Milk stirring equipment, control method thereof and milk cup

Abstract

The invention provides milk frothing equipment and a control method thereof and a milk cup, and the milk frothing equipment comprises a steam injection device which is used for injecting steam into milk in the milk cup from the upper part of the milk cup; the air guide device is used for exhausting air above the milk cup; the milk cup comprises a cup body used for containing milk and a cup cover used for sealing an opening of the cup body. Through the milk frothing mode of'upper steam injection and upper exhaust ', the steam injection device injects steam into the milk cup from the position above the milk cup loaded with milk, the purpose of heating and stirring the milk at different positions is achieved by adjusting the position where the steam is injected into the milk cup, dense and fine milk froth is formed, convenience and rapidness are achieved, automation is improved, and manpower is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of beverage processing, and in particular to a milk frothing device and a control method thereof, and a milk cup. Background Art

[0002] When making coffee, in order to improve the taste of the coffee, it is usually necessary to heat and stir the milk to make milk foam. At the same time, the density of the milk foam largely determines the taste of the coffee. In the related art, when making milk foam, whether it is made directly by a coffee machine or by a milk frother, it is not only costly, but also requires professional operating skills. In addition, the quality of the milk foam varies. After the milk foam is made, it is also troublesome and laborious to clean the production tools.

[0003] Meanwhile, in the related art, when making milk froth, milk is first put into a serving cup, and then the milk in the serving cup is frothed, and then the prepared milk froth is added to coffee to improve the taste of the coffee. However, when a buyer wants to buy coffee, milk needs to be loaded on-site and then made on-site, and the serving cup and milk frothing device need to be cleaned each time the coffee is made. The inventor of the present application has found out how to make milk froth quickly while avoiding the need to clean the serving cup after making the milk froth, thereby controlling the buyer's time cost. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present application is to provide a milk frothing device and a control method thereof, as well as a milk cup, which are more convenient and reduce the difficulty of making milk froth.

[0005] Based on the above purpose, the first aspect of the present application provides a milk frothing device, characterized in that it includes:

[0006] A steam injection device, used for injecting steam into the milk in the milk cup from the cup cover on the top of the milk cup;

[0007] The air guide device is used to exhaust the milk cup from the cup cover on the top of the milk cup; wherein the milk cup includes a cup body for loading milk and the cup cover for sealing the opening of the cup body.

[0008] Optionally, the steam injection device comprises a first puncture needle, which is a hollow structure and is used to puncture the cup cover and inject steam into the milk cup;

[0009] The air guide device comprises a second puncture needle, which is used to puncture the cup cover to form an exhaust port at the cup cover.

[0010] Optionally, the first telescopic mechanism includes a first telescopic position, a second telescopic position, a third telescopic position and a fourth telescopic position; the first telescopic position is used to inject steam into a first position in the milk cup, and the first position is configured to be 2 / 3 to 1 / 2 below the liquid level of the milk;

[0011] The second telescopic position is used to inject steam into a second position in the milk cup, and the second position is configured to be 0.3 to 1.5 cm below the liquid level of the milk;

[0012] The third telescopic position is used to inject steam into a third position in the milk cup, and the third position is configured as any position above the liquid level of the milk;

[0013] The fourth retractable position is used to reset the first puncture needle.

[0014] Optionally, the wall thickness of the first puncture needle is configured to be 1 mm to 2 mm, and the puncture end of the first puncture needle is provided with a guide hole, and the opening direction of the guide hole is inclined from the side wall of the first puncture needle to the end of the puncture end of the first puncture needle.

[0015] Optionally, the inner wall of the puncture end of the first puncture needle and the guide hole have the same inclination direction.

[0016] Optionally, the angle between the steam injection direction of the guide hole and the bottom of the milk cup is configured to be 60° to 80°;

[0017] The angle between the steam injection direction of the guide hole and the tangent direction of the side wall of the teat cup is configured to be 40° to 75°.

[0018] Optionally, the puncture position of the first puncture needle on the cup cover is at the edge of the cup cover;

[0019] The puncture position of the second puncture needle on the cup cover is located at the center of the cup cover.

[0020] Optionally, it further comprises a cup holder, wherein the cup holder is provided with a receiving cavity for receiving the milk cup, and the contour of the receiving cavity is adapted to the contour of the milk cup;

[0021] At least one temperature sensor is arranged in the cup base at a position lower than the liquid level in the milk cup.

