JP6571576B2 - Water server and pipeline - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water flow technique between a cold water tank and a hot water tank such as a water server for supplying cold water, hot water or carbonated water.

  The water server includes a hot water tank that stores hot water and a cold water tank that stores cold water. The cold water tank and the hot water tank are connected by a pipe line, and when the hot water in the hot water tank is consumed, the hot water tank is replenished with water from the cold water tank side.

With regard to such a water server, drinking water is supplied to the hot water tank from the bag body on the upper side of the cold water tank by a communication pipe between the hot water tank and the cold water tank, or high temperature water is circulated through the communication pipe in the sterilization mode. Is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-201322 A

  By the way, in the water server, the pipe line installed between the cold water tank and the hot water tank is used not only for supplying water to the hot water tank but also for circulating hot water for sterilization. This pipe line has a simple piping configuration in order to avoid air accumulation. Even if this pipe line is attached to the center of the hot water tank, for example, if there is a deviation in the center of the cold water tank with respect to the hot water tank, the pipe line is bent and connected between the centers of the tanks.

  Hot water is stored in the hot water tank, and the temperature is raised to high temperature water close to 100 [° C.] by heating when circulating the high temperature water. For this reason, the pipe line used for high temperature water circulation is formed with metals, such as stainless steel, like a hot water tank. When the hot water tank and the cold water tank are communicated with each other through a pipe formed of such metal, the hot water tank and the cold water tank are affected by each other due to the thermal conductivity of the metal and the convection of water. That is, through the conduit, the hot water temperature on the hot water tank side is lowered by the cold water on the cold water tank side, and the cold water temperature on the cold water tank side is raised by the hot water on the hot water tank side.

  Such a temperature change affects the start and stop of the cooling device on the cold water tank side and the heating device on the hot water tank side. The cooling device starts and stops to maintain the cold water temperature at a predetermined temperature, and the heating device starts and stops to maintain the hot water temperature at the predetermined temperature. Such repeated start / stop increases the power consumption of the water server, and there is a problem of hindering energy saving.

  Increasing the distance between the cold water tank and the hot water tank to reduce the thermal effect prevents the water server from being made compact, and it is difficult to reduce the thermal conductivity of the pipe line and the convection of water even if a large number of heat insulation members are used. It is. Complicating the pipe increases the resistance of the pipe, and there is a problem that the circulation characteristics are deteriorated, for example, the circulation is hindered during high-temperature water circulation.

  Then, the objective of this invention is reducing the thermal influence by the pipe line between a hot water tank and a cold water tank in view of the subject which concerns.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe line suitable for a water passage connected between a hot water tank and a cold water tank of a water server.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water server for supplying cold water, hot water or carbonated water, a cold water tank for storing the cold water, a hot water tank disposed below the cold water tank. A hot water tank to be stored; and a pipe connecting the cold water tank and the hot water tank, the pipe having a pipe length longer than an interval between the cold water tank and the hot water tank, and connected to the cold water tank. A first straight pipe portion that descends in a vertical direction from the cold water tank toward the hot water tank side; a second straight pipe portion that is connected to the hot water tank and rises from the hot water tank toward the cold water tank; A detour portion inclined toward the hot water tank is provided between the first straight pipe portion and the second straight pipe portion, and the detour portion is connected to the first straight pipe portion to connect the pipe line Curved first bending portion A first slanted pipe part having a straight pipe shape and inclined downward from the first curved part, and positioned below the first curved part, and the pipe line on the hot water tank side A second bending portion that is bent and connected to the second straight pipe portion, and a second bending portion that is connected to the second bending portion, has a straight pipe shape, and is inclined downward toward the second bending portion. A second inclined tube portion; and a third bent portion that is formed between the first inclined tube portion and the second inclined tube portion to bend the conduit.

  In the water server, the pipe line is a water supply means when water is supplied from the cold water tank side to the hot water tank, and the hot water circulation means is used when hot water is circulated from the hot water tank to the cold water tank side. It is.

  In the water server, the pipe line is one or both of a water supply pipe line that connects the cold water tank and the hot water tank, and a bypass pipe line that is in a water flow state when circulating hot water.

  In the water server, when the water supply is released, the bypass unit guides pipe water to the hot water tank side and guides pipe air to the cold water tank side.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water server for supplying cold water, hot water or carbonated water, a cold water tank for storing the cold water, a hot water tank disposed below the cold water tank. A hot water tank to be stored, and a pipe connecting the cold water tank and the hot water tank, the pipe having a pipe length longer than an interval between the cold water tank and the hot water tank, and inclined toward the hot water tank. together, Ru includes a detour portion which is disposed around the hot water supply passage for flowing the hot water from the hot water tank.

