JPS6231086Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the device] Technical field This device automatically and reliably adjusts the height of the spout for dispensing the liquid inside by automatically detecting the height position of a container such as a cup. Regarding the thermos flask that made it possible.

BACKGROUND ART In this type of thermos flask, when pouring the liquid inside into a container such as a cup, the size of the container used, that is, the height thereof, usually varies and is irregular. Therefore, if the liquid spout is fixed at a constant height, the difference in container height will cause the poured liquid to flow around the container, for example if the container is low. Scattering may occur. This liquid is often hot water;
Therefore, situations that are extremely unfavorable from a safety standpoint often occur, such as the operator getting burnt from the spilled liquid. Therefore, it has been proposed to be able to adjust the height of the spout part up or down depending on the height of the container used. However,
Conventional adjustment mechanisms have a structure in which height adjustment is performed solely by hand, so each time it is used,
Handling is difficult and inconvenient, as the spout has to be pulled up and down according to the height of the container, and then returned back, using fingers or the like.

Disclosure of the invention The purpose of this invention is to automatically detect the height of the container such as a cup used to automatically adjust the height of the spout into which the liquid is poured. To provide a thermos flask that can be easily and reliably adjusted.

In order to achieve this purpose, this invention includes a spout body that is vertically movable attached to the outlet opening of a spout passage that pours out the liquid in the thermos bottle to the outside, and a spout body that can move vertically. position detecting means that moves in the same direction as the spout body and detects the position of the container installed below the spout body by this movement; and a drive means equipped with a drive motor that stops driving upon detection. The detection means and the drive means are linked together so that the drive means is stopped by detecting the position of the container by the detection means, and by this stop, the position of the spout body is adjusted to a predetermined height with respect to the container. The configuration is adopted.

According to this invention, the height of the spout for pouring the internal liquid into the external container can be automatically adjusted to a position corresponding to the height of the container being used by automatically detecting the height position of the container being used. This eliminates problems that occur in the past, such as the poured liquid splashing around the containers due to differences in the height of the containers used, and improves handling safety. Moreover, unlike the conventional manual adjustment method, the difficulty and complexity of adjustment is eliminated, making handling extremely easy and convenient, which, together with improved safety, increases product value. Furthermore, the structure is simple and the manufacturing cost is low. Therefore, it is extremely suitable for application to various thermos flasks.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, one embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a thermos flask to which this invention is applied, in which a lower mouth member 3 is fitted into the upper opening of an exterior case 2 constituting a thermos body 1.
Inside the outer case 2 is a medium bottle 4 whose outer periphery is covered and protected by a protective frame 5. The medium bottle 4 is placed on a bottom member 6 via a protective frame 5. The upper end of the medium bottle 4 is open, and this upper end, together with the protective frame 5, is tightly fitted into an opening step 8 below a stopper insertion hole 7 formed in the lower mouth member 3. A lid body 9 is pivotally attached to the lower mouth member 3 so as to be openable and closable. An air pump 10 for pumping up liquid is disposed inside the lid 9. This air pump 10 is adapted to be driven by pushing an operating member 11 provided at its upper part. An inner stopper 12 is tightly fitted into the stopper insertion hole 30 of the lower opening member 3, and a liquid pumping pipe 13 extending into the inside of the inner bottle 4 is attached to the inner stopper 12, and the lower opening member 3
A liquid spouting pipe 14 extending to the distal end spout portion of the liquid spouting tube 14 is attached so as to communicate with each other.

The distal end of the lower mouth member 3 extends outward from the exterior case 2 and protrudes downward by a predetermined length in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a liquid spouting portion 15 is formed at the distal end. The distal end of the liquid spouting tube 14 is extended into the inside of the liquid spouting section 15 .

This thermos bottle pumps pressurized air into the middle bottle 4 from an air pump 10 driven by an operating member 11 through the inner stopper 12, and the liquid pumping tube 13 inside the middle bottle 4 is pumped by the pressurized air. This is a so-called air port which acts to push the liquid out through the liquid pouring pipe 14.

A cylindrical spout body 20 is fitted into the liquid spout portion 15 of the lower mouth member 3 so as to be movable up and down so as to surround the tip of the liquid spout tube 12 . An arm 21 extending into the lower spout member 3 is protruded from the back of the outer periphery of the upper end of the spout body 20 .

