Abstract:
The present invention relates to a carbonator device for use in refrigeration appliances and beverage distributors having a reservoir that has a tank portion and a lid portion and a plurality of connections for technical components provided on the lid portion. The reservoir is supplied with water and carbon dioxide and the technical components allow for a variety of water dispensing options.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a carbonator device for use in refrigeration appliances or beverage distributors. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carbonator device having a reservoir adapted to contain water and which may be supplied with water and pressurised carbon dioxide. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Carbonator units are currently available on the market, but typically require a series of external components to function. These components usually include a water pump, electrovalves, level sensors, and various other components. Additionally, the units require many fittings for water connections, have a long assembly time due to the construction complexity, and as a result are very expensive. A further drawback is that carbonator devices are usually installed in combination with a still water reservoir, which means two tanks are required—one for the still water and one for the carbonated water. In some cases there is only one reservoir, but this configuration still requires a large number of external components to operate the unit. As a result, carbonator units typically require a large amount of space due to the external components or multiple tanks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a carbonator device for use in refrigeration appliances and beverage distributors. 
     One embodiment of the invention is a carbonator device having a reservoir that has a tank portion and a lid portion and a plurality of connections for technical components provided on the lid portion. The reservoir is supplied with water and carbon dioxide and the technical components allow for a variety of water dispensing options. 
     The tank portion and lid portion may be made of a polymeric material. The lid portion may be welded to the tank portion. 
     The technical components may include removable electrovalves and a pump for distributing water in the reservoir. 
     The lid may be connected to a water supply line. The water supply line may deliver water to a first electrovalve that is configured to deliver sill water at ambient temperature. The water supply line may deliver water to a heat exchanger provided in the reservoir for delivering cold, still water. The carbonator device may include a second and third electrovalve, provided in series with the first and second electrovalve. The first, second, and third electrovalves may be integrated as a single block. The second electrovalve may be configured to deliver cold, still water and the third electrovalve may be configured to deliver cold, carbonated water. 
     The carbonator device may also include at least one level sensor projecting into the reservoir and operably connected to a control unit. The control unit may be configured to activate the pump to refill the reservoir with water according to measurements from the level sensor. 
     The carbonator device may include a safety pressure valve for releasing extra pressure from the reservoir to the external air. 
     The carbonator device may further include an evaporator coil around the reservoir. There may also be a thermal insulation layer around the reservoir. 
     The carbonator device may include a temperature sensor provided within the reservoir. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer from the following detailed description, with reference to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a carbonator device according to an embodiment of the invention, and 
         FIG. 2  is a cross section along line II-II of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a carbonator device according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. The carbonator device may include a reservoir  10  having a lower tank  12  and an upper lid  14 . The upper lid may be secured to the tank by ultrasonic welding or other fixation methods. The reservoir may be constructed of plastic or various other materials. The lower tank is substantially free of any external connections. Instead, the external connections are provided on the lid  14 . In the embodiment shown, the lid has three electrovalve connections  16 ,  18  and  20  for interfacing with respective electrovalves. The electrovalve connections can be integrated in a single block or can be molded separately on the lid  14 . Three exemplary electrovalve connections are shown, but other numbers are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Additionally, the carbonator device may have a plurality of other connections. For example, the lid  14  may have a connection  25  for a liquid pump, an inlet  24  for a heat exchanger, a connection  30   a  for a temperature sensor, a connection  36  for a carbon dioxide input, and a connection  34  for a pressure valve. Each of these subsystems will be described in more detail in the following paragraphs. It can be readily understood that additional connections may be provided and any number of the above mentioned devices could be provided without altering the function of the invention. 
     The carbonator device may be connected to a water tap line  38 , which may distribute water via three different branches  38   a ,  38   b , and  38   c . A water filter may be provided between the water tap line  38  and the inlet to the carbonator device to filter the incoming water. Branch  38   a  of the water inlet  38  is connected to an inlet  16   a  of the first electrovalve connection  16 . The second branch  38   b  is connected to an inlet  22  of the pump, which is connected to the lid  14  via its connection  25 . The pump may be a gear pump or any other kind of volumetric pump, for instance a membrane pump or other types. The third branch  38   c  is connected to an inlet  24  for a heat exchanger  26 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the heat exchanger  26  may be immersed in water in the reservoir  10  and its output may be connected to the second electrovalve connection. The electrovalve connections may have a water outlet  40  connected to a dispenser area from which the user can fill a glass or other container. 
     The lid  14  may also have a temperature sensor  30  immersed in the water in the reservoir  10 . The temperature sensor  30  is electrically linked via connection  30   a  with a control unit of the carbonator device. Furthermore, the lid may contain a level sensing system having at least one sensing element. In the embodiment shown, two sensing elements  32   a  and  32   b  are provided for determining the amount of water in the reservoir  10 . The number of sensing elements can be changed depending on the level of accuracy desired. The lid  14  may also have a safety pressure valve installed in an aperture  34  for releasing excess pressure, and a carbon dioxide input  36  for introducing carbon dioxide. Double check valves can also be used for the safety valve. Each of the external components can be easily installed and removed from the provided connections. 
     In operation, when the electrovalve associated with the first connection  16  is open and the other two electrovalves are closed, the water outlet  40  is configured to deliver still water at ambient temperature. As shown in  FIG. 2 , still water travels from the water tap line  38  to the first branch  38   a , and then through the electrovalve at connection  16  and finally to the water outlet  40 . Thus, still water at ambient temperature is dispensed. When only the electrovalve associated with the second connection  18  is open, the carbonator device delivers cold, still water. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the water is refrigerated by its passage through the tube heat exchanger  26 . Still cold water is dispensed by following the path from the water tap line  38  to the third branch  38   c , then to inlet  24  and through the heat exchanger  26 , through the electrovalve at connection  18  and finally to the water outlet  40 . When only the electrovalve associated with the third electrovalve connection  20  is open, the device delivers cold carbonated water. To produce carbonated water, the pump increases the pressure of the water from the incoming line  38  until it reaches the pressure within the reservoir  10 . For example, when the reservoir  10  is first installed, it is empty and may be connected to a carbon dioxide line  36  and to a water line  38  by a water connection  22 . Level sensors  32   a  and  32   b  are provided in the reservoir  10  to detect if the reservoir  10  needs to be refilled. If it does, the pump is activated. When the correct water level is reached, the pump stops and pressurized water is contained in the reservoir  10 . Thus, carbonated water is ready to be dispensed through line  40 . Therefore, depending on which button the user is selecting, the carbonator device is able to deliver cold carbonated, cold still, and still ambient water. 
     Another embodiment of the invention includes an evaporator coil wrapped around the exterior of the reservoir  10  in order to cool down the reservoir  10  during operation. Additionally, a thermal insulation layer may be provided around the coil. Alternatively, the reservoir  10  can be placed in a cavity of a refrigerator, in which case the insulation layer is not required. 
     In case of any over pressure of water or carbon dioxide, a safety valve may be mounted on the aperture  34  to release the extra pressure to the ambient air. 
     The construction according to the present invention can integrate many components together in a small space. Other advantages include a reduced assembly and unit cost, an easily replaceable unit, fewer connections, and a smaller size compared to a traditional carbonator device. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to the above described embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.