Discharge pump and liquid dispenser

A flexible container (80) includes a reservoir part (82) that reserves a liquid and a discharge passage part (81) that communicates with the reservoir part (82) to take out the liquid. A discharge pump includes a plurality of roller parts (50) that press the discharge passage part (81) and an endless transfer mechanism unit (60) that has the plurality of roller parts (50) attached at a predetermined interval and causes the roller parts (50) to go around. The endless transfer mechanism unit (60) has an arrangement including a straight-line portion in which the roller parts (50) linearly move, in a path of the go-around movement. An attachment interval of the plurality of roller parts (50) is set to such an interval that before a certain roller part (50) going around reaches a position where the certain roller part (50) does not press the discharge passage part (81), a subsequent roller part (50) is able to reach a position where the subsequent roller part (50) presses the discharge passage part (81). Each of the roller parts (50) linearly moves sequentially in a discharge direction of the liquid with respect to the discharge passage part (81) while pressing the discharge passage part (81).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a discharge pump that discharges a predetermined amount of liquid from a flexible container containing a liquid into another container, and the like.

BACKGROUND ART

As a conventional beverage supply device of a cup dispenser type, which provides a liquid beverage such as coffee or juice by pouring the liquid beverage into a container such as a paper cup, it is common to adopt a so-called bag-in-box (BIB) system. In the BIB system, a raw material liquid (concentrated liquid) of a beverage is filled and sealed in a bag-shaped container (bag) formed of a deformable material such as a soft synthetic resin. This container is stored in a paper-made box such as a cardboard box to make it possible to handle the container together with the box. The raw material liquid is supplied by a proper amount from the container in the box attached to a supply device. When all of the raw material liquid is taken out from the container, the container is exchanged together with the box.

In such a beverage supply device, when a raw material liquid containing water and nutrients comes in contact with a component itself of the device, there is a possibility that germs or the like may propagate and it may reach a state of being unsanitary. Therefore, in many cases, a sterile container with a thin tube making elastic deformation as a passage for taking out a liquid is used and a tube pump capable of pumping the liquid in the tube in a non-contact manner with the outside air is adopted.

In this case, the conventional beverage supply device has a plurality of tube pumps installed, for each type of containers filled with raw material liquids, below a storage space that stores a box containing the containers. Under these tube pumps, drinking containers such as paper cups are placed. Then, the box containing the containers is stored in the storage space of the beverage supply device, and tubes integrally provided in the containers are respectively drawn out from the bottom of the box and attached to the respective tube pumps, and each tip of the tubes is put into a state of being positioned above the drinking containers.

In use, the beverage supply device operates, when receiving a command to supply a designated beverage by a user's operation, a corresponding tube pump to discharge a proper amount of raw material liquid through the tube to a drinking container positioned therebelow. At the same time, such a mechanism is made that a proper amount of water, carbonated water or the like for diluting the raw material liquid is separately supplied and discharged into the drinking container to provide a beverage diluted at a predetermined ratio.

In particular, with regard to a configuration for discharging a liquid, Patent Literature 1 discloses an example of a technique for discharging a liquid in a tube using a caterpillar pump. The technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is such that: a plurality of rotation rollers 8 are mounted on an endless transfer member 12 to be moved around on an orbit including a linear portion, causing the rotation rollers 8 to move linearly while pressing the side of a discharge tube 3; an openable and closeable guide 17 for holding the discharge tube 3 with the rotation rollers 8 is provided on one side opposed to the rotation rollers 8 to make the rotation rollers 8 press the discharge tube 3; the rotation rollers 8 are made to run approximately in parallel to the guide 17 in a state where the discharge tube 3 is pressed, by a guide part 19 provided opposed to the linear orbit portion of the transfer member 12; and holding recesses are formed in the rotation rollers 8 to restrict the movement of the discharge tube 3 in an axial direction of the rotation roller 8.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-330092

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, it is necessary to connect and dispose a tube made of an elastic material of another material in order to withstand the pressure of the rotation rollers, which increases the manufacturing cost of the container.

