Beverage preparation method and beverage machine

Abstract

The invention discloses a beverage preparation method and a beverage machine. The beverage preparation method comprises the following steps: receiving a beverage preparation signal; obtaining a beverage temperature, a beverage concentration and a beverage cup amount corresponding to the beverage preparation signal; the water supply amount is set based on at least one of the beverage temperature, the beverage concentration and the beverage cup amount, and the water supply amount comprises the first water supply amount and the second water supply amount; in the soaking stage, the water pump is controlled to supply a first water supply amount to the brewing device, and during the period, the water pump operates at a first target power lower than the full power; in the brewing stage, the water pump is controlled to supply a second water supply amount to the brewing device, and the water pump runs at full power in the period; wherein the second water supply amount is larger than the first water supply amount. According to different beverage preparation stages, the water supply amount and the water pump power are controlled, and the concentration and taste of the beverage are optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of beverage preparation, and in particular to a beverage preparation method and a beverage machine. Background Art

[0002] As people's requirements for beverage quality continue to increase, modern beverage making equipment continues to develop in design and function to meet consumers' diverse needs for taste, concentration and flavor. Especially in the automated preparation process of beverages such as coffee and tea, how to accurately control various parameters is the key to improving beverage quality and production efficiency. Currently, many household and commercial beverage making equipment uses preset programs to control the preparation process through standardized processes, but these devices can only operate within a relatively fixed parameter range and often cannot adapt to users' precise requirements for different concentrations and temperatures, resulting in the concentration and taste of the prepared beverages not fully meeting user needs.

[0003] For example, the control methods of various existing automatic or semi-automatic beverage machines, especially coffee machines, when brewing coffee ignore the impact of variables such as different grinding coarseness, powder amount, beverage concentration and temperature on the quality of the final beverage, which in turn affects the extraction efficiency and the final TDS (total dissolved solids), and cannot achieve the ideal beverage concentration and taste effect. Summary of the invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing a beverage which can improve the quality of the beverage.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a beverage machine capable of improving the quality of beverages.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a beverage preparation method, comprising the following steps:

[0007] A beverage preparation signal is received;

[0008] Obtaining a beverage temperature, a beverage concentration, and a beverage cup volume corresponding to the beverage preparation signal;

[0009] Setting a water supply amount based on at least one of the beverage temperature, the beverage concentration, and the beverage cup size, wherein the water supply amount includes a first water supply amount and a second water supply amount;

[0010] During the soaking phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the first water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at a first target power lower than the full power;

[0011] During the brewing phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the brewer with the second water supply volume, during which the water pump operates at full power;

[0012] Wherein, the second water supply amount is greater than the first water supply amount.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beverage preparation method proposed in the present invention controls the water supply and the water pump power according to different stages of beverage preparation during the beverage preparation process, ensuring that the water flow rate is slowed down during the soaking stage so that the beverage raw materials can be fully and evenly infiltrated, thereby solving the problem of loss of beverage concentration due to insufficient infiltration of beverage raw materials, ensuring the concentration of the beverage, and thus optimizing the taste of the beverage, and accelerating the water flow rate during the brewing stage to improve the efficiency of beverage preparation; the soaking stage with slowed water flow rate and the brewing stage with accelerated water flow rate can improve the concentration and taste of the beverage while ensuring the efficiency of beverage preparation.

[0014] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, during the soaking stage, the temperature of water input to the brewer is obtained, and according to the relationship that the first target power is proportional to the temperature of the water, the first target power is dynamically adjusted based on the temperature of the water.

[0015] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first target power satisfies at least one of the following characteristics:

[0016] The first target power is inversely proportional to the beverage concentration, the beverage concentration includes a first beverage concentration and a second beverage concentration, the first beverage concentration is less than the second beverage concentration, and during the soaking stage, the first target power corresponding to the first beverage concentration is greater than the first target power corresponding to the second beverage concentration;

[0017] The first target power is proportional to the beverage temperature, the beverage temperature includes a first beverage temperature and a second beverage temperature, the first beverage temperature is lower than the second beverage temperature, and during the soaking stage, the first target power corresponding to the first beverage temperature is lower than the first target power corresponding to the second beverage temperature.

