Beverage brewing device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a beverage brewing device, which includes an organic base (1), a first component (2) and a second component (3); and is characterized in that: a limit pin (33) is provided on the second component (3); and further includes a first piston (5), which is slidably arranged back and forth in the second cavity (31) and is limited between the bottom wall of the second cavity (31) and the limit pin (33); a piercing member (6), which is installed on the front side of the first piston (5) and has a needle piercing disc (61) at the front end; a second piston (7), which is slidably sleeved on the outer periphery of the piercing member (6) and is limited between the first piston (5) and the needle piercing disc (61); and a first elastic member (8), which acts between the first piston (5) and the second piston (7) so that the first piston (5) and the second piston (7) always tend to move away from each other. Compared with the prior art, the beverage brewing device of the present invention can reduce the amount of wastewater discharged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of beverage brewing equipment, and particularly refers to a beverage brewing device. Background Art

[0002] A coffee machine is a kind of beverage brewing equipment. The brewing system is the main component of the coffee machine. The brewing system includes a fixed part and a moving part. A puncture needle is provided on one of the fixed part and the moving part, and the puncture needle is directly fixed to this part. The moving part is driven by a driving structure and can slide relative to the fixed part. After the fixed part and the moving part are closed, a brewing chamber is formed. During brewing, a coffee capsule is located in the extraction chamber. During extraction, heated water is pumped into the extraction chamber by a water pump, the water flows through the coffee raw material to be extracted, and the coffee beverage then flows from the water outlet pipe of the coffee machine into a cup.

[0003] In the existing coffee machines, the sealing after the fixed part and the moving part are closed is achieved only through the cooperation of the two and in combination with a sealing ring. To meet the sealing requirements for some coffee capsules with higher sealing performance and pressure, the Chinese invention patent "A Beverage Brewing Device" with the patent application number CN200910153126.1 (publication number CN101669767A) applied by the applicant earlier adds a piston on the moving part. Before extraction, the piston maintains a forward movement trend under the action of a support spring, and the puncture needle on the moving part is hidden inside the piston. During extraction, under the action of the driving structure, the moving part moves forward relative to the fixed part until the capsule contacts the piston. The capsule is blocked and pushes the piston to move backward. At this time, the puncture needle on the moving part extends out of the front end face of the piston and punctures the capsule. After the moving part moves into place, then water is passed. The piston moves forward under the action of hydraulic pressure and closely adheres to the end face of the fixed part to ensure that a well-sealed extraction chamber is formed between the two.

[0004] In the above solution, to ensure that the puncture needle on the moving part effectively punctures the capsule, the puncture needle needs to have a certain length (the length of the puncture needle exposed outside the moving part is relatively long), which directly leads to a relatively long moving stroke of the piston. This will inevitably prolong the waiting time for the coffee machine to prepare coffee, with low working efficiency, and (especially) the amount of water discharged when the piston returns to its position is large, resulting in the need to clean the wastewater box after brewing only a few coffee capsules during the user's use process, and the cycle of manually pouring out the wastewater in the wastewater box is too short, affecting the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a beverage brewing device that can reduce the amount of wastewater discharged in view of the current situation of the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is as follows: A beverage brewing device includes a machine base, a first component provided at the front of the machine base, and a second component provided at the rear of the machine base. The first component and the second component can be opened and closed relative to each other. The first component has a first cavity with an open rear side for accommodating a capsule, and the second component has a second cavity with an open front side. The rear side of the second component has a water inlet communicating with the second cavity.

[0007] It is characterized in that: a limit pin extending into the second cavity is provided on the periphery of the second component;

[0008] And, it further includes

[0009] A first piston, which is slidably arranged back and forth in the second cavity, is limited between the bottom wall of the second cavity and the limit pin, and its periphery is sealingly matched with the inner peripheral wall of the second cavity, so as to form a closed hydraulic cavity between the first piston and the second component;

[0010] A piercing member, which is installed on the front side of the first piston and has a needle piercing disc at the front end, and the needle piercing disc is provided with a needle piercing forward;

[0011] A second piston, which is slidably sleeved on the outer periphery of the piercing member, is limited between the first piston and the needle piercing disc, and has a receiving groove for accommodating the needle piercing at the front part; and

[0012] A first elastic member, which acts between the first piston and the second piston, so that the first piston and the second piston always have a tendency to move away from each other;

[0013] In the initial state, when the first component and the second component are in the open state, the first piston abuts against the bottom wall of the second cavity under the elastic force of the first elastic member, the second piston abuts against the needle piercing disc under the elastic force of the first elastic member, and the needle piercing is hidden in the receiving groove of the second piston;

[0014] During the process of closing the first component and the second component, the second piston moves backward under the push of the first component against the elastic force of the first elastic member, so that the needle piercing is exposed outside the receiving groove of the second piston and pierces the capsule;

[0015] During the process of liquid entering the hydraulic cavity through the water inlet, the first piston moves forward under the hydraulic action against the elastic force of the first elastic member until it abuts against the limit pin, so that the second piston is tightly abutted against the rear of the first component under the extrusion of the first piston and closes the first cavity.