  The water server may further include a carbonated water generator that receives the cold water from the cold water tank and generates carbonated water.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a cold water tank that stores cold water and a hot water tank that is disposed below the cold water tank and stores hot water are connected, and the cold water or the pipe through which the hot water flows A first straight pipe having a pipe length longer than a distance between the cold water tank and the hot water tank, and being lowered from the cold water tank toward the hot water tank in a vertical direction, connected to the cold water tank A second straight pipe portion connected to the hot water tank and rising from the hot water tank toward the cold water tank, and a midway portion between the first straight pipe portion and the second straight pipe portion wherein a bypass portion which is inclined to the hot water tank to said bypass portion includes a first curved portion which is curved the conduit and connected to the first straight pipe portion, has a straight tube shape The first slant inclined downward from the first curved portion A second bending portion that is positioned below the first bending portion and that is connected to the second straight pipe portion by bending the pipe line toward the hot water tank, and the second bending portion And a second inclined tube portion having a straight tube shape and inclined downward toward the second curved portion, and between the first inclined tube portion and the second inclined tube portion It is formed in that having a third curved portion curving the conduit.

  According to the present invention, any of the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) The thermal effect due to convection of water between the hot water tank and the cold water tank can be suppressed from the pipe connecting the cold water tank and the hot water tank, and the number of heating and cooling devices can be reduced to save energy in the water server. Can be achieved.

(2) Stable high-temperature water circulation can be performed without increasing pipe resistance and without reducing the circulation characteristics during high-temperature water circulation.

It is a figure which shows the pipe line between the cold water tank and hot water tank which concern on one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the pipe line which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the pipe line seen from the overhang | projection direction. It is a figure which shows the water server which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows a control part. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the temperature management by the side of a cold water tank. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the temperature management by the side of a warm water tank. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a high temperature water circulation. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a pipe line according to a third embodiment. It is a figure which shows the water server which concerns on Example 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows the start and stop of the compressor by the difference in pipe line length. It is a figure which shows the start and stop of the hot water heater by the difference in pipe line length. It is a figure which shows a pipeline inclination, the circulation time of high temperature water, and its variation. It is a figure which shows the inclination angle of a pipe line, and the start and stop of a compressor. It is a figure which shows the inclination angle of a pipe line, and the start and stop of a hot water heater.

  FIG. 1 shows a pipe line between a cold water tank and a hot water tank according to an embodiment.

  The water server includes a cold water tank 2 and a hot water tank 4, and the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4 are connected by a pipe 6. This pipeline 6 is an example of the pipeline of the present invention. The cold water tank 2, the hot water tank 4 and the pipe line 6 are made of, for example, stainless steel as a metal material that can pass water.

  A connecting portion 8 is provided at the center of the bottom surface of the cold water tank 2, and one end of a pipe line 6 is connected to the connecting portion 8 and is connected to a water supply pipe 10 on the cold water tank 2 side. The other end side of the pipe 6 penetrates the inside of the tank from the center of the ceiling of the hot water tank 4 and is fixed to the ceiling portion of the hot water tank 4 by, for example, welding as a fixing means.

  An intermediate portion of the pipeline 6 is provided with a detour portion 12 that is curved in the horizontal direction and detours. If the distance between the bottom outer surface of the cold water tank 2 and the ceiling outer surface of the hot water tank 4 is the tank interval D1, and the vertical width of the bypass portion 12 is D2, D2 is set at a position that is one-half or almost one-half of D1. Is done.

  The bypass portion 12 includes at least a pair of inclined tube portions 14a and 14b, and each inclined tube portion 14a and 14b has angles θ1 and θ2 inclined from the cold water tank 2 side toward the hot water tank 4 side.

  When the pipe length in the tank interval D1 of the pipe line 6 including the bypass portion 12 is L, the pipe length L has a path length larger than the tank interval D1 (L> D1).

The width of the cold water tank 2 is W1, the width of the hot water tank 4 is W2, the overhang width of the detour portion 12 from the cold water tank 2 side center O1 is W3, and the overhang width of the detour portion 12 from the hot water tank 4 side center O2 When W4, W2 / 2 <W1 / 2 <W3. Therefore, in this example, the bypass part 12 protrudes from each side surface of the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4, and the protrusion width ΔW1 from the cold water tank 2 side is
ΔW1 = W3-W1 / 2 (1)
The protrusion width ΔW2 from the side surface of the hot water tank 4 is
ΔW2 = W4-W2 / 2 (2)
It is.