[0022] A second aspect of the present application provides a method for controlling a milk frothing device, which is used for the milk frothing device described in the first aspect, comprising:

[0023] The steam injection device injects steam into the milk in the milk cup through the cup cover at the top of the milk cup to heat and stir the milk;

[0024] The gas guide device discharges the gas in the milk cup through the cup cover at the top end of the milk cup.

[0025] Optionally, the steam injection device includes a first puncture needle and a first telescopic mechanism;

[0026] The first telescopic mechanism includes a first telescopic position and a second telescopic position; the first telescopic position is used to inject steam into a first position in the milk cup, and the first position is configured to be 2 / 3 to 1 / 2 below the liquid level of the milk;

[0027] The second telescopic position is used to inject steam into a second position in the milk cup, and the second position is configured to be 0.3 to 1.5 cm below the liquid level of the milk;

[0028] The steam injection device injects steam into the milk cup through the cup cover to heat and stir the milk in the milk cup, including:

[0029] Controlling the first telescopic mechanism to drive the first puncture needle to puncture the cup cover to the first telescopic position, and the first puncture needle injects steam from the first position to heat the milk in the milk cup;

[0030] It is detected that the milk in the milk cup reaches a first temperature, the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to a second telescopic position, and the first puncture needle continues to heat and stir the milk in the milk cup from the second position until the milk in the milk cup reaches a second temperature.

[0031] Optionally, the telescopic mechanism further includes a third telescopic position and a fourth telescopic position;

[0032] After the milk in the milk cup reaches the second temperature, the method comprises:

[0033] Controlling the first telescopic mechanism to the third telescopic position to discharge the liquid foam of the hollow structure of the first puncture needle and turn off the steam;

[0034] The first telescopic mechanism is controlled to the fourth telescopic position to reset the first puncture needle.

[0035] Optionally, the gas guiding device includes a second puncture needle and a second telescopic mechanism;

[0036] The second telescopic mechanism drives the second puncture needle to puncture the cup cover to form an exhaust port.

[0037] A third aspect of the present application provides a milk cup, comprising: a cup body and a cup cover arranged on the top of the cup body, wherein a predetermined volume of milk is loaded in the cup body;

[0038] A reserved space is provided between the liquid level of the milk and the cup cover.

[0039] Optionally, the cup cover is made of a material that is easily punctured; and / or, the cup cover is coated with an aluminum film.

[0040] Optionally, the size of the reserved space and / or the predetermined volume is related to the type of beverage corresponding to the milk cup; and / or the size of the reserved space and / or the predetermined volume is related to the type of coffee corresponding to the milk cup.

[0041] Optionally, the reserved space includes a first reserved space corresponding to coffee liquid and / or a second reserved space corresponding to milk foam.

[0042] From the above description, it can be seen that the milk frothing device and its control method, and the milk cup provided by the present application adopt the "upper steam injection and upper exhaust" milk frothing method. The steam injection device injects steam into the milk cup from above the milk cup that has been loaded with milk. By adjusting the position of injecting steam into the milk cup, the purpose of heating and stirring the milk at different positions can be achieved, thereby forming milk foam. At the same time, the air guide device discharges the gas in the milk cup from above the milk cup to reduce the internal pressure of the milk cup. No professional personnel is required. After the milk foam is made, coffee can be directly added to the milk cup for drinking, avoiding the need to fill milk on the spot. At the same time, there is no need to clean the milk cup after the milk foam is made and the coffee is drunk, which saves time and effort. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present application or related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technical descriptions are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a milk frothing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the milk frothing device and the milk cup according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a first puncture needle in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a milk cup according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a method for controlling a milk frothing device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application should be the usual meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present application belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the embodiments of the present application do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Including" or "comprising" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing in front of the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0051] For example, in the method for making milk froth in the above-mentioned background technology, professional production personnel or specialized personnel are basically required to cooperate with specialized machines to make milk froth. First, the staff is required to load milk into the cup on site, and then use the cup and the staff's experience and technology to cooperate with the machine to make milk froth. The degree of automation is low and the requirements for labor are relatively high.

[0052] Therefore, reducing human resources, improving the automation of milk froth production, and being able to produce milk froth with a dense and delicate taste become technical problems that this application needs to consider and solve.

[0053] Based on this, reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 The present application proposes a milk frothing device, comprising: a steam injection device 1, used for injecting steam into the milk in the milk cup 6 from above the milk cup 6.

