Water supply system

Abstract

To make the constitution of the whole system compact and to efficiently perform maintenance work in the whole system when the system including a purified water supply device and a carbonated water making device is constructed.SOLUTION: A water supply system according to the present invention comprises a permeated water producing device for producing permeated water by filtering raw water, and a carbonated water producing device for producing carbonated water by stirring and mixing carbon dioxide gas with the permeated water, wherein the permeated water producing device and the carbonated water producing device are arranged adjacent to each other. At this time, the permeated water producing device and the carbonated water producing device may be arranged side by side in a state where the directions in which the surfaces provided with the doors of the respective devices face are the same direction, and the rotation center of the door of one device is located away from the other device. Further, the permeated water producing device and the carbonated water producing device may be arranged back to back.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water supply system for carbonated water, permeate water, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] In response to the recent trend toward health consciousness, there is a growing demand for carbonated water and purified water. Carbonated water is used for various purposes, such as beauty, cooking, and dieting. For example, home carbonated water makers are being sold to allow people to easily generate carbonated water at home, and commercial carbonated water makers are being provided to large grocery stores.

[0003] Purified water (permeate) is obtained by filtering raw water, such as tap water, through a reverse osmosis membrane to remove impurities from the raw water, and can be provided by purified water generators installed in large food stores such as supermarkets (see Patent Document 1). Commercial carbonated water makers and purified water generators are installed, for example, near the entrances and exits of grocery stores or cash registers, with the aim of providing carbonated water or purified water in conjunction with food purchases. These commercial carbonated water makers and purified water generators sell purified water and carbonated water, respectively, but it is also possible to produce carbonated water by supplying purified water produced in a purified water supply device to a carbonated water maker. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-49030 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when purified water produced in a purified water supply device is supplied to a carbonated water production device and carbonated water is produced inside the carbonated water production device, a configuration is required for supplying purified water from the purified water supply device to the carbonated water production device and a configuration for communication between the devices. Therefore, maintenance work on each device and maintenance work across these devices are required. Furthermore, for hygienic reasons, the purified water supply device and the carbonated water production device are cleaned every certain period of time. The water generated during cleaning (hereinafter referred to as cleaning water) is discharged into a drainage path installed in a grocery store or the like. This requires the routing of drainage pipes between the purified water supply device and the carbonated water production device and the drainage path, as well as maintenance work on the drainage pipes. Therefore, when building a system including a purified water supply device and a carbonated water production device, it is necessary to make the overall system configuration compact and to perform maintenance work on the entire system efficiently.

[0006] The present invention was made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a technology that makes the overall system configuration compact when a system including a purified water supply device and a carbonated water production device is constructed, and that allows maintenance work to be performed efficiently on the entire system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the water supply system of the present invention comprises a permeate generation device that filters raw water to generate permeate, and a carbonated water production device that stirs and mixes carbon dioxide gas with the permeate to produce carbonated water, and is characterized in that the permeate generation device and the carbonated water production device are arranged adjacent to each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a water supply system in which the present invention is implemented. [Figure 2]This is an oblique view showing an example of the carbonated water production device and RO water production device in the water supply system shown in Figure 1, with their front doors rotated to the open position, as viewed from the carbonated water production device side. [Figure 3] This is an oblique view showing an example of a carbonated water production device and an RO water production device with their front doors rotated to the open position, as viewed from the RO water production device side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the carbonated water maker and the RO water generator with their front doors rotated to the open position. [Figure 5] 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the rear side of the carbonated water production device and the RO water production device in the water supply system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a water supply system in which a carbonated water production device and an RO water production device are arranged back to back. [Figure 7] This is an oblique view that explains the case where a partition plate separates the area in front of the carbonated water production device from the area in front of the RO water production device when the carbonated water production device and the RO water production device are arranged side by side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, the water supply system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 to 5, water supply system 10 shown in the embodiment is a system that provides users with carbonated water produced in carbonated water production device 11 and RO water produced in RO (Reverse Osmosis) water production device 12. In water supply system 10, carbonated water production device 11 receives the RO water produced in RO water production device 12 and carbon dioxide gas supplied from gas cylinder 14 stored in storage box 13, and produces carbonated water.

[0011] The water supply system 10 includes a carbonated water production device 11 and an RO water production device 12. In the water supply system 10, the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12 are arranged side by side in the x-axis direction in Fig. 1 in the order of RO water production device 12, carbonated water production device 11 from the left side in Fig. 1. In this state, the surfaces on which the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 are provided face in the same direction.

[0012] A storage box 13 is disposed on the right side of the carbonated water production device 11. The storage box 13 stores gas cylinders 14 that supply carbon dioxide gas to the carbonated water production device 11. Note that Fig. 1 shows a case where two gas cylinders 14 are stored. The number of gas cylinders 14 stored in the storage box 13 is not limited to two.

