Milk foaming device

Abstract

The invention discloses a milk foaming device which comprises a four-way valve, a one-way valve, a milk foaming pipe and a flow uniformizing structure, the four-way valve is provided with a steam inlet, a milk inlet, an air inlet, a mixing chamber and a foaming chamber, the steam inlet, the milk inlet and the air inlet are all communicated with the mixing chamber, and the mixing chamber is communicated with the foaming chamber; the output end of the one-way valve is connected with the steam inlet, the milk foam pipe is connected with the four-way valve, the flow uniformizing structure is arranged in the milk foam pipe and comprises a first flow uniformizing part and a second flow uniformizing part, the first flow uniformizing part and the second flow uniformizing part are arranged in a left-right spaced and staggered mode, and a first channel opening is formed between the first flow uniformizing part and the milk foam pipe; the second flow uniformizing part corresponds to the first channel opening left and right, and a second channel opening is formed between the second flow uniformizing part and the first flow uniformizing part. By the adoption of the technical scheme, it is guaranteed that milk foam is generated continuously and evenly, the milk foaming effect is improved, splashing is effectively prevented when the milk foam is output, splashing noise can be reduced, and the use satisfaction degree of a user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field related to coffee machines, and in particular to a milk frothing device. Background Art

[0002] A four-way valve is generally provided in the foaming device. The four-way valve is provided with a steam inlet, a milk inlet and an air inlet. Steam enters the foaming chamber in the four-way valve from the steam inlet on the four-way valve, generating negative pressure so that milk enters the four-way valve from the milk inlet and outside air enters the four-way valve from the air inlet. Milk is mixed to form milk foam under the action of steam and air, and is output from the milk foam outlet on one side of the foaming chamber into the milk foam tube, and is transported to the outside through the output port of the milk foam tube.

[0003] At present, conventional frothing devices all pass the generated steam directly into the four-way valve from the steam inlet, and lack a structure that can increase the steam pressure and stabilize the pressure in the middle, resulting in the initial amount of steam entering the four-way valve fluctuating, causing discontinuous and uneven milk foam; in addition, there is a lack of a uniform flow structure inside the frothing device, and when the mixed steam and milk foam are output, splashing occurs, resulting in poor frothing effect, and at the same time, the noise generated is loud, and the user experience is very poor. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the existing technical defects, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a milk frothing device to solve the above technical problems.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is as follows:

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a milk frothing device is designed, comprising: a four-way valve, a one-way valve, a milk frothing tube and a uniform flow structure, wherein the four-way valve is provided with a steam inlet, a milk inlet, an air inlet, a mixing chamber and a frothing chamber, wherein the steam inlet, the milk inlet and the air inlet are all communicated with the mixing chamber, and the mixing chamber is communicated with the frothing chamber, an output end of the one-way valve is connected with the steam inlet, the milk frothing tube is connected with the four-way valve, and a milk frothing outlet at the right end of the frothing chamber is communicated with the inside of the milk frothing tube, and the uniform flow structure is arranged in the milk frothing tube, and the uniform flow structure comprises a first uniform flow portion and a second uniform flow portion, wherein the first uniform flow portion and the second uniform flow portion are arranged with an interval and staggered arrangement on the left and right sides, a first channel opening is formed between the first uniform flow portion and the milk frothing tube, the second uniform flow portion corresponds to the first channel opening on the left and right sides, and a second channel opening is formed between the second uniform flow portion and the first uniform flow portion.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, a four-way valve is connected to the steam inlet of the four-way valve. The one-way valve can be opened only when the steam enters the one-way valve and reaches the set steam pressure, so that the steam with uniform pressure can enter the mixing chamber and the frothing chamber, ensuring that the milk foam is generated continuously and evenly, and the frothing effect of the milk is improved. When the frothing is completed, the one-way valve closes the pipeline to prevent the milk from being sucked in, thereby playing a check effect. By arranging a uniform flow structure in the milk froth tube, when the milk foam and steam enter the milk froth tube, a part of the milk foam and steam hits the first uniform flow part and then goes downward, and is mixed with another part of the milk foam and steam to the left through the first channel opening, hits the second uniform flow part and goes upward, and then goes to the left and is output along the channel in the milk froth tube. By arranging the first uniform flow part and the second uniform flow part, a buffering, convergence and uniform flow effect can be played on the milk foam and steam, so that the milk foam entering the milk froth tube is evenly transported and flows out, the frothing effect is improved, the splashing of the milk foam is effectively prevented when it is output, and the splashing noise can be reduced, thereby improving the user satisfaction.