Further, it is necessary to attach the tube so as not to move easily with respect to the tube pump in order to properly discharge a raw material liquid, and it is also necessary to attach and detach the tube of the container to and from the tube pump every time the container is replaced. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time to handle the tube and the container cannot be easily exchanged for each box.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problem and it is an object of the present invention to provide a discharge pump capable of reliably pressing a discharge passage part, which is an extended portion formed as a part of a flexible container, to discharge a proper amount of liquid, by pressing the discharge passage part with a roller to control a discharge amount, and a liquid dispenser therewith.

Solution to Problem

A discharge pump according to the present invention is a discharge pump for discharging a liquid from a flexible container in which the liquid is sealed, wherein the flexible container includes a reservoir part that reserves the liquid and a discharge passage part that communicates with the reservoir part to take out the liquid, the discharge pump including: a plurality of roller parts that press the discharge passage part; and an endless transfer mechanism unit that has the plurality of roller parts attached at a predetermined interval and moves the roller parts to cause the roller parts to go around, wherein the endless transfer mechanism unit has an arrangement including a straight-line portion in which the roller parts linearly move, in a path of the go-around movement, an attachment interval of the plurality of roller parts is set to such an interval that before a certain roller part going around reaches a position where the certain roller part does not press the discharge passage part, a subsequent roller part is able to reach a position where the subsequent roller part presses the discharge passage part, and each of the roller parts linearly moves sequentially in a discharge direction of the liquid with respect to the discharge passage part while pressing the discharge passage part.

As described above, according to the present invention, in order to discharge the content from the flexible container, the discharge passage part of the flexible container is pressed by the roller parts while the plurality of roller parts are linearly moved with the endless transfer mechanism unit, to put the discharge passage part expanded with an inflow of the content into a state of being sequentially squeezed by the roller parts, so that the content in the discharge passage part is advanced little by little toward an opening of a discharge passage part end in accordance with the linear movement of the roller parts and is finally sent out from the discharge passage part end, thereby making it possible to discharge the content through the discharge passage part, which results in that it is possible to discharge the content with a simple mechanism. Further, the content in the range other than that from the discharge passage part end to a position pressed by the roller part cannot go out, so that it is possible to discharge a proper amount of content by adjusting a state of movement of the roller parts. Furthermore, in a case where the discharge passage part is constantly pressed by any of the roller parts to bring side wall surfaces forming the discharge passage part into close contact with each other, an occluded state in which outside air and the content are not brought into contact with each other is obtained without another mechanism and it is possible to secure a sanitary condition of the discharge passage part.

In addition, the content can be taken out by forming a part of the flexible container as the discharge passage part, so that it is not necessary to additionally provide the flexible container with a passage part for taking out a content such as a tube made of a different material and cost reduction can be also realized for containers as much as the structure of the container can be simplified.

The discharge pump according to the present invention is, when needed, such that the flexible container is formed by sticking two sheets to each other with one side of the respective sheets extended in an elongated shape, and the discharge passage part is comprised of the elongated extended part.

As described above, according to the present invention, the flexible container is formed by sticking two sheets to each other with one side of the respective sheets extended in an elongated shape, and the discharge passage part is comprised of the elongated extended part, so that there is no such an incident that it cannot withstand a pressing force and is damaged when pressed by rotation rollers as in the case of the discharge tube, resulting in that it is possible to stably supply a liquid.

Further, the discharge pump according to the present invention, when needed, further includes: a guide part that guides the go-around movement of the roller parts; a belt part that is disposed on both sides of the guide part to be bilaterally symmetrical and to be in a state capable of circulating in the same direction as a guide direction of the guide part; and a support that is supported on a surface of the belt part such that the roller parts are perpendicular to the guide direction and go around along a surface of the guide part.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is further provided with: a guide part that guides the go-around movement of the roller parts; a belt part that is disposed on both sides of the guide part to be bilaterally symmetrical and to be in a state capable of circulating in the same direction as a guide direction of the guide part; and a support that is supported on a surface of the belt part such that the roller parts are perpendicular to the guide direction and go around along a surface of the guide part, so that the roller parts are disposed on the surface side of the belt part by the support and go around along the surface of the guide part, resulting in that it is possible to increase a dimension of each roller part and a degree of freedom in layout.