[0054] Exemplary, reference Figure 3, the milk cup 6 is a sealed structure. The cup body of the milk cup 6 can be made by pressing an aluminum film, and can also be made of other materials. It should be noted that the material of the cup body is a food-grade material, which itself will not decompose under different temperature conditions, and will not chemically react with liquids such as milk, thereby causing changes in the drink in the cup body. The cup body can be sealed with an aluminum film, and a silicone-type cup cover 61 that matches the cup body can also be made to seal the cup body. It is understandable that the milk cup 6 can be used as a disposable milk cup 6 by using disposable seals such as aluminum films as sealing materials for the cup body. If the cup body is sealed by using the cup cover 61 in cooperation with the cup body, the consumer can clean and reuse the milk cup 6, and no specific restrictions are made here.

[0055] The steam injection structure injects steam into the milk in the milk cup 6 from the top of the milk cup 6. It can be understood that the relevant milk-loading cups are all open-type, that is, when milk foam is needed, milk is temporarily loaded into the cup, and the amount of milk loaded is also determined according to the experience of professional operators. If too much milk is loaded, the excess milk foam produced will cause waste, and if the amount of milk loaded is too little, it will affect the taste of the coffee. The milk cup 6 in the embodiment of the present application is sealed, and the amount of milk loaded is loaded according to the amount of a cup of coffee, so as to avoid waste caused by too much milk foam or affect the taste by too little milk foam.

[0056] Exemplarily, for making different types of coffee, there are milk cups 6 with different capacities and / or different volumes of milk to make different amounts of milk foam.

[0057] Exemplarily, the steam injection device 1 can be any type of device that injects steam into the cup body through the top of the milk cup 6, which is not limited here.

[0058] The air guide device 2 is used to exhaust air from the top of the milk cup 6; wherein the milk cup 6 includes a cup body for loading milk and a cup cover 61 for sealing the opening of the cup body. The interior of the milk cup 6 forms a sealed body through the cup body and the cup cover 61. During the process of continuously injecting steam into the milk cup 6, the pressure in the milk cup 6 will continue to rise, so it is necessary to relieve the pressure of the milk cup 6 so that the milk cup 6 will not be damaged by the pressure. Due to the effect of gravity, the exhaust position in the milk cup 6 also needs to be set above the milk level in the milk cup 6.

[0059] Furthermore, if the air guide device 2 exhausts air through the side wall of the cup body, in the process of injecting steam into the cup body to heat the milk in the cup body and stir it to form milk foam, the milk will flow to the side wall of the cup body due to the centrifugal force generated by the stirring. Therefore, the air guide device 2 exhausts air through the side wall of the cup body, which may easily cause the milk or the formed milk foam to overflow from the opening of the side wall of the cup body of the air guide device 2, and may also cause damage to the cup body. In this case, the air guide device 2 also exhausts air from the cup cover 61 to relieve the pressure on the milk cup 6, which will neither cause the milk or milk foam to overflow nor cause damage to the cup body.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, by means of "injecting steam from above and exhausting air from above", there is no need to add more structures to the sealed milk cup 6, and there is no need to damage the cup body of the milk cup 6 during the production of milk foam, making the design of the milk cup 6 simpler.

[0061] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 The steam injection device 1 includes a first puncture needle 11, which is a hollow structure and is used to puncture the cup cover 61 and inject steam into the milk cup 6; the first puncture needle 11 with a hollow structure can not only puncture the cup cover 61 with its sharp end, but also inject steam into the cup body with its internal hollow structure. It can be understood that the first puncture needle 11 needs to inject steam into the milk in the milk cup 6, so the length of the first puncture needle 11 is not less than the distance from the cup cover 61 to the liquid level in the milk cup 6.

[0062] The gas guide device 2 includes a second puncture needle 21, which is used to puncture the cup cover 61 to form an exhaust port at the cup cover 61. At the same time, the gas guide device 2 uses the second puncture needle 21 to puncture the cup cover 61 to exhaust air.

[0063] Exemplarily, the second puncture needle 21 can be a solid structure, and the second puncture needle 21 punctures the cup cover 61 to leave an exhaust hole, and the second puncture needle 21 withdraws from the exhaust hole, and the gas in the milk cup 6 is discharged through the exhaust hole. In this process, the second puncture needle 21 only contacts the cup cover 61 for puncture, and does not contact the milk in the milk cup 6, thereby avoiding the second puncture needle 21 from being contaminated by milk and the inconvenience of cleaning the second puncture needle 21, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the second puncture needle 21. Similarly, the second puncture needle 21 can also be a hollow structure, and the second puncture needle 21 is also used to puncture the cup cover 61 to leave an exhaust hole, and the end of the second puncture needle 21 away from the puncture end is connected to a water source, and the second puncture needle 21 is cleaned by using the hollow structure of the second puncture needle 21.