[0008] In order to better solve the above technical defects, the present invention also has a better technical solution:

[0009] In some embodiments, an air intake regulating component is further included, wherein the air intake regulating component is connected to the air inlet and is used to regulate the air intake volume of the air inlet.

[0010] In some embodiments, a milk suction tube is further included, wherein the upper end of the milk suction tube is connected to the milk inlet.

[0011] In some embodiments, it further comprises a milk box and a milk cover connected to the top of the milk box, the four-way valve and the air intake regulating assembly are installed on the milk cover, and the lower end of the milk suction tube extends into the milk box.

[0012] In some embodiments, the input end of the one-way valve is connected to a steam valve via a steam pipe.

[0013] In some embodiments, a circular portion with a notch at the lower end extends from the right side of the first flow-uniform portion, and a limiting mounting portion is disposed on the periphery of the circular portion, and the limiting mounting portion cooperates with a positioning mounting groove in the milk foam tube.

[0014] In some embodiments, the area of ​​the first channel opening is 10%-30% of the longitudinal cross-sectional area of ​​the channel in the milk foam tube, and the area of ​​the second channel opening is not greater than the area of ​​the first channel opening.

[0015] In some embodiments, the one-way valve includes a valve housing, a sealing ring, a plug and an elastic member, wherein the sealing ring, the plug and the elastic member are arranged in the valve housing, the right end of the elastic member abuts against the plug, and the left end abuts against the step in the valve housing, the plug abuts against the sealing ring and blocks the channel on the sealing ring, the left end of the valve housing has a first conical cavity with a smaller diameter at the left end than at the right end, the right end of the foaming chamber has a second conical cavity with a larger diameter at the left end than at the right end, and the first conical cavity, the mixing chamber and the second conical cavity constitute a Venturi chamber.

[0016] In some embodiments, the air intake adjustment assembly includes an adjustment knob, a cylindrical adjustment rod connected to the adjustment knob, and a seal installed in the air inlet, the seal having a through hole, an elliptical protrusion with an inclined structure provided on the side wall of the through hole, an inclined surface and an air intake groove located on one side of the inclined surface provided on the adjustment rod, the adjustment rod is inserted into the through hole, and its outer side wall is in sealing contact with the elliptical protrusion, an air intake gap is formed between the inclined surface and the elliptical protrusion, and when the adjustment knob is turned to drive the adjustment rod to rotate, the size of the air intake gap can be changed.

[0017] In some embodiments, a one-way valve is installed in the air inlet, and the milk foam tube includes a horizontal tube and a vertical tube, and a vertical raised strip is arranged in the vertical tube. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a milk frothing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the milk frothing device from another perspective;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the milk frothing device;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a four-way valve;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a four-way valve, wherein arrows in the figure indicate the flow direction of milk foam;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram of a four-way valve;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the first flow-uniform part is placed in the milk foam tube;

[0025] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the milk foam tube and the first flow-uniform part in a separated state;

[0026] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure from another perspective;

[0027] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the seal;

[0028] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the adjustment knob and the elliptical protrusion;

[0029] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the adjustment knob and the elliptical protrusion in the separated state;

[0030] Reference numerals:

[0031] 1. Four-way valve; 11. Steam inlet; 12. Milk inlet; 13. Air inlet; 14. Mixing chamber; 15. Foaming chamber; 16. Second conical cavity; 2. One-way valve; 21. Valve housing; 22. Sealing retainer ring; 23. Plug; 24. Elastic member; 25. First conical cavity; 3. Milk foam tube; 31. Horizontal tube; 32. Vertical tube; 321. Raised strip; 33. Positioning and mounting groove; 4. Flow-uniform structure; 41 , first uniform flow portion; 411, circular portion; 412, limit mounting portion; 42, second uniform flow portion; 5, air intake adjustment assembly; 51, adjustment knob; 52, adjustment rod; 521, inclined surface; 522, air intake groove; 53, sealing member; 531, elliptical protrusion; 6, milk suction tube; 7, milk box; 8, milk cap; 81, upper milk cap; 82, lower milk cap; 91, steam pipe; 92, steam valve; 10, duckbill valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these descriptions are only exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the description of well-known structures and technologies is omitted to avoid unnecessary confusion of the concept of the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., and orientations or positional relationships indicated are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, and fixing should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0035] refer to Figures 1 to 12 As shown, a milk frothing device provided by the present invention comprises: a four-way valve 1, a one-way valve 2, a milk frothing tube 3, a uniform flow structure 4, an air intake adjustment component 5, a milk suction tube 6, a milk box 7 and a milk cap 8. The milk box 7 is provided with a milk storage cavity for storing milk. The milk cap 8 is connected to the top of the milk box 7 by a snap connection or a screw connection. In this embodiment, the milk cap 8 is preferably connected to the milk box 7 by a snap connection. Specifically, the left and right ends of the milk cap 8 are provided with snap heads, and the left and right ends of the milk box 7 are respectively provided with snap grooves. The lower end of the milk cap 8 is inserted into the milk box 7, and the two snap heads on the milk cap 8 correspond to the two snap grooves on the milk box 7. The milk cap 8 comprises an upper milk cap 81 and a lower milk cap 82. The snap heads are provided on the lower milk cap 82. The upper milk cap 81 and the lower milk cap 82 are snap-connected or fixed by screws. In this embodiment, the upper milk cap 81 and the lower milk cap 82 are preferably fixed by screws.

