JPH0541916B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a water cooler.

[Conventional technology]

A water cooler has an internal water storage tank with a cooler and a water tray with a spout nozzle on the top. When you press a button or step on a pedal, you can spray water directly into your mouth. It is made so that it can be drunk without using alcoholic beverages.

Therefore, anyone can easily drink cold water, and since they are mainly placed in public places such as stations and schools and used by an unspecified number of people, they need to be kept clean.

However, the water tray of a water cooler is generally dirty with dust, etc., and some people gargle with water from the water cooler and then spit it out, so they may have food particles attached to it. May cause discomfort.

If you use the water cooler frequently, the water spouted from the nozzle will fall from above and can clean a certain area of the water tray, but it will splash around and hit the person using it. If you don't use it often, it will accumulate dirt.

Therefore, in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 54-57652, a spout is drilled in the inner peripheral side wall of the water tray (panel), and a part of the water flowing through the supply pipe during water supply is passed from this spout to the water pan (panel). It is made to eject onto the inner wall surface.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, this publication of Utility Model Application Publication No. 54-57652 is
Fresh water is always used to clean the water tray.
There is a lot of waste.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the conventional example,
To provide a water cooler that can keep a water tray clean, and also contributes to preventing wasteful use of resources because the water spouted from a cleaning nozzle acts as drainage water stagnant in a water storage tank for a long time. be.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a water storage tank equipped with a cooler inside, a concave water tray on the top, and a jet nozzle connected to the water storage tank through piping protrudes above the water tray. In the water cooler, a cleaning nozzle that sprays water separately from the drinking operation is provided on the water tray, and the cleaning nozzle is connected to the bottom of the water storage tank with a water conduit pipe, and the water storage tank is periodically drained to the water conduit pipe. The gist of this is that a drainage valve has been installed.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, a cleaning nozzle is provided separately from the beverage spouting nozzle, and the water tray is washed with water from the nozzle, so that the water tray can be kept clean.

Moreover, the water spouted from this cleaning nozzle is left to stay in the water storage tank for a long time, so by replacing the water that stays in the water storage tank for a long time, the sterilization effect is prevented from decreasing due to the drop in the chlorine concentration of the water, and the bacteria are removed. can be prevented from occurring.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the water cooler of the present invention.There are various types of water coolers, but the water storage tank is a closed type and is directly connected to a water tap, and the water pressure of the water supply is used to operate a pump, etc. This shows the case of a direct connection type that injects water without using force.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 indicates a water main tap, which is connected to a water supply pipe 2, and the tip of this water supply pipe 2 is opened at the upper part of a sealed water storage tank 3. On the other hand, the water injection pipe 4 is raised from near the bottom of the water storage tank 3 and protrudes upward.
A water injection valve 6 having a built-in actuator mechanism and acting to flow a constant pressure water flow is provided in the middle, and its tip is connected to the jet nozzle 5.

Note that 6a is an operating lever for the water injection valve 6, which is connected to an operating push button 9 and a pedal 10 via shafts 7 and 8.

Further, a water conduit 11 is connected to the bottom of the water storage tank 3, a drain valve 12 is provided in the middle of the water conduit 11, and the tip thereof is connected to a cleaning nozzle 13 which is a discharge hole of a fountain for cleaning the water receiving tray 14. do.

This nozzle 13 and the above-mentioned jet nozzle 5 are attached to a concave water tray 14 at the top of the water cooler, but a push button 9 is also attached to the edge of the water tray 14, and a drain pipe 16 is connected to the bottom. A drain port 15 is provided.

The cleaning nozzle 13, unlike the jet nozzle 5, does not discharge drinking water. Therefore, this attachment is, for example, close to the outer edge and facing downward, but is not particularly limited to this position, and may also be attached obliquely along the concave surface at the edge of the water tray 14. Alternatively, a tube body having a group of small holes may be arranged in a ring shape around the water receiving tray 14 and used as the nozzle 13, and water may be sprayed from a large number of holes. Furthermore, a plurality of cleaning nozzles 13 may be provided, or a combination of nozzles 13 having different shapes may be used.

In addition, the water pipe 11 is a pipe body that allows water to flow to the nozzle 13, and its end is connected to the nozzle 13.
Instead of connecting the other end to the water storage tank 3 as in this embodiment, it may be connected to the water injection pipe 4 or the water supply pipe 2, and a valve controlled by the control device 23 may be provided in the middle.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cooler 17 formed by winding refrigerant pipes is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the tank 3, and the cooler 17 includes a compressor 18, a condenser 19,
The dryer 20, the capillary tube 21, and the refrigerant pipe are successively connected to form a refrigeration cycle. In the figure, 22 indicates a condenser blower.

In the figure, 23 is a control device that uses an IC circuit or the like and also has a timer function, and 24 is a water injection detection sensor for water injection time. The water injection detection sensor 24 includes, for example, a solenoid switch provided on the operating lever 6a to detect its operation and measuring the energization time, or a sensor that detects the movement of the operating lever 6a using a light source and a light sensor. Further, a device may be installed in the middle of the water injection pipe 4 to detect the presence or absence of water flow based on changes in electric current, changes in light intensity, etc., and this may be used as the water injection detection sensor 24.

The control device 2 receives the output of the water injection detection sensor 24, the output of a predetermined set switch 25 installed in a location that cannot be easily tampered with, such as inside the exterior case of the water cooler, and the output obtained when the power is turned on.
3, and the output from the control device 23 was introduced into the drain valve 12 provided in the water conduit 11.