Further, a liquid dispenser according to the present invention is a liquid dispenser that discharges a liquid from a flexible container in which the liquid is sealed, by the discharge pump, including a pressure receiving part that is disposed on an opposite side of the flexible container from the discharge pump.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a pressure receiving part that is disposed on an opposite side of the flexible container from the discharge pump, so that it is possible to press the flexible container with a sufficient pressing force to discharge a liquid in the discharge passage part. Further, it is possible to constantly press the discharge passage part against the pressure receiving part by any of the roller parts, so that, by bringing side wall surfaces of the discharge passage part into close contact with each other, an occluded state in which outside air and the content are not brought into contact with each other is obtained and it is possible to secure a sanitary condition of the discharge passage part.

Further, the liquid dispenser according to the present invention, when needed, further includes a container storage part that stores the flexible container, the container storage part being stored in the liquid dispenser, wherein the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump are provided below the container storage part, and a total dimension of the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump in a pressing direction is smaller than a width of the container storage part.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is further provided with a container storage part that stores the flexible container, the container storage part is stored in the liquid dispenser, the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump are provided below the container storage part, and a total dimension of the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump in a pressing direction is smaller than a width of the container storage part, so that in a case where a plurality of container storage parts are stored side by side in a storage shelf, it is possible to store the plurality of container storage parts in the storage shelf side by side without difficulty by arranging the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump so as not to contact with those of another container storage part adjacent to each other.

Further, the liquid dispenser according to the present invention, when needed, further includes a connection mechanism that connects the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is further provided with a connection mechanism that connects the pressure receiving part and the discharge pump, so that it is possible to properly press by the roller parts the flexible container held between the pressure receiving part and the roller parts.

Further, the liquid dispenser according to the present invention, when needed, further includes an elastic body that has an elastic force opposite to a pressing force in the pressing direction on a rear surface side of the pressure receiving part.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is further provided with an elastic body that has an elastic force opposite to a pressing force in the pressing direction on a rear surface side of the pressure receiving part, so that it is possible to make the pressing force of the roller parts uniform by the elastic force of the elastic body even in a case where the roller parts do not equally press the pressure receiving part and a bias has occurred therein.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment of the Present Invention

Hereinafter, a discharge device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 16. In the present embodiment, an example of a discharge device which is used to provide a plurality of types of beverages by storing a plurality of flexible containers each filled with and sealing a drinking raw material liquid as a content of the flexible container will be described.

In the respective figures, a discharge device1according to the present embodiment is configured to include: an extrusion mechanism unit10that holds a flexible container80from the side and presses the flexible container80; a support frame20that supports the flexible container80in a state capable of being pressed by the extrusion mechanism unit10; a storage shelf30that allows the support frame20in a state of supporting the flexible container80to be taken in and out in a predetermined direction; a pressure receiving part40that has a flat part extending along a discharge passage part81provided at the end of the flexible container80held by the extrusion mechanism unit10; a plurality of roller parts50that are disposed on an opposite side of the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80from the pressure receiving part40and press the discharge passage part81from the side to push the discharge passage part81against the pressure receiving part40; and an endless transfer mechanism unit60that has the plurality of roller parts50attached at a predetermined interval and causes the roller parts50to go around on a predetermined path.

Note that the flexible container80handled by the discharge device1according to the present embodiment is a deformable container that has a bag wall formed of a flexible sheet body and is filled with a content having the property of fluidity. In particular, the flexible container80is formed with a reservoir part82that constantly reserves the content and a discharge passage part81for taking out the content that communicates with the reservoir part82, and comprises a part in which an elongated gap is formed between two overlapping bag walls at the end of the flexible container.

The extrusion mechanism unit10holds the flexible container80filled with the content having the property of fluidity from the side and presses the flexible container80to apply a pressure to the content in the flexible container80to move toward the discharge passage part81.

Particularly, the extrusion mechanism unit10is configured to include: a pair of pressing parts11,12that are arranged on opposite sides of the flexible container80and are disposed capably of approaching and separating from the flexible container80; and a drive mechanism unit13that moves these pressing parts11,12in a direction to approach the flexible container80.

The pressing parts11,12are substantially plate-like bodies formed to have a size that can press almost the whole of the flexible container80. Of these, one pressing part11is provided with an openable and closable door part11afor taking in and out of the flexible container80with respect to the support frame20.

