Apparatus for supplying liquid

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for supplying a liquid capable of quickly serving an adequate amount of miso soup.SOLUTION: An apparatus 100 for supplying a liquid includes: a housing part 12 for housing miso M housed in a tank 11, and dissolved in hot water in a tank 11 having a tank 11 for storing a miso soup, a passage hole 12a for communicating the inner with the outer; a discharge part 21 capable of elastically deforming by external force having a liquid passage 21a to which the miso soup in the tank 11 is introduced by a self-weight, and a discharge port 21b for discharging the miso soup introduced to the liquid passage 21a; a valve part 22 for opening and shutting the liquid passage 21a by deforming the discharge part 21; and a control part 60 for controlling discharge of the miso soup from the discharge part 21 by controlling actuation of the valve part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a miso soup liquid supply device used in restaurants and the like. This liquid supply device has a first mixing unit that supplies miso and hot water in a miso tank and mixes the miso and hot water, and a second mixing unit that holds the miso remaining without being mixed in the first mixing unit, and is configured to further mix with the hot water flowing from the first mixing unit in the second mixing unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the liquid supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, hot water and miso are mixed each time in a mixing unit to supply miso soup. In a configuration where hot water and miso are mixed each time of supply, it takes time to supply miso soup.

[0005] Further, in the liquid supply device, an appropriate amount of miso soup is supplied by controlling a pump that discharges miso soup and a valve that opens and closes a liquid passage that guides miso soup. In such a case, even if the pump and the valve are controlled to stop the discharge of miso soup, it is necessary to wait until the miso soup remaining in the liquid passage from the pump and the valve to the discharge port is discharged, which may increase the supply time.

[0006] In restaurants, it is required to quickly supply an appropriate amount of miso soup, and there is room for improvement in the liquid supply device.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid supply device capable of quickly providing an appropriate amount of miso soup.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] According to an aspect of the present invention, a liquid supply device includes a tank for storing miso soup, a storage unit that has a through-hole for communicating the inside and outside and is accommodated in the tank and stores miso dissolved in the hot water in the tank, a discharge unit that has a liquid passage through which the miso soup in the tank is guided by its own weight and a discharge port for discharging the miso soup guided to the liquid passage and is elastically deformable by an external force, a valve unit that elastically deforms the discharge unit to open and close the liquid passage, and a control unit that controls the operation of the valve unit to control the discharge of the miso soup from the discharge unit.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to such an aspect, since the miso is dissolved in hot water in the storage unit to pre-generate miso soup and the miso soup in the tank is discharged, it is possible to quickly provide miso soup as compared with a device that mixes miso and hot water each time. Further, in the dispenser device, since the discharge of the miso soup is controlled by elastically deforming the discharge unit by the valve unit, the liquid passage can be opened and closed at a position close to the discharge port. As a result, when an appropriate amount of miso soup is discharged, the liquid passage can be immediately closed, so there is no need to wait until the miso soup in the liquid passage is discharged, and the provision time can be shortened. Therefore, an appropriate amount of miso soup can be quickly provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a liquid supply device 100 and a liquid supply method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0012] The liquid supply device 100 is a so-called dispenser device mainly used for providing soup (liquid food and drink) as a liquid in restaurants and the like. In this embodiment, it supplies miso soup.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the liquid supply device 100 includes a housing 1, a storage unit 10 for cooking and storing miso soup, a supply unit 20 for supplying the miso soup stored by the storage unit 10, a hot water supply unit 30 for supplying hot water to the storage unit 10, a display unit 40 for displaying information, an operation unit 50 operated by a user, and a control unit 60 for controlling the operations of the respective components of the liquid supply device 100.

[0014] The housing 1 is installed on the floor and has a box-shaped configuration that extends in the vertical direction, which is the up-down direction in FIG. 2. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the up and down in the vertical direction will also be simply referred to as "up" and "down". Also, the right side in FIG. 2 is referred to as "front", the left side as "rear", and the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2 is also referred to as "left and right".

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 1 includes a first housing portion 2 that houses the storage portion 10, a placement portion 5 on which the container D for supplying miso soup is placed, and a second housing portion 8 that houses the hot water supply portion 30.

[0016] The first housing portion 2 has a double-opening (butterfly-opening) front door 3 that opens and closes left and right, and a pair of upper units 4 that open and close in the vertical direction. The front door 3 and the pair of upper units 4 form a space for housing the tank 11 of the storage portion 10 described later.

[0017] The placement portion 5 is provided vertically below the first housing portion 2. The miso soup is supplied to the container D placed on the placement portion 5 by its own weight from the storage portion 10.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the placement portion 5 is provided with a positioning portion 5a for positioning the container D, a drain port 6 through which the drainage from the inside of the tank 11 is guided, and a container sensor 7 (see FIG. 3) for detecting the presence or absence of the container D positioned by the positioning portion 5a.

[0019] The drain port 6 communicates with a drain tank (not shown) and guides the drainage from the tank 11 to the drain tank. The drain port 6 opens so as to face the placement portion 5 on the rear side of the container D positioned by the positioning portion 5a.