[0016] To avoid additionally setting up a hot water passage, a water inlet seat is axially arranged at the middle position of the first piston. The interior of the water inlet seat is hollow, and the rear end of the water inlet seat has a water inlet hole communicating with the inner cavity of the water inlet seat. The puncture member is connected to the front end of the water inlet seat, and the interior of the puncture member has an axially penetrating water outlet channel, and the water outlet channel communicates with the hydraulic chamber through the water inlet hole.

[0017] To avoid the hot water passage affecting the hydraulic effect, a check valve that only allows liquid to enter the water outlet channel from the hydraulic chamber is provided inside the water inlet seat. In a state where the pressure in the hydraulic chamber reaches the threshold of the check valve, the check valve opens, so that the liquid in the hydraulic chamber enters the capsule in the first concave cavity through the water outlet channel for extraction. In this way, the check valve is closed at the beginning when hot water is introduced to ensure the hydraulic effect, and until the water pressure in the hydraulic pressure reaches the threshold of the check valve, the check valve opens to supply hot water to the capsule.

[0018] To facilitate the machining of the check valve, the check valve includes

[0019] a valve seat, fixed relative to the puncture member;

[0020] a valve core, used to block the water inlet hole; and

[0021] a second elastic member, acting between the valve seat and the valve core, so that the valve core always has a tendency to block the water inlet hole.

[0022] To avoid the needle disc affecting the operation of the needles, the rear part of the second piston has a perforation communicating with the accommodation groove, and the puncture member is inserted into the perforation. In the initial state, the bottom wall inside the accommodation groove abuts against the needle disc.

[0023] To ensure the sealing fit between the second piston and the first machine part, a second sealing ring for sealingly cooperating with the periphery of the rear end of the first machine part is installed on the front end face of the second piston.

[0024] To avoid interference between the second piston and the limit pin, a relief groove for inserting the limit pin is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the second piston.

[0025] To facilitate the installation of the first elastic member, at least two mounting posts are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction at the front part of the first piston. The first elastic member is a compression spring and corresponds to the mounting posts one by one, and each compression spring is sleeved on the outer periphery of the corresponding mounting post.

[0026] To ensure the sealing fit between the first piston and the second machine part, a first sealing ring for sealingly cooperating with the inner peripheral wall of the second concave cavity is installed on the outer peripheral wall of the first piston.

[0027] To facilitate the automatic opening and closing of the first component and the second component, a driving mechanism is further included for driving the second component to move back and forth relative to the first component.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: By setting the first piston and the second piston to cooperate with each other, during the process of the first component and the second component closing, the second piston moves to expose the puncturing needle outside the accommodating groove of the second piston and puncture the capsule. During the process of liquid entering the hydraulic chamber through the water inlet, the first piston moves to squeeze the first piston so that it tightly abuts against the rear of the first component for sealing. In this way, the length of the hydraulic sealing stroke does not need to be consistent with the puncturing stroke of the puncturing needle, but can be much smaller than the puncturing stroke of the puncturing needle. In this way, the reset stroke of the first piston is greatly reduced, and the amount of wastewater discharged can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 Schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the beverage brewing device of the present invention in an initial state;

[0030] Figure 2 is Figure 1 Cross-sectional view in the horizontal direction;

[0031] Figure 3 is Figure 2 Enlarged view of the second component, the first piston, the puncturing member, the second piston, the first elastic member and the one-way valve in

[0032] Figure 4 is Figure 1 Stereoscopic exploded view of the second component, the first piston, the puncturing member, the second piston, the first elastic member and the one-way valve in

[0033] Figure 5 is Figure 1 Cross-sectional view in the horizontal direction of the beverage brewing device after the first component and the second component are closed;

[0034] Figure 6 is Figure 5 Enlarged view of the second component, the first piston, the puncturing member, the second piston, the first elastic member and the one-way valve in

[0035] Figure 7 is Figure 5 Cross-sectional view in the horizontal direction of the beverage brewing device after liquid enters the hydraulic chamber through the water inlet;

[0036] Figure 8 is Figure 7 Enlarged view of the second component, the first piston, the puncturing member, the second piston, the first elastic member and the one-way valve in DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0037] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments of the drawings.