The support frame20is formed as a rectangular (or square) frame-shaped body formed by combining each frame side in a direction perpendicular to a pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12of the extrusion mechanism unit10. The support frame20is also configured to have the extrusion mechanism unit10, the pressure receiving part40, and the endless transfer mechanism unit60integrally attached thereto and to support the flexible container80as a state capable of being pressed by the pressing parts11,12of the extrusion mechanism unit10.

The support frame20has a frame-shaped structure so as to surround the pressing parts11,12and the flexible container80by each frame side in a direction perpendicular to a pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12and to make a dimension in the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12larger than a dimension in a direction parallel to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12.

The support of the flexible container80by the support frame20is not limited to supporting the flexible container80only by placing the flexible container80on a lower side of the support frame20but may also be possible to suspend and support the flexible container80by hanging an upper part of the flexible container80over a predetermined part of an upper side of the support frame20.

In contrast to the support frame20, the flexible container80is formed as such a bag shape that allows the flexible container80to make a dimension in the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12larger than a dimension in a direction parallel to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12and to be entirely fitted inside the support frame20, except for the discharge passage part81, even when the flexible container80is fully filled with the content, in a state where the flexible container80is supported by the support frame20.

The discharge passage part81of the flexible container80has an arrangement so as to be drawn out to below the support frame20through a through hole provided in the lower side of the support frame20in a state where the flexible container80is supported by the support frame20.

The storage shelf30is formed into a substantially box shape and is configured such that the support frame20with the flexible container being supported thereby can be taken in and out in a predetermined direction together with the extrusion mechanism unit10, the pressure receiving part40, and the endless transfer mechanism unit60and can be stored capably of taking out the content to the outside from the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80.

The storage shelf30is enabled to store a plurality of the support frames20in a state where the support frames20are taken in and out in the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,20of the extrusion mechanism unit10and are arranged in the direction parallel to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,20at a predetermined arrangement pitch.

The storage shelf30is configured to include a plurality of rail parts31that are disposed so as to be extensible in a direction to take the support frame20in and out and that can support the support frame20that is pulled out from the storage shelf30with the plurality of rail parts31respectively engaged with a plurality of upper and lower parts of the support frame20.

Further, there is provided a mechanism in which the drive mechanism unit13of the extrusion mechanism unit10generates a driving force for moving the pressing parts11,12when the support frame20is put into a storing section of the storage shelf30.

Particularly, the drive mechanism unit13is configured to include: a movable piece13athat is movably attached to the support frame20and moves relative to the support frame20by being pushed relatively from the storage shelf30side when the support frame20is pushed into the storing section of the storage shelf30; a spring13bthat is attached to the movable piece13aat one end of the spring13band generates a biasing force in a direction to bring the other end of the spring13bclose to the one end of the spring13bas the movable piece13amoves relative to the support frame20together with the one end of the spring13b;and a transmission mechanism part13cthat is comprised of a combination of a rack and a pinion and that is supported by the support frame20in a movable state and is attached to the other end of the spring13b,adapted to transmit the biasing force of the spring13bto the pressing parts11,12while being displaced by the biasing force from the spring13bto move the pressing parts11,12.

The pressure receiving part40is formed of a member attached to a lower part of the support frame20in a protruding state and is configured to have, at an end of the member, a flat part of a predetermined size parallel to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12. This flat part is arranged just along the discharge passage part81at the end in the flexible container80that is in a state of being held by the pair of pressing parts11,12of the extrusion mechanism unit10.

In the present embodiment, the endless transfer mechanism unit60is attached below the support frame20by a connection mechanism through the pressure receiving part40. This endless transfer mechanism unit60includes: a guide part101that is disposed from a surface of the pressure receiving part40with a gap having a size at least larger than a roller diameter of the roller part50and guides the go-around movement of the roller parts50along an inner side of the respective roller part50; a pair of endless belt62a,62bthat are disposed on both sides of the guide part101to be bilaterally symmetrical and to be in a state capable of circulating with driven by a motor61in the same direction as a guide direction of the guide part101; and roller supports102a,102bthat are disposed on the surfaces of the endless belts62a,62band support the plurality of roller parts50at a predetermined interval (seeFIGS. 10 to 12).