On the other hand, a drive mechanism 30 that drives the spout body 20 up and down is disposed on the inner wall portion of the exterior case 2 on the side facing the spout body 20 . This drive mechanism 30 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. That is, a pair of guide rails 31, 31 are provided along the vertical direction on the inner wall of the exterior case 2, and a sliding rod 32 with a rack 33 carved on one side of the guide rails 31, 31 can be slid up and down. is fitted in. The upper end of the sliding rod 32 protrudes into the interior of the lower mouth member 3 through an opening formed therein, and is fixed to one end of the arm 21 of the spout body 20. A driving motor 34 is installed at the lower end of the inner wall of the exterior case 2, and a pinion 35 attached to its shaft meshes with the rack 33 of the sliding rod 32. The motor 34 can be rotated in forward and reverse directions, for example, by operating an operation switch (not shown) provided around the handle of the exterior case 2 or on the lid 9, etc., under the control of a control circuit (not shown). It is switched to and driven. Note that this control circuit may have a well-known configuration and is therefore omitted from illustration.

When the motor 34 is driven, the sliding rod 32 slides upward or downward via the rack and pinion mechanisms 33 and 35, and in conjunction with this, the spout body 20 is driven upward or downward within a required range.

A transparent window 40 that can transmit light has a predetermined width in a peripheral wall portion of the outer case 2 facing the spout body 20, and has a substantially rectangular elongated hole shape in the vertical direction along the moving path of the spout body 20. It is provided. Note that instead of the transparent window 40, a slit-like through hole may be simply formed.

The guide rails 31, 31 are installed to sandwich the transparent window 40. And the sliding rod 32
is guided by the guide rails 31, 31 to slide vertically along the transparent window 40.

A position detection means, for example, a photo sensor 41 is provided at a predetermined position on the surface of the sliding rod 32 facing the transparent window 40.
is attached as one piece. This photo sensor 41 is formed by integrating a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and is constituted by, for example, a reflective photo interrupter. When the light emitted from the light emitting element through the transparent window 40 is reflected by the container and detected again by the light receiving element, the photo sensor 41 outputs a detection signal to the control circuit to detect the height of the container. The photo sensor 41 is connected to the motor 3
4, it moves up and down together with the sliding rod 32. That is, when the sliding rod 32 slides upward or downward due to the drive of the motor 34, the spout body 20 is accordingly driven upward or downward with a predetermined stroke, and at the same time, the photo sensor 41 is moved in the same direction as the spout body 20. move the same distance. When the photo sensor 41 detects the height position of the container A due to this movement, the motor 34 stops driving in response to the detection signal, and this stop causes the spout body 20 to reach a predetermined height directly above the container A. Positioned and stopped. That is, the drive mechanism 3
0 stops the operation under the control of the position detection operation of the photo sensor 41.

Note that the photo sensor 41 adjusts the position of the spout body 20 above the container by detecting its position, so that the position of the spout body 20 is slightly higher than the tip of the spout body 20 so that the spout body 20 does not collide with the upper edge of the container A. It is preferable to install it in a low position.

Next, a description will be given of the position adjustment operation of the spout body in the thermos according to the present invention having the above configuration.

First, when using a thermos flask, a container A such as a cup is placed below the spout body 20 as shown in FIG. Generally, the heights of containers used as this type of containers are irregular and vary from container to container. It is assumed that the height of the container A is considerably lower than the height of the spout body 20. Further, in the state shown in FIG. 2, the spout body 20 is drawn into the liquid spout portion 15 of the lower mouth member 3 and is held in a completely upwardly moved position, and the photo sensor 41
has returned to an upward trend as a result. Further, the motor 34 of the drive mechanism 30 is stopped and in a reset state. This reset is performed by switching the operation switch or operating a separately provided operation key.

