JP6192546B2 - Drinking water supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drinking water supply apparatus that cools and supplies drinking water stored in the apparatus.

  Drinking water supply devices that store drinking water, heat and cool it, or supply it at room temperature are widely used. In such a drinking water supply apparatus, the thing of the form which uses a detachable drinking water container and a user replaces this drinking water container has prevailed.

  For example, the drinking water server described in Patent Document 1 is configured to supply drinking water from a drinking water container set on the upper surface of the server body to a cold water tank, cool the drinking water, and supply water from a cold water intake unit. ing. In this drinking water server, the drinking water is cooled by an electronic cooling device provided with a Peltier element, and the radiation fins and the radiation fan are provided on the back side of the main body.

  The beverage dispenser described in Patent Document 2 sets a beverage bag on the upper part of the dispenser main body so that the spigot faces downward, cools the drinking water in the beverage bag, and takes out the beverage constituted by a cock or a joint hose. It is the structure which supplies to a part. A condenser and a blower for heat radiation are provided on the back side of the main body.

JP 2009-255972 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-58695

  When the drinking water supply device cools the drinking water, it is necessary to release the heat absorbed from the drinking water by heat exchange to the outside of the device. Therefore, a heat radiation part, specifically, a condenser is provided when cooling using a refrigerant, and a heat radiation port is provided when using a Peltier element. If dust or the like adheres to these heat dissipating parts, the heat dissipating becomes insufficient and the cooling efficiency is lowered. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the heat dissipating parts.

  It is natural to provide a water supply port or an operation panel for supplying drinking water to a cup or the like on the front surface of the apparatus. In this case, the heat radiating portion is provided on the back surface or side surface of the apparatus main body. However, the drinking water supply apparatus is often installed with the back face close to the wall of the building, and other furniture is often placed close to the side face. Therefore, in order to clean the heat radiating portion, it is necessary to move the drinking water supply device that has a considerable weight when including the drinking water stored therein. This is a difficult task for a user who is inferior in physical strength, such as an elderly person, and there is a concern that the apparatus may be overturned during movement.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a drinking water supply device that can easily clean a heat radiating portion.

The drinking water supply apparatus of the present invention is
A lower housing,
An upper housing disposed above the lower housing;
Rotating means for supporting the upper housing so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction with respect to the lower housing;
A water container for storing drinking water disposed inside the upper housing or the lower housing;
Cooling means for cooling the drinking water in the water container;
A piping system for supplying drinking water cooled by the cooling means;
And a heat dissipating part that is disposed on the back surface or side surface of the upper housing and releases heat generated in the cooling means to the outside.

  According to the present invention, the upper housing is rotatable in the horizontal direction with respect to the lower housing, and the heat radiating portion is provided on the back surface or the side surface of the upper housing. Therefore, the user can easily clean the heat radiating port portion by rotating the upper housing and directing the heat radiating portion to the front without moving the drinking water supply device.

(A) is a top view of a drinking water supply device, (b) is a front view of the drinking water supply device, (c) is a side view of the drinking water supply device, and (d) is a rear view of the drinking water supply device. It is a figure explaining the internal structure of a drinking water supply apparatus. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the structure of a rotation means. It is a figure explaining rotation operation of an upper case. (A)-(f) is a figure which shows the example of the planar shape of a lower housing | casing and an upper housing | casing.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on examples with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, “drinking water” includes water and mineral water as well as all drinks that people drink.

  As an embodiment of the present invention, a drinking water supply device 1 configured to supply cooled drinking water will be described. 1A is a top view of the drinking water supply device 1, FIG. 1B is a front view of the drinking water supply device 1, FIG. 1C is a side view of the drinking water supply device 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the drinking water supply device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of the drinking water supply device 1.

  The drinking water supply device 1 includes a box-shaped lower casing 10 having an outer shape that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and an upper casing 20 that is disposed on the lower casing 10 and has an outer shape that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. A rotating means 34 is provided between the lower housing 10 and the upper housing 20, and the upper housing 20 rotates in the horizontal direction (around the rotation center C extending in the vertical direction) with respect to the lower housing 10. Supported as possible.

  A primary tank 51 for storing drinking water is installed on the lower surface 12 of the internal space of the lower housing 10 so as to be detachable from the lower housing 10 so that the discharge 51a is on the upper side. The primary tank 51 is a container having an arbitrary structure such as a bag-in-box type or a bottle type. The front surface 13 of the lower housing 10 has a structure that can be opened and closed. When the drinking water in the primary tank 51 runs out, the user opens the front surface 13 and replaces it with a new primary tank 51. The capacity of the primary tank 51 may be 10 liters or more, and the ratio of the weight of the primary tank 51 to the total weight of the drinking water supply apparatus 1 is large.

