Beverage supply nozzle and beer server

Abstract

To reduce generation of coarse foam when pouring beer into a container.SOLUTION: A beer server 100 comprises: a tank 114 for storing beer; a nozzle 134 for pouring the beer into a container; and an opening / closing valve 140 provided on a path for supplying the beer from the tank to the nozzle. Openings 12, 14, 16 of an inlet of the opening / closing valve are shaped such that a length in which a front edge 144 of a valve body of the opening / closing valve crosses the opening does not increase while the valve body moves from a closed position toward an open position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage supply nozzle having an opening / closing valve equipped with a valve body that is axially movable between an open position and a closed position and a valve body that surrounds the valve body, and a beer server equipped with the beverage supply nozzle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in a beverage supply device such as a beer server, a lever is operated to open an on-off valve, and a beverage such as beer is poured from a pressurized tank through the on-off valve and into a container such as a mug from a nozzle. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] For example, when pouring beer as a beverage into a container, when the on-off valve starts to open, the opening area of ​​the opening through which the beer flows from the supply pipe into the valve body of the on-off valve is very small, so the beer is forcefully discharged from the opening into the valve body, which causes the beer to foam and become bubbles. However, even when it is desired to pour only the beer liquid into the container, the beer discharged from the nozzle contains bubbles until the on-off valve opens to a certain extent (the opening becomes large), resulting in a beer mixed with bubbles that is not suitable for serving to the customer who ordered the beer, resulting in a loss of beer. In this specification, beer includes not only beverages obtained by alcoholic fermentation of malt, hops, and water with brewer's yeast, but also beer-like alcoholic beverages such as so-called happoshu and third beer, beer-tasting beverages such as non-alcoholic beer, or beer-flavored sparkling carbonated beverages.

[0004] The present invention has as its technical objective to solve the problems of the conventional technology, and aims to provide a beverage dispensing nozzle that reduces the generation and contamination of foam when pouring beer into a container such as a mug. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a beverage supply nozzle having an on-off valve, comprising: The on-off valve includes a valve element that is axially movable between an open position and a closed position, and a valve body that surrounds the valve element. The valve body closes an opening for receiving beer from a supply pipe into the valve body in the closed position, and opens the opening in the open position. A beverage supply nozzle is provided, characterized in that the opening has a shape such that the length of a straight line connecting two points where the peripheral edge of the opening and the leading edge of the valve body intersect does not increase while the valve body moves from the closed position to the open position. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, when the on-off valve begins to open, the opening that serves as the inlet of the on-off valve begins to open to its maximum width, so that even when the opening degree is low, the opening area of ​​the opening becomes larger than the opening of the on-off valve of a beer server of conventional technology, thereby reducing the flow rate of beer flowing into the on-off valve and suppressing the generation of foam. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the on-off valve with the valve body in a closed position. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the on-off valve with the valve body in a closed position. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front view of a conventional opening. [Diagram 5] 1 is a front view of a rectangular opening according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a front view of an opening having a shape combining a semicircle and a trapezoid according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a front view of an opening having a shape combining a semicircle and a rectangle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 10 is a front view of a convex opening according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 11 is a front view of an L-shaped opening according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the results of an experiment in which the state of beer dispensed from a beer server having an opening according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention was compared with that of the prior art. [Figure 11] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a beer server to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the inside of the main body of the beer server of FIG. 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, referring to Figures 11 and 12, an example of a beer server to which the present invention is applied is shown. The beer server 100 comprises, as main components, a storage section 110, a hollow tower 120 erected from the upper wall of the storage section 110, and a spout section 130 provided at the upper end of the tower 120. The storage section 110 preferably has a refrigeration function. In this embodiment, the storage section 110 is made of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped housing 112. The front wall 112a of the housing 112 is an openable door, and opening the door allows access to the inside.

[0009] At least one tank 114 that stores beer is stored in the main body 110. In the example shown in FIG. 12, two tanks 114 are stored. Pressure is supplied to the tank 114 in use, the upper tank 114 in the example of FIG. 12, from an external pressure source (not shown) via a hose 118. The pressure source is typically a gas cylinder that stores pressurized carbon dioxide gas. The beer in the tank 114 is supplied to the spout part 130 via a supply pipe 116. The supply pipe 116 extends from the tank 114 in the main body 110 through the hollow tower 120 to the spout part 130.

[0010] 1 and 2, the spout portion 130 includes a hollow body 136, a nozzle 134 provided at the tip of the body 136, a valve body 140 disposed within the body 136, and a cover 138 that covers an upper portion of the body 136. In this embodiment, the body 136 and the cover 138 form a valve body of the on-off valve, and the valve body 140 is housed within the valve body.