Next, usage and operation will be explained.

First, to explain the normal operation, the main tap 1 is opened, and the water pressure in the water storage tank 3 is filled to the full with water, which is then cooled by the cooler 17.
In this state, if the user presses the push button 9 with his hand or depresses the pedal 10 with his foot, the water injection valve 6 is opened via the operating lever 6a, and drinking water is discharged from the fountain nozzle 5.

On the other hand, when the drain valve 12 is opened, the cleaning nozzle 1
Water flows out from 3 and cleans the water tray 14.
In particular, if the cleaning nozzle 13 is provided so as to spray water over the entire area of the water tray 14, the entire area of the water tray can be cleaned, unlike the jet nozzle 5 which can only clean a certain area.

Next, the opening/closing operation of the drain valve 12 that acts on the water fountain from the cleaning nozzle 13 will be explained.

When the power switch or power outlet is connected to the commercial system (Fig. 3, START), the timer of the control device 23 is activated, and when the drain valve 12 is opened for a certain period of time (20 seconds) by the output from the control device 23, water is stored. All the water in the tank 3 passes through the water conduit 11 and flows out from the nozzle 13 at the tip (steps I to D).

After 20 seconds have elapsed, the drain valve 12 is closed and the water pressure in the water storage tank 3 has decreased, so water is supplied into the water storage tank 3 from the water supply pipe 2 directly connected to the water source, and the water supply is balancedly stopped due to the water pressure ( Stepho).

On the other hand, if you want to flush water from the cleaning nozzle 13 at a suitable time, press the set switch 25, the drain valve 12 will open and the water will flow out, but at the same time the water in the water storage tank 3 will also be replaced (step fart).

If you use a water cooler, you can expect cleaning to a certain extent, but if you don't use it, dirt will just accumulate, so depending on the frequency of use, adjust the drain valve 1.
If you are trying to open and close item 2, do the following:

When the water cooler is used and the water injection valve 6 is opened, the water injection detection sensor 24 measures and integrates the time period during which the water injection valve 6 is opened (stepping).

If 12 hours have passed since the set switch 25 was pressed or the water was discarded by opening the drain valve 12 due to power-on, etc., the control device 23 further detects that the cumulative time at the sensor 24 is 4 minutes or more. Determine whether it is present or not (step). This 4
The number "minutes" is the time that can replace the total amount of water stored in the water storage tank 3 if the water injection valve 6 is kept open for that corresponding period of time. in water
This means that there is still water left over from 12 hours ago, indicating that the water cooler is not being used frequently.

Therefore, in that case, by moving to the step and opening the drain valve 12, all the water in the water storage tank 3 will flow out from the cleaning nozzle 13 and into the water receiving tray 14.
At the same time, the replacement of the water in the water storage tank 3 is completed.

In addition, the water tray 14 can be cleaned by opening the drain valve 12 several times a day and letting water flow from the cleaning nozzle 13, regardless of the frequency of use, and the water in the water storage tank 3 is also replaced each time.

For example, in the case of once a day, if the water injection valve 6 is opened for more than 4 minutes in total at the step switch, it is determined whether 12 hours or 24 hours have passed since the set switch 25 was pressed. ,
In this case, when the first 12 hours have passed, the flag is set to 1 in the stepper, so the number of flags is 0 or 1.
If 24 hours have elapsed, the process moves to step (a) and the drain valve 12 is forcibly opened, regardless of the cumulative time of the water injection valve 6, even if it is 4 minutes or more.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, since the water cooler of the present invention cleans the water tray with water from a nozzle provided separately from the spout nozzle that spouts drinking water, the water tray can always be kept clean. In particular, if a nozzle that sprays water over the entire area of the water tray is provided, the entire area of the water tray can be washed and kept clean.

In addition, the inlet pipe that flows water to the nozzle is connected to the water storage tank, and the water from the water storage tank is flowed through the nozzle to clean the water tray, so the water tray can be cleaned at the same time.
New water will be supplied to the water storage tank, which will prevent the bactericidal effect from decreasing due to the drop in chlorine concentration in the water that occurs when water is left in the tank for a long time, and prevent the generation of various bacteria. However, since the water in the water storage tank is used to clean the water tray, no water is wasted.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the water cooler of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the cooling system of the water cooler, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the drain valve. 1...Water main valve, 2...Water supply pipe, 3...Water storage tank, 4...Water injection pipe, 5...Spout nozzle, 6...
Water injection valve, 6a...operation lever, 7, 8...shaft, 9...push button, 10...pedal, 11
... Water pipe, 12 ... Drain valve, 13 ... Cleaning nozzle, 14 ... Water tray, 15 ... Drain port, 16
... Drain pipe, 17 ... Cooler, 18 ... Compressor,
19... Condenser, 20... Dryer, 21... Capillary tube, 22... Condenser blower, 23... Control device, 24... Water injection detection sensor, 25... Set switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a water cooler that has a water storage tank equipped with a cooler inside, has a concave water tray at the top, and has a jet nozzle protruding from the water tray that is connected to the water storage tank by piping, when drinking water is characterized in that a washing nozzle that sprays water separately is provided on the water tray, the washing nozzle is connected to the bottom of the water storage tank through a water conduit pipe, and the water pipe is provided with a drain valve for periodically draining the water storage tank. water cooler.