Next, when the operation switch is operated to rotate the motor 34 in a predetermined direction, the sliding rod 32 moves to the second position.
It slides downward as shown by the arrow 100 in the figure, and the spout body 20 moves downward along the inner wall of the liquid spouting part 15 accordingly. At the same time, the photo sensor 41 moves downward together with the spout body 20. When the sliding rod 32 slides a predetermined distance downward, the light emitted from the light emitting element of the photo sensor 41 through the transparent window 40 is reflected by the container A, and the reflected light is received and detected again by the light receiving element. , the height position of container A is detected. This detection signal is sent to the control circuit, and the motor 34 is stopped under its control.
This stop causes the sliding rod 32 to move to the photo sensor 41.
At the same time, the downward movement thereof is stopped, and at the same time, the spout body 20 is positioned and stopped at a predetermined height position directly above the container A (the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. 2). In this way, the height of the spout body 20 relative to the container A is automatically aligned and adjusted to a position corresponding to the height of the container by automatically detecting the height position of the container A using the photo sensor. . In this case, since the position adjustment of the spout body 20 is performed almost completely automatically, the operation and handling are extremely easy and convenient, unlike the conventional manual adjustment. Moreover, the position adjustment is done by the photo sensor 41.
Since this is done automatically by detection, more reliable and accurate positioning can be expected compared to conventional methods that rely on visual inspection.

Thus, after the spout body 20 has been adjusted in height with respect to the container A, when the operating member 11 is operated to drive the air pump 10, the liquid in the medium bottle 4 is transferred to the liquid pumping pipe 13 and the liquid spouting pipe 14. The liquid is then poured into the container A from the tip of the spout tube 14 through the spout body 20. At this time, the tip of the spout body 20 is positioned directly above the container A due to its height adjustment, so that the phenomenon of liquid scattering around the container due to the difference in container height, which conventionally occurs, is avoided. Definitely prevented.

FIG. 4 shows another example of the above-mentioned spout body and a connection structure connecting the spout body and the sliding rod, in which the lower edge of the liquid spout portion 15 of the lower mouth member 3 is directed inward. A stepped portion 150 is formed at the opening at the lower end, which is slightly reduced in size. Furthermore, a flange portion 151 that slides in contact with the outer periphery of the spout body is provided at an intermediate portion of the inner wall of the spout portion 15 to project inward. On the other hand, a flange 51 is formed protrudingly at a predetermined position in the middle portion of the outer periphery of the spout body 50 . This flange 51 is connected to the spout body 5
When the spout body 50 moves downward, it abuts and locks against the lower end step 150 of the liquid spouting part 15, and prevents the spout body 50 from falling downward and restricts its position. Further, a coil spring 52 is inserted between the flange 51 on the outer periphery of the spout body 50 and the collar portion 151,
The spout body 50 is always urged in the direction of protruding from the liquid spout section 15 below.

On the other hand, a pinion 5 is installed at a predetermined position inside the lower mouth member 3.
A pulley 53 having a pulley 4 coaxially and integrally is rotatably pivotally mounted. The pinion 54 meshes with a rack 320 carved into the upper protruding portion of the sliding rod 32. A second pulley 55 is pivotally attached above the spout body 50 at a position near the tip of the lower mouth member 3, and the other end of a wire 56 whose one end is fixed to the circumferential surface of the pulley 53 is attached to the second pulley 55. After being wound around a pulley 55 from above, its tip is fixed to a protruding piece 501 protruding from the outer periphery of the spout body 50. The spout body 50 is pulled upward against the spring 52 by a wire 56.

Then, when the motor 34 is driven in a predetermined direction and the sliding rod 32 is slid downward as shown by the arrow 101, the pulley 53 moves the rack pinion 320,
The wire 56 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 102 via the wire 54, and the wire 56 is sequentially paid out to a predetermined length. As a result, the spout body 50 moves and protrudes downward with a predetermined stroke due to the bias of the coil spring 52.
Similarly to the above, the position is adjusted to a height corresponding to the height of the container installed below.

On the other hand, when the motor 34 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above and the sliding rod 32 is slid upward, the pulley 53
rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow 102, and the wire 56 is wound around this pulley 53. As a result, the spout body 50 is drawn into the liquid spout portion 15 and returns to its upward movement.

Figure 5 shows another embodiment of this invention.
The same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the above embodiment, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

An arm 60 is provided protruding from the back of the outer periphery of the upper end of the spout body 20 . This arm 60 extends inside the lower spout member 3 by a predetermined length, and a rack 61 having rack teeth 62 at its end is attached to the spout body 2.
It has a predetermined length vertically and is fixed integrally along the moving direction of 0. On the other hand, the drive motor 3
A first pulley 63 is attached to the shaft of the lower mouth member 3, and a second pulley 63 is attached to the shaft of the
A belt-like body 65 such as a wire, rope, or belt is endlessly stretched between the pulleys 64 of the pulleys 64 .
A pinion 66 is integrally attached to the second pulley 64 with its central axis being coaxial. pinion 6
6 meshes with the rack teeth 62 of the rack 61.