[0020] The container sensor 7 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor, which detects the presence or absence of the container D positioned in contact with the positioning portion 5a and transmits the detection result to the control portion 60.

[0021] The second housing portion 8 is provided below the placement portion 5 and houses the hot water supply portion 30.

[0022] In the liquid supply device 100, two storage units 10 are provided. The two doors of the front door 3 of the first housing part 2 and the pair of upper units 4 are provided corresponding to the two storage units 10. Since the two storage units 10 have the same configuration, they will be described below without distinguishing between them.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the storage unit 10 includes a tank 11 for storing miso soup, a storage part 12 accommodated in the tank 11 for storing miso M, a stirring part 13 inserted into the storage part 12 for stirring inside the storage part 12, a pressing part 16 for pressing the miso M in the storage part 12, and a capacity detection part 17 provided outside the tank 11 for detecting the capacity of the miso M in the storage part 12. In the present embodiment, miso M and the like are dissolved in the hot water in the tank 11, and miso soup is cooked (generated) and supplied in the tank 11.

[0024] The tank 11 is formed in a box shape with an opening at the upper part in the vertical direction. The tanks 11 of the two storage units 10 are accommodated adjacent to each other in the left - right direction in the first housing part 2.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the opening of the tank 11 is closed by a lid part 11a. The lid part 11a is provided with a water injection port 11b to which hot water from the hot water supply part 30 is supplied. On the bottom surface of the tank 11, an inclined surface 11c inclined with respect to the horizontal direction and a parallel surface 11d parallel to the horizontal direction are formed. A supply port 11e for guiding the miso soup in the tank 11 to the discharge part 21 of the supply part 20 described later is formed on the parallel surface 11d. The inclined surface 11c is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so as to go upward from the parallel surface 11d. By forming the inclined surface 11c on the bottom surface of the tank 11, even when the capacity of the miso soup in the tank 11 decreases, the miso soup is guided to the supply port 11e of the parallel surface 11d by the inclined surface 11c. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the miso soup in the tank 11 from remaining without being guided to the supply port 11e.

[0026] The housing part 12 is a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped metal box having an opening at the top. A plurality of through holes 12a that communicate the inside and the outside are provided on the bottom surface and the side surfaces of the housing part 12, and the housing part 12 is a box constituted by a punching metal having so-called through holes 12a. The miso M is put into the housing part 12 through the upper opening, and it is attached to the lid part 11a of the tank 11 so as to close the opening. The inside of the housing part 12 communicates with the outside (inside of the tank 11) through the through holes 12a, and thereby the miso M in the housing part 12 is dissolved in the hot water in the tank 11.

[0027] Also, food ingredients (for example, powdered dashi, kelp chips, etc.) are accommodated in the housing part 12 together with the miso M. The size of the through holes 12a of the housing part 12 is set to a size such that solids such as kelp chips to be accommodated cannot pass through.

[0028] The stirring part 13 includes a propeller-shaped stirrer 14 having a plurality of blades 14a (four in this embodiment) provided radially in the radial direction from the shaft part 14b, and an electric motor 15 that rotates the stirrer 14 around the shaft part 14b. The stirrer 14 is attached to the lid part 11a of the tank 11. The blades 14a of the stirrer 14 are inserted into the housing part 12 so as to be positioned near the bottom surface of the housing part 12 (at a position close to but not in contact with the bottom surface). Thereby, as will be described later, the blades 14a are buried in the miso M put into the housing part 12 regardless of whether it is a small capacity or a large capacity. The shaft part 14b of the stirrer 14 extends in the vertical direction and protrudes outside the tank 11.

[0029] The electric motor 15 is provided in the upper unit 4 of the first housing part 2 (see FIG. 2). When the upper unit 4 is closed, the electric motor 15 is connected to the shaft part 14b of the stirrer 14 via a speed reducer (not shown) or the like. By the rotation of the electric motor 15 being transmitted to the shaft part 14b of the stirrer 14 through the speed reducer, the stirrer 14 rotates around the shaft part 14b. Thereby, the inside of the housing part 12 (and thus the inside of the tank 11) is stirred, and the miso M in the housing part 12 is efficiently dissolved in the hot water in the tank 11.

[0030] The pressing part 16 has a plate-shaped part 16a in which a plurality of through holes 16c are formed to penetrate in the plate thickness direction, and a rod-shaped protruding part 16b that extends vertically from the plate-shaped part 16a and protrudes outside the tank 11.

[0031] The plate-shaped part 16a is formed in a plate shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape (rectangle) along the horizontal direction of the accommodating part 12. A slit 16d through which the shaft part 14b of the stirrer 14 of the stirring part 13 is inserted is formed in the plate-shaped part 16a so as to open at the outer peripheral edge of the plate-shaped part 16a. The protruding part 16b is inserted into the lid part 11a so as to be movable in the vertical direction. By inserting the plate-shaped part 16a into the accommodating part 12 so as to cover the miso M in the accommodating part 12 from above, the miso M in the accommodating part 12 is pressed toward the bottom surface of the accommodating part 12 (in other words, toward the blades 14a of the stirrer 14 near the bottom surface) by the own weight of the pressing part 16. The pressing part 16 slides toward the bottom surface of the accommodating part 12 as the miso M in the accommodating part 12 dissolves in the hot water in the tank 11 and the capacity of the miso M in the accommodating part 12 (the height from the bottom surface of the accommodating part 12) decreases. In this way, the pressing part 16 functions as a so-called drop lid for the miso M in the accommodating part 12.