<Effect of one embodiment>

  (1) Since a bypass section 12 is provided in the middle of the pipe line 6 connecting the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4, and the inter-tank pipe length L is made larger than the tank interval D1 by the bypass section 12, the cold water tank 2 The thermal insulation between the hot water tank 4 is improved. Thereby, the mutual thermal influence by the convection of the cold water LW by the side of the cold water tank 2 and the hot water HW by the side of the hot water tank 4 can be suppressed.

  (2) Since the thermal influence can be suppressed in this way, the cold water LW on the cold water tank 2 side is maintained at a constant cold water temperature by the cooling device, and the hot water HW on the hot water tank 4 side is maintained at a constant hot water temperature by the heating device. Even if control is performed, since the start and stop of the cooling device and the heating device can be suppressed and the power consumption due to such start and stop can be reduced, energy saving of the water server can be achieved.

  (3) Since the bypass unit 12 can be configured by a simple curved path, for example, such a bypass unit 12 does not increase the fluid resistance of the pipeline 6, and the circulation characteristic is deteriorated when the high-temperature water VHW is circulated. And stable high-temperature water circulation.

  (4) If the bypass portion 12 is a simple curved path, for example, even in the pipeline 6 having the bypass portion 12, there is no inconvenience of increasing the special manufacturing cost only by increasing the pipeline length L. .

  (5) The arrangement positions of the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4 can be absorbed by the bypass unit 12, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4 can be expanded.

(6) The detour portion 12 can prevent the stagnation of air by the inclined tube portions 14a and 14b, and the circulation characteristics of the water supply and hot water are improved.

  Example 1 is a more specific example of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A shows a pipe line between the cold water tank and the hot water tank according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2B shows a pipe between the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4 as viewed from the direction of arrow IIB in FIG. Road 6 is shown.

  When each part is specified by shape from the cold water tank 2 side toward the hot water tank 4 side with respect to the pipe 6, the first straight pipe part 16-11, the first curved part 16-21, and the first slant pipe part 16. -31, second bending portion 16-22, second inclined tube portion 16-32, third bending portion 16-23, third inclined tube portion 16-33, fourth bending portion 16-24, A second straight pipe portion 16-12 is provided.

  The straight pipe portion 16-11 descends in the vertical direction from the cold water tank 2 toward the hot water tank 4 side, and the straight pipe portion 16-12 rises in the vertical direction from the hot water tank 4 toward the cold water tank 2 side. The central axes O1 and O2 of the straight pipe portions 16-11 and 16-12 are displaced by ΔX in the X-axis direction and ΔY in the Y-axis direction.

  The curved portion 16-21 is formed between the straight pipe portion 16-11 and the inclined pipe portion 16-31, and the pipe line 6 is curved in the radial direction of the cold water tank 2. The bending portion 16-22 is formed between the inclined tube portion 16-31 and the inclined tube portion 16-32, and the pipe 6 is bent in a direction orthogonal to the inclined tube portion 16-31. The bending portion 16-23 is formed between the inclined tube portion 16-32 and the inclined tube portion 16-33, and the pipe 6 is bent in the direction of the inclined tube portion 16-32 and the central axis O2.

  The bending portion 16-24 is formed between the inclined pipe portion 16-33 and the straight pipe portion 16-12, and the pipe 6 is bent in the direction of the ceiling surface of the hot water tank 4 (that is, the vertical direction described above). Yes.

  In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 2B, a part of the inclined pipe part 16-31 of the detour part 12, the whole of the inclined pipe part 16-32, and a part of the inclined pipe part 16-33 are the hot water tank 4 and It is arranged outside the projection range of the cold water tank 2.

  The inclined tube portions 16-31 and 16-33 correspond to the previously described inclined tube portions 14a and 14b, and are inclined at the aforementioned inclination angles θ1 and θ2.

  FIG. 3 shows a pipe line between the cold water tank and the hot water tank as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow III in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the inclined pipe portion 16-32 is inclined at an angle θ 3 from the cold water tank 2 side toward the hot water tank 4 side within the range of the vertical width D 2 of the bypass portion 12.

  In the first embodiment, the inclined tube portion 16-32 is realized by a straight tube shape, but the bending portions 16-22 and 16-23 may be integrated and formed by a single bending portion.

<Effect of Example 1>

  (1) According to Example 1, the effects described in the embodiment can be obtained.

