from a fresh water container placed upright at a lower part of a main body, and cold water for cooling or heating water supplied from the pump by cooling means or heating means for storage. A can and a hot water can, an intermittent means for intermittently discharging the water stored in the cold water can and the hot water can, and the water in the fresh water container coupled to the pump to the cold water can and the hot water can A suction pipe which serves as a passage for supplying, a lifting / lowering means for raising / lowering the suction pipe by winding or loosening the suction pipe around the pulley by rotating the pulley forward / reverse by a motor; A fresh water container upright type cold / hot water machine, comprising: control means for controlling operation. 2. The suction pipe according to claim 1, wherein the suction pipe includes a helical torsion preventing portion disposed beside the pulley, and a lifting portion disposed on an outer periphery of the pulley and moving up and down as the pulley rotates. A fresh water container upright type cold / hot water machine characterized by being performed. 3. The pulley according to claim 1, wherein a guide groove for guiding the suction pipe is formed on the outer periphery of the pulley, and a through hole for feeding the suction pipe through a portion forming the guide groove is provided. A fresh water container erecting type cold / hot water heater characterized by the following. 4. The raw water according to claim 1, wherein a pumping detecting means having a built-in float sensor is provided at an intermediate portion of a pipe connecting the pump and the chilled water can to detect the presence or absence of the water to be pumped. Container upright type cold / hot water machine. 5. The pump according to claim 1, wherein the pump includes all types of pumps, and in particular, a small submersible pump is connected to the lower part of the suction pipe and pumped, or is pumped using a bellows pump. A fresh water container upright type cold and hot water machine. 6. An upright cold water heater according to claim 1, wherein said cooling means for cooling said cold water can is a thermoelectric cooling element. 7. The cold water can according to claim 1, wherein a metal connector is provided through the upper portion of the cold water can, and a plastic material connector is provided through the upper portion of the hot water can. An upright cold water heater for fresh water containers, which is connected by a connecting pipe made of material. 8. An upright cold water heater according to claim 1, wherein a groove serving as a guide for placing the fresh water container in a normal position is formed in the lower plate of the main body. 9. The fresh water container upright type according to claim 1, wherein a fresh water container retaining portion constituted by providing a plurality of casters at a lower portion of the plate body is slidably installed at the lower portion of the main body. Hot and cold water machine.