[0013] The storage box 13 has a box body 13a, a front door 13b, and a rear door 13c. Although not shown, the box body 13a is cylindrical with openings on the front and rear sides. The front door 13b is pivotally supported on the front of the box body 13a via a hinge or the like (not shown) and pivots between a closed position that covers the front opening of the box body 13a and an open position that exposes the front opening of the box body 13a. Similarly, the rear door 13c is pivotally supported on the rear of the box body 13a via a hinge or the like (not shown) and pivots between a closed position that covers the rear opening of the box body 13a and an open position that exposes the rear opening of the box body 13a. The front door 13b and the rear door 13c of the storage box 13 are normally held in their closed positions. When the front door 13b and the rear door 13c are in their closed positions, these doors are locked by a locking device (not shown). The positions at which the front door 13b and the rear door 13c are pivotally supported on the box body 13a may be either the left end or the right end in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1) of the storage box 13. The positions at which the front door 13b and the rear door 13c are pivotally supported on the box body 13a may be either the upper end or the lower end in the up-down direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 1) of the box body 13a.

[0014] Since the storage box 13 has the front door 13b and the rear door 13c, when replacing the gas cylinder 14, the target gas cylinder can be replaced by rotating the door corresponding to the gas cylinder 14 to be replaced from the closed position to the open position. At this time, the gas cylinder 14 that is not to be replaced is held in its original position, making it easy to replace the gas cylinder 14.

[0015] In Figure 1, an example is shown in which a storage box 13 is placed on the right side of the carbonated water production device 11 and a gas cylinder 14 is stored inside the storage box 13, but the gas cylinder 14 may also be installed directly to the side of the carbonated water production device 11.

[0016] Carbonated water production device 11 is a device that produces carbonated water using RO water supplied from RO water production device 12. Carbonated water production device 11 has a front door 21 and a device main body 22. Front door 21 is connected to device main body 22 by hinges 23 and 24 located at both ends of device main body 22 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 1) at one of both ends in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1) of device main body 22 opposite the end closest to the RO water production device 12 installed alongside. Therefore, front door 21 rotates in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1) of device main body 22, for example, around the end on the storage box 13 side (right end in FIG. 1) as the rotation center, between a closed position (see FIG. 1) that shields the interior of device main body 22 and an open position (see FIG. 2) that exposes the interior of device main body 22.

[0017] The front door 21 has an operation panel 25, a QR (Quick Response) code reader 26, and a water filling box 27. The front door 21 is configured such that the water filling box 27 is disposed in approximately the center of the front door 21 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 1), and the operation panel 25 and the QR code reader 26 are disposed above the water filling box 27. The operation panel 25 and the QR code reader 26 are attached to the front door 21 from the rear side thereof.

[0018] An example of operation panel 25 is a touch panel. Operation panel 25 is located above water injection box 27 and at a position shifted a predetermined amount from the center of front door 21 in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1 ) toward the end portion that is the rotation center of front door 21 when front door 21 is viewed from the front.

[0019] Operation panel 25 displays information about the operating state of carbonated water production device 11, as well as information about communication with RO water production device 12 and information read by a QR code reader. Here, information about the operating state of carbonated water production device 11 includes, for example, standby, producing carbonated water, pouring carbonated water, stopping the production of carbonated water (including, as an example, ceasing sales), storing RO water, etc. Furthermore, information about communication includes, for example, sending a signal to RO water production device 12 requesting the supply of RO water, receiving a signal from RO water production device 12 to start the supply of RO water, etc.

[0020] Operation panel 25 also displays the amount of carbonated water that can actually be produced (the number of pressure-resistant bottles that can supply carbonated water) when carbonated water is provided (including when carbonated water is purchased). Furthermore, operation panel 25 displays selection buttons (not shown) for selecting the gas strength (GV) and amount of carbonated water that can be purchased when carbonated water production device 11 starts supplying carbonated water. When these selection buttons are displayed on operation panel 25, operation panel 25 accepts input operations (selection of selection buttons) by touching the user.

[0021] The QR code reader 26 is disposed in a position between the operation panel 25 and the water filling box 27 in the vertical direction of the front door 21 (z-axis direction in FIG. 1), and is offset a predetermined distance from the center of the front door 21 in the width direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 1) toward the end portion that is the rotation center of the front door 21 when the front door 21 is viewed from the front. The QR code reader 26 reads a QR code (registered trademark) displayed on a mobile terminal carried by a user or a QR code printed on a receipt, etc. The QR code indicates, for example, information about the carbonated water that the user is purchasing (such as the amount of carbonated water and gas strength).

[0022] In this embodiment, a carbonated water production device 11 having a QR code reader 26 is described as an example, but instead of the QR code reader 26, it is also possible to provide an IC card reader that reads information from an IC (Intergrated Circuit) card in the carbonated water production device, or to provide the QR code reader 26 and an IC card reader in the carbonated water production device.

[0023] The water filling box 27 has a box body 28 and a water filling door 29. The box body 28 has a hollow space with an open front, into which a pressure-resistant bottle for filling carbonated water can be placed. The box body 28 also has a drainage tray 30 at its bottom end. The drainage tray 30 collects carbonated water that has leaked from the pressure-resistant bottle and RO water that is discharged when cleaning the carbonated water production device 11, and discharges it to the outside via a drainage hose 46 connected to a drain outlet 43, which will be described later. The pressure-resistant bottle is a dedicated bottle that users purchase in order to receive their supply of carbonated water.