[0032] In addition, a stopper part 16e that protrudes radially outward and locks to the lid part 11a is provided at the part of the protruding part 16b that protrudes from the tank 11. By the stopper part 16e locking to the lid part 11a, the sliding of the pressing part 16 toward the bottom surface of the accommodating part 12 is restricted, and contact between the blades 14a of the stirrer 14 near the bottom surface of the accommodating part 12 and the plate-shaped part 16a of the pressing part 16 is prevented.

[0033] The capacity detection unit 17 detects the capacity of the miso M in the storage unit 12 based on the protruding amount of the protruding portion 16b from the tank 11. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the capacity detection unit 17 has a first sensor 17a and a second sensor 17b arranged in the vertical direction. The second sensor 17b is relatively located above in the vertical direction. The first sensor 17a and the second sensor 17b each have a slit (not shown) through which the protruding portion 16b of the pressing portion 16 can pass, and are U-shaped (C-shaped) proximity sensors (photoelectric sensors) that turn ON when the protruding portion 16b passes through the slit. The first sensor 17a and the second sensor 17b detect that the protruding portion 16b of the pressing portion 16 has passed through their respective slits and transmit the detection results to the control unit 60. The capacity detection unit 17 detects the capacity of the miso M in the tank 11 in three stages: zero, small capacity, and large capacity, by such first sensor 17a and second sensor 17b.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, the supply unit 20 has a discharge portion 21 into which the miso juice in the tank 11 is guided, a valve portion 22 for controlling the discharge of the miso juice from the discharge portion 21, and a switching portion 28 for switching the discharge direction of the discharge portion 21.

[0035] The discharge portion 21 is a resin tube that can be elastically deformed by an external force, and one end (base end) is connected to the supply port 11e (see FIG. 4) of the tank 11. The discharge portion 21 has a liquid passage 21a through which the miso juice in the tank 11 is guided by its own weight, and a discharge port 21b for discharging the miso juice guided to the liquid passage 21a. The liquid passage 21a communicates with the inside of the tank 11 through the supply port 11e of the tank 11 and guides the miso juice guided by its own weight from the tank 11 to the discharge port 21b. The discharge port 21b is an opening on the tip side of the discharge portion 21.

[0036] The valve portion 22 controls the flow of the miso juice guided by the discharge portion 21. The valve portion 22 has an electric motor 23 whose operation is controlled by the control unit 60, a valve body portion 24 driven by the electric motor 23, and a support portion 25 that supports the discharge portion 21.

[0037] The electric motor 23 is a stepping motor whose rotation angle changes according to the supplied current amount.

[0038] By being driven by the electric motor 23, the valve body portion 24 presses the discharge portion 21 against the support portion 25 to elastically deform the discharge portion 21. The valve body portion 24 is a cam member that is rotationally driven by the electric motor 23 and whose pressing amount for pressing and deforming the discharge portion 21 changes according to the rotation angle. By controlling the rotation angle of the electric motor 23, from the fully closed state (FIG. 6(a)) where the liquid passage 21a of the discharge portion 21 is completely blocked and the passage of the miso soup is blocked, to the fully open state (FIG. 6(b)) where the liquid passage 21a is completely opened and the miso soup is allowed to pass through, the pressing amount of the discharge portion 21 by the valve body portion 24 (the opening degree of the valve portion 22, and thus the opening degree of the liquid passage 21a) is continuously controlled.

[0039] At the tip of the discharge portion 21, which is on the opposite side of the base end connected to the supply port 11e of the tank 11, a cylindrical throttle portion 27 having a throttle passage 27a with an inner diameter smaller than that of the liquid passage 21a of the discharge portion 21 is inserted. In other words, the throttle passage 27a is provided on the downstream side (the end side opposite to the end connected to the tank 11) of the discharge port 21b side with respect to the portion of the discharge portion 21 that is pressed by the valve portion 22 (where the liquid passage 21a is opened and closed). When the miso soup is discharged through the discharge portion 21 and the liquid passage 21a is closed by the valve portion 22, miso soup remains in the liquid passage 21a on the downstream side of the portion pressed by the valve portion 22. In contrast, by applying a resistance greater than the flow resistance of the liquid passage 21a to the miso soup by the throttle passage 27a, it is possible to suppress the miso soup remaining in the liquid passage 21a from being discharged from the discharge port 21b when the valve portion 22 is closed. That is, by providing the throttle portion 27 at the tip of the discharge portion 21, it is possible to improve the dripping prevention of the miso soup discharged from the discharge port 21b due to the flow resistance exerted by the throttle passage 27a of the throttle portion 27.