  (2) According to the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the fluid resistance of the pipeline 6 at the detour portion 12 by the inclination angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 of the inclined tube portions 16-31, 16-32, and 16-33. In addition, there is no deterioration in circulation characteristics during high-temperature water circulation, and stable high-temperature water circulation can be performed.

(3) Since the bypass unit 12 includes the inclined pipe parts 16-31, 16-32, and 16-33 that are inclined downward from the cold water tank 2 to the hot water tank 4, the air naturally passes to the cold water tank 2 side. The cold water LW or the hot water HW flows naturally due to gravity and convection, and the circulation characteristics of the cold water and the hot water are enhanced.

  FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a water server according to the second embodiment. The water server 20 includes the cold water tank 2, the hot water tank 4 and the pipe 6 described above.

  A water supply bottle 24 is installed on the top of the housing 22, and water W is introduced from the water supply bottle 24 into the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4. The water W is, for example, drinking water.

  The cold water tank 2 is provided with a valve mechanism 26. The valve mechanism 26 includes a float part 26-1 and an opening / closing part 26-2. The float part 26-1 moves up and down depending on the water level in the cold water tank 2. The opening / closing part 26-3 opens and closes the supply port 26-3 by raising and lowering the float part 26-1. Therefore, if the water level of the cold water tank 2 falls, the opening / closing part 26-3 is opened and water W is supplied from the water supply bottle 24 to the cold water tank 2, and if the water level of the cold water tank 2 rises, the opening / closing part 26-3. Is closed and water supply to the cold water tank 2 is stopped. Thereby, if there is water W in the water supply bottle 24, the water level of the cold water tank 2 is maintained at a constant water level by the valve mechanism 26.

  The cold water tank 2 is provided with a separation plate 28, and the cold water LW and the water W falling from the water supply bottle 24 side are separated by the separation plate 28. A water supply pipe 10 that guides the water W to the hot water tank 4 side is connected to the center of the separation plate 28.

  The cold water tank 2 is provided with an evaporator 30 as a cooling device on the outer wall portion. A refrigerant circulates in the evaporator 30 from the compressor 32 and takes heat from the cold water tank 2 side. The temperature of the cold water LW in the cold water tank 2 is detected by the temperature sensor 34-1. The compressor 32 is controlled by this detected temperature, and the cold water LW is controlled to a constant cold water temperature. The control of the compressor 32 is executed by the control unit 36.

  The cold water LW of the cold water tank 2 is provided from the cold water port 38. Water is supplied to the cold water port 38 from the bottom surface side of the cold water tank 2 through the cold water supply passage 40, and water is supplied or released by opening and closing the cold water electromagnetic valve 42-1. The cold water solenoid valve 42-1 is controlled by the control unit 36, and is opened when the cold water switch 44 is pressed, and closed when the push is released.

  The warm water tank 4 is provided with a warm water heater 46 on the outer wall as a heating means. The hot water heater 46 is an electric heater, for example, and heats the hot water tank 4 by heat generation. The temperature of the hot water HW in the hot water tank 4 is detected by the temperature sensor 34-2. The hot water heater 46 is controlled by this detected temperature, and the hot water HW is controlled to a constant hot water temperature. The control of the hot water heater 46 is executed by the control unit 36.

  The hot water HW of the hot water tank 4 is provided from the hot water port 48. Water is supplied to the hot water port 48 from the ceiling side of the hot water tank 4 through the hot water supply path 50, and water is supplied or released by opening and closing the hot water electromagnetic valve 42-2. The hot water solenoid valve 42-2 is controlled by the control unit 36, and is opened when the hot water switch 52 is pressed, and closed when the press is released.

  Since the pipeline 6 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. A bypass pipe 54 is connected between the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4 in parallel with the pipe 6. The bypass conduit 54 is provided with a bypass valve 42-3. When the bypass valve 42-3 is controlled to be in the open state of the control unit 36 during the hot water circulation, the hot water VHW is circulated from the hot water tank 4 side to the cold water tank 2 side using the pipe 6 and the bypass pipe 54 as the high temperature water circulation path. To do. During the hot water circulation, the hot water heater 46 controlled by the control unit 36 raises the temperature of the hot water HW in the hot water tank 4 to the high temperature water VHW.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the control unit 36. The control unit 36 is configured by a computer. The control unit 36 includes a processor 56, a memory unit 58, a multi-timer 60, and an input / output unit (I / O) 62.