A photo sensor 41 similar to that described above is attached to a predetermined position on the wall side of the outer case 2 of the strip 65 so as to be movable up and down along the transparent window 40 provided on the wall of the case 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the photo sensor 41 is guided by guide members 67, 67 provided on both sides of the transparent window 40.
It is designed to move up and down, and is designed so that it can be moved up and down in the correct posture without wobbling or shifting.

When the motor 34 is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction, this rotational power is transmitted from the first pulley 63 to the second pulley 64 via the strip 65, and the second pulley 64, together with the pinion 66,
Rotate counterclockwise as shown. This rotation causes the spout body 20 to move downward along the inner wall of the liquid spout section 15 . At the same time, the photo sensor 41 is pulled by the filament 65 and moves downward along the transparent window 40 together with the spout body 20. Light emitted from the light emitting element of the photo sensor 41 through the transparent window 40 at a predetermined position in the moving direction is reflected by the container A installed below the spout body 20, and the reflected light is reflected by the photo sensor 41. When the light is received and detected again, the height position of the container A is detected by this sensor. Then, the spout body 20 is positioned and stopped at a predetermined height position directly above the container A by substantially the same procedure as described above, and this spout body 20
The height of the container A relative to the container A is automatically aligned and adjusted to a position corresponding to the height of the container.

On the other hand, when the motor 34 is reversely driven in the opposite direction to the above, the spout body 20 moves upward together with the photo sensor 41 by the reverse procedure to that described above, and the spout body 20 moves upward together with the photo sensor 41.
is drawn into the liquid spouting part 15 and returns to the upward movement.
At the same time, the photo sensor 41 returns to its upward movement.

In the above embodiment, a photo sensor is used as an example of a detection means for detecting the position of the container A, but it is possible to use detection means with various configurations instead, and the most You can select and use a suitable one. for example,
It is also possible to use a reflective photoelectric switch. In addition, a mechanical switch such as a micro switch that detects the position by mechanical contact is attached to the tip of the spout body. When the spout body moves downward, the contact piece of the switch contacts the upper end of the container at that predetermined position, closing the contact and turning it on.This on signal drives the drive motor. An example would be to stop the.

Furthermore, a plurality of push button switches are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction on the front wall of the outer case 2 facing the container installation position. Then, when installing the container, by pressing it in the direction of the switch, one of the switches is pressed at the upper end of the container, and the spout is opened according to the position of the switch that is turned on by this pressing operation. The body may be configured to move downward by a predetermined amount.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of a thermos flask to which this invention is applied, Figure 2 is a sectional view of its main parts, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the same parts, and Figure 4 is a spout used in the thermos bottle of this invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing another example of the connection structure connecting the spout body and the sliding rod, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. - is a sectional view taken along the line. 4...Medium bottle (thermal bottle), {13...Liquid pumping tube,
14...Liquid pouring pipe}...Pouring passage, 20,50
... Outlet body, 41 ... Photo sensor (position detection means), A ... Container, 30 ... Drive mechanism (means),
31, 31... Guide rail, 32... Sliding rod, 33... Rack, 34... Drive motor, 3
5...Pinion, 40...Transparent window, 53, 55...
...Pulley, 54...Pinion, 320...Rack, 56...Wire, 60...Arm, 61...
Rack, 63, 64... Pulley, 65... Band-shaped body, 66... Pinion, 67, 67... Guide member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A thermos flask configured to pour out liquid in a thermos bottle into an external container through a pouring passage, the thermos having a tubular spout body vertically movably attached to an outlet opening of the pouring passage; a position detecting means arranged to move in the same direction as the outlet body moves up and down and detect the height position of the container by this movement; and a drive means equipped with a drive motor that stops driving when the position is detected by the detection means, and the spout body is positioned at a predetermined height with respect to the container by stopping the drive means. A thermos flask characterized in that the detection means and the drive means are linked.