  Inside the upper housing 20, there is provided a secondary tank 52 that is connected to the primary tank 51 by a pipe 53 and stores drinking water supplied from the primary tank 51. The pipe 53 is made of a flexible material and has a sufficient length. A pump 55 for sending drinking water from the primary tank 51 to the secondary tank 52 is provided at a position inside the lower housing 10 of the pipe 53.

  A cooler 43 that cools the drinking water in the secondary tank 52 using the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is provided outside the side surface of the secondary tank 52. A compressor 44 that compresses the refrigerant vaporized by the cooler 43 connected to the cooler 43 and the suction pipe 46 is provided inside the upper housing 20. A condenser 45 (an example of a heat radiating unit) is provided on the back surface 24 of the upper housing 20, one end of which is connected to the compressor 44 and liquefies high-pressure refrigerant and supplies the liquefied refrigerant to the cooler 43 via the capillary tube 47. The cooling means 40 includes the cooler 43, the compressor 44, the condenser 45, the suction pipe 46, and the capillary tube 47.

  The condenser 45 may be provided at a position close to the back surface 24 inside the upper housing 20, and a heat radiation port may be provided on the back surface 24. In this case, the heat radiation port becomes a heat radiation portion.

  Further, the cooler 43 uses a Peltier element, and a heat sink and a fan for dissipating the heat absorbed by the Peltier element are provided in the upper casing 20. An example) may be provided.

  In either case, the heat radiating portion may be provided on the side surface 25 or the side surface 26 of the upper housing 20.

  In the conventional drinking water supply device, the primary tank is arranged at the upper part of the housing so that the drinking water inside can be naturally flowed down to the secondary tank and the water supply port using gravity. However, in the drinking water supply device 1, the primary tank 51 can be replaced easily by placing the primary tank 51 on a lower position, specifically, on the lower surface 12 in the lower housing 10. It is like that. Moreover, since the heavy primary tank 51 is arrange | positioned at the lowest part of an apparatus, the gravity center of the whole apparatus becomes low, and the drinking water supply apparatus 1 is hard to fall down.

  Further, the planar shape of the lower housing 10 is larger in both width and depth than the planar shape of the upper housing 20. Even with such a shape, the drinking water supply device 1 is unlikely to fall down.

  On the front surface 23 of the upper housing 20 are an operation panel 31 on which buttons 31a and the like for a user to supply water are arranged, a water supply port 32 connected to the secondary tank 52 by a pipe 54, and a water supply port 32. A holder 33 is provided for placing the container 2 that receives the drinking water flowing down. The operation panel 31 and the holder 33 are arcuate plate-like members provided so as to protrude from the front surface 23 of the upper housing 20.

  The pipe 54 is provided with a pump 56. The pump 56 is activated when the user operates the water supply button 31 a and sends a predetermined amount of drinking water from the secondary tank 52 to the water supply port 32. A piping system 50 for supplying drinking water cooled by the cooling means 40 is configured including the secondary tank 52, piping 53, 54 and pumps 55, 56.

  A rectangular parallelepiped lower stopper 35 is provided at the center of the back surface of the upper surface 11 of the lower housing 10 so as to protrude upward. In addition, a rectangular parallelepiped upper stopper 36 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the holder 33 so as to protrude downward. Since the lower stopper 35 and the upper stopper 36 are provided on a single circumference centering on the rotation center C in plan view, the upper housing 20 is rotated 180 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise from the normal state. If it is going to rotate above, the lower stopper 35 and the upper stopper 36 will contact | abut, and the rotation angle of the upper housing | casing 20 will be restrict | limited. That is, the rotation stopper is configured including the lower stopper 35 and the upper stopper 36.

  3A is an enlarged view of the rotating means 34, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line aa in FIG. 3A. The lower plate 61 is a ring-shaped plate member having a planar shape, one surface is flat, and a groove 61a having a circular cross-sectional shape is provided on the other surface over the entire circumference. The lower plate 61 has an upper surface with the surface on which the groove 61 a is provided so that the planar center thereof coincides with the center of the upper surface 11 of the lower housing 10 and the center of the upper surface 21 of the upper housing 20. 11 is fixed. The upper plate 62 is a member having the same shape as the lower plate 61, and is fixed to the lower surface 22 of the upper housing 20 with the surface on which the groove 62 a is provided facing down so that the center of the upper plate 61 coincides with the lower plate 61. ing. Between the groove 61a of the lower plate 61 and the groove 62a of the upper plate 62, four balls 63 having a diameter slightly larger than the width of the grooves 61a and 62a are sandwiched.