[0018] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the beverage preparation signal includes a raw material grinding gear value, and a raw material gear coefficient corresponding to the raw material grinding gear value is obtained, and a weight coefficient corresponding to the beverage concentration is obtained, and based on a preset first calculation rule, the weight of the beverage raw material associated with the raw material gear coefficient and the weight coefficient is obtained; the first target power is determined based on the inverse proportional relationship between the first target power and the weight of the beverage raw material.

[0019] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the preset first calculation rule is:

[0020] g = g1 + g2 × K2 × K1;

[0021] Among them, g is the weight of the beverage raw material, g1 represents the basic weight parameter set by the brewer, g2 represents the capacity-limited weight parameter set by the brewer, K1 represents the raw material gear coefficient, and K2 represents the weight coefficient.

[0022] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the water flow coefficient corresponding to the raw material grinding gear value is obtained, and the first target power is obtained based on a preset second calculation rule; the second calculation rule characterizes the relationship between the raw material grinding gear value, the weight of the beverage raw material, the temperature of the water input into the brewer and the water flow coefficient.

[0023] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the preset second calculation rule is:

[0024]

[0025] Among them, W represents the first target power, g represents the weight of the beverage raw material; Kw represents the constant coefficient; L represents the raw material grinding gear value; Tw represents the temperature coefficient, and the temperature coefficient is calculated based on the temperature of the water input into the brewer using a preset mapping relationship; Lw represents the water flow coefficient.

[0026] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, according to the inverse proportional relationship between the first water supply amount and the raw material grinding gear value, and the direct proportional relationship between the first water supply amount and the beverage raw material weight, the first water supply amount is determined based on the raw material grinding gear value and the beverage raw material weight.

[0027] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the weight of the beverage raw materials and the raw material grinding gear value corresponding to the beverage preparation signal are obtained, and the first target power is determined according to the weight of the beverage raw materials and the raw material grinding gear value, wherein the first target power is inversely proportional to the weight of the beverage raw materials, and the first target power is directly proportional to the raw material grinding gear value, and the weight of the beverage raw material weight to the first target power is greater than the weight of the raw material grinding gear value to the first target power.

[0028] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the weight of the beverage raw materials corresponding to the beverage preparation signal and the temperature of the water input into the brewer are obtained, and the first target power is determined according to the weight of the beverage raw materials and the temperature of the water, wherein the first target power is inversely proportional to the weight of the beverage raw materials, and the first target power is directly proportional to the temperature of the water, and the weight of the beverage raw materials to the first target power is greater than the weight of the water temperature to the first target power.

[0029] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the water supply amount is set based on at least one of the beverage temperature, the beverage concentration and the beverage cup size, and the water supply amount includes a first water supply amount and a second water supply amount, including at least one of the following features:

[0030] According to the relationship that the concentration of the beverage is proportional to the weight of the beverage raw material, the weight of the beverage raw material corresponding to the concentration of the beverage is determined based on the concentration of the beverage; and the first water supply amount is determined based on the weight of the beverage raw material;

[0031] According to the relationship that the amount of the beverage cup is consistent with the second water supply amount, the second water supply amount is determined according to the amount of the beverage cup.

[0032] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, in the soaking stage, the first target power is obtained, and when the first target power is lower than a preset power lower limit, the first target power is determined to be the preset power lower limit, and the power of the heater is controlled to increase so as to increase the temperature of water input to the brewer.

[0033] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the method includes at least one of the following features:

[0034] During the soaking stage, the drain pump is controlled to start so as to drain the pipeline from the brewing device to the beverage outlet;

[0035] The temperature of the water input to the brewer during the steeping phase is higher than the temperature of the water input to the brewer during the brewing phase;

[0036] The beverage temperature includes a first beverage temperature and a second beverage temperature, the first beverage temperature is lower than the second beverage temperature, the power of the heater corresponding to the first beverage temperature is lower than the power of the heater corresponding to the second beverage temperature, and the heater is used to heat water input into the brewer;

[0037] During the soaking stage, the water pump is frequency-cut controlled so that the water pump operates at the first target power lower than the full power.