  The processor 56 executes the program in the memory unit 58 and controls the cold / hot water, while controlling the hot water circulation described above. This program includes a hot water circulation program.

  The memory unit 58 is an example of a storage unit, and stores a program to be executed by the processor 56, data such as a hot water circulation start point assigned to the switch, and a hot water circulation time. The memory unit 58 includes a ROM (Read-Only Memory) and a RAM (Random-Access Memory), and a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory may be used.

  For example, the multi-timer 60 measures the time when the power is turned on, counts up the clock in the system, and continuously measures the elapsed time since the power is turned on.

  An operation panel unit 64 is connected to the control unit 36, and detection signals of the temperature sensors 34-1 and 34-2, on / off signals of the lock release switch 66, the hot water switch 44, the cold water switch 52, and the energy saving switch 68 are as follows. Input to the I / O 62. From I / O 62 to compressor 32, cold water solenoid valve 42-1, hot water solenoid valve 42-2, bypass valve 42-3, hot water heater 46, lock release indicator lamp 70-1, hot water indicator lamp 70-2, high temperature indicator lamp 70 -3, a control output is issued to the cold water display lamp 70-4, the light cold display lamp 70-5, the repeated setting display lamp 70-6, the energy saving display lamp 70-7, and the high temperature water circulation display lamp 70-8.

  <Temperature control of cold water tank 2>

  FIG. 6 shows a processing procedure for temperature control of the cold water tank. In this temperature control, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 34-1 is T1, the first reference temperature of the cold water LW is TL1, and the second reference temperature is TL2. TL2> TL1, and as an example, TL1 = 6.5 [° C.] and TL2 = 7 [° C.]. The driving time of the compressor 32 is t, the reference driving time is tref1, and as an example, tref1 = 7 [minutes].

  In this temperature control, it is determined whether T1> TL2 is satisfied (S101). If T1> TL2 (YES in S101), the compressor 32 is driven (S102), and the process returns to S101. If T1> TL2 is not satisfied (NO in S101), it is determined whether T1 <TL1 is satisfied (S103).

  If T1> TL1 (NO in S103), the process returns to S101. If T1 <TL1 (YES in S103), it is determined whether the compressor 32 is being driven (S104). If the compressor 32 is not being driven (NO in S104), the process returns to S101.

  If the compressor 32 is being driven (YES in S104), it is determined whether the drive time t of the compressor 32 after T1 <TL1 is t> tref1. That is, it is determined whether the drive time t of the compressor 32 exceeds the reference time tref1 after T1 <TL1 (S105).

  If t <tref1 (NO in S105), the driving of the compressor 32 is continued. If t> tref1 (YES in S105), the driving of the compressor 32 is stopped (S106), and the process returns to S101.

  By such temperature control, the detected temperature T1 of the cold water LW is controlled in the range of (TL1-α) <T1 <TL2. In this example, the chilled water temperature is controlled to be in a temperature range exceeding about 5 [° C.] and less than 7 [° C.].

  <Temperature control of hot water tank 4>

  FIG. 7 shows a processing procedure for temperature control of the hot water tank. In this temperature control, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 34-2 is T2, the first reference temperature of the hot water HW is TH1, and the second reference temperature is TH2. TH2> TH1, and as an example, TH1 = 87 [° C.] and TH2 = 89 [° C.].

  In this temperature control, it is determined whether T2> TH2 is satisfied (S201). If T2> TH2 (YES in S201), the hot water heater 46 is turned off (S202), and the process returns to S201. If T2 <TH2 (NO in S201), it is determined whether T2 <TH1 (S203).

  If T2> TH1 (NO in S203), the process returns to S201. If T2 <TH1 (YES in S203), the hot water heater 46 is turned on (S204), and the process returns to S201.

  By such temperature control, the detected temperature T2 of the hot water HW is controlled in the range of TH1 <T2 <TH2. In this example, the hot water temperature is controlled to a temperature range exceeding 87 [° C.] and less than 89 [° C.].

  <Control of hot water circulation>

  FIG. 8 shows a processing procedure for high-temperature water circulation control. In this temperature control, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 34-1 is T1, the high temperature water reference temperature is TVH, and the high temperature water reference circulation time is tref2. As an example, TVH = 85 [° C.] and tref2 = 30 [min].

  In this processing procedure, when the high-temperature water circulation mode is entered, the compressor 32 is stopped (S301), the hot water heater 46 is turned on, and heating of the hot water HW is started (S302).

  The bypass valve 42-3 is opened, and high-temperature water circulation is performed to circulate the high-temperature water VHW from the hot water tank 4 side to the cold water tank 2 (S303).