[0038] As Figures 1 to 8 shown, it is a preferred embodiment of the beverage brewing device of the present invention. The beverage brewing device includes a machine base 1, a first component 2, a second component 3, a driving mechanism 4, a first piston 5, a puncturing component 6, a second piston 7, a first elastic component 8, a one-way valve 9 and a clamping and de-capping mechanism 10.

[0039] Among them, the first component 2 is arranged at the front part of the machine base 1, and the first component 2 has a first cavity 21 with a rear opening for accommodating a capsule.

[0040] The second component 3 is arranged at the rear part of the machine base 1 so as to be movable back and forth, and the second component 3 has a second cavity 31 with a front opening. There is a water inlet 32 at the rear side of the second component 3, which communicates with the second cavity 31. A pair of limit pins 33 are inserted in the circumferential part of the second component 3 and extend radially into the second cavity 31.

[0041] The driving mechanism 4 can drive the second component 3 to move back and forth relative to the first component 2, so that the first component 2 and the second component 3 are opened and closed relative to each other. For its specific structure and working principle, reference can be made to the background patent, which will not be elaborated here.

[0042] The first piston 5 is slidable back and forth in the rear part of the second cavity 31 and is limited between the bottom wall of the second cavity 31 and the limit pins 33. Specifically, at the middle position of the first piston 5, a water inlet seat 50 is arranged axially. The inside of the water inlet seat 50 is hollow, and the inner peripheral wall has internal threads. There is a water inlet hole 501 at the rear end of the water inlet seat 50, which communicates with the inner cavity of the water inlet seat 50. Four mounting posts 51 are protruded on the front side wall of the first piston 5 and are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. A first sealing ring 52 that is hermetically matched with the inner peripheral wall of the second cavity 31 is embedded on the outer peripheral wall of the first piston 5, so as to form a closed hydraulic cavity 311 between the first piston 5 and the second component 3.

[0043] The puncturing component 6 is threadedly connected to the front end of the above-mentioned water inlet seat 50. An outlet channel 60 is axially opened at the middle position of the puncturing component 6, and the outlet channel 60 communicates with the hydraulic cavity 311 through the water inlet hole 501. The front end of the puncturing component 6 has a needle piercing disc 61, and a needle 611 extending forward is arranged on the needle piercing disc 61.

[0044] The second piston 7 is disposed at the front of the second concave cavity 31. The front of the second piston 7 has a receiving groove 71 for receiving the lancet disk 61. The rear of the second piston 7 has a through hole 72 communicating with the receiving groove 71 for the piercing member 6 to pass through. The second piston 7 is slidably sleeved on the outer periphery of the piercing member 6 and is limited between the first piston 5 and the lancet disk 61. A second sealing ring 73 for sealingly cooperating with the peripheral edge of the rear end of the first machine member 2 is embedded on the front end face of the second piston 7. A relief groove 74 for the insertion of the limit pin 33 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the second piston 7.

[0045] The number of the first elastic members 8 is four, corresponding to the mounting posts 51 one by one. Specifically, the first elastic members 8 are compression springs sleeved on the outer peripheries of the corresponding mounting posts 51, and the two ends respectively abut against the opposite faces of the first piston 5 and the second piston 7, so that the first piston 5 and the second piston 7 always have a tendency to move away from each other.

[0046] The one-way valve 9 is disposed inside the water inlet seat 50 and only allows liquid to enter the water outlet passage 60 from the hydraulic cavity 311 through the water inlet hole 501, and includes a valve seat 91, a valve core 92 and a second elastic member 93. Specifically, the valve seat 91 is threadedly connected to the water inlet seat 50; the valve core 92 covers in front of the water inlet hole 501; the second elastic member 93 is a compression spring, and the two ends respectively abut against the opposite faces of the valve seat 91 and the valve core 92, so that the valve core 92 always has a tendency to abut against the bottom wall of the inner cavity of the water inlet seat 50 and block the water inlet hole 501.

[0047] The clamping and de-capping mechanism 10 is installed on the second machine member 3 for clamping the capsule and de-capping. For its specific structure and working principle, reference can be made to the background patent and will not be elaborated here.