[0038] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the beverage preparation signal includes a hot beverage preparation signal and a cold beverage preparation signal, and the method further includes:

[0039] In response to the hot beverage preparation signal, during the soaking phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the first water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at a first target power lower than full power; during the brewing phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the second water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at full power;

[0040] In response to the cold drink making signal, during the soaking stage, the water pump is controlled to supply the first water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at full power; during the brewing stage, the water pump is controlled to supply the second water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at a second target power lower than full power.

[0041] The present invention also provides a beverage machine, which includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program that can be run on the processor, and the processor is used to execute the beverage preparation method described in any one of the above embodiments when running the computer program. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the water path of a beverage machine in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 2 Detailed description of the invention The present invention is a flowchart of a beverage preparation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A flow chart of generating a first target power in a beverage preparation method.

[0045] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Another flow chart of generating a first target power in a beverage preparation method.

[0046] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A flow chart of yet another method for preparing a beverage in which a first target power is generated.

[0047] Figure 6 yes Figure 2 A flow chart of generating a first target power in a beverage preparation method.

[0048] Figure 7 yes Figure 2 A flow chart of generating a first target power in a beverage preparation method.

[0049] Figure 8 yes Figure 2 A flow chart of generating a first target power in a beverage preparation method.

[0050] Fig. 9 yes Figure 2 Flowchart of an example of a method for preparing a beverage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the present invention and is not intended to be a limitation of the present invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. For example, a feature illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used together with another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover such modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0052] As used herein, the terms "first", "second", and "third" may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to indicate the location or importance of the respective components. Terms such as "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the direction relative to the flow of fluid, with "upstream" being the side relative to the flow in and "downstream" being the side relative to the flow out. As used herein, approximate terms such as "substantially", "about", or "approximately" include values ​​within ten percent greater or less than the stated value.

[0053] The beverage preparation method of the present application is applied to a beverage machine. The beverage machine in the embodiment of the present application is described by taking a coffee machine that can make coffee as an example. Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of the water circuit involved in the beverage machine according to the present application is provided, which only shows a part of the water circuit required for the beverage machine to make beverages associated with the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the beverage machine includes a brewer 20, a water supply pipeline 31 and an output pipeline 41. The brewer 20 has a brewing chamber for brewing beverages; the water supply pipeline 31 is connected to the brewer 20 for supplying water to the brewing chamber; the output pipeline 41 is connected to the brewer 20 for outputting liquid from the brewing chamber. The output pipeline 41 is connected to an emptying pump 51, and the emptying pump 51 is used to discharge the residual liquid in the output pipeline 41 to the waste water tray 45 through the emptying pipeline 47.

[0054] The beverage machine also includes a water supply source 32, a water pump 33 and a heater 34. Water from the water supply source 32 is supplied to the heater 34 through the water pump 33, and the heated water is transported to the water supply pipeline 31. The beverage outlet 43 of the beverage machine is used to output the liquid from the brewing chamber, that is, the brewed beverage can be output to the cup through the beverage outlet 43. A pressure relief valve 35 is provided at the water inlet of the brewer 20, and the pressure of the brewer 20 is discharged into the waste water tray 45 through the pressure relief valve 35.

[0055] Reference Figure 2 As shown, the beverage preparation method in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0056] A beverage preparation signal is received;

[0057] Obtaining beverage temperature, beverage concentration, and beverage cup volume corresponding to the beverage preparation signal;

[0058] Setting a water supply amount based on at least one of a beverage temperature, a beverage concentration, and a beverage cup size, wherein the water supply amount includes a first water supply amount and a second water supply amount;

[0059] In the soaking stage, the water pump 33 is controlled to supply a first water supply volume to the brewer 20, during which the water pump 33 operates at a first target power lower than the full power;

[0060] In the brewing stage, the water pump 33 is controlled to supply the brewer 20 with a second water supply, during which the water pump 33 operates at full power;

[0061] The second water supply volume is greater than the first water supply volume.