  In this hot water circulation, the hot water temperature and the hot water circulation time are monitored. That is, it is determined whether the detected temperature T1 of the high-temperature water VHW is T1 ≧ TVH and the high-temperature water circulation time t ≧ tref2 in this state (S304).

  If T1 <TVH and t <tref2 (NO in S304), the process returns to S303, and the processes of S303 and S304 are performed. If the state of T1 ≧ TVH is t ≧ tref2, that is, if it continues for tref2 hours (YES in S304), the high-temperature water circulation is completed. As a result, the bypass valve 42-3 is closed to shift to the normal operation state (S305), and the above-described temperature control of the cold water tank 2 (FIG. 6) and temperature control of the hot water tank 4 (FIG. 7) are executed.

<Effect of Example 2>

  (1) By providing the bypass part 12 in the pipeline 6, the thermal influence between the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4 can be reduced, and the number of start / stops of the compressor 32 and the hot water heater 46 can be reduced.

  (2) The bypass portion 12 provided in the pipeline 6 does not hinder the circulation of the high temperature water VHW during the high temperature water circulation.

  (3) The pipe line length of the pipe line 6 is expanded from, for example, about 295 [mm] to about 423 [mm], and this pipe length is 171.5 [mm] of the tank-to-tank width, for example, 299.5 [mm] The thermal effect of both tanks can be reduced, and the number of start / stops of the compressor 32 and the hot water heater 46 can be reduced. That is, an energy saving effect can be obtained by extending the stop time between driving and lengthening the interval time.

(4) The detour portion 12 of the pipeline 6 is set with an inclination angle that descends toward the hot water tank 4 so that the water flow does not turn upside down between the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4, and there is no difference in water flow characteristics. The influence of.

  FIG. 9 shows the arrangement of the bypass portion 12 of the pipe line 6 according to the third embodiment. A connecting portion 72 of a bypass pipe 54 is disposed in the hot water tank 4 along with the pipe line 6. At the end of the hot water supply pipe 50, a connecting portion 74 of the hot water solenoid valve 42-2 (FIG. 4) is provided.

  In the third embodiment, the bypass portion 12 of the pipeline 6 is arranged around the hot water supply pipe 50, and the piping of the hot water supply pipe 50 and the bypass portion 12 is made compact.

<Effect of Example 3>

It is possible to avoid the thermal influence between the cold water tank 2 and the hot water tank 4 due to the bypass unit 12 and to make the piping arrangement of the hot water supply pipe 50 and the bypass unit 12 compact, which contributes to the miniaturization and weight reduction of the water server. it can.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of a water server according to the fourth embodiment. The water server 76 has carbonated water generation and water supply functions. In this water server 76, the same parts as those of the water server 20 shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The water server 76 is provided with a carbonation tank 78. The carbonation tank 78 is supplied with cold water LW from the cold water tank 2 and carbon dioxide gas G from the carbon dioxide supply source 80, whereby carbonated water GW is generated.

  Also for such a water server 76, the bypass 6 may be provided in the pipeline 6, and the same effect can be obtained with such a configuration.

〔Experimental result〕

  <Experiment 1> Experiment 1 verified that the difference in the pipe length L affects the OFF period of the compressor 32. In Experiment 1, the power value due to the start and stop of the compressor 32 was measured for a product (= implemented product) provided with the bypass unit 12 in the pipeline 6 and a product (= conventional product) without the bypass unit 12. The inclination angle θ3 (FIG. 3) of the bypass portion 12 was set to θ3 = 5 [degree].

  In FIG. 11A, the elapsed time is taken on the horizontal axis, and the power value is taken on the vertical axis. B of FIG. 11 shows the measurement result of the conventional product.

  The compressor 32 repeatedly starts and stops, Toff1 is the OFF cycle of the compressor 32 of the actual product, and Toff2 is the OFF cycle of the compressor 32 of the conventional product. Toff1 = 36 minutes 42 seconds, Toff2 = 35 minutes 12 seconds, and Toff1> Toff2. In the actual product, the OFF period of the compressor 32 becomes longer, and the power consumption is reduced by that amount.

  <Experiment 2> Experiment 2 verified that the difference in pipe length affected the OFF cycle of the hot water heater 46. The implemented product and the conventional product are the same as those in Experiment 1.

  In FIG. 12A, the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time, and the vertical axis indicates the power value. FIG. 12B shows the measurement result of the conventional product.