The roller parts50are supported by the pair of roller supports102a,102bso as to be perpendicular to the guide direction of the guide part101, that is, a circulation direction of the guide part101. The roller parts50are also supported by the roller supports102a,102bso as to slide along a surface of the guide part101in order to suppress deformation due to pressure of the roller parts50. As described above, the roller parts50go around in a state where the roller parts50are supported by the roller supports102a,102bfixed to the surfaces of the endless belts62a,62b,so that it is possible to improve a dimension of each roller part50and a degree of freedom in layout.

A drive shaft103is rotated with a motor61comprised of a motor main body61aand a gear part61bdriven, and by this rotation of the drive shaft103the endless belts62a,62b,which cover the drive shaft103, and a driven shaft104are rotated. Then, the roller parts50can slide in the guide direction of the guide part101through the roller supports102a,102bdisposed on the surfaces of the endless belts62a,62b.

The plurality of the roller parts50are disposed on an opposite side of the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80from the pressure receiving part40n,and press the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80from the side while moving around along the guide part101, to push the discharge passage part81against the pressure receiving part40until the discharge passage part81is occluded at a pressing position.

Each roller part50linearly moves sequentially in a direction moving away from the extrusion mechanism unit10while pressing the discharge passage part81, to send out the content in the discharge passage part81to the outside.

The direction in which each roller parts50presses the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80to push the discharge passage part81against the pressure receiving part40is parallel to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11,12.

The endless transfer mechanism unit60is configured to have an arrangement including, in the path of the above go-around movement, a straight-line portion in which the roller parts50linearly move in an extending direction of the discharge path part81of the flexible container80. In this endless transfer mechanism unit60, an attachment interval of the plurality of roller parts50is set to such an interval that before a certain roller part50moving around reaches a position where the certain roller part50does not press the discharge path part81, a subsequent roller part50can reach a position where the subsequent roller part50presses the discharge path part81(seeFIG. 13).

A part of the endless transfer mechanism unit60, appearing on the surface thereof, opposite to the side facing the pressure receiving part40, is provided with a cover63that covers said part to prevent a person from accidentally coming into contact with movable parts such as the endless belt62and the roller parts50.

The total dimension of the endless transfer mechanism unit60and the pressure receiving part40in the direction parallel to the pressing direction of the pressing parts11and12is less than the arrangement pitch of the support frame20in the storage shelf30.

In addition, there is a case where the endless transfer mechanism unit60is tilted with respect to the pressure receiving part40depending on a state and/or thickness of the discharge passage part81, and it is possible in some cases that the roller parts50cannot equally press the discharge passage part81when the roller parts50press the discharge passage part81. Thus, in this case, the roller parts50cannot properly press the discharge passage part81, so that there is a possibility that it is not possible to discharge a predetermined amount of liquid. In order to prevent such a problem, an elastic body having an elastic force opposite to a pressing force in a pressing direction of the roller parts50may be provided on a rear surface side of the pressure receiving part40, as shown inFIG. 14. With such a configuration, even if the discharge operation is driven in a state where the endless transfer mechanism unit60is tilted with respect to the pressure receiving part40, it is possible to make the pressing force of the roller parts50uniform by the elastic force of the elastic body105to discharge a proper amount of liquid.

Further, inFIG. 14, there is provided a pressure support106for restricting directions of the pressing force received by the pressure receiving part40and the elastic force by the elastic body105, and it is structured such that the pressure receiving part40receives the elastic force from the elastic body105through the pressure support106.

Further, in order to more reliably and stably press the discharge passage part81, the surface of the pressure receiving part40may be processed, as shown inFIGS. 15 and 16. InFIG. 15, the surface of the pressure receiving part40is processed into a recess groove shape, and it is structured such that the discharge passage part81pressed by the roller parts50is in contact and pressed at a plurality of parts on the pressure receiving part40side. With such a structure, stress concentrates on edge portions of the recess groove shape, and the discharge passage part81is pressed more firmly, so that it is possible to prevent the liquid within the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80from leaking out from the discharge passage part81when the endless transfer mechanism unit60is stopped, and it is also possible to reliably squeeze out the liquid within the discharge passage part81while the endless transfer mechanism unit60is under circulation movement. In this case, it is desirable that a groove width of the recess groove shape is less than the diameter of the roller part50and ¼ or more of the diameter of the roller part50.