[0036] The four-way valve 1 is arranged in the milk cap 8. The four-way valve 1 is provided with a steam inlet 11, a milk inlet 12, an air inlet 13, a mixing chamber 14 and a frothing chamber 15. The steam inlet 11, the milk inlet 12 and the air inlet 13 are all connected to the mixing chamber 14, and the mixing chamber 14 is connected to the frothing chamber 15.

[0037] The input end of the one-way valve 2 is connected to a steam pipe 91, the steam pipe 91 is connected to a steam valve 92, the steam valve 92 is installed on the milk cap 8, the output end of the one-way valve 2 is plugged or threaded with the steam inlet 11, the output end of the one-way valve 2 is preferably plugged with the steam inlet 11, the output end of the one-way valve 2 is sleeved with a sealing ring that is in sealing contact with the steam inlet 11, the one-way valve 2 includes a valve housing 21, a sealing retaining ring 22, a plug 23 and an elastic member 24, the sealing retaining ring 22, the plug 23 and the elastic member 24 are arranged in the valve housing 21, and the right end of the elastic member 24 abuts against the plug 23 The left end of the valve housing 21 abuts against the step in the valve housing 21, the plug 23 abuts against the sealing retaining ring 22 and blocks the channel on the sealing retaining ring 22, the elastic member 24 is a spring or a spring sheet or a wire spring or other elastic member. In this embodiment, the elastic member 24 is preferably a spring, the plug 23 is a spherical structure or a T-shaped structure, etc., the left end of the valve housing 21 has a first conical cavity 25 with a left end diameter smaller than the right end diameter, the right end of the foaming chamber 15 has a second conical cavity 16 with a left end diameter larger than the right end diameter, the first conical cavity 25, the mixing chamber 14 and the second conical cavity 16 constitute a Venturi cavity.

[0038] The upper end of the milk suction tube 6 is plugged or threadedly connected to the milk inlet 12. In this embodiment, the upper end of the milk suction tube 6 is preferably plugged into the milk inlet 12, and the upper end of the milk suction tube 6 is sleeved with a sealing ring that is in sealing contact with the milk inlet 12, and the lower end of the milk suction tube 6 extends to the bottom of the milk box 7.

[0039] The air intake regulating assembly 5 is installed on the milk cap 8, and the air intake regulating assembly 5 is connected to the air inlet 13, and is used to adjust the air intake amount of the air inlet 13. Further, the air intake regulating assembly 5 includes an adjusting knob 51, an adjusting rod 52 and a sealing member 53. The adjusting knob 51 is rotatably connected to the milk cap 8, the adjusting rod 52 is cylindrical, and the adjusting rod 52 and the adjusting knob 51 are an integral structure. The sealing member 53 is installed in the air inlet 13, and the raised strip on the outside of the sealing member 53 is plugged into the slot in the air inlet 13 to prevent the sealing member 53 from rotating. The sealing member 53 has a through hole, and an elliptical protrusion 531 with an inclined structure is provided on the side wall of the through hole. The elliptical protrusion 531 is an integral structure with the sealing member 53, and an inclined The air inlet groove 522 passes through the end of the adjusting rod 52. The width of the inclined surface 521 at one end of the air inlet groove 522 is greater than the width at the other end, so that the height of the inclined surface 521 at one end of the air inlet groove 522 is greater than the height at the other end. The adjusting rod 52 is inserted into the through hole on the sealing member 53, and the outer side wall of the adjusting rod 52 is in sealing contact with the elliptical protrusion 531. An air inlet gap is formed between the inclined surface 521 and the elliptical protrusion 531. When the adjusting knob 51 is rotated to drive the adjusting rod 52 to rotate, air inlet gaps of different sizes can be formed between different positions of the inclined surface 521 and the elliptical protrusion 531, thereby changing the size of the air inlet gap and achieving control of the air intake amount. A one-way valve 10 is installed in the air inlet 13. The one-way valve 10 is used to prevent milk from flowing back from the air inlet 13. The one-way valve 10 includes any one of a duckbill valve, a baffle one-way valve, and a one-way ball valve, but is not limited to these types. It can also be other one-way valves. In this embodiment, the one-way valve 10 is preferably a duckbill valve.