[0064] In some embodiments, the steam injection device 1 includes a first telescopic mechanism, which is connected to the end of the first puncture needle 11 away from the puncture end. The first telescopic mechanism drives the first puncture needle 11 to be extended and retracted, so that the first puncture needle 11 is in a puncture state or a contracted state. The first telescopic mechanism is set above the milk cup 6 where milk froth needs to be made, and then the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to make the first puncture needle 11 puncture the cup cover 61, thereby injecting steam into the milk cup 6.

[0065] The air guide device 2 includes a second telescopic mechanism connected to an end of the second puncture needle 21 away from the puncture end. The second telescopic mechanism drives the second puncture needle 21 to be telescoped so that the second puncture needle 21 is in a puncture state or a contracted state.

[0066] It should be noted that the second telescopic mechanism punctures the cup cover 61 at the same time as the first telescopic mechanism. However, after the second puncture needle 21 completes puncturing the cup cover 61 to form an exhaust port, the second telescopic mechanism is controlled to return to the contracted state, while the first telescopic mechanism needs to complete the injection of steam into the milk cup 6 to form milk foam before returning to the contracted state.

[0067] In the process of making milk froth, the inventor of the present application found that milk froth can also be formed by injecting steam at the same depth of the milk liquid. However, the quality of the formed milk froth is not dense and delicate enough. The reason is that the heating and stirring are always performed at the same position. During the heating process, the air contained in the steam cannot be fully integrated with the milk.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first telescopic mechanism includes a first telescopic position, a second telescopic position, a third telescopic position, and a fourth telescopic position; the first telescopic position is used to inject steam into a first position in the milk cup 6, and the first position is configured to be 2 / 3 to 1 / 2 below the liquid level of the milk. In the embodiment of the present application, the first puncture needle 11 injects steam into the first position through the first telescopic mechanism to the first telescopic position. At this stage, the milk is mainly heated. A deeper milk level is conducive to stirring all the milk, so that the milk and the steam can exchange heat and the milk is fully heated.

[0069] The second telescopic position is used to inject steam into the second position in the milk cup 6, and the second position is configured to be 0.3 to 1.5 cm below the liquid level of the milk. Injecting steam into a deeper position of the milk will not be efficient in stirring the milk. The first puncture needle 11 is moved to the second telescopic position through the first telescopic mechanism, so that the steam is injected into the second position. While heating the milk, the closer the distance to the milk liquid level is, the higher the stirring efficiency is, so that the milk is fully stirred and merged with the air in the steam to form dense and delicate milk foam.

[0070] By cooperating between the first telescopic position and the second telescopic position of the first telescopic mechanism, the first puncture needle 11 heats and stirs the milk at the first position and the second position in the milk cup 6 respectively, so that the milk is fully heated and the air in the steam is fully integrated with the milk, making the milk foam denser and more delicate.

[0071] The third telescopic position is used to inject steam into the third position in the milk cup 6, and the third position is configured as any position above the liquid level of the milk. It can be understood that when steam is injected at the first position and the second position, the first puncture needle is always below the liquid level of the milk or milk foam, and there will be residual liquid foam in the hollow structure of the first puncture needle 11, and the hollow structure of the first puncture needle 11 is not easy to clean, while the third position is higher than the liquid level of the milk and also higher than the liquid level for forming milk foam. The steam that continues to be injected into the first puncture needle 11 is used to discharge the residual liquid foam in the hollow structure of the first puncture needle 11, and at the same time, it plays a corresponding cleaning role.

[0072] The fourth telescopic position is used to reset the first puncture needle. Through the main heating at the first position and the heating and stirring at the second position, the air content contained in the steam is fully integrated with the milk, and the milk is fully heated to complete the production of milk foam. The liquid foam remaining in the hollow structure of the first puncture needle 11 is discharged at the third position. The first puncture needle 11 is reset through the fourth telescopic position, and the milk cup 6 is taken out to wait for the next milk foam production.

[0073] It should be noted that the milk frothing device in the embodiment of the present application is provided with a terminal unit, which is connected to the first telescopic mechanism and the second telescopic mechanism. The first telescopic mechanism and the second telescopic mechanism are controlled to work through the terminal unit so that the first puncture needle 11 and the second puncture needle 21 are in different positions in different scenarios.