  The hot water heater 46 repeatedly started and stopped, and the off cycle of the hot water heater 46 was 8 minutes 32 seconds for the implemented product and 7 minutes 24 seconds for the conventional product. In the actual product, the OFF cycle is longer than that of the conventional product, and power consumption is reduced by that amount, so it was confirmed that energy saving was achieved.

  <Experiment 3> Experiment 3 verified the relationship between the inclination angle of the pipeline 6 and the time required for high-temperature water circulation. In FIG. 13A, the horizontal axis represents the inclination angle θ, the vertical axis represents the required time for the high-temperature water circulation, and the required time for the high-temperature water circulation relative to the inclination angle of the detour portion 12 of the pipe 6 is shown in FIG. Was measured.

  In FIG. 13B, the horizontal axis represents the inclination angle, and the vertical axis represents the variation (σ) in the high-temperature water circulation, and the variation in the inclination angle of the pipeline 6 and the high-temperature water circulation time is shown for the implemented product and the conventional product.

  It was confirmed that the inclination angle θ should be set to 3 degrees or more in order to ensure a standard deviation equivalent to or greater than the variation in the time required for circulating the high-temperature water in the conventional product.

  <Experiment 4> Experiment 4 verified that the inclination angle θ <b> 3 of the pipe line 6 affects the OFF cycle of the compressor 32. In Experiment 4, the inclination angle θ3 = 5 degrees and θ = 10 degrees of the pipeline 6 were set, and the on / off state of the compressor 32 was measured. A in FIG. 14 is the elapsed time on the horizontal axis, the power value on the vertical axis, and the power value due to the start and stop of the compressor when the inclination angle θ of the pipeline 6 is set to 5 degrees, and B in FIG. The electric power value by the start and stop of the compressor when the inclination angle θ of the road 6 is set to 10 degrees is shown. ToffA is the compressor OFF period when the inclination angle θ of the pipeline 6 is 5 °, and ToffB is the compressor OFF period when the inclination angle θ of the pipeline 6 is 10 °. ToffA = 36 minutes 42 seconds and ToffB = 35 minutes 10 seconds. It was confirmed that the increase in the tilt angle affects the start / stop of the compressor 32, and that the power consumption can be reduced if the tilt angle θ is small.

<Experiment 5> Experiment 5 verified that the inclination angle θ <b> 3 of the pipe line 6 affects the OFF cycle of the hot water heater 46. In Experiment 5, the inclination angle of the pipeline 6 was set to θ = 5 degrees and θ = 10 degrees, and the start / stop of the compressor 32 was measured. FIG. 15A shows the elapsed time on the horizontal axis, the power value on the vertical axis, and the start and stop of the hot water heater 46 when the inclination angle θ of the pipe line 6 is set to 5 degrees, and FIG. 6 shows the start / stop of the hot water heater 46 when the inclination angle θ of 6 is set to 10 degrees.

  The OFF cycle of the hot water heater 46 was 8 minutes and 32 seconds when the inclination angle θ of the pipeline 6 was 5 degrees, whereas it was 8 minutes and 30 seconds when the inclination angle θ was 10 degrees. Regarding the OFF cycle of the hot water heater 46, it was confirmed that the inclination angle of the pipe line 6 had no influence.

  As is clear from the above experimental results, the number of starts and stops of the compressor 32 and the hot water heater 46 is set by extending the pipeline 6 in the horizontal direction by the bypass 12 and setting the slope of the bypass 12 at least about 5 °. The high-temperature water circulation can be stably performed during the high-temperature water circulation.

As described above, the most preferable embodiment of the present invention has been described. The present invention is not limited to the above description. Various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the gist of the invention described in the claims or disclosed in the embodiments for carrying out the invention. It goes without saying that such modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present invention.

The present invention extends the length of the pipe connecting the cold water tank and the hot water tank beyond the tank interval, inclines the pipe, reduces the thermal effect without affecting the circulation characteristics of the hot water circulation, Realizes energy saving and is beneficial.