[0024] The drain tray 30 is provided to protrude in front of the front door 21 so that the pressure-resistant bottle removed from the water filling box 27 can be placed on it. However, the drain tray 30 may be slid or folded so that it can be stored inside the box body 28 of the water filling box 27 when the front door 21 is rotated to the open position, such as when performing maintenance work.

[0025] Water filling door 29 is opened and closed when a pressure-resistant bottle is placed in water filling box 27 or when the pressure-resistant bottle is removed from water filling box 27. Water filling door 29 is pivotally supported on box body 28 with its left end in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1) as the rotation center. Water filling door 29 is held in a closed position that covers the hollow space of box body 28 by a spring (not shown), and is rotated by the user to an open position that exposes the hollow section of box body 28.

[0026] The front door 21 has a pressurized tank 32 and a sterilizing filter 33 on the rear side. The pressurized tank 32 produces carbonated water by stirring and mixing the RO water supplied from the water storage tank 36 with the carbon dioxide gas supplied from the gas cylinder 14. The produced carbonated water is poured from the pressurized tank 32 into a pressure-resistant bottle installed inside the water filling box 27.

[0027] The pressurized tank 32 is disposed above the box body 28 of the water injection box 27 that protrudes from the rear side of the front door 21. The pressurized tank 32 is disposed at a position shifted from approximately the center in the width direction of the front door 21 toward the free end. When the pressurized tank 32 is disposed on the rear side of the front door 21, the pressurized tank 32 is disposed to the side (right side in FIG. 3 ) of the cover 34 that is disposed on the rotation center side of the front door 21. Here, the cover 34 is provided to cover the operation panel 25 and QR code reader 26 that are attached from the rear side of the front door 21.

[0028] The sterilizing filter 33 is disposed below the cover 34 and to the side of the box body 28 of the water injection box 27 (to the left in FIG. 3 ). The sterilizing filter 33 is disposed in a position near the pressurized tank 32 in the water supply passage between the water storage tank 36 and the pressurized tank 32. The sterilizing filter 33 is disposed for the primary purpose of removing bacteria and impurities. When carbonated water is produced and supplied in the carbonated water production device 11, it is necessary to drain the RO water remaining in the water supply passage (not shown) provided between the water storage tank 36 and the pressurized tank 32. Therefore, the sterilizing filter 33 is disposed in the water supply passage in a position near the pressurized tank 32, so that the RO water remaining in the water supply passage between the sterilizing filter 33 and the pressurized tank 32 is drained, thereby minimizing the amount of drained RO water.

[0029] 3 is in the open position, the device body 22 exposes the water storage tank 36, the cooler (chiller) 37, and the air intake duct 38. The water storage tank 36 is located approximately in the center of the device body in the vertical direction. The water storage tank 36 stores the RO water supplied from the RO water production device 12, and supplies the stored RO water to the pressurized tank upon receiving an instruction to produce carbonated water.

[0030] The cooler 37 is disposed at the bottom end of the device body in the vertical direction, i.e., below the water tank 36. The cooler 37 has a water tank and is a device that cools the RO water by performing heat exchange between the cooling water stored in the water tank and the RO water supplied from the water tank 36 to the pressurized tank.

[0031] An intake duct 38 is provided on the front side of the cooler 37. The intake duct 38 is arranged in front of an intake fan (not shown) that is arranged at the bottom front side of the cooler 37. The intake fan takes in air from outside the carbonated water production device 11 from the front side of the carbonated water production device 11 via the intake duct 38 and sends it to the cooler 37. The intake duct 38 detachably holds an air filter (not shown) that removes dust contained in the outside air that is taken in. Although not shown, an exhaust duct is provided on the back side of the cooler 37, and the air sent toward the cooler 37 is sent out from the back side of the carbonated water production device 11 to the outside via the exhaust duct.

[0032] When the water storage tank 36 and the cooler 37 are disposed inside the device main body 22, an internal space is formed in the upper part of the device main body 22. An electrical box 39 (see FIG. 2) and a valve holder (not shown) that holds control valves and the like provided in the carbon dioxide gas supply and exhaust paths are disposed in the internal space formed in the device main body 22. The electrical box 39 controls the carbonated water production device 11 in an integrated manner and also houses a control board and the like that transmits and receives signals to and from the RO water production device 12.

[0033] 5, device main body 22 has a gas supply unit 41, a water supply unit 42, a drain port 43, etc. on the rear side. Gas supply unit 41 is provided at the top end in the vertical direction of device main body 22 and at the left end in Fig. 5 in the width direction (x-axis direction in Fig. 5) of device main body 22. Gas supply unit 41 is, for example, a joint, and is connected to an air supply pipe 45 (which may be a hose for supplying carbon dioxide gas) connected to gas cylinder 14.

[0034] 5, below the gas supply unit 41. Although the water supply unit 42 is located below the gas supply unit 41, it is preferable that the water supply unit 42 be located, for example, above the center in the vertical direction of the device body 22. The water supply unit 42 is, for example, a joint, to which a water supply pipe 72 (which may be a hose for supplying RO water) connected to the water conveyance unit 69 of the RO water production device 12 is connected.