[0074] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3The wall thickness of the first puncture needle 11 is configured to be 1mm to 2mm, and the puncture end of the first puncture needle 11 is provided with a guide hole 111, and the opening direction of the guide hole 111 is inclined from the side wall of the first puncture needle 11 to the end of the puncture end of the first puncture needle 11. Due to the gravity of the milk itself, the injected steam needs to be at the lowest end of the cup body to fully heat and stir the milk. The guide hole 111 is set near the puncture end of the first puncture needle 11. When the first puncture needle 11 reaches the bottom of the milk cup 6, it is very likely that the puncture end of the first puncture needle 11 will damage the bottom of the milk cup 6 or the bottom of the milk cup 6 will damage the puncture end of the first puncture needle 11. The guide hole 111 is tilted by adjusting the wall thickness of the first puncture needle 11. The tilted setting of the guide hole 111 guides the direction of the steam, turns the milk below the guide hole 111, and the steam forms a cyclone to form a vortex in the milk, thereby fully heating and stirring the milk in the milk cup 6 to achieve the production of milk foam.

[0075] Exemplarily, the diameter of the guide hole 111 is configured to be between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm.

[0076] Furthermore, the inner wall of the puncture end of the first puncture needle 11 has the same inclination direction as the guide hole 111. The inclination direction formed by the inner wall of the puncture end is used to further guide the steam to be discharged from the guide hole 111, so that the steam forms a vortex in the guide hole 111, which has a higher stirring efficiency for the milk.

[0077] In some embodiments, the angle between the steam injection direction of the guide hole 111 and the bottom of the milk cup 6 is configured to be 60° to 80°. The angle formed between the guide hole 111 and the bottom of the milk cup 6 can be used to flip the milk below and the milk above, so that the milk can be fully heated.

[0078] The angle between the steam injection direction of the guide hole 111 and the tangent direction of the side wall of the milk cup 6 is configured to be 40° to 75°. The angle between the guide hole 111 and the tangent direction of the side wall of the milk cup 6 is set so that the formed cyclone can fully stir the milk, and the acceleration brought by the injected steam accelerates the stirring of the milk to form milk foam. In some embodiments, the puncture position of the first puncture needle 11 in the cup cover 61 is at the edge of the cup cover 61. In the embodiment of the present application, the pressure of steam is used as the power to stir the milk in the milk cup 6, wherein the power source is mainly through the guide hole 111 of the first puncture needle 11. The position of the power source is at the center of the cup body, and the stirring effect is not good. In order to fully stir the milk, the power source is close to the side wall of the cup body to achieve a better stirring effect. In other words, while the power source is close to the side wall of the cup body, the puncture position of the first puncture needle 11 in the cup cover 61 is adaptively at the edge of the cup cover 61.

[0079] It should be noted that the puncture position of the first puncture needle 11 in the cup cover 61 is at the edge of the cup cover 61 , and the puncture end of the first puncture needle 11 is in the milk cup 6 after puncture.

[0080] The puncture position of the second puncture needle 21 in the cup cover 61 is located at the center of the cup cover 61. Through the introduction of the above embodiment, the air guide device 2 exhausts air from the cup cover 61 to relieve the pressure of the milk cup 6, which will not cause the milk or milk foam to overflow, and will not cause damage to the cup body. Further, the puncture position of the second puncture needle 21 in the cup cover 61 is located at the center of the cup cover 61, which further prevents the milk or milk foam from overflowing from the puncture position of the second puncture needle 21 due to the centrifugal force caused by stirring.

[0081] In some embodiments, the milk frothing device further comprises a cup holder 3, wherein the cup holder 3 is provided with a receiving cavity for receiving the milk cup 6, and the contour of the receiving cavity is adapted to the contour of the milk cup 6. Through the introduction of the above embodiments, after the milk cup 6 in the embodiment of the present application is loaded with milk, steam needs to be injected to heat and stir the milk in the cup body to form milk foam. Due to the material of the milk cup 6 itself, the weight of the milk cup 6 and the milk is relatively light. During the steam injection process, if the milk cup 6 is not fixed, the position of the milk cup 6 may be offset, so that the milk in the milk cup 6 cannot be effectively heated and stirred to make milk foam. The receiving cavity of the cup holder 3 is used to receive the milk cup 6 to fix the milk cup 6, and milk foam is automatically made without manual intervention and adjustment.

[0082] Furthermore, in the process of making milk foam, it is necessary to stably control the heating temperature of the milk, and at least one temperature sensor is provided in the cup holder 3 at a position lower than the liquid level in the milk cup 6. Due to the thermal conductivity of the material of the milk cup 6, the temperature difference between the milk in the milk cup 6 and the side wall of the milk cup 6 can be determined for different materials, and the temperature of the milk or milk foam in the milk cup 6 can also be determined by the temperature difference. For example, during the heating and stirring process, the temperature of the milk in the milk cup 6 reaches 50°, and the temperature sensor measures the corresponding temperature of the side wall of the milk cup 6 at 30°, which includes a temperature difference of 20°. When the temperature sensor detects 30°, it can be determined that the temperature in the milk cup 6 reaches about 50°, so as to proceed to the next step.