[0048] In the initial state, the first machine member 2 and the second machine member 3 are in an open state, as Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown. Under the elastic force of the first elastic member 8, the first piston 5 abuts against the bottom wall of the second concave cavity 31, the bottom wall inside the receiving groove 71 of the second piston 7 abuts against the lancet disk 61, and the lancet 611 is hidden in the receiving groove 71 of the second piston 7;

[0049] During the closing process of the first machine member 2 and the second machine member 3, as Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, the second piston 7 moves backward under the push of the first machine member 2 against the elastic force of the first elastic member 8, so that the lancet 611 is exposed outside the receiving groove 71 of the second piston 7 and pierces the capsule;

[0050] During the process of the liquid entering the hydraulic cavity 311 through the water inlet 32, as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the first piston 5 moves forward under the hydraulic action against the elastic force of the first elastic member 8 until it abuts against the limit pin 33, so that the second piston 7 is tightly abutted against the rear of the first member 2 under the extrusion of the first piston 5 and closes the first cavity 21; and, when the pressure in the hydraulic cavity 311 reaches the threshold value of the one-way valve 9, the valve core 92 is disengaged from the water inlet hole 501 under the hydraulic action, and the one-way valve 9 opens, so that the liquid in the hydraulic cavity 311 enters the capsule in the first cavity 21 through the water outlet channel 60 for extraction.

[0051] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0052] (1) Before extraction: As Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown, in the initial state, the first member 2 and the second member 3 are in the open state. Under the elastic force of the first elastic member 8, the first piston 5 abuts against the bottom wall of the second cavity 31. The bottom wall inside the accommodation groove 71 of the second piston 7 abuts against the needle disk 61, and the needle 611 is hidden in the accommodation groove 71 of the second piston 7. The capsule containing the extraction raw material (such as coffee) is placed in the machine base 1, and the capsule is clamped by the clamping and de-capping mechanism 10 on the front side of the second piston 7;

[0053] (2) During extraction:

[0054] The second member 3 is driven forward by the driving mechanism 4 so that the first member 2 and the second member 3 are closed, and the capsule enters the first cavity 21. As Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, when the front end face of the second piston 7 contacts the rear end of the first member 2, the second piston 7 will move backward (the backward stroke is D1) against the elastic force of the first elastic member 8 under the push of the first member 2, so that the needle 611 is exposed outside the accommodation groove 71 of the second piston 7 and pierces the capsule;

[0055] After the second member 3 moves into place, then hot water is introduced into the hydraulic cavity 311 through the water inlet 32. As Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, the first piston 5 moves forward under the hydraulic action against the elastic force of the first elastic member 8 until it abuts against the limit pin 33 (the forward stroke is D2), so that the second piston 7 is tightly abutted against the rear of the first member 2 under the extrusion of the first piston 5 and closes the first cavity 21, ensuring a well-sealed extraction space is formed between the two;

[0056] Due to the limitation of the first piston 5 by the limit pin 33, the water pressure in the hydraulic pressure 311 becomes larger and larger until it reaches the threshold value of the one-way valve 9, and the water flow pushes the valve core 92 to disengage from the water inlet hole 501, so that the liquid in the hydraulic cavity 311 enters the capsule in the first cavity 21 through the water outlet channel 60 for extraction;

[0057] (3)After the extraction is completed: The second component 3 is driven to move backward by the driving mechanism 4, so that the first component 2 and the second component 3 are opened, and the capsule will be unpacked under the action of the clamping and unpacking mechanism 10. At the same time, under the elastic force of the first elastic member 8, the first piston 5 and the second piston 7 are reset to the initial state;

[0058] For the above beverage brewing device, on the one hand, to ensure that the needle 611 on the moving part effectively pierces the capsule, the needle 611 needs a certain length (the length of the needle 611 exposed outside the moving part is relatively long), and this length is recorded as the piercing stroke of the needle. On the other hand, to ensure that a well-sealed extraction space is formed between the second piston 7 and the first component 2, it is necessary to hydraulically push the first piston 5 forward by a certain length so that the second piston 7 tightly abuts against the rear of the first component 2 for sealing, and this length is recorded as the hydraulic sealing stroke;

[0059] In this embodiment, as Figure 8 shown, the piercing stroke of the needle = D1 (generally about 7 mm), and the hydraulic sealing stroke = D2 (generally about 2 mm). Due to the cooperation of the first piston 5 and the second piston 7, the length of the hydraulic sealing stroke does not need to be the same as the piercing stroke of the needle, but can be much smaller than the piercing stroke of the needle. In this way, the reset stroke of the first piston 5 is greatly reduced, the amount of waste water discharged can be reduced, and the cycle of manually pouring out the waste water in the waste water box is greatly extended, improving the user experience.