[0062] Beverage preparation includes a soaking stage and a brewing stage; wherein, the soaking stage is to supply water to the brewer 20 through the water pump 33 to moisten the beverage ingredients, such as coffee powder cake, in the brewer 20; the brewing stage is arranged after the soaking stage, and the brewing stage is to continue to supply water to the brewer 20 through the water pump 33 to brew the beverage ingredients soaked in the brewer 20, such as the soaked coffee powder cake, and output the beverage from the beverage outlet 43 after the beverage is formed.

[0063] The setting of the soaking stage helps to extract the beverage ingredients and improve the concentration of the beverage.

[0064] During the beverage preparation process, the water supply and the power of the water pump 33 are controlled according to different stages of beverage preparation to ensure that the water flow rate is slowed down during the soaking stage so that the coffee powder cake can be fully and evenly infiltrated, thereby solving the problem of loss of beverage concentration due to insufficient infiltration of the coffee powder cake, thereby ensuring the concentration of the beverage and optimizing the taste of the beverage. The water flow rate is accelerated during the brewing stage to improve the brewing efficiency; the soaking stage with slowed water flow rate and the brewing stage with accelerated water flow rate can improve the beverage concentration while ensuring the brewing efficiency.

[0065] If the coffee powder cake is not fully soaked, part of the coffee powder cake may remain dry, and the dry part does not absorb water and cannot be pre-soaked.

[0066] The beverage preparation signal received may be an input from a user on the beverage machine operation panel, such as pressing a button for making a beverage, and obtaining the beverage parameters corresponding to the signal according to the signal output by the button; of course, it may also be a remote signal for making the beverage sent by a mobile device. The beverage preparation signal includes parameters such as beverage type, beverage temperature, beverage concentration, and beverage cup size.

[0067] The beverage temperature corresponding to the beverage preparation signal may be a preset temperature according to the type of beverage, and the beverage temperature may also include options such as high temperature, medium temperature or low temperature that can be selected individually by the user; the beverage concentration may be associated with the type of beverage, and the beverage concentration may also include options such as strong, light, etc. that can be selected individually by the user; the beverage cup size may be associated with the type of beverage, and the beverage cup size may also include options such as large, medium or small cup that can be selected individually by the user.

[0068] Based on the correlation between the beverage temperature, beverage concentration and beverage cup size and the selected beverage type, or directly selected by the user, the water supply amount can be determined according to at least one of the beverage temperature, beverage concentration and beverage cup size. The corresponding water supply amount is provided in the soaking stage and the brewing stage respectively to ensure the extraction accuracy and taste.

[0069] The water pump 33 operates at full power, corresponding to the rated flow rate, and the brewing chamber continuously inflows water. The water pump 33 operates at a first target power lower than full power, corresponding to a water flow rate lower than the rated flow rate, and the brewing chamber continuously or intermittently inflows water.

[0070] The way to adjust the working power of the water pump 33 to the first target power can be a frequency cutting method, a phase cutting method, or a duty cycle adjustment method. Exemplarily, the water pump 33 is configured as a DC pump, and the first target power can be adjusted by adjusting the duty cycle; the water pump 33 is configured as an AC pump, and the first target power can be adjusted by frequency cutting so that the brewing chamber intermittently fills with water, or the first target power can be adjusted by phase cutting. The phase cutting method does not change the operating frequency. For example, reducing the operating voltage by 10% can reduce the power of the water pump 33 by about 10%. The brewing chamber continues to fill with water, but the water flow rate is lower than a certain proportion of the rated flow rate.

[0071] In some embodiments, the water pump 33 is constructed as an AC pump: in the soaking stage, the water pump 33 is frequency-cutting controlled so that the water pump 33 runs at a first target power lower than full power to reduce the water flow rate; and in the brewing stage, the water pump 33 is full-frequency controlled so that the water pump 33 runs at full power to keep the water flow rate at the rated flow rate.

[0072] During the soaking stage, compared with adjusting the pump power by cutting the phase, changing the pump power by cutting the frequency of the water pump 33 to change the water flow rate will not be affected by voltage interference, which can improve the stability of water supply during the soaking stage.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first target power is directly proportional to the beverage temperature, the beverage temperature includes a first beverage temperature and a second beverage temperature, the first beverage temperature is lower than the second beverage temperature, and during the soaking stage, the first target power corresponding to the first beverage temperature is lower than the first target power corresponding to the second beverage temperature.