[0035] The drain outlet 43 is provided at the bottom end in the up-down direction of the device body 22 and at the left end in Fig. 5 in the width direction (x-axis direction in Fig. 5) of the device body 22. A drain hose 46, for example, is connected to the drain outlet 43. The drain hose 46 is joined at its downstream end with a drain hose 73 connected to the RO water production device 12 by, for example, a T-pipe 47.

[0036] RO water generator 12 is a device that generates RO water by filtering raw water such as tap water using a reverse osmosis membrane to remove impurities contained in the raw water, and is a device that pours the generated RO water into bottles installed in a water injection box 55 described below, or supplies the generated RO water to carbonated water production device 11. Note that, as an example, the height (length in the z-axis direction in FIG. 1) and depth (length in the y-axis direction in FIG. 1) of RO water production device 12 are the same as the height and depth of carbonated water production device 11, respectively.

[0037] The RO water production device 12 has a front door 51 and a device main body 52. ​​The front door 51 is connected to the device main body 22 by hinges 53, 54 (see FIG. 2) located at both ends of the device main body 52 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 2) at the end opposite the end closest to the carbonated water production device 11 installed alongside it. Therefore, the front door 51 rotates around the end (left end in FIG. 2) opposite the end closest to the carbonated water production device 11 in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 2) of the device main body between an open position (see FIG. 2) exposing the interior of the device main body 52 and a closed position (see FIG. 1) concealing the interior of the device main body 52. ​​As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, when the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 are rotated to their open positions, the front doors 21, 51 of each device open like a double door.

[0038] Front door 51 has a water filling box 55. Water filling box 55 has a box body 56 and a water filling door 57. Box body 56 is a generally box-shaped member with an open front, and when installed on front door 51, water filling box 55 protrudes from the rear of front door 51. Box body 56 has a drain tray 58 at its bottom end. Drain tray 58 receives RO water that leaks from the bottle and discharges it to the outside via a drain hose 73 connected to a drain outlet 70, which will be described later.

[0039] Water filling door 57 is opened and closed when placing a bottle in water filling box 55 or when removing a bottle from water filling box 55. Water filling door 57 is pivotally supported on box body 56 with its left end in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1) as the center of rotation. Water filling door 57 is held in a closed position that shields the hollow space in box body 56 by a spring (not shown), and is rotated by the user to an open position that exposes the hollow space in box body 56.

[0040] The drain tray 58 is provided to protrude in front of the front door 51 so that bottles removed from the water filling box 55 can be placed thereon. However, the drain tray 58 may be configured to slide or fold and be stored inside the box body 56 of the water filling box 55 when the front door 51 is rotated to the open position, such as when performing maintenance work.

[0041] The water filling box 55 has a structure including a card reader 59 and an operation panel 60 at the upper end of the box body 56. The card reader 59 accepts input of information from an IC card, such as a membership card. The operation panel 60 is, for example, a touch panel. The operation panel 60 displays information indicating the operating status of the RO water production device 12, information on communication with the carbonated water production device 11, and information prompting the user to perform operations. Examples of information indicating the operating status of the RO water production device 12 include "standby," "RO water production in progress," "RO water being poured," and the like, as well as "RO water production has been stopped (including, for example, sales suspension)." Examples of information related to communication include "a signal to start supplying RO water is being sent to the carbonated water production device 11," and "a signal to prompt the supply of RO water is being received from the carbonated water production device 11." The operation panel 60 also accepts user operations.

[0042] When the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water generation device 12 are installed side by side, the operation panel 60 is installed in the water filling box 55 so that, for example, it is at approximately the same height as the operation panel 25 of the carbonated water production device 11. For example, the height of the operation panel 60 is approximately the same as the height of the operation panel 25 of the carbonated water production device 11, but it may be located at a different height from the height of the operation panel 25 of the carbonated water production device 11.

[0043] Here, an example is given in which the card reader 59 and operation panel 60 are provided at the upper end of the box body 56 of the water injection box 55, but the card reader 59 and operation panel 60 may also be placed on the front door 51 separately from the water injection box 55 rather than being provided at the upper end of the box body 56 of the water injection box 55.

[0044] Device main body 52 includes pipes and control valves required for receiving raw water such as tap water from a water pipe, generating RO water, pouring the generated RO water, and supplying it to carbonated water production device 11, as well as sediment filter 61, carbon filter 62, pump unit 63, reverse osmosis membrane filter 64, electrical box 65, and other components required for generating RO water. When front door 51 is in the open position, device main body 52 exposes the above-described components.

[0045] The sediment filter 61 and the carbon filter 62 are housed side by side in the device body 52 at a position below the water injection box 55 in the vertical direction of the RO water generation device 12 (the z-axis direction in FIG. 4 ). The sediment filter 61 removes large impurities contained in the raw water supplied to the RO water generation device 12. The carbon filter 62 removes chlorine contained in the raw water from which large impurities have been removed by the sediment filter 61.

[0046] The pump unit 63 is disposed below the juxtaposed sediment filter 61 and carbon filter 62, i.e., at the lower end of the device main body 52. ​​The pump unit 63 sends the raw water, from which impurities have been removed by the sediment filter 61 and the carbon filter 62, toward the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64.