Furthermore, inFIG. 16, the surface of the pressure receiving part40is processed into a wave shape in conformity with an arc of the roller part50, and it is structured such that the roller parts50press the discharge passage part81in a wide range (increasing a contact and pressure area between the roller parts50and the discharge passage part81) compared to the case where the pressure receiving part40has a smooth surface as shown inFIG. 12. With such a structure, the pressing force is strengthened or weakened according to the wave shape on the surface of the pressure receiving part40while pressing the discharge passage part81in the wide range, so that it is possible to prevent the liquid within the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80from leaking out from the discharge passage part81when the endless transfer mechanism unit60is stopped, and it is also possible to reliably squeeze out the liquid within the discharge passage part81while the endless transfer mechanism unit60is under circulation movement.

The endless transfer mechanism unit60is disposed to be tiltable with respect to the pressure receiving part40and there is provided a mechanism in which the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80can be held between the pressure receiving part40and the endless transfer mechanism unit60by tilting the endless transfer mechanism unit60with respect to the pressure receiving part40together with each roller part50and temporarily moving the endless transfer mechanism unit60to a position where the endless transfer mechanism unit60does not overlap with the flat part of the pressure receiving part40.

In a case where the endless transfer mechanism unit60is configured to be disposed tiltably toward the side to approach the storage shelf30with the support frame20pulled out from the storage shelf30when the endless transfer mechanism unit60is tilted with respect to the pressure receiving part40, a state in which the flat part of the pressure receiving part40is opened on the side closer to an operator is obtained, resulting in that it is possible to improve the efficiency of operations such as holding the discharge passage part81between the pressure receiving part40and the endless transfer mechanism unit60and, reversely, removing the discharge passage part81from such a held state.

Next, the process of storing and removing the flexible container in the discharge device according to the present embodiment, and the state in which the content is poured from the flexible container, will be described.

First, the support frame20is pulled out from the storage shelf30to a position where the door part11a of the pressing part11can be opened and closed, and subsequently the door part11ais opened to put the flexible container80in a fully filled state into the support frame20. Then, the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80is drawn out to below the support frame20through the through hole provided in the lower side of the support frame20.

After the flexible container80is put into the support frame20and the flexible container80is supported with the support frame20, the door part11ais closed to make the flexible container80in a state capable of being held and pressed by the pressing part11including this door part11aand the other pressing part12that holds the container80.

In addition, with regard to the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80drawn out to below the support frame20, the endless transfer mechanism unit60below the support frame20is tilted with respect to the pressure receiving part40and moved to the position where the endless transfer mechanism unit60does not overlap with the flat part of the pressure receiving part40, and then the discharge passage part81is disposed along the flat part of the pressure receiving part40and the endless transfer mechanism unit60is put back into its original state, thereby leaving in a state where the discharge path part81is held between the pressure receiving part40and the endless transfer mechanism unit60and the discharge path part81is pressed by any of the roller parts50to be pushed against the pressure receiving part40.

After this, the support frame20is pushed into the storing section of the storage shelf30to store the support frame20in the storage shelf30. When the support frame20is pushed into the storing section of the storage shelf30, the drive mechanism unit13of the extrusion mechanism unit10generates the driving force for moving the pressing parts11,12. Specifically, with the support frame20being pushed into the storing section of the storage shelf30, the movable piece13ais pushed relatively from the storage shelf30side to move relative to the support frame20, and one end of the spring13b,attached to the movable piece13a,also moves relative to the support frame20to extend the spring13b,so that the spring13bgenerates the biasing force in the direction to bring the other end of the spring13bclose to the one end of the spring13b.The transmission mechanism part13cto which the other end of the spring13bis attached transmits the biasing force of the spring13bto the pressing parts11,12while being displaced by the biasing force from the spring13b,to move the respective pressing parts11,12in a direction to press the flexible container80.

In this manner, the flexible container80, which is now in a state being stored in the storage shelf30together with the support frame20, is pressed by the pressing parts11,12and maintained in a state where the content is directed toward the discharge passage part81.

Although the flexible container80is pressed by the pressing parts11,12based on the biasing force from the spring13b,a reaction force against the pressing occurs relatively while the content is in the container, so that the pressing parts11,12cannot be completely displaced to their movable limit and stop halfway, resulting in a state where the pressing force continues to be applied to the flexible container80.