[0040] The switching unit 28 switches the discharge direction by the discharge unit 21 between the supply direction (solid line in FIG. 5) directed toward the container D placed on the placement unit 5 and the drainage direction (dashed line in FIG. 5) directed toward the drain port 6 facing the placement unit 5. Specifically, the switching unit 28 includes a guide unit 29 that guides the direction of the discharge unit 21 and an actuator (not shown) that drives the guide unit 29. The guide unit 29 is formed in a hook shape that is locked to the tip of the discharge unit 21 (see FIG. 2), and by being driven by the actuator, switches the direction of the discharge unit 21 between the supply direction and the drainage direction. Note that in FIG. 5, the left - right direction corresponds to the front - rear direction, and the right side in FIG. 5 corresponds to the front side.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hot - water supply unit 30 includes a water tank 31 that stores water or hot water (hereinafter, when not distinguished, also referred to as "water and the like"), a heater 32 that heats the water in the water tank 31, and a pump 33 that supplies the water and the like in the water tank 31 to the tank 11 from the water injection port 11b through a pipe (not shown).

[0042] The water tank 31 is housed in the housing 1 below the placement unit 5. The heater 32 is immersed in the water in the water tank 31 to heat the water and boil the water to make hot water. The pump 33 is driven by an electric motor or the like (not shown) and discharges the water and the like in the water tank 31.

[0043] The display unit 40 is provided on each of the two doors of the front door 3 of the housing 1 (see FIG. 1) corresponding to the two storage units 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 40 includes a remaining - amount display unit 41 that displays the remaining amount of the miso soup in the tank 11 and a time - display unit 42 that displays the elapsed time since the miso soup was cooked in the tank 11. Also, although not shown, a boiling - hot - water lamp or the like that indicates that the boiling of the water in the water tank 31 is completed is provided on the front door 3 of the housing 1.

[0044] The remaining amount of miso soup in the tank 11 is calculated by the control unit 60 and displayed by the remaining amount display unit 41. Specifically, the supply amount per time supplied to the container D by the supply unit 20 is determined in advance to be a fixed amount. Also, in this embodiment, no hot water (or miso soup) is added to the tank 11. Further, the control unit 60 stores the number of times miso soup has been supplied after being cooked in the tank 11. Therefore, the remaining amount of miso soup in the tank 11 can be calculated by dividing the amount of miso soup initially cooked in the tank 11 (in other words, the amount of hot water supplied to the tank 11) by the value obtained by multiplying the number of times miso soup has been supplied by the supply amount per time (total supply amount). The time display unit 42 displays, for example, the elapsed time since the completion of cooking of the miso soup measured by a timer (not shown) provided in the control unit 60.

[0045] The operation unit 50 has a supply button 51 for discharging the miso soup cooked in the tank 11 and a hot water supply button 52 for supplying hot water into the tank 11. The supply button 51 and the hot water supply button 52 are push-button switches in which a lamp lights up when they become operable states respectively. Also, the hot water supply button 52 is provided in each of the doors of the front door 3 corresponding to the two tanks 11 as a set of a button for a small capacity (referred to as a small capacity button 52a) and a button for a large capacity (referred to as a large capacity button 52b).

[0046] The control unit 60 is configured by a computer including an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU, a storage device, a network connection device, etc. Programs, applications, etc. are stored in advance in the storage device, and the CPU executes these to perform various functions of the control unit 60 described in this specification. Note that the control unit 60 may be configured as one device, or may be divided into a plurality of devices and configured such that each control is distributedly processed by the plurality of devices.

[0047] Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, the liquid supply method and the providing method of this embodiment will be described.

[0048] The method for providing miso soup in this embodiment includes a cooking step of cooking miso soup in the tank 11 of the storage unit 10, a supply step (liquid supply method) of supplying the cooked miso soup, and a cleaning step of cleaning the inside of the tank 11. The control unit 60 controls the operation of each component of the liquid supply device 100 so as to execute the following steps.

[0049] [Cooking Step] First, with reference to FIG. 7, the cooking step will be described.

[0050] In the cooking step, first, the upper unit 4 of the housing 1 corresponding to one tank 11 is lifted, and the lid portion 11a of the tank 11 is removed. Then, a predetermined amount of miso M and ingredients are stored in the storage portion 12 (step S10). In this embodiment, the miso M input into the storage portion 12 is set in two stages: a small capacity and a large capacity.

[0051] Next, the stirrer 14 and the pressing portion 16 are assembled to the lid portion 11a of the tank 11 to form a unit, and the unit is attached to the tank 11 so that the lid portion 11a closes the opening of the tank 11 (step S11). At this time, the stirrer 14 of the stirring portion 13 is inserted into the storage portion 12 so as to be buried in the miso M, and the plate-shaped portion 16a of the pressing portion 16 is inserted into the storage portion 12 so as to cover the miso M (see FIG. 4).

[0052] Next, the upper unit 4 is lowered, and as shown in FIG. 2, the electric motor 15 of the stirring portion 13 in the upper unit 4 and the shaft portion 14b of the stirrer 14 are connected (step S12). Further, by lowering the upper unit 4, the protruding portion 16b of the pressing portion 16 is inserted into the slits of the first sensor 17a and / or the second sensor 17b. The protruding amount of the protruding portion 16b varies depending on the capacity of the miso M in the storage portion 12. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the protruding portion 16b is inserted into the slits of both the first sensor 17a and the second sensor 17b.