  A retainer 64 that is a ring-shaped thin plate member is provided between the lower plate 61 and the upper plate 62. The retainer 64 is provided with four circular holes 64a each having a diameter slightly larger than that of the balls 63, and the balls 63 are fitted into the holes 64a to maintain the distance between the balls 63.

  A rotation shaft 64 that connects the lower housing 10 and the upper housing 20 is provided at a position of the rotation center C to fix the rotation center. The rotating shaft 64 is a pipe-like member having both ends opened, and the piping system 50 and a power line (not shown) can be passed through the rotating shaft 64. The lower end of the rotation shaft 64 is fitted into the recess 11 a provided on the upper surface 11 of the lower housing 10, and the upper end is fitted into the recess 22 a provided on the lower surface 22 of the upper housing 20. The flat rotation with respect to is not hindered.

  When a force to rotate the upper casing 20 in a plane is applied, for example, when the left end portion of the front surface 23 is pressed, the ball 63 rotates without changing its position, and as a result, the upper casing 20 is moved to the lower casing 10. On the other hand, it rotates around a vertical line (rotation center C) passing through the center of the upper surface 11 of the lower housing 10. At this time, the force required to rotate the upper casing is greatly reduced by the rolling friction of the balls 63, so that the user can easily rotate the upper casing 20.

  In addition to the configuration shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the rotating means 34 has a structure in which a rotating shaft that connects the upper housing 10 and the lower housing 20 is supported by a bearing without using a plate and a ball. Various configurations can be used.

  4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the operation of rotating the upper housing 20. In the following description, an outline of a figure obtained by projecting the lower housing 10 or the upper housing 20 including their accessories onto an upper horizontal plane will be referred to as a “planar outline”.

  FIG. 4A shows a normal use state, and the lower side of the figure is the front surface of the drinking water supply apparatus 1. The planar shape of the upper surface 11 of the lower housing 10 and the upper surface 21 of the upper housing 20 is both square, and the centers of both are arranged to coincide. A straight line extending in the vertical direction through the center of the upper surface 11 and the center of the upper surface 21 is the rotation center C. A planar outer shape D of the lower housing 10 is a square having the same shape as the upper surface 11. The planar outer shape E of the upper housing 20 has a shape in which an arcuate portion having the same shape as the operation panel 31 protrudes from the front side of a square having the same shape as the upper surface 21.

  In this state, the back surface 14 of the lower housing 10 is in contact with the building wall 71, and the left and right side surfaces 15 and 16 are in contact with objects 72 and 73 such as furniture and home appliances, respectively. Although the minimum distance described later is secured between the condenser 45 and the wall 71, it is narrow to insert a hand or a vacuum cleaner nozzle, and it is difficult for the user on the front side to see the condenser 45. Therefore, in this state, it is difficult to clean the condenser 45.

  4B, the upper housing 20 is rotated about 180 degrees clockwise around the rotation center C as shown by the arrow B from the state of FIG. 4A, and the condenser 45 comes to the front side. This shows the state. Thus, since the drinking water supply apparatus 1 is comprised so that the upper housing | casing 20 can rotate with respect to the lower housing | casing 10 in a horizontal direction, even if it does not move the drinking water supply apparatus 1 whole, it is a condenser. Cleaning can be performed with 45 facing the front.

  The locus A drawn when the farthest point F, which is the point having the greatest distance from the rotation center C in the planar outline E of the upper casing 20 rotates, is the plane of the lower casing 10 in both the left and right directions and the depth direction. It is within the outer shape D. Since the locus A does not protrude from the planar outline D of the lower housing 10 in the back direction, the upper housing 20 is blocked by the wall 71 even if the back surface 14 of the lower housing 10 is disposed in contact with the wall 71. Can rotate without. Since the locus A does not protrude in the left-right direction from the planar outer shape D of the lower housing 10, even if the left and right side surfaces 15, 16 of the lower housing 10 are disposed in contact with the objects 72, 73, the upper housing 20 can rotate without being obstructed by the objects 72, 73. Since the side surfaces 25 and 26 of the lower housing 10 have a shape without a recess, rotation of the upper housing 20 is not hindered regardless of the planar shape of the objects 72 and 73.