In a case where the content is poured out from the flexible container80and the flexible container80is replaced with a new one, the support frame20is pulled out from the storing section of the storage shelf30and the support frame20is moved to a position where the door part11acan be opened and closed. At this time, the state in which the movable piece13ais pushed relatively from the storage shelf30side is also released, so that the movable piece13amoves relative to the support frame20by the biasing force of the spring13band returns to the original position, and at the same time the transmission mechanism part13cis also displaced to the original state and the pressing parts11,12are put back into a position before the flexible container80is pressed.

In a state where the support frame20is in the position where the door part11acan be opened and closed, the endless transfer mechanism unit60below the support frame20is first tilted with respect to the pressure receiving part40and then moved to the position where the endless transfer mechanism unit60does not overlap with the flat part of the pressure receiving part40. Subsequently, the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80is separated from the flat part of the pressure receiving part40to make a state in which the discharge passage part81is removed from between the pressure receiving part40and the endless transfer mechanism unit60. Thereafter, the door part11ais opened to take out, from within the support frame20, the flexible container80after the content has been discharged, and another flexible container80in a fully filled state is newly put into the support frame20while its discharge passage part81is drawn out to below the support frame20.

After this, the same procedure as described above is repeated. The door part11ais closed, and the discharge passage part81drawn out to below the support frame20is put in the state of being held between the pressure receiving part40and the endless transfer mechanism unit60, and then the support frame20is pushed into the storing section of the storage shelf30to store the support frame20in the storage shelf30, resulting in the completion of exchange.

Subsequently, a discharge operation state of the discharge device1will be described. The flexible container80that is pressed by the pressing parts11,12of the extrusion mechanism unit10in the state where the flexible container80is stored in the storage shelf30per support frame20is in a state where the pressure to move toward the discharge passage part81is applied to the content having the property of fluidity within the flexible container80.

When a command to discharge a content of the flexible container80is issued by a user's operation, the endless transfer mechanism unit60attached to the lower part of the support frame20is operated under the control of a predetermined control unit (not shown), and the circulation movement of the endless belt62causes the plurality of roller parts50attached at the predetermined interval to move and perform the go-around movement.

On the side, facing the discharge passage part80, of the endless transfer mechanism unit60, each roller part50linearly moves sequentially in a direction moving away from the extrusion mechanism unit10while pressing the discharge passage part81to push the discharge passage part81against the flat part of the pressure receiving part40. With the movement of a part where the discharge passage part81is pressed by the roller part50, the discharge passage part81expanded with an inflow of the content is put into a state of being sequentially squeezed by the roller parts50, and the content that has flown into the discharge passage part81is advanced little by little in the discharge passage part81in accordance with the linear movement of the roller part50and is finally sent out from an open end of the discharge passage part81to the outside. In this way, the content can be discharged from the flexible container80through the discharge passage part81.

By such a state that the flexible container80is continuously held and pressed by the pressing parts11,12, the content receiving a pressure continues to flow into the discharge passage part81, so that the contents also continues to be discharged while the endless transfer mechanism unit60is operated and the roller parts50linearly move with pressing the discharge passage part81. When a proper amount of content is discharged, the operation of the endless transfer mechanism unit60is stopped by the control, and one discharge operation is completed.

In the discharge passage part81, a content within the discharge passage part81in the range from its open end to a pressing position of the roller part50closest to that open end comes out, whereas a content in the range from the pressing position of the roller part50closest to that open end to a position closer to the extrusion mechanism unit10is prevented from passing through the pressing position by close contact between the bag walls due to the pressing of the roller part50and does not go out from the discharge passage part81to the outside. Therefore, it is possible to discharge a proper amount of content by adjusting a state of movement of the roller parts50with respect to the discharge passage part81.

The endless transfer mechanism unit60can obtain an amount of movement of the endless belt62and the roller parts50by an encoder or the like and can accurately position the roller parts50, so that it is possible to move the endless transfer mechanism unit60to a proper position based on the control to discharge a set proper amount of content and it is also possible to make it difficult for the content to remain in the end of the discharge passage part81to prevent dripping.