2 Cold water tank 4 Hot water tank 6 Pipe line 8 Connection part 10 Water supply pipe 12 Detour part 14a, 14b Slanting pipe part D1 Tank interval D2 Vertical width θ1, θ2 Angle L Pipe length W1 Cold water tank 2 width W2 Hot water tank 4 Width W3 Overhang width of the detour portion 12 LW Cold water HW Hot water VHW High temperature water 16-11, 16-12 Straight pipe portion 16-21, 16-22, 16-23, 16-24 Bending portion 16-31, 16-32 , 16-33 Oblique pipe part O1, O2 Center shaft 20, 76 Water server 22 Housing 24 Water supply bottle 26 Valve mechanism 26-1 Float 26-2 Opening / closing part 26-3 Supply port 28 Separator plate 30 Evaporator 32 Compressor 34-1 34-2 Temperature sensor 36 Control unit 38 Chilled water port 40 Chilled water supply path 42-1 Chilled water solenoid valve 42-2 Hot water solenoid valve 44 Chilled water switch 6 hot heater 48 hot outlet 50 hot water supply passage 52 hot water switch 54 bypass line 56 processor 58 memory unit 60 multi-timer 62 I / O
66 Lock release switch 68 Energy saving switch 70-1 Unlock indicator lamp 70-2 Hot water indicator lamp 70-3 High temperature indicator lamp 70-4 Cold water indicator lamp 70-5 Lightly cool indicator lamp 70-6 Repeat setting indicator lamp 70-7 Energy saving Medium indicator lamp 70-8 High-temperature water circulation indicator lamp 72, 74 Connecting part 78 Carbonation tank 80 Carbon dioxide supply source G Carbon dioxide GW Carbonated water

Claims (7)

A water server for supplying cold water, hot water or carbonated water,
A cold water tank for storing the cold water;
A hot water tank that is disposed below the cold water tank and stores hot water;
A pipe connecting the cold water tank and the hot water tank;
The pipe has a pipe length longer than the interval between the cold water tank and the hot water tank, and is connected to the cold water tank and descends vertically from the cold water tank toward the hot water tank side. A straight pipe part, a second straight pipe part connected to the hot water tank and rising from the hot water tank toward the cold water tank, and between the first straight pipe part and the second straight pipe part A detour portion inclined toward the hot water tank is provided ,
The detour portion includes a first curved portion that is connected to the first straight pipe portion and curved the pipe line, and a first pipe having a straight pipe shape and inclined downward from the first curved portion. A first bend tube portion, a second bend portion located below the first bend portion, the bend portion being bent toward the hot water tank and connected to the second straight tube portion, and the first bend portion A second inclined tube portion connected to the second bent portion and having a straight pipe shape and inclined downward toward the second bent portion; the first inclined tube portion and the second inclined tube; third water dispenser, characterized in Rukoto which having a curved portion that is formed between the parts curving the conduit.   The conduit is a water supply means when water is supplied from the cold water tank side to the hot water tank, and is a high temperature water circulation means when circulating hot water from the hot water tank to the cold water tank side. The water server according to claim 1. The said pipe line is any one or both of the water supply pipe line which connects the said cold water tank and the said hot water tank, and the bypass pipe line which makes a water-flowing state at the time of high temperature water circulation, The both of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Water server. The bypass unit, when water released guides the pipe water to the hot water tank, water dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that guiding pipe air to said cold water tank. A water server for supplying cold water, hot water or carbonated water,
A cold water tank for storing the cold water;
A hot water tank that is disposed below the cold water tank and stores hot water;
A pipe connecting the cold water tank and the hot water tank;
The pipe has a pipe length longer than the distance between the cold water tank and the hot water tank, is inclined toward the hot water tank, and is bypassed around the hot water supply path through which hot water flows from the hot water tank features and to roux O over master server that comprises a part. Further, a carbonated water generating unit that receives the cold water from the cold water tank and generates carbonated water,
The water server according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: A cold water tank that stores cold water and a hot water tank that is disposed below the cold water tank and stores hot water are connected to each other, and the cold water or the hot water flows through the conduit.
A first straight pipe portion having a pipe length longer than the interval between the cold water tank and the hot water tank, connected to the cold water tank and descending vertically from the cold water tank toward the hot water tank, and the hot water A second straight pipe portion connected to the tank and rising from the hot water tank toward the cold water tank; and the hot water tank side in the middle between the first straight pipe portion and the second straight pipe portion and a bypass portion which is inclined to,
The detour portion includes a first curved portion that is connected to the first straight pipe portion and curved the pipe line, and a first pipe having a straight pipe shape and inclined downward from the first curved portion. A first bend tube portion, a second bend portion located below the first bend portion, the bend portion being bent toward the hot water tank and connected to the second straight tube portion, and the first bend portion A second inclined tube portion connected to the second bent portion and having a straight pipe shape and inclined downward toward the second bent portion; the first inclined tube portion and the second inclined tube; third conduit and said Rukoto which having a curved portion that is formed to curve the line between the parts.

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