[0053] When no miso M is input into the storage portion 12, both the first sensor 17a and the second sensor 17b are turned OFF. In this case, all the hot water supply buttons 52 are in an inoperable state.

[0054] When the amount of miso M in the storage section 12 is small, the protruding portion 16b is inserted into the slit of the first sensor 17a and not inserted into the slit of the second sensor 17b. In this case, the first sensor 17a turns ON and the second sensor 17b turns OFF, enabling the operation of the small-capacity button 52a among the hot water supply buttons 52.

[0055] When the miso M is in a large amount, since the protruding amount of the protruding portion 16b from the tank 11 is large, the protruding portion 16b is inserted into the slits of both the first sensor 17a and the second sensor 17b. In this case, both the first sensor 17a and the second sensor 17b turn ON, enabling the operation of the large-capacity button 52b among the hot water supply buttons 52.

[0056] In this way, based on the detection results of the first sensor 17a and the second sensor 17b, it is possible to detect whether the capacity of the miso M in the storage section 12 is zero, small, or large (step S13).

[0057] When the hot water supply button 52 is operated, a command signal is sent from the control unit 60 to the hot water supply section 30, and hot water is supplied from the hot water supply section 30 into the tank 11 in an amount of hot water corresponding to the amount of miso M in the storage section 12 (in other words, the type of the operated hot water supply button 52) (step S14). The amount of hot water by the hot water supply section 30 for the type of the hot water supply button 52 (the input amount of miso M) is predetermined and stored in the control unit 60. When a predetermined amount of hot water is supplied into the tank 11, water for use in the next cooking process in the tank 11 of the other storage section 10 is supplied to the water tank 31, and new water is boiled. In this way, by providing two storage sections 10 and using them alternately, the efficiency of cooking and providing miso soup can be improved.

[0058] Then, a command signal is transmitted from the control unit 60 to the electric motor 15 of the stirring unit 13, and the stirrer 14 is driven at a predetermined rotational speed for a predetermined time, so that the hot water and the miso M in the tank 11 are stirred (step S15). As a result, the miso M is dissolved in the hot water, and the miso soup is cooked. Further, since the miso M in the storage unit 12 is pressed by the pressing unit 16 toward the bottom surface of the storage unit 12, the miso M is not floated in the storage unit 12 and is efficiently stirred by the stirrer 14.

[0059] When the stirrer 14 is driven for a predetermined time, assuming that the cooking of the miso soup is completed, the tank 11 is put into a standby state in which the miso soup can be provided. After the cooking of the miso soup is completed, the stirring unit 13 is controlled to operate, for example, to intermittently stir the miso soup in the tank 11 at time intervals or to continuously stir it.

[0060] As described above, the miso soup is cooked in the tank 11, and the cooking process is completed.

[0061] [Supply Process] Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the supply process will be described.

[0062] In the standby state in which the miso soup can be provided after the cooking process is completed, when the orientation of the discharge unit 21 corresponding to the tank 11 in which the miso soup is cooked is switched to the supply direction, and it is detected by the container sensor 7 that the container D is placed on the placement unit 5, the supply button 51 becomes operable, and the lamp of the shared button lights up (step S20). When the supply button 51 is pressed (step S21), the operation of the valve unit 22 is controlled by the control unit 60, and the miso soup is discharged (supplied) from the discharge unit 21 to the container D on the placement unit 5.

[0063] Hereinafter, the supply process will be specifically described.

[0064] When the supply button 51 is pressed, the control unit 60 controls the operation of the supply unit 20 so as to discharge a predetermined amount of miso soup for one cup. In discharging the miso soup for one cup, the supply unit 20 is controlled to first discharge the miso soup for a predetermined time at the first discharge speed (step S22), and then discharge the miso soup for a predetermined time at a second discharge speed faster than the first discharge speed (step S23). That is, in the present embodiment, the miso soup is discharged in two stages: a relatively slow first discharge speed and a relatively fast second discharge speed.

[0065] More specifically, the control unit 60 outputs a command signal (current) to the electric motor 23 of the valve unit 22 so that the opening degree corresponds to the first discharge speed stored in advance from the state where the liquid passage 21a is blocked. Thereby, the miso soup in the tank 11 is guided to the liquid passage 21a of the discharge unit 21 by its own weight and discharged from the discharge port 21b at the first discharge speed.

[0066] When the miso soup is discharged for a predetermined time at the first discharge speed, the control unit 60 outputs a command signal to the electric motor 23 of the valve unit 22 so that the opening degree corresponds to the second discharge speed stored in advance, and increases the opening degree of the valve unit 22. Thereby, the miso soup in the tank 11 is discharged from the discharge port 21b at a second discharge speed faster than the first discharge speed.

[0067] When the miso soup is discharged for a predetermined time at the second discharge speed, the control unit 60 outputs a command signal to the electric motor 23 of the valve unit 22 to block the liquid passage 21a and stop the discharge of the miso soup (step S24).