[0047] Although details of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 are omitted, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 is configured to house a reverse osmosis membrane (not shown) inside a cylindrical case, with a water intake at one end of the cylindrical case, a permeate outlet at the other end, and a concentrate outlet on the outer periphery of the case. In the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64, a portion of the raw water fed through the water intake permeates the reverse osmosis membrane and is sent out from the permeate outlet as permeate (RO water), while the remainder does not permeate the reverse osmosis membrane and is sent out from the concentrate outlet as concentrate. The reverse osmosis membrane used here is a known type, and one with a pore size of, for example, approximately 1 to 10 nm is used to prevent the passage of ions and salts. The reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 is located at the end of the device body 52 in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 5 ) opposite the end that serves as the pivot center of the front door 51. When the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 is stored in the device main body 52, the water intake of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 is located at the upper end of the device main body 52, and the permeate outlet of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 is located at the lower end of the device main body 52.

[0048] The electrical box 65 is located at the upper end of the device body 52, on the end side in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 5 ) of the device body 52 that is the rotation center of the front door 51. The electrical box 65 controls the RO water production device 12 in an integrated manner, and also houses a control board and the like that sends and receives signals to and from the carbonated water production device 11.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 5, device body 52 has a water supply unit 68, a water delivery unit 69, and a drain outlet 70 on the rear surface. Water supply unit 68 is provided, for example, in the center of device body 52 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in Fig. 5) and at the right end in the width direction (x-axis direction in Fig. 5) of device body 52. ​​Water supply unit 68 is, for example, a joint, to which a water supply pipe (or a hose for supplying tap water) connected to a water pipe is connected.

[0050] The water supply unit 69 is provided, for example, at the upper end in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 5) of the device body 52 and at the right end in the width direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 5) of the device body 52. ​​The water supply unit 69 is, for example, a joint, to which a water supply pipe 72 (which may be a hose for supplying RO water) is connected. The water supply pipe 71 is connected to the water supply unit 42 of the carbonated water production device 11.

[0051] Drain outlet 70 is provided at the bottom end of device body 52 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 5) and at the right end of device body 52 in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 5). Drain outlet 70 is connected to, for example, a drain hose 73. Note that drain hose 73 is joined at its downstream end with drain hose 46 connected to carbonated water production device 11 by, for example, a T-pipe 47.

[0052] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in carbonated water production device 11, water storage tank 36 is disposed approximately in the center of device main body 22 in the up-down direction (z-axis direction in Figure 4), and cooler 37 is disposed at the lower end of device main body 22. Device main body 22 also has an electrical box 39 disposed in a space provided above water storage tank 36. Front door 21 also has water filling box 27 disposed approximately in the center of front door 22 in the up-down direction (z-axis direction in Figure 4). Front door 21 also has pressurized tank 32 disposed above water filling box 27. Display panel 25, IC card reader 26, etc. are disposed to the side of pressurized tank 32. A sterilizing filter 33 is disposed to the side of water filling box 27.

[0053] That is, of the components constituting carbonated water production device 11, sterilization filter 33 and water storage tank 36, which are replaced frequently, are arranged in the vertical center portion of front door 21 (z-axis direction in FIG. 3 or 4). Furthermore, when carbonated water production device 11 is used to receive a supply of carbonated water, water filling box 27 is arranged in the vertical center portion of front door 21 (z-axis direction in FIG. 4) so ​​that it is easy to place a pressure-resistant bottle in water filling box 27 and remove it from water filling box 27.

[0054] On the other hand, cooler 37, which is replaced less frequently and is heavy, is disposed at the lower end of apparatus body 22. Note that, since intake air duct 38 has an intake air filter installed in intake air duct 38 that needs to be replaced, it is preferable to dispose it in the center of apparatus body 22 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 4), but in order to maintain the cooling performance of intake air cooler 37, it is provided in front of cooler 37.

[0055] Meanwhile, in the RO water production apparatus 12, a reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 is disposed approximately in the center of the device main body 52 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 4), and a sediment filter 61 and a carbon filter 62 are disposed near the lower end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64. Furthermore, a pump unit 63 is disposed below the sediment filter 61 and the carbon filter 62. An electrical box 65 is disposed in the upper space of the device main body 52. ​​Furthermore, a water injection box 55 is disposed in the front door 51 approximately in the center of the front door 51 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction in FIG. 4).

[0056] That is, among the components constituting the RO water production apparatus 12, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64, the sediment filter 61, and the carbon filter 62, which are replaced frequently, are arranged in the vertical center of the device body 52. ​​In addition, the pump unit 63, which is replaced less frequently and is heavy, is arranged at the lower end of the device body 52.

[0057] In addition, when receiving a supply of RO water using the RO water generating device 12, the water filling box 55 is positioned in the center of the front door 51 in the vertical direction of the front door 51 (z-axis direction in Figure 4) so ​​that it is easy to place the bottle in the water filling box 55 and remove it from the water filling box 55.