[0011] The body 136 also has a port 142 to which the supply line 116 is connected. The port 142 has a cylindrical inner surface 142a extending along a central axis Op. In this embodiment, the central axis Op of the port 142 is perpendicular to the central axis Ov of the valve body 140. In this embodiment, the supply line 116 is also connected to the port 142 via an adapter 122. In the present invention, the adapter 122 forms a part of the supply line 116. The adapter 122 forms the openings 12, 14, 16 through which beer is introduced from the supply line 116 into the valve bodies 136, 138 when pouring beer from the beer server 100 into a container, for example, a mug.

[0012] The spout portion 130 also has a nozzle 134 extending downward from the lower end of the main body 136. The nozzle 134 has a cylindrical inner surface 134a extending along a central axis On. A hollow portion defined by the inner surface 134a of the nozzle 134 communicates with the inside of the main body 136. The central axis On of the nozzle 134 is inclined obliquely forward with respect to the central axis Ov of the valve body 140. The inner surface 134a of the nozzle 134 does not have to be cylindrical, and may be formed in a tapered shape with a radius that gradually decreases toward the tip.

[0013] In this embodiment, the valve element 140 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is disposed within the valve body 136, 138 so as to be movable along the central axis Ov. The valve element 140 has a leading edge 144. The leading edge 144 is formed by the lower end of the main body or cylindrical part of the valve element 140 that substantially closes the openings 12, 14, 16 through which beer is introduced into the valve body 136, 138, or by the front edge of the valve element 140 moving from the open position to the closed position. In the closed position of the valve element 140, the leading edge 144 is disposed below the openings 12, 14, 16. One or more O-rings 146 may be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the valve element 140 as a seal against the inner circumferential surface 136a of the body 136.

[0014] In this embodiment, the valve body 140 is connected to a lever 132 that protrudes upward from the spout portion 130, and is operated between a closed position and an open position by the lever 132. That is, when the lever 132 is in the vertical position shown in Fig. 11, the valve body 140 is in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, and when an operator (not shown) grasps the lever 132 and tilts it toward himself, the valve body 140 moves upward from the closed position along the central axis Ov toward the closed position.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 4, the conventional opening 10 has a circular cross section perpendicular to the central axis Op. In the present invention, the opening between the supply pipe 116 and the valve body 136, 138 has a shape such that the transverse length does not increase along the central axis Ov of the valve body 140. Alternatively, when the lower point of the two points where a straight line passing through the center O of the opening parallel to the central axis Ov of the valve body 140 intersects with the edge of the opening is the closing point Pc and the upper point is the opening point Po, the opening has a shape such that the transverse length L of the opening relative to the central axis Ov of the valve body 140 does not increase from the closing point Pc to the opening point Po. The transverse length L is also the length of the front edge 144 of the valve body 140 crossing the opening. Here, the shape of the opening that becomes the inlet of the on-off valve is the shape when the opening is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the central axis Ov of the valve body 140.

[0016] As an example, the opening can be a rectangle 12 (FIG. 5), a shape 14 combining a semicircle and a trapezoid (FIG. 6), or a shape 16 combining a semicircle and a rectangle (FIG. 7). The shape 14 combining a semicircle and a trapezoid in FIG. 6 is a shape in which a trapezoid is placed below the horizontal axis Oh of the opening (closed point Pc side), and a semicircle with a diameter the same as the upper base of the trapezoid is placed above it (open point Po side). More specifically, the side of the trapezoid on the closed point Pc side (lower base) is long, and the side closer to the open point Po (upper base) is short. The upper base of the trapezoid does not necessarily have to coincide with the horizontal axis Oh.

[0017] The shape 16 combining a semicircle and a rectangle in Fig. 7 is a shape in which a rectangle is placed below the horizontal axis Oh of the opening (closed point Pc side) and a semicircle with a diameter smaller than the length of the side of the rectangle along the horizontal axis Oh is placed above it (open point Po side). Note that, although Fig. 7 shows the upper side of the rectangle as coinciding with the horizontal axis Oh, in the present invention, the upper side of the rectangle does not necessarily have to coincide with the horizontal axis Oh.

[0018] Furthermore, in the present invention, the opening can be a convex shape 18 shown in Fig. 8 or an L-shape 20 shown in Fig. 9. The convex shape 18 in Fig. 8 is a shape in which a rectangle is placed below the horizontal axis Oh of the opening (closed point Pc side), and a rectangle having a side shorter than the length of the rectangle along the horizontal axis Oh is placed on the vertical axis Ov above it (open point Po side), while the L-shape 20 in Fig. 9 is a shape in which a rectangle is placed below the horizontal axis Oh of the opening (closed point Pc side), and a rectangle having a side shorter than the length of the rectangle along the horizontal axis Oh is placed at a position off the vertical axis Ov above it (open point Po side). In Figs. 8 and 9, the upper side of the rectangle is illustrated as coinciding with the horizontal axis Oh, but in the present invention, the upper side of the rectangle does not necessarily have to coincide with the horizontal axis Oh.