[0068] The first discharge speed and the second discharge speed are set to be common speeds regardless of the remaining amount in the tank 11. The first discharge speed is set to a speed such that the miso soup does not spill from the container D even when the miso soup is discharged into the empty container D.

[0069] When discharging miso soup by its own weight without using power such as the pump 33 as in this embodiment, the discharge speed varies depending on the remaining amount of miso soup in the tank 11. And the amount of miso soup for one serving finally supplied to the container D is set to be constant regardless of the remaining amount of miso soup in the tank 11. Therefore, in the control unit 60, the opening degree of the valve unit 22 (command current value to the electric motor 23) for realizing the desired first discharge speed and second discharge speed while keeping the discharge amount of miso soup to the container D constant is stored for each remaining amount of the tank 11.

[0070] Note that depending on the capacity (remaining amount) of the tank 11, there may be a case where even when discharging miso soup for one serving, substantially the same first discharge speed and second discharge speed can be realized without changing the opening degree of the valve unit 22. Therefore, the opening degree of the valve unit 22 may be set for each remaining amount of miso soup that varies by one serving, or a plurality of levels having a predetermined width larger than one serving with respect to the remaining amount may be set and the opening degree of the valve unit 22 may be set for each level. In this case, the smaller the remaining amount of miso soup in the tank 11, the greater the change in the discharge amount with respect to the change in the opening degree of the valve unit 22. That is, since the sensitivity of the discharge amount with respect to the opening degree of the valve unit 22 increases, it is desirable to set the opening degree individually according to the remaining amount (reduce the level at which the remaining amount is set) as the remaining amount is smaller.

[0071] In this way, when the supply button 51 is pressed, the control unit 60 controls the operation of the valve unit 22 according to the remaining amount of miso soup at that time so as to realize discharge at the first discharge speed and the second discharge speed.

[0072] Here, as a liquid supply device for miso soup, there is also one that mixes hot water and miso each time miso soup is supplied and then supplies it. In such a form, since hot water and miso are mixed each time miso soup is supplied, it takes time to provide. Also, in a device that mixes each time, it is necessary to use something in which dashi or the like is previously mixed with miso, and it is difficult to improve the flavor and taste.

[0073] In order to improve the quality of miso soup while improving the supply speed, it is conceivable to cook the miso soup in advance and supply the miso soup to the container at a high speed. However, in the form of supplying miso soup using power such as a pump, in order to improve the supply speed, it is necessary to increase the size of the power of the pump or the like, so it is not easy to improve the supply speed. Further, even if the supply speed can be improved, the risk of the miso soup spilling from the container increases accordingly.

[0074] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the miso soup cooked in advance in the tank 11 in the cooking process is discharged to the container D by its own weight while controlling the opening degree of the liquid passage 21a of the discharge portion 21 without using power such as a pump. The discharge of the miso soup is performed at two-stage speeds, namely, the first discharge speed and the second discharge speed. First, the miso soup is supplied at the first discharge speed so that the miso soup does not spill into the empty container D. Therefore, the miso soup in the container D serves as a cushion, and even if the miso soup is subsequently discharged at the second discharge speed, which is faster than the first discharge speed (for example, if it is supplied to the empty container D, the miso soup will spill out of the container D), it is possible to suppress the miso soup from spilling out of the container D. Therefore, it is possible to quickly supply miso soup with good quality such as taste and flavor without spilling it from the container D.

[0075] In the present embodiment, the predetermined time for discharging the miso soup at the first discharge speed and the predetermined time for discharging the miso soup at the second discharge speed are set to be the same. As a result, the amount of miso soup discharged at the second discharge speed is larger than the amount of miso soup discharged at the first discharge speed. In this way, by relatively increasing the discharge amount of the miso soup at the faster second discharge speed, the supply time can be further shortened and the efficiency can be improved. Note that, in order to relatively increase the amount of miso soup discharged at the second discharge speed, the time for discharging the miso soup at the second discharge speed may be set longer than that in the case of the first discharge speed.

[0076] [Washing process] Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the washing process will be described.

[0077] The supply device has a cleaning function of supplying water into the tank 11 for preliminary cleaning. Hereinafter, the cleaning process performed by the cleaning function will be described.

[0078] When all the miso soup in the tank 11 is supplied, or when a predetermined time serving as a criterion for disposal has elapsed since the cooking of the miso soup (specifically, the completion of step S15 which is the last step of the cooking process), the cleaning process shown in FIG. 9 is automatically executed by the control unit 60. Note that the cleaning process may also be executed when an operator operates a cleaning button or the like at the timing when all the miso soup in the tank 11 is supplied, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the cooking of the miso soup.

[0079] If the miso soup supplied by the supply device is stored for a long time, there is a possibility that the flavor may deteriorate and quality problems may occur. For this reason, in a restaurant, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the cooking of the miso soup, the miso soup is discarded. Therefore, when the cleaning process is started, first, a disposal process of discarding the miso soup is performed.

[0080] In the disposal process, the discharge direction by the discharge unit 21 is switched by the switching unit 28 to the drainage direction (step S30). Then, the opening degree of the liquid passage 21a of the discharge unit 21 is fully opened by the valve unit 22, and the miso soup remaining in the tank 11 is discharged toward the drain port 6 (step S31).