[0058] Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. As described above, the front door 21 of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 rotates from a closed position to an open position around one of both ends in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 3) of the apparatus main body 22, which is the end opposite the end closest to the attached RO water production apparatus 12. Furthermore, the front door 51 of the RO water production apparatus 12 rotates from a closed position to an open position around one of both ends in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 2) of the apparatus main body 52, which is the end opposite the end closest to the attached carbonated water production apparatus 11.

[0059] For example, when replacing the sterilizing filter 33 or the air filter held in the intake duct 38 in the carbonated water production device 11, the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is rotated from the closed position to the open position.

[0060] For example, when the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is rotated while the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is in the closed position, the rotation center of the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is located at one of the two ends in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1 ) of the carbonated water production device 11, on the side opposite the end closest to the RO water production device 12. Therefore, the front door 21 is rotated from the closed position to the open position without coming into contact with the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12.

[0061] Furthermore, when the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is rotated while the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is in the open position, the rotation center of the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is located at the end opposite the end closest to the carbonated water production device 11, among the two ends in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 1 ) of the RO water production device 12. Therefore, even if the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is rotated while the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is in the open position, the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is not present on the rotation trajectory of the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11, and therefore the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is rotated from the closed position to the open position without coming into contact with the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12.

[0062] After the front door 21 has been rotated to the open position, if the sterilizing filter 33 or the air filter held in the intake duct 38 is replaced, the front door 21 is rotated from the open position to the closed position. As described above, the front door 51 of the RO water production apparatus 12 is not present on the rotation trajectory of the front door 21, so the front door 21 of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 is rotated from the open position to the closed position without coming into contact with the front door 51 of the RO water production apparatus 12.

[0063] Furthermore, when replacing the sediment filter 61, the carbon filter 62, or the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 in the RO water production apparatus 12, the front door 51 of the RO water production apparatus 12 is rotated from the closed position to the open position.

[0064] As described above, the rotation center of the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is located at one of the two end portions in the width direction (x-axis direction in Figure 1) of the RO water production device 12, opposite the end portion closest to the carbonated water production device 11. In addition, the rotation center of the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is located at one of the two end portions in the width direction (x-axis direction in Figure 1) of the carbonated water production device 11, opposite the end portion closest to the RO water production device 12. Therefore, when the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is rotated from the closed position to the open position, the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is rotated to the closed position without abutting against the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11.

[0065] After the front door 51 has been rotated to the open position, if the sediment filter 61, the carbon filter 62, or the reverse osmosis membrane filter 64 is replaced, the front door 51 is rotated from the open position to the closed position. As described above, the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is not present on the rotation trajectory of the front door 51, so the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 is rotated from the open position to the closed position without coming into contact with the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11.

[0066] Furthermore, when replacing the electrical box 39 of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 or the electrical box 65 of the RO water production apparatus 12, or when replacing the piping or control valves of each apparatus, the front door 21 of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water production apparatus 12 are each rotated from the closed position to the open position. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, each of the front doors 21, 51 opens like a double door.

[0067] In this state, the electrical box 39 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the electrical box 65 of the RO water production device 12 are replaced, and the piping, control valves, etc. of each device are replaced. After these replacements are made, an operation check of each device is performed. When either the electrical box 39, 65 is replaced, the operation check of each device includes checking whether signals are being sent and received properly between the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12, as well as checking whether operation within each device is being performed properly. During the operation check, the worker also checks the operation panel 25 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the operation panel 60 of the RO water production device 12. For example, the operation panel 25 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the operation panel 60 of the RO water production device 12 are positioned at approximately the same height. Therefore, the operator will check the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water generation device 12 when they are closed, but since the operation panels 25, 60 of each device are at the same height, it is possible to check the display on the operation panels 25, 60 of each device without changing eye level.

[0068] In addition, when conducting a test to supply RO water from the RO water generation device 12 to the carbonated water production device 11, it is possible to confirm whether the RO water is being supplied from the RO water generation device 12 to the carbonated water production device 11 at the appropriate time, or, if necessary, whether the amount of RO water being supplied is appropriate.

[0069] In addition, when checking the transmission and reception of signals between the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water generation device 12, one can close either the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 or the front door 51 of the RO water generation device 12, and operate the display panel on the closed front door to check whether signals are being transmitted and received correctly from the device with the operated operation panel to the other device.

[0070] In this way, by arranging the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12 side by side, it becomes easier to perform maintenance work across the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12, and the efficiency of maintenance work can be improved.

[0071] In the water supply system 10 shown in the embodiment described above, as shown in Fig. 1, the RO water production device 12 is arranged on the left side of the carbonated water production device 11, but the arrangement of the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12 is not limited to this. Although not shown in the figures, it is also possible to arrange the RO water production device 12 on the right side of the carbonated water production device 11. In this case, the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 must be pivotally supported at the required positions so that the front doors 21, 51 of each device open like a double door when rotated to their respective open positions.

[0072] 6, the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12 can also be arranged with the back of the carbonated water production device 11 facing the back of the RO water production device 12, that is, back-to-back. As explained using FIG. 4, on the back of the device body 22 of the carbonated water production device 11, the water supply unit 42 is provided at the upper end of the device body 22, at the left end in the width direction of the device body 22 (x-axis direction in FIG. 4). Furthermore, the drain outlet 43 is provided at the lower end of the device body 22, at the left end in the width direction of the device body 22 (x-axis direction in FIG. 4).