  Further, in the state of FIG. 4A, the distance d between the back surface 24 of the upper housing 20 provided with the condenser 45 and the back surface 14 of the lower housing 10 is sufficient for the effect of heat dissipation. The minimum distance dmin between the condenser 45 and other objects required for the above is greater. Therefore, even if the user places the back surface 14 of the lower housing 10 in contact with the wall 71, the distance between the condenser 45 and the wall 71 is not less than the minimum distance dmin. The minimum distance dmin is normally specified in an instruction manual and transmitted to the user, but the user often does not read the instruction manual or often does not set it correctly even if it is read. Even in such a case, according to the drinking water supply apparatus 1, the minimum distance dmin is naturally secured.

  In the state of FIG. 4B, the upper stopper 36 abuts on the left side of the lower stopper 35, and the upper housing 20 cannot be rotated further clockwise. When cleaning is completed, the user rotates the upper housing 20 counterclockwise to return to the state shown in FIG.

  In the drinking water supply device 1, the upper housing 20 can be rotated counterclockwise when the condenser 45 is set to the front, and clockwise when returning to the original, contrary to the above. In this case, when the condenser 45 is turned to the front, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the upper stopper 36 abuts on the right side of the lower stopper 35, and the upper housing 20 is further counterclockwise. Cannot rotate. That is, the maximum rotation angle of the upper housing 20 is limited to an angle slightly smaller than 360 degrees, specifically, an angle obtained by subtracting an angle corresponding to the width of the lower stopper 35 from 360 degrees. Therefore, when cleaning is performed many times, the upper casing 20 continues to rotate in one direction, and the lower casing 10 and the upper casing such as the piping 53, the power supply line (not shown), the signal line (not shown), etc. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an excessive twist or tensile force from being applied to a member arranged across the 20.

  In addition to the above configuration, various configurations can be used as the rotation stop mechanism. Further, for example, a stopper that contacts the right side of the upper stopper 36 in a normal use state is further provided on the front surface side of the upper surface 11 of the lower housing 10, and the rotation angle of the upper housing 20 is clockwise or counterclockwise from the front. It is also possible to limit the angle to 180 degrees or less. In this way, the direction in which the upper housing 20 is rotated is fixed, but the load on the pipe 53 and the like can be made smaller than when the lower stopper is provided and the rotation angle is limited to 360 degrees or less. In other words, the rotation angle can be arbitrarily limited as long as the rotation angle is larger than the rotation angle required to bring the condenser 45 to the front surface.

  In the description so far, the planar shapes of the upper surfaces of the lower housing 10 and the upper housing 20 are both squares and are arranged so that the centers coincide with each other, but other shapes and positional relationships are shown in FIG. (A) to (f). In any figure, the lower side of the figure is the front surface of the drinking water supply device 1 and shows a normal use state, and illustration is omitted. However, as in FIG. It shall be. Further, it is assumed that a rotation stopper for limiting the rotation angle of the upper housing 20 is provided.

  FIG. 5A shows an example in which the condenser 45 is provided on the side surface 26 of the upper housing 20 with the same shape and arrangement as FIG. In this case, if the distance d2 between the side surface 16 of the lower housing 10 and the side surface 26 of the upper housing 20 is not less than the above-described dmin, the same effect as in the case of FIG.

  FIG. 5B is an example in which the planar shape of the lower housing 10 is a hexagon obtained by cutting off the left and right corners of the front surface from a rectangle, and the planar shape of the upper housing 20 is a slightly horizontally long rectangle. The planar shape of the operation panel 31 is a rectangle, and the farthest part F is the left and right corners on the front side of the operation panel 31. In this example, the center of rotation C does not coincide with either the center of the lower housing 10 or the center of the upper housing 20, but the locus A is within the planar outline D of the lower housing 10, so that FIG. The same effect as in the case of (a) can be obtained.

  FIG. 5C is substantially the same as FIG. 4A, but the depth of the lower housing 10 is smaller. The center of rotation C is the center of the upper surface 21 of the upper housing 20, and therefore the locus A of the farthest point F does not protrude from the planar outline D of the lower housing 10 in the back and left and right directions. It protrudes in the direction. However, since there is no obstacle on the front surface, the same effect as in the case of FIG.