Claims

1. A beverage brewing device, comprising a machine base (1), a first component (2) disposed at the front of the machine base (1), and a second component (3) disposed at the rear of the machine base (1). The first component (2) and the second component (3) can be opened and closed relative to each other. The first component (2) has a first cavity (21) with an opening at the rear for accommodating a capsule. The second component (3) has a second cavity (31) with an opening at the front. The rear side of the second component (3) has a water inlet (32) communicating with the second cavity (31). It is characterized in that: The circumferential portion of the second component (3) is provided with a limit pin (33) extending into the second cavity (31). And, it further includes a first piston (5) slidably disposed in the second cavity (31) in the front-rear direction, limited between the bottom wall of the second cavity (31) and the limit pin (33), and its circumferential portion is sealingly fitted with the inner circumferential wall of the second cavity (31), so that a closed hydraulic cavity (311) is formed between the first piston (5) and the second component (3). a piercing member (6) installed on the front side of the first piston (5), with a needle disc (61) at the front end, and the needle disc (61) is provided with needles (611) extending forward. a second piston (7) slidably sleeved on the outer periphery of the piercing member (6), limited between the first piston (5) and the needle disc (61), and having a receiving groove (71) at the front for accommodating the needles (611); and a first elastic member (8) acting between the first piston (5) and the second piston (7), so that the first piston (5) and the second piston (7) always tend to move away from each other. In the initial state, when the first component (2) and the second component (3) are in the open state, the first piston (5) abuts against the bottom wall of the second cavity (31) under the elastic force of the first elastic member (8), the second piston (7) abuts against the needle disc (61) under the elastic force of the first elastic member (8), and the needles (611) are hidden in the receiving groove (71) of the second piston (7). During the process of closing the first component (2) and the second component (3), the second piston (7) moves backward under the push of the first component (2) against the elastic force of the first elastic member (8), so that the needles (611) are exposed from the receiving groove (71) of the second piston (7) and pierce the capsule. During the process of liquid entering the hydraulic cavity (311) through the water inlet (32), the first piston (5) moves forward under the hydraulic action against the elastic force of the first elastic member (8) until it abuts against the limit pin (33), so that the second piston (7) is tightly abutted against the rear of the first component (2) under the extrusion of the first piston (5) and closes the first cavity (21).

2. The beverage brewing device according to claim 1, wherein: An inlet seat (50) is axially arranged at the middle position of the first piston (5). The interior of the inlet seat (50) is hollow. The rear end of the inlet seat (50) has an inlet hole (501) communicating with the inner cavity of the inlet seat (50). The piercing member (6) is connected to the front end of the inlet seat (50). The interior of the piercing member (6) has an axially penetrating water outlet channel (60), and the water outlet channel (60) communicates with the hydraulic chamber (311) through the inlet hole (501).

3. The beverage brewing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A check valve (9) that only allows liquid to enter the water outlet channel (60) from the hydraulic chamber (311) is provided inside the inlet seat (50). In a state where the pressure in the hydraulic chamber (311) reaches the threshold of the check valve (9), the check valve (9) opens, so that the liquid in the hydraulic chamber (311) enters the capsule in the first concave cavity (21) through the water outlet channel (60) for extraction.

4. The beverage brewing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The check valve (9) includes a valve seat (91) fixed relative to the piercing member (6); a valve core (92) for blocking the inlet hole (501); and a second elastic member (93) acting between the valve seat (91) and the valve core (92) so that the valve core (92) always has a tendency to block the inlet hole (501).

5. The beverage brewing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear part of the second piston (7) has a perforation (72) communicating with the accommodation groove (71). The piercing member (6) is inserted into the perforation (72). In the initial state, the bottom wall inside the accommodation groove (71) abuts against the needle disk (61).

6. The beverage brewing device according to claim 1, wherein: A second sealing ring (73) for sealingly cooperating with the peripheral edge of the rear end of the first machine part (2) is installed on the front end face of the second piston (7).

7. The beverage brewing device according to claim 1, wherein: A relief groove (74) for inserting the limit pin (33) is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the second piston (7).

8. The beverage brewing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front part of the first piston (5) has at least two mounting posts (51) arranged at circumferential intervals. The first elastic member (8) is a compression spring and corresponds to the mounting posts (51) one by one. Each compression spring is sleeved on the outer periphery of the corresponding mounting post (51).

9. The beverage brewing device according to claim 1, wherein: A first sealing ring (52) for sealingly cooperating with the inner peripheral wall of the second concave cavity (31) is installed on the outer peripheral wall of the first piston (5).

10. The beverage brewing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: It further includes a driving mechanism (4) for driving the second machine part (3) to move back and forth relative to the first machine part (2).

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