[0019] 10 shows the results of an experiment comparing the state of beer dispensed from nozzle 134 versus the angle of lever 132 for the following shapes of opening shown in Figures 5 to 7: rectangular 12 (I), shape 14 combining a semicircle and a trapezoid (II), and shape 16 combining a semicircle and a rectangle (III). The angle of lever 132 is the angle between the vertical axis and the central axis of lever 132 when it is tilted toward you from a vertical line, and the angle when the central axis of lever 132 coincides with the vertical axis (central axis Ov of valve body 140) is 0 (zero)° (the opening degree at this time is 0%), and the maximum angle is 32° (the opening degree at this time is 100%).

[0020] Referring to FIG. 10, in the case of the conventional circular opening shown in FIG. 4, beer was not ejected up to 8°, a small amount of foam dripped out between 8° and 9°, only foam was ejected between 9° and 14°, beer with foam was ejected between 14° and 18°, and only beer liquid without foam was ejected between 18° and 32°.

[0021] When the opening was a rectangle 12 (I) and when the opening was a shape combining a semicircle and a trapezoid 14 (II), beer was not ejected up to 7°, a small amount of foam dripped out between 7° and 8°, only foam was ejected between 8° and 12°, beer containing foam was ejected between 12° and 14°, and only beer liquid without foam was ejected between 14° and 32°.

[0022] In the case of shape 16 (III), which is a combination of a semicircle and a rectangle, no beer was ejected until 8°, and a small amount of foam did not drip out. Between 8° and 12°, only foam containing foam was ejected, between 12° and 14°, beer containing foam was ejected, and between 14° and 32°, only beer liquid without foam was ejected.

[0023] From the experimental results in Fig. 10, in the case of the conventional circular opening 10, when the lever 132 is pulled toward the user to fully open the on-off valve in order to supply beer, the opening area of ​​the opening 10 restricted by the valve body 140 is small (= the area of ​​the opening that is not blocked by the valve body 140), so the time during which beer is forcefully discharged from the opening 10 into the valve bodies 136, 138 is long, and as a result, the area into which foam containing bubbles is discharged is wider than in the other cases (I, II, III). This results in a large loss of beer.

[0024] In contrast, according to the above embodiment, when the valve body 140 starts to move upward, it begins to open to its maximum width, so that even when the opening degree is small, the opening area of ​​the openings 12, 14, and 16 becomes large, making it possible to reduce beer mixed with foam more than in the past.

[0025] In the embodiment described above, the opening is formed in the adapter 122 that connects the supply pipe 116 to the port 142 of the main body 136 that forms the valve body of the on-off valve, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the supply pipe 116 is directly connected to the port 142 without using the adapter 122, an opening may be formed in the supply pipe 116. Also, in the present invention, since the opening forms an inlet through which beer flows into the on-off valve, the opening can also be formed directly in the main body 136 that forms the valve body of the on-off valve.

[0026] In the described embodiment, the beverage dispenser dispenses beer, but may also be used for sparkling beverages such as non-beer sparkling alcoholic beverages such as highballs, carbonated drinks, and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10 Opening 12 Opening 14 Openings 16 Opening 18 Openings 20 Opening 100 Beer Server 110 Main unit 112 Housing 112a Front wall 114 Tank 116 Supply pipeline 118 Horse 120 Tower 122 Adapter 130 Mouth 132 Lever 134 Nozzle 134a Inside 136 Main Body 136a Inner surface 138 Cover 140 Valve body Port 142 142a Cylinder inner surface 144 Leading Edge 146 O-ring

Claims

1. A beverage supply nozzle having an on-off valve, The on-off valve includes a valve element that is axially movable between an open position and a closed position, and a valve body that surrounds the valve element. The valve body is adapted to close an opening for receiving beverage from a supply line into the valve body in the closed position and to open the opening in the open position, A beverage supply nozzle characterized in that the opening has a shape such that the length of a straight line connecting two points where the peripheral edge of the opening and the front edge of the valve body intersect does not increase while the valve body moves from the closed position to the open position.

2. 2. The beverage dispensing nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the opening is rectangular in shape.

3. 2. The beverage dispensing nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the opening is a combination of a semicircle and a trapezoid.

4. 2. The beverage dispensing nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the opening has a shape that is a combination of a semicircle and a rectangle.

5. The beverage is beer, and the beverage supply device comprises a tank for storing the beer, a pressure source for pressurizing the inside of the tank, a beverage supply nozzle described in any one of claims 1 to 4, and a supply pipe connecting the tank and the nozzle.

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