[0040] The milk foam tube 3 is plugged or threadedly connected to the four-way valve 1. In this embodiment, the right end of the four-way valve 1 is preferably plugged into the milk foam tube 3, and the milk foam tube 3 can rotate relative to the four-way valve 1. The left end of the four-way valve 1 is sleeved with a sealing ring that is in sealing contact with the milk foam tube 3, and the milk foam outlet at the right end of the foaming chamber 15 is connected to the inside of the milk foam tube 3.

[0041] The flow uniformity structure 4 is arranged in the milk foam tube 3, and the flow uniformity structure 4 includes a first flow uniformity part 41 and a second flow uniformity part 42. The first flow uniformity part 41 and the second flow uniformity part 42 are arranged at intervals and staggered on the left and right. A first channel opening A1 is formed between the first flow uniformity part 41 and the milk foam tube 3, and the area of ​​the first channel opening A1 is 10%-30% of the longitudinal cross-sectional area of ​​the channel in the milk foam tube 3, wherein the area of ​​the first channel opening A1 is 10% or 15% or 20% or 25% or 30% of the longitudinal cross-sectional area of ​​the channel in the milk foam tube 3, which is set as needed; the second flow uniformity part 42 corresponds to the first channel opening A1 on the left and right, and a second channel opening A2 is formed between the second flow uniformity part 42 and the first flow uniformity part 41, and the area of ​​the second channel opening A2 is not larger than the area of ​​the first channel opening A1, that is, the area of ​​the second channel opening A2 is the same as the area of ​​the first channel opening A1, or the area of ​​the second channel opening A2 is smaller than the area of ​​the first channel opening A1, which is set as needed.

[0042] The first flow equalizer 41 is located at the upper inner part of the milk foam tube 3 and is an integral structure with the milk foam tube 3, or the first flow equalizer 41 is installed in the milk foam tube 3. In this embodiment, the first flow equalizer 41 is preferably installed in the upper inner part of the milk foam tube 3. Specifically, a circular portion 411 with a notch at the lower end is extended from the right side of the first flow equalizer 41, and a limiting mounting portion 412 is arranged on the outer periphery of the right end of the circular portion 411. The limiting mounting portion 412 cooperates with the positioning mounting groove 33 in the milk foam tube 3. After the limiting mounting portion 412 cooperates with the positioning mounting groove 33 in the milk suction tube 6, the first flow equalizer 41 can be prevented from rotating. The second flow equalizer 42 is arranged on the left side of the first flow equalizer 41 and is located at the lower part of the inside of the milk foam tube 3. The second flow equalizer 42 and the milk foam tube 3 are integrally structured, or the second flow equalizer 42 is installed in the milk foam tube 3, or the second flow equalizer 42 and the first flow equalizer 41 are connected to form an integral structure through a connecting part and installed in the milk foam tube 3. In this embodiment, the second flow equalizer 42 and the milk foam tube 3 are preferably integrally structured.

[0043] The milk froth tube 3 includes a transverse tube 31 and a vertical tube 32. The channel in the transverse tube 31 is perpendicular to the channel in the vertical tube 32. The two channels are arranged vertically to change the direction of the milk froth, thereby achieving the effect of buffering and reducing noise. A vertical raised strip 321 is arranged in the vertical tube 32. The raised strip 321 is provided with one or two or more raised strips. The raised strip 321 can guide the milk froth and make the outflow of the milk froth more stable.