Further, in a case where the discharge passage part81is pressed against the pressure receiving part40by the roller parts50to bring the bag walls forming the discharge passage part81into close contact with each other in the vicinity of the end of the discharge passage part81, and then, in this state, the discharge is once ended and the endless transfer mechanism unit60is stopped, an occluded state is obtained in which outside air and the content are not brought into contact with each other in the discharge path part81, so that it is possible to secure the occluded state to maintain a sanitary condition of the discharge passage part81during the time of non-discharging, without using another mechanism such as a conventional pinch mechanism.

As described above, in the discharge device according to the present embodiment, in order to discharge the content from the flexible container80, the flexible container80filled with the content is held and pressed by the extrusion mechanism unit10to keep applying to the content in the flexible container80the pressure to move toward the discharge passage part81, and also the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80is pressed by the roller parts50while the roller parts50are linearly moved with the endless transfer mechanism unit60, to put the discharge passage part81expanded with the inflow of the content into the state of being sequentially squeezed by the roller parts50, so that the content in the discharge passage part81is advanced little by little toward an opening of the end of discharge passage part81in accordance with the linear movement of the roller parts50and is finally sent out from the open end of the discharge passage part81, thereby making it possible to discharge the content through the discharge passage part81, which results in that it is possible to discharge the content with a simple mechanism. Further, the content in the range other than that from the end of the discharge passage part81to the position pressed by the roller part50cannot go out, so that it is also possible to discharge a proper amount of content by adjusting a state of movement of the roller parts50. Furthermore, in the case where the discharge passage part81is constantly pressed against the pressure receiving part40by any of the roller parts50to bring the bag walls forming the discharge passage part81into close contact with each other, the occluded state in which the outside air and the content are not brought into contact with each other is obtained without another mechanism and it is possible to secure the sanitary condition of the discharge passage part81.

In addition, the content can be taken out by forming a part of the flexible container80as the discharge passage part81, so that it is not necessary to additionally provide the flexible container80with a passage part for taking out content such as a tube made of a different material and cost reduction can be also realized for containers as much as the structure of the container can be simplified.

Second Embodiment of the Present Invention

In the discharge device according to the above embodiment, the extrusion mechanism unit10is configured to include: the pair of pressing parts11,12that are arranged by interposing the flexible container80and are disposed capably of approaching and separating from the flexible container80; and the drive mechanism unit13that moves these pressing parts11,12in the direction to approach the flexible container80, and to linearly move the pair of pressing parts11,12by the drive mechanism unit13to hold and press the flexible container80. However, not limited to this, it may be possible to configure a second embodiment in which the extrusion mechanism unit15includes: a fixed part15athat is in contact with the flexible container80in a fixed state where the fixed part15adoes not move with respect to the flexible container80; and a movable part15bthat moves with respect to the fixed part15a,and only the movable part15bis moved to press the flexible container80against the fixed part15ato hold the flexible container80, as shown inFIGS. 17 and 18.

In this case, as a specific example of the extrusion mechanism unit15, it may be configured such that the movable part15bof the extrusion mechanism unit15is hinged to the fixed part15aof the extrusion mechanism unit15and then a positional relationship between the flexible container80and the extrusion mechanism unit15is set in such way that the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80is positioned away from the hinged portions of the movable part15band the fixed part15a,resulting in that it is possible to make a distance between the fixed part15aand the movable part15bin a state of holding the flexible container80smaller as the holding portions hold a part farther from the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80, and to make the distance larger as the holding portions hold a part closer to the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80, to move a content of the flexible container80from the farther part to the closer part with respect to the discharge passage part81in the flexible container80.

As describe above, by facilitating the content to advance toward the discharge passage part81within the flexible container80when the flexible container80is pressed in the extrusion mechanism unit15, it is possible to move the content of the flexible container80toward the discharge passage part81to make the content smoothly flow into the discharge passage part81, resulting in that the content of the flexible container80can be reliably discharged through the discharge passage part81to the last and can be used without waste. Further, a state in which the content moves toward the discharge passage part81within the flexible container80can be realized by such a simple mechanism that the movable part15bis hinged to the fixed part15aand only the movable part15bis moved to press the flexible container80, resulting in that cost reduction of the device can be realized.

Providing another mechanism in which the pressure receiving part45is arranged by extending a part of the fixed part15aof the extrusion mechanism unit15along the discharge passage part81of the flexible container80in a held state, it is also possible to simplify the mechanism related to the pressing of the discharge passage part81by the roller parts50and the endless transfer mechanism unit60.

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