[0083] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, in order to store the milk in the milk cup 6, a special cold storage room, such as a refrigerator, can be used to store the milk cup 6. When the milk cup 6 is taken out of the refrigerator for milk frothing, the temperature of the milk is relatively constant, and the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to heat at the first position for a first time to reach the first temperature, and then the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to heat at the second position for a second time to ensure the milk frothing. The quality of the milk froth can also be guaranteed through constant calculation.

[0084] Based on the same inventive concept, the present application provides a method 500 for controlling a milk frothing device, using the milk frothing device described in the above embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the method 500 includes:

[0085] In step 502 , the steam injection device 1 injects steam into the milk in the milk cup 6 through the cup cover 61 above the milk cup 6 to heat and stir the milk.

[0086] Specifically, the first telescopic mechanism drives the first puncture needle 11 to puncture the cup cover 61 until the first telescopic mechanism reaches the first telescopic position, and the first puncture needle 11 injects steam from the first position to heat the milk in the milk cup 6. At the current stage, the guide hole 111 of the first puncture needle 11 is far away from the milk level, and the main function of the injected steam is to heat the milk by heat exchange.

[0087] Exemplarily, the first temperature is configured to be between 28° and 33°.

[0088] When it is detected that the milk in the milk cup 6 reaches the first temperature, the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to the second telescopic position, and the first puncture needle 11 continues to heat and stir the milk in the milk cup 6 from the second position until the milk in the milk cup 6 reaches the second temperature.

[0089] At the current stage, the guide hole 111 of the first puncture needle 11 is closer to the milk level, and the resistance encountered by steam in stirring the milk is smaller than that in the first telescopic position. The main function of injecting steam is to form milk foam through stirring and heating of steam.

[0090] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the first telescopic mechanism can be first passed through the first telescopic position to allow the first puncture needle 11 to heat the milk, and then the first telescopic mechanism can be passed through the second telescopic position to allow the first puncture needle 11 to stir and heat the milk to form milk foam. The first telescopic mechanism can also be first passed through the second telescopic position to allow the first puncture needle 11 to stir and heat the milk to form milk foam, and then the first telescopic mechanism can be passed through the first telescopic position to allow the first puncture needle 11 to heat the formed milk foam. The order of sequence is not specifically limited.

[0091] Exemplarily, the second temperature is configured to be 60° to 65°. Milk at 60° to 65° Celsius is more likely to form high-quality and stable milk foam. The milk foam formed at this temperature is dense and can enrich the mellow taste of coffee after being added to coffee.

[0092] It should be noted that the first temperature and the second temperature are both the temperatures of the milk or milk foam in the milk cup 6. When the temperature is actually detected, the temperature sensor in the milk frothing device detects a temperature difference between the side wall of the milk cup 6 and the first temperature and the second temperature. When the sum of the detected temperature and the temperature difference reaches the first temperature or the second temperature, the effect of judging the milk foam making process by temperature in the present application can be achieved.

[0093] In step 504 , the gas guiding device 2 discharges the gas in the milk cup 6 through the cup cover 61 above the milk cup 6 .

[0094] Specifically, the second telescopic mechanism drives the second puncture needle 21 to puncture the cup cover 61 to form an exhaust port. The exhaust port is formed on the cup cover 61 by the second telescopic mechanism, and the second telescopic mechanism is reset without damaging the structure of the milk cup 6, so as to avoid the generated gas from causing damage to the second puncture needle 21 and avoid the need to continuously clean the second puncture needle 21.

[0095] The present application utilizes the method of "upper steam injection and upper exhaust" to effectively make milk froth on the milk in the sealed milk cup 6.

[0096] In some embodiments, after the milk in the milk cup 6 reaches the second temperature, the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to drive the first puncture needle 11 to the third telescopic position to discharge the liquid foam of the hollow structure of the first puncture needle 11. Exemplarily, the first telescopic mechanism drives the first puncture needle 11 to the third telescopic position, and continuously sprays steam for 1 to 3 seconds to discharge the residual liquid foam. After completion, the steam is turned off.