[0081] When all the miso soup in the tank 11 is discarded, cold water is supplied into the water tank 31 from a water supply source such as a water supply, and the cold water in the water tank 31 is supplied into the tank 11 (step S32). The cold water supplied into the tank 11 is discharged through the discharge unit 21 to the drain port 6 (step S33). Thereby, the inside of the tank 11 is cleaned with cold water, and the tank 11 whose temperature has risen due to the heat of the miso soup is cooled.

[0082] When a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the tank 11 and is eventually discharged, the cleaning process is completed. When the cleaning process is completed, the tank 11 and the stirrer 14 attached to the tank 11 are removed from the housing 1, and thorough cleaning and the like are performed. In this way, since the tank 11 is cleaned and cooled with cold water by the cleaning process, when removing the tank 11 and the like, the operator does not handle the heated tank 11, and the safety is improved.

[0083] Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.

[0084] In the present embodiment, the liquid supply device 100 does not have a power source such as a pump 33 and discharges the miso soup by its own weight. On the other hand, the liquid supply method of the present embodiment is useful for the liquid supply device 100 that discharges the miso soup by its own weight, but may also be performed by a liquid supply device 100 equipped with a power source such as a pump 33.

[0085] Further, the liquid supply method of the present embodiment is not limited to the provision of miso soup, and may also be used for the provision (supply) of other liquids.

[0086] Further, in the liquid supply method of the present embodiment, the miso soup is discharged at two-stage discharge speeds of the first discharge speed and the second discharge speed. On the other hand, in the liquid supply method, as long as the discharge is first performed at the first discharge speed and then the discharge is performed at the second discharge speed, the miso soup may be discharged at three or more discharge speeds. Also, the liquid supply method is not limited to a stepwise speed change, and may be configured to continuously change the speed from the first discharge speed, which is relatively slow, to the second discharge speed, which is relatively fast.

[0087] Also, in the liquid supply method, regardless of the remaining amount in the tank 11, it is set to have the same (common) first discharge speed and second discharge speed. On the other hand, as long as the second discharge speed is set to be faster than the first discharge speed, for example, the first discharge speed and / or the second discharge speed may be set to be different according to the remaining amount.

[0088] In addition, the structures of the discharge unit 21 and the valve unit 22 are not limited to those of the above-described embodiment, and can be any structures. For example, a solenoid valve may be used for the valve unit 22.

[0089] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the remaining amount of the miso soup in the tank 11 is obtained from the amount of the miso soup cooked in the tank 11 and the number of discharges. On the other hand, the remaining amount in the tank 11 may be configured to be detected by a remaining amount detection sensor such as a sensor that measures weight or a sensor that measures the liquid level.

[0090] According to the above embodiments, the following operational effects are achieved.

[0091] The liquid supply device 100 that supplies miso soup to the container D includes a tank 11 for storing miso soup, a supply unit 20 that discharges the miso soup in the tank 11, and a control unit 60 that controls the operation of the supply unit 20. The liquid supply method executed by controlling the operation of the supply unit 20 by the control unit 60 is to first discharge the miso soup at a first discharge speed, and after discharging the miso soup at the first discharge speed, discharge the miso soup at a second discharge speed that is faster than the first discharge speed.

[0092] In the present embodiment, since the miso soup is first supplied to the empty container D at the first discharge speed so that the miso soup does not spill, the miso soup in the container D serves as a cushion, and even if the miso soup is subsequently discharged at the second discharge speed at which it would spill when supplied to the empty container D, spilling from the container D can be suppressed. Therefore, the supply speed can be increased without spilling the miso soup from the container D.

[0093] Also, in the present embodiment, the discharge amount at the second discharge speed is set to be larger than the discharge amount at the first discharge speed.

[0094] According to such a present embodiment, since the discharge amount at the second discharge speed, which is relatively fast, becomes larger, the supply time can be further shortened and the efficiency can be improved.

[0095] Further, the liquid supply device 100 includes a discharge part 21 through which the miso soup in the tank 11 is guided by its own weight, and a valve part 22 that controls the flow of the miso soup guided by the discharge part 21. The control part 60 controls the valve part 22 according to the remaining amount of the miso soup in the tank 11 so that the miso soup is discharged at the first discharge speed and the second discharge speed.

[0096] According to such an embodiment, since the first discharge speed and the second discharge speed can be maintained even when the remaining amount of the tank 11 fluctuates, the supply speed can be improved regardless of the remaining amount of the tank 11.

[0097] The liquid supply device 100 further includes a tank 11 for storing miso soup, a storage part 12 that has a through hole 12a for communicating the inside and outside and is accommodated in the tank 11 and stores miso M dissolved in the hot water in the tank 11, a discharge part 21 that is elastically deformable by an external force and has a liquid passage 21a through which the miso soup in the tank 11 is guided by its own weight and a discharge port 21b for discharging the miso soup guided to the liquid passage 21a, a valve part 22 that elastically deforms the discharge part 21 to open and close the liquid passage 21a, and a control part 60 that controls the operation of the valve part 22 to control the discharge of the miso soup from the discharge part 21.