  FIG. 5D is an example in which the planar outer shape D of the lower housing 10 has irregularities. A planar outline D of the lower housing 10 has a shape in which convex portions 17 are provided at four corners of a square. The planar outer shape E of the upper housing 20 is a square. The centers of the lower housing 10 and the upper housing 20 coincide with each other, and this center is the rotation center C. The locus A of the farthest point F protrudes from the planar outline D of the lower housing 10 but falls within the boundary G that is a rectangle circumscribing the planar outline D. When the dimension in the depth direction of the other object is smaller than or larger than the width d3 of the concave portion 18 (for example, the object 75 in FIG. 5D), the other object is the portion of the locus A at the concave portion 18 portion. There is a possibility that it will enter the inside and prevent the upper casing 20 from rotating. However, in the case where the depth dimension of another object is large and there is no projection (furniture or the like is often in such a shape, for example, the object 74 in FIG. 5D), FIG. The same effect as in the case of) can be obtained. Even if this is not the case, the user can install the drinking water supply device 1 so that the rotation of the upper housing 20 is not hindered by other objects with the convex portion 17 as a guide. That is, even if the planar outline E of the upper casing 20 protrudes in the left-right direction from the planar outline D of the lower casing 10, it does not interfere with other objects and is not obstructed by the upper casing. The effect that 20 can be rotated is obtained to some extent.

  FIG. 5E shows an example in which the planar outer shape D of the lower housing 10 is a square, the planar shape of the upper surface 21 of the upper housing 20 is a larger square, and the centers of both are aligned. The rotation center C is the center of the upper surface 21 of the upper housing 20. When the planar outline E of the upper casing 20 does not fit in the planar outline D of the lower casing 10 in this way, the user can make sure that there is no other object inside the locus A, and the wall and the upper casing 20 Although it is necessary to install the drinking water supply device 1 so as to ensure the minimum distance dmin from the rear surface 24, the upper housing 20 is rotated so that the condenser 45 comes to the front side and is easily cleaned. Can do.

  FIG. 5F is an example in which the planar outer shape E of the lower housing 10 is a square, the planar outer shape E of the upper housing 20 is a circle larger than the circle circumscribing it, and the centers of both are aligned. . The rotation center C is the center of the planar outer shape E of the upper housing 20. In this case, the farthest point F is an arbitrary point on the planar outline E of the upper housing 20, and the locus A coincides with the planar outline E (the figure is drawn slightly larger for easier viewing). Therefore, although it is necessary for the user to consciously secure the minimum distance dmin, the upper housing 20 can be rotated if there is even a slight gap between the other object on the side surface and the upper housing 20. . However, if it is such a shape, a gravity center will become high and there exists a possibility that the drinking water supply apparatus 1 may fall easily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drinking water supply apparatus 2 Container 10 Lower housing | casing 11 Upper surface 11a Recessed part 12 Lower surface 13 Front surface 14 Back surface 15, 16 Side surface 17 Convex part 18 Recessed part 20 Upper housing | casing 21 Upper surface 22 Lower surface 22a Recessed part 23 Front surface 24 Back surface 25, 26 Side surface 31 Operation Panel 31a Water supply button 32 Water supply port 33 Holder 34 Rotating means 35 Lower stopper 36 Upper stopper 40 Cooling means 43 Cooler 44 Compressor 45 Condenser 46 Suction pipe 47 Capillary tube 50 Piping system 51 Primary tank 51a Discharge port 52 Secondary tank 53 , 54 Piping 55, 56 Pump 61 Lower plate 62 Upper plate 61a, 62a Groove 63 Ball 64 Retainer 65 Rotating shaft 71 Wall 72, 73, 74, 75 Object

Claims (5)

A lower housing,
An upper housing disposed above the lower housing;
Rotating means for supporting the upper housing so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction with respect to the lower housing;
A water container for storing drinking water disposed inside the upper housing or the lower housing;
Cooling means for cooling the drinking water in the water container;
A piping system for supplying drinking water cooled by the cooling means;
A drinking water supply device comprising: a heat dissipating part that is disposed on the back surface or side surface of the upper housing and releases heat generated in the cooling means to the outside. The water container includes a primary tank that is disposed inside the lower housing and is detachable, and a secondary tank that is disposed inside the upper housing in the middle of the piping system and stores drinking water supplied from the primary tank,
The drinking water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means is disposed in the upper housing and cools the drinking water in the secondary tank.   The drinking water supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation stopper that limits a rotation angle of the upper housing with respect to the lower housing to less than a predetermined angle.   4. The rotation trajectory at a point farthest from the center of rotation of the upper outer shape of the upper casing does not protrude from the left and right sides and the rear side of the lower outer shape of the upper casing. The drinking water supply device according to claim 1. The heat dissipation part is located on the back of the upper housing,
The drinking water supply device according to claim 4, wherein, in a normal use state, a distance between a back surface of the upper housing and a back surface of the lower housing is equal to or greater than a minimum distance necessary for the heat radiation portion to function. .

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