[0073] On the other hand, on the back surface of the RO water production device 12, the water supply unit 69 is provided at the upper end of the device body 52, at the right end in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 4) of the device body 52. ​​The drain outlet 70 is provided at the lower end of the device body 52, at the right end in the width direction (x-axis direction in FIG. 4) of the device body 52.

[0074] In other words, when the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12 are placed back to back, the water supply unit 42 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the water delivery unit 69 of the RO water production device 12 are positioned close to each other. Also, the drain outlet 43 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the water delivery unit 69 of the RO water production device 12 are positioned close to each other. As a result, the lengths of the water supply pipes 72 connected to the water supply unit 42 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the water delivery unit 69 of the RO water production device 12 can be shortened. At the same time, the lengths of the drain hose 46 connected to the drain outlet 43 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the drain hose 73 connected to the drain outlet 70 of the RO water production device 12 can be shortened. Furthermore, by merging the drain hose 46 connected to the drain outlet 43 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the drain hose 73 connected to the drain outlet 70 of the RO water generation device 12 into a single drain hose at the downstream end of each hose, the freedom of handling of the drainage paths of these devices is improved at the installation locations of these devices, and maintenance work on the drainage paths can also be easily performed.

[0075] For example, when the carbonated water production apparatus 11 and the RO water production apparatus 12 are arranged back to back, the rotation center of the front door 21 of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 is the right end in FIG. 6 in the width direction of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 (x-axis direction in FIG. 6), and the rotation center of the front door 51 of the RO water production apparatus 12 is the right end in FIG. 6 in the width direction of the RO water production apparatus 12. In other words, the rotation centers of the front door 21 of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 and the front door 52 of the RO water production apparatus 12, which are arranged back to back, are located on the end side close to the storage box 13 arranged adjacent to the carbonated water production apparatus 11. In this case, when the front door 21 of the carbonated water production apparatus 11 or the front door 51 of the RO water production apparatus 12 is opened, the front doors 21, 51 are located on the storage box 13 side. As a result, when a worker who has worked on carbonated water production device 11 comes to work on RO water production device 12, he or she does not need to go around the outside of storage box 13, but can simply go around the back side of carbonated water production device 11 and RO water production device 12 in Figure 6, taking the shortest route. This also improves work efficiency.

[0076] In the embodiment described above, the RO water generator 12 is disposed to the left of the carbonated water generator 11. In this state, the distance between the user using the carbonated water generator and the user using the RO water generator becomes short, which may make it difficult for the users to use each device. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 , a partition plate 75 that separates the area in front of the carbonated water generator 11 from the area in front of the RO water generator 12 can be provided on either the carbonated water generator 11 or the RO water generator 12 so that multiple users can use the carbonated water generator 11 and the RO water generator 12 simultaneously. Preferably, the partition plate 75 protrudes forward from these devices and can be switched between a usage state in which it is positioned between the user using the carbonated water generator 11 and the user using the RO water generator 12, and a storage state (not shown) in which it is stored between the carbonated water generator 11 or the RO water generator 12. When the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 are rotated to the open position, the partition plate 75 is held in the stored state. The material of the partition plate 75 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the partition plate 75 is made of an opaque or translucent synthetic resin plate, for example.

[0077] Furthermore, the water supply system 10 in the embodiment described above is configured to have one carbonated water production device 11 and one RO water generation device 12, but it is sufficient that one RO water generation device 12 is installed next to the left or right side of the carbonated water production device 11, so the water supply system may also include two or more RO water generation devices.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, no particular mention is made of the shape of the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 or the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12, but these front doors 21, 51 may be single doors, or may be so-called folding doors in which the central portion in the width direction of the front door bends when the front door is opened.

[0079] Furthermore, the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 is designed to rotate between an open position and a closed position around one end in the width direction of the carbonated water production device 11 (e.g., the x-axis direction in FIG. 1) as the rotation center. However, for example, a door whose rotation center is in the width direction of the carbonated water production device 11 (e.g., the x-axis direction in FIG. 1) may be pivotally supported at one end in the up-down direction of the carbonated water production device 11 (e.g., the z-axis direction in FIG. 1) to serve as the front door. In this case, a door whose rotation center is in the width direction of the carbonated water production device 11 (e.g., the x-axis direction in FIG. 1) may be pivotally supported at both ends in the up-down direction of the carbonated water production device 11 (e.g., the z-axis direction in FIG. 1), or the folding door described above may be pivotally supported. The same applies to the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 as well as the carbonated water production device 11.

[0080] <Summary of the embodiment> In response to the recent trend toward health consciousness, there is a growing demand for carbonated water and purified water. Carbonated water is used for various purposes, such as beauty, cooking, and dieting. For example, home carbonated water makers are being sold to allow people to easily generate carbonated water at home, and commercial carbonated water makers are being provided to large grocery stores.