[0044] When the milk frothing device is used, steam is introduced through the steam valve 92, and the steam passes through the steam valve 92 and the steam pipe 91 to enter the one-way valve 2. When the steam enters the one-way valve 2 and reaches the set steam pressure, the steam pushes the plug 23 in the one-way valve 2 to move left to open the one-way valve 2. The steam passes through the one-way valve 2 and the mixing chamber 14 and then enters the frothing chamber 15, so that the mixing chamber 14 generates a negative pressure, forcing the milk in the milk box 7 to enter the mixing chamber 14 through the milk suction tube 6 and the milk inlet 12, and forcing the outside air to enter the mixing chamber 14 through the air intake gap on the air intake regulating component 5, the air inlet 13, and the duckbill valve 10. After that, the milk, air and steam are mixed in the mixing chamber 14 and then enter the frothing chamber 15 to froth the milk to form milk foam. , then the milk foam passes through the milk foam outlet to the left and enters the milk foam tube 3. When the milk foam and steam enter the milk foam tube 3, the milk foam and steam in the upper and middle part of the milk foam tube 3 hit the first flow-uniform part 41 and then move downward, and mix with the milk foam and steam in the lower part of the milk foam tube 3, pass through the first channel opening A1, hit the second flow-uniform part 42 and pass through the second channel opening A1 upward, and then the milk foam is transported to the left along the horizontal tube 31 on the milk foam tube 3. When the milk foam hits the left end of the horizontal tube 31, it changes direction and enters the vertical tube 32, and is output from the output port of the vertical tube 32. When the production of milk foam is stopped, the plug 23 moves rightward and resets under the action of the elastic member 24 to block the channel on the sealing retaining ring 22, and the outlet of the duckbill valve 10 is automatically closed.

[0045] The above are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, which all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A milk frothing device, characterized in that: include: A four-way valve, a one-way valve, a milk foam tube and a uniform flow structure, wherein the four-way valve is provided with a steam inlet, a milk inlet, an air inlet, a mixing chamber and a foaming chamber, wherein the steam inlet, the milk inlet and the air inlet are all communicated with the mixing chamber, and the mixing chamber is communicated with the foaming chamber, the output end of the one-way valve is connected with the steam inlet, the milk foam tube is connected with the four-way valve, and the milk foam outlet at the right end of the foaming chamber is communicated with the inside of the milk foam tube, the uniform flow structure is arranged in the milk foam tube, the uniform flow structure comprises a first uniform flow portion and a second uniform flow portion, the first uniform flow portion and the second uniform flow portion are arranged with an interval and staggered arrangement on the left and right, a first channel opening is formed between the first uniform flow portion and the milk foam tube, the second uniform flow portion corresponds to the first channel opening on the left and right, and a second channel opening is formed between the second uniform flow portion and the first uniform flow portion.

2. A milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an air intake regulating component, which is connected to the air inlet and is used to regulate the air intake volume of the air inlet.

3. A milk frothing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also comprises a milk suction tube, the upper end of which is connected to the milk inlet.

4. A milk frothing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also comprises a milk box and a milk cover connected to the top of the milk box, the four-way valve and the air intake regulating assembly are installed on the milk cover, and the lower end of the milk suction tube extends into the milk box.

5. The milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The input end of the one-way valve is connected with a steam valve through a steam pipe.

6. The milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A circular portion with a notch at the lower end is extended from the right side of the first flow-uniform portion, and a position-limiting mounting portion is arranged on the periphery of the circular portion, and the position-limiting mounting portion cooperates with a positioning mounting groove in the milk foam tube.

7. The milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The area of ​​the first channel opening is 10%-30% of the longitudinal cross-sectional area of ​​the channel in the milk foam tube, and the area of ​​the second channel opening is not greater than that of the first channel opening.

8. The milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The one-way valve includes a valve housing, a sealing retaining ring, a plug and an elastic member. The sealing retaining ring, the plug and the elastic member are arranged in the valve housing. The right end of the elastic member abuts against the plug, and the left end abuts against the step in the valve housing. The plug abuts against the sealing retaining ring and blocks the channel on the sealing retaining ring. The left end of the valve housing has a first conical cavity with a smaller diameter at the left end than at the right end. The right end of the foaming chamber has a second conical cavity with a larger diameter at the left end than at the right end. The first conical cavity, the mixing chamber and the second conical cavity constitute a venturi chamber.

9. The milk frothing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air intake adjustment component includes an adjustment knob, a cylindrical adjustment rod connected to the adjustment knob, and a sealing member installed in the air inlet, the sealing member having a through hole extending therethrough, an elliptical protrusion with an inclined structure being provided on the side wall of the through hole, an inclined surface and an air intake groove located on one side of the inclined surface being provided on the adjustment rod, the adjustment rod being inserted into the through hole, and its outer side wall being in sealing contact with the elliptical protrusion, an air intake gap being formed between the inclined surface and the elliptical protrusion, and the size of the air intake gap can be changed when the adjustment knob is turned to drive the adjustment rod to rotate.

10. The milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A one-way valve is installed in the air inlet, and the milk foam tube comprises a transverse tube and a vertical tube, wherein a vertical raised strip is arranged in the vertical tube.

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