[0097] After the steam is turned off, the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to the fourth telescopic position to reset the first puncture needle 11. It can be understood that, since the milk cup 6 is a sealed structure, the process of making milk foam is mainly reflected by temperature. After detecting that the milk in the milk cup 6 reaches the second temperature, it is determined that the milk foam in the milk cup 6 is completed, the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to the fourth telescopic position, the first puncture needle 11 is reset, and the making of milk foam is completed.

[0098] It should be noted that due to the high temperature of the steam, before the steam is injected into the milk in the milk cup 6, the steam in the steam pipeline may be liquefied into condensed water due to the ambient temperature being lower than the steam temperature. Before injecting the steam, the condensed water in the steam pipeline needs to be discharged first to avoid dilution of the milk by the condensed water and reduction of the drinking taste.

[0099] Based on the same inventive concept, Figure 4 As shown, the present application proposes a milk cup 6, comprising a cup body 62 and a cup cover 61, wherein the cup cover 61 is located at the top of the cup body 62 and seals the cup body, and a predetermined volume of milk can be loaded in the cup body 62.

[0100] A reserved space is provided between the liquid level of the milk and the cup cover 61 .

[0101] In some embodiments, for different types of coffee, the milk cup 6 can have different capacities and / or load different volumes of milk to make different amounts of milk froth. For example, the milk cup 6 itself can have a capacity of 20ml, 50ml, 100ml, etc., and these milk cups with different capacities can load different volumes of milk, for example, 15ml, 40ml, 80ml of milk, so that different amounts of milk froth can be made. For another example, the capacity of the milk cup 6 itself can be constant (for example, 100ml), and for different types of coffee, the volume of milk loaded in the milk cup 6 can be different, for example, 15ml, 40ml, 80ml of milk, so that different types of coffee can be made respectively.

[0102] In some embodiments, the cup cover 61 is made of a material that is easy to puncture; and / or, the cup cover is an aluminum film. While the cup cover 61 seals the cup body 62, in order to facilitate the injection of steam into the milk cup 6 through the cup cover 61 by the milk frothing device, the cup cover 61 is made of a material that is easy to puncture. Exemplarily, the cup cover 61 is an aluminum film.

[0103] In some embodiments, the size of the reserved space and / or the predetermined volume is related to the type of beverage corresponding to the milk cup 6; and / or, the size of the reserved space and / or the predetermined volume is related to the type of coffee corresponding to the milk cup 6. In addition to milk, the milk cup 6 of the present application can also be loaded with other liquid beverages, and the beverages can have a better drinking taste by heating and stirring, such as soy milk, hot cocoa, coconut milk, plant milk, etc., which are not specifically limited here. The embodiments of the present application are mainly aimed at making milk foam for milk.

[0104] For different types of coffee, different types of coffee are added to the milk foam of corresponding capacity, and the capacity of coffee added is also different. For different types of coffee, the reserved space and the predetermined volume of milk are also different.

[0105] In some embodiments, the reserved space includes a first reserved space corresponding to coffee liquid and / or a second reserved space corresponding to milk foam. The reserved space includes the second reserved space for milk to form milk foam and the first reserved space for subsequent addition of coffee liquid. For different coffee types and the amount of milk foam that matches them, the sizes of the first reserved space and the second reserved space may be different, which is not specifically limited here.

[0106] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present application (including the claims) is limited to these examples. In line with the concept of the present application, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may be combined, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the embodiments of the present application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of simplicity.

[0107] In addition, to simplify the description and discussion, and in order not to make the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, the known power supply / ground connection with the integrated circuit (IC) chip and other components may or may not be shown in the provided drawings. In addition, the device can be shown in the form of a block diagram to avoid making the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of the implementation of these block diagram devices are highly dependent on the platform to be implemented in the embodiments of the present application (that is, these details should be fully within the scope of understanding of those skilled in the art). In the case of elaborating specific details (e.g., circuits) to describe exemplary embodiments of the present application, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented without these specific details or when these specific details are changed. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0108] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.

[0109] The embodiments of the present application are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A milk frothing device, characterized in that: include: A steam injection device, used for injecting steam into the milk in the milk cup from the cup cover on the top of the milk cup; The air guide device is used to exhaust the milk cup from the cup cover on the top of the milk cup; wherein the milk cup includes a cup body for loading milk and the cup cover for sealing the opening of the cup body.

2. The milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam injection device comprises a first puncture needle, which is a hollow structure and is used to puncture the cup cover and inject steam into the milk cup; The air guide device comprises a second puncture needle, which is used to puncture the cup cover to form an exhaust port at the cup cover.