[0081] Purified water (permeate) is obtained by filtering raw water, such as tap water, through a reverse osmosis membrane to remove impurities from the raw water, and can be provided by purified water generators installed in large food stores such as supermarkets (see Patent Document 1). Commercial carbonated water makers and purified water generators are installed, for example, near the entrances and exits of grocery stores or cash registers, with the aim of providing carbonated water or purified water in conjunction with food purchases. These commercial carbonated water makers and purified water generators sell purified water and carbonated water, respectively, but it is also possible to produce carbonated water by supplying purified water produced in a purified water supply device to a carbonated water maker.

[0082] However, when purified water produced in a purified water supply device is supplied to a carbonated water production device and carbonated water is produced inside the carbonated water production device, a configuration is required for supplying purified water from the purified water supply device to the carbonated water production device and a configuration for communication between the devices. Therefore, maintenance work on each device and maintenance work across these devices are required. Furthermore, for hygienic reasons, the purified water supply device and the carbonated water production device are cleaned every certain period of time. The water generated during cleaning (hereinafter referred to as cleaning water) is discharged into a drainage path installed in a grocery store or the like. This requires the routing of drainage pipes between the purified water supply device and the carbonated water production device and the drainage path, as well as maintenance work on the drainage pipes. Therefore, when building a system including a purified water supply device and a carbonated water production device, it is necessary to make the overall system configuration compact and to perform maintenance work on the entire system efficiently.

[0083] The present invention was made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a technology that makes the overall system configuration compact when a system including a purified water supply device and a carbonated water production device is constructed, and that allows maintenance work to be performed efficiently on the entire system.

[0084] The water supply system of this embodiment has an RO water production device 12 that filters raw water to produce RO water, and a carbonated water production device 11 that stirs and mixes carbon dioxide gas with the RO water to produce carbonated water, and is characterized in that the RO water production device 12 and the carbonated water production device 11 are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0085] According to this, by arranging the RO water production device 12 and the carbonated water production device 11 adjacent to each other, it becomes possible to efficiently carry out maintenance work across these devices.

[0086] In addition, the RO water generation device 12 and the carbonated water production device 11 each have doors 21, 51 that rotate around the vertical direction as the rotation center, and the RO water generation device 12 and the carbonated water production device 11 are arranged side by side with the directions in which the faces on which the doors 21, 51 of each device face are the same, and the rotation center of the doors 51, 21 of one device 12, 11 is positioned away from the other device 11, 12.

[0087] According to this, when performing maintenance work on both the RO water production device 12 and the carbonated water production device 11, opening the front doors 21, 51 of each device will open the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 like a double door, if the carbonated water production device 11 and the RO water production device 12 are considered to be an integrated device, making it easier to access the interior of the carbonated water production device 11 or the interior of the RO water production device 12. As a result, for example, the efficiency of maintenance work can be further improved. Also, by rotating the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11 and the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 to the open position and opening them like a double door, the effort of opening and closing the front doors of each device for each work can be eliminated, thereby improving the efficiency of work.

[0088] The RO water production device 12 and the carbonated water production device 11 are arranged back to back.

[0089] This allows the RO water supply path from the RO water production device 12 to the carbonated water production device 11 and the drainage path for the carbonated water and RO water discharged from the RO water production device 12 and the carbonated water production device 11 to be short.

[0090] It also has a partition plate 75 that separates the area in front of the front door 51 of the RO water production device 12 from the area in front of the front door 21 of the carbonated water production device 11.

[0091] As a result, the partition board 75 separates the area in front of the carbonated water maker 11 from the area in front of the RO water generator 12, so a user standing in front of one device cannot see the operation panel of the other device. Also, when a user stands in front of each device, the partition board separates the areas in front of each device, so they do not need to worry about users using adjacent devices. This allows users to use the desired device, either the carbonated water maker 11 or the RO water generator 12, with peace of mind.

[0092] In addition, a gas cylinder 14 for supplying carbon dioxide gas to the carbonated water production device 11 is disposed adjacent to the carbonated water production device 11.

[0093] This allows the carbonated water production device 11, the RO water production device 12, and the gas cylinder 14 to be arranged together in one place. Therefore, the air supply pipe between the carbonated water production device 11 and the gas cylinder 14 can be shortened. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10...Water supply system 11... Carbonated water maker 12...RO water generator 14...Gas cylinder 21,51...Front door 75...Partition board

Claims

1. a permeate generating device that filters raw water to generate permeate; a carbonated water producing device for producing carbonated water by stirring and mixing carbon dioxide gas with the permeated water; and The permeate generating device and the carbonated water producing device are arranged adjacent to each other. A water supply system characterized by:

2. The water supply system according to claim 1, The permeated water production device and the carbonated water production device each have a door that rotates around a vertical direction, The permeated water production device and the carbonated water production device are arranged side by side with the doors of each device facing in the same direction and with the center of rotation of the door of one device positioned away from the other device. A water supply system characterized by:

3. The water supply system according to claim 1, A water supply system characterized in that the permeate generation device and the carbonated water production device are arranged back to back.

4. 3. The water supply system according to claim 2, A water supply system characterized by having a partition plate that separates an area in front of the door of the permeate generation device from an area in front of the door of the carbonated water production device.

5. The water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A water supply system characterized in that a gas cylinder for supplying carbon dioxide gas to the carbonated water production device is arranged adjacent to the carbonated water production device.

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