[0098] In such an embodiment, miso M is dissolved in hot water in the storage part 12 to generate miso soup in advance, and the miso soup in the tank 11 is discharged. Therefore, compared with a device that mixes miso M and hot water each time, miso soup can be provided quickly. Further, in the liquid supply device 100, since the discharge of the miso soup is controlled by elastically deforming the discharge part 21 by the valve part 22, the liquid passage 21a can be opened and closed at a position close to the discharge port 21b. Thereby, when an appropriate amount of miso soup is discharged, the liquid passage 21a can be closed immediately, eliminating the need to wait until the miso soup in the liquid passage 21a is discharged, and shortening the supply time. Therefore, according to this embodiment, an appropriate amount of miso soup can be provided quickly.

[0099] In addition, in the liquid supply device 100, the valve unit 22 includes an electric motor 23 and a valve body unit 24 that is rotationally driven by the electric motor 23 and whose pressing amount for pressing and deforming the discharge unit 21 changes according to the rotation angle.

[0100] In such an embodiment, the rotation angle of the valve body unit 24 can be accurately and responsively controlled by the electric motor 23.

[0101] The liquid supply device 100 further includes a stirring unit 13 that is inserted into the storage unit 12 and stirs the inside of the storage unit 12, and a pressing unit 16 that presses the miso M inside the storage unit 12.

[0102] In such an embodiment, since the miso M is pressed by the pressing unit 16, the miso M can be surely stirred by the stirrer 14, and the miso M can be efficiently dissolved in hot water. Therefore, a miso soup with a good taste can be provided.

[0103] In the liquid supply device 100, the pressing unit 16 has a protruding portion 16b that protrudes outside the tank 11, and outside the tank 11, a capacity detection unit 17 for detecting the capacity of the miso M inside the storage unit 12 based on the protruding amount of the protruding portion 16b from the tank 11 is provided.

[0104] The liquid supply device 100 further includes an injection unit for injecting hot water into the tank 11, and the control unit 60 controls the injection unit so as to inject hot water into the tank 11 in an amount corresponding to the capacity of the miso M detected by the capacity detection unit 17.

[0105] In such an embodiment, since hot water is injected into the tank 11 in an amount based on the detected capacity of the miso M, the occurrence of an error in the amount of hot water injected is suppressed, and miso soup of appropriate quality can be cooked.

[0106] In the liquid supply device 100, on the discharge port 21b side of the portion opened and closed by the valve unit 22 in the discharge unit 21, a throttle portion 27 that imparts a resistance greater than the flow path resistance of the liquid passage 21a to the miso soup is provided.

[0107] In such an embodiment, it is possible to suppress the miso soup remaining in the liquid passage 21a from being discharged from the discharge port 21b in a state where the liquid passage 21a is blocked by the valve portion 22. That is, by providing the throttle portion 27 at the tip of the discharge portion 21, it is possible to improve the dripping of the miso soup discharged from the discharge port 21b due to the flow path resistance exerted by the throttle passage 27a of the throttle portion 27.

[0108] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0109] 100 Liquid supply device 11 Tank 12 Accommodating portion 13 Stirring portion 16 Pressing portion 16b Protruding portion 17 Capacity detection portion 20 Supply portion 21 Discharge portion 21a Liquid passage 21b Discharge port 22 Valve portion 23 Electric motor 24 Valve body portion 27 Throttle portion 27a Throttle passage 60 Control portion D Container

Claims

1. A tank for storing miso soup, a storage part having a through hole communicating the inside and outside and accommodated in the tank and storing miso dissolved in the hot water in the tank, a discharge part that is elastically deformable by an external force and has a liquid passage through which the miso soup in the tank is guided by its own weight and a discharge port for discharging the miso soup guided to the liquid passage, a valve part that elastically deforms the discharge part to open and close the liquid passage, and a control part that controls the operation of the valve part to control the discharge of the miso soup from the discharge part. A liquid supply device comprising the above components.

2. The liquid supply device according to Claim 1, wherein the valve part comprises an electric motor, and a valve body part that is rotationally driven by the electric motor and whose pressing amount for pressing and deforming the discharge part changes according to the rotation angle. A liquid supply device comprising the above components.

3. The liquid supply device according to Claim 1, further comprising a stirring part inserted into the storage part and stirring the inside of the storage part, and a pressing part that presses the miso in the storage part. A liquid supply device comprising the above components.

4. The liquid supply device according to Claim 3, wherein the pressing part has a protruding part protruding outside the tank, and outside the tank, a capacity detection part for detecting the capacity of the miso in the storage part based on the protruding amount of the protruding part from the tank is provided. A liquid supply device comprising the above components.

5. The liquid supply device according to Claim 4, further comprising an injection part for injecting hot water into the tank, wherein the control part controls the injection part to inject the hot water into the tank in an amount corresponding to the capacity of the miso detected by the capacity detection part. A liquid supply device comprising the above components.

6. The liquid supply device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein a throttle part that applies a resistance greater than the flow path resistance of the liquid passage to the miso soup is provided on the discharge port side of the part opened and closed by the valve part in the discharge part. A liquid supply device comprising the above components.

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