3. The milk frothing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The steam injection device comprises a first telescopic mechanism, and the first telescopic mechanism is connected to an end of the first puncture needle away from the puncture end; The gas guiding device comprises a second telescopic mechanism, and the second telescopic mechanism is connected to an end of the second puncture needle away from the puncture end.

4. The milk frothing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first telescopic mechanism includes a first telescopic position, a second telescopic position, a third telescopic position and a fourth telescopic position; the first telescopic position is used to inject steam into a first position in the milk cup, and the first position is configured to be 2 / 3 to 1 / 2 below the liquid level of the milk; The second telescopic position is used to inject steam into a second position in the milk cup, and the second position is configured to be 0.3 cm to 1.5 cm below the liquid level of the milk; The third telescopic position is used to inject steam into a third position in the milk cup, and the third position is configured as any position above the liquid level of the milk; The fourth retractable position is used to reset the first puncture needle.

5. The milk frothing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The wall thickness of the first puncture needle is configured to be 1 mm to 2 mm. The puncture end of the first puncture needle is provided with a guide hole, and the opening direction of the guide hole is inclined from the side wall of the first puncture needle to the end of the puncture end of the first puncture needle.

6. The milk frothing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner wall of the puncture end of the first puncture needle and the guide hole have the same inclination direction.

7. The milk frothing device according to claim 6, characterized in that The angle between the steam injection direction of the guide hole and the bottom of the teat cup is configured to be 60° to 80°; The angle between the steam injection direction of the guide hole and the tangent direction of the side wall of the teat cup is configured to be 40° to 75°.

8. The milk frothing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The puncture position of the cup cover by the first puncture needle is at the edge of the cup cover; The puncture position of the second puncture needle on the cup cover is located at the center of the cup cover.

9. The milk frothing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cup holder, wherein the cup holder is provided with a receiving cavity for receiving the milk cup, and the contour of the receiving cavity is adapted to the contour of the milk cup; At least one temperature sensor is arranged in the cup base at a position lower than the liquid level in the milk cup.

10. A method for controlling a milk frothing device, used for the milk frothing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The method comprises: The steam injection device injects steam into the milk in the milk cup through the cup cover at the top of the milk cup to heat and stir the milk; The gas guide device discharges the gas in the milk cup through the cup cover at the top end of the milk cup.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The steam injection device comprises a first puncture needle and a first telescopic mechanism; The first telescopic mechanism includes a first telescopic position and a second telescopic position; the first telescopic position is used to inject steam into a first position in the milk cup, and the first position is configured to be 2 / 3 to 1 / 2 below the liquid level of the milk; The second telescopic position is used to inject steam into a second position in the milk cup, and the second position is configured to be 0.3 to 1.5 cm below the liquid level of the milk; The steam injection device injects steam into the milk cup through the cup cover to heat and stir the milk in the milk cup, including: Controlling the first telescopic mechanism to drive the first puncture needle to puncture the cup cover to the first telescopic position, and the first puncture needle injects steam from the first position to heat the milk in the milk cup; It is detected that the milk in the milk cup reaches a first temperature, the first telescopic mechanism is controlled to a second telescopic position, and the first puncture needle continues to heat and stir the milk in the milk cup from the second position until the milk in the milk cup reaches a second temperature.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The telescopic mechanism also includes a third telescopic position and a fourth telescopic position; After the milk in the milk cup reaches the second temperature, the method comprises: Controlling the first telescopic mechanism to the third telescopic position to discharge the liquid foam of the hollow structure of the first puncture needle and turn off the steam; The first telescopic mechanism is controlled to the fourth telescopic position to reset the first puncture needle.

13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The gas guiding device comprises a second puncture needle and a second telescopic mechanism; The second telescopic mechanism drives the second puncture needle to puncture the cup cover to form an exhaust port.

14. A milk cup, characterized in that: include: A cup body and a cup cover arranged on the top of the cup body, wherein a predetermined volume of milk is loaded in the cup body; A reserved space is provided between the liquid level of the milk and the cup cover.

15. The teat cup according to claim 14, characterized in that: The cup cover is made of a material that is easily punctured; and / or the cup cover is an aluminum film.

16. The teat cup according to claim 14, characterized in that: The size of the reserved space and / or the predetermined volume is related to the type of beverage corresponding to the milk cup; and / or the size of the reserved space and / or the predetermined volume is related to the type of coffee corresponding to the milk cup.

17. The teat cup according to claim 14, characterized in that: The reserved space includes a first reserved space corresponding to coffee liquid and / or a second reserved space corresponding to milk foam.

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