[0074] Different types of beverages will have different extraction temperatures corresponding to ideal beverage concentration and taste. However, when the beverage temperature is low, the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 is also low accordingly. A low water temperature is not conducive to extraction and it is difficult to achieve an ideal beverage concentration. At this time, according to the first target power being proportional to the beverage temperature, the first target power is reduced to slow down the running speed of the water pump 33 and reduce the water flow rate, thereby helping the beverage raw materials to fully absorb water and be evenly infiltrated, thereby ensuring the concentration and taste of beverages with lower temperature extracted by lower water temperature, and solving the problem of insufficient extraction due to low beverage temperature.

[0075] In one embodiment, the beverage temperature includes high temperature, medium temperature or low temperature. If the user selects high temperature, the first target power of the water pump 33 in the infusion stage of beverage preparation is relatively high; if the user selects low temperature, the first target power of the water pump 33 in the infusion stage of beverage preparation is also relatively low.

[0076] Reference Figure 3 In the soaking stage, the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 is obtained, and the first target power is dynamically adjusted based on the water temperature, according to the relationship that the first target power is proportional to the water temperature. The lower the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20, the lower the first target power, so that the water flow rate is slower, and the water flow can flow through the beverage raw materials evenly and more slowly, so that the beverage raw materials are fully moistened.

[0077] The temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 can be detected and acquired by the temperature sensor. After acquiring the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20, the corresponding initial first target power can be determined based on the water temperature, and the water pump 33 can be controlled to operate at the initial first target power. After the water pump 33 operates at the initial first target power, the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 is continuously detected and acquired by the temperature sensor, so as to update the initial first target power based on the re-acquired water temperature; the water temperature is continuously acquired, and accordingly, the first target power is continuously and dynamically adjusted. The first target power is dynamically adjusted to avoid over-extraction or under-extraction, so that low-temperature beverages can be fully extracted, while high-temperature beverages can be extracted faster and over-extraction can be prevented, thereby ensuring the uniformity of extraction and the stability of taste.

[0078] Continuously obtaining the water temperature can be understood as obtaining the water temperature once every preset time interval to improve the accuracy of the first target power adjustment, thereby further ensuring a suitable water flow rate during the immersion stage.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first target power is inversely proportional to the beverage concentration, the beverage concentration includes a first beverage concentration and a second beverage concentration, the first beverage concentration is less than the second beverage concentration, and during the soaking stage, the first target power corresponding to the first beverage concentration is greater than the first target power corresponding to the second beverage concentration.

[0080] The first beverage concentration may correspond to a light-flavored beverage concentration, and the second beverage concentration may correspond to a strong-flavored beverage concentration. When extracting a light-flavored beverage, the water flow is faster; and when extracting a strong-flavored beverage, the water flow is slower; the extraction of the beverage can be precisely controlled so that different types of beverages can achieve the optimal taste and concentration.

[0081] In one embodiment, the beverage concentration includes light and strong. If the user selects light, the first target power of the water pump 33 in the infusion stage of beverage preparation is relatively high; if the user selects strong, the first target power of the water pump 33 in the infusion stage of beverage preparation is relatively low.

[0082] Reference Figure 4 The beverage preparation signal includes a raw material grinding gear value L, a raw material gear coefficient K1 corresponding to the raw material grinding gear value L is obtained, and the first target power is determined according to the inverse proportional relationship between the first target power and the raw material gear coefficient K1.

[0083] Among them, different raw material grinding gear values ​​L correspond to different raw material gear coefficients K1, and the corresponding relationship between the two can be preset. For example, the raw material grinding gear value L on the beverage machine can be multiple. The larger the raw material grinding gear value L, the larger the particle size of the beverage raw material particles, that is, the coarser the powder, the smaller the corresponding raw material gear coefficient K1. The finer the powder, the greater the resistance of the powder cake, and the power of the water pump 33 needs to be reduced to reduce the flow rate so that the powder cake is fully infiltrated, thereby achieving the best flow rate that best matches it under different powder coarseness conditions, ensuring the uniform wetting of the powder cake during the soaking stage.

[0084] Reference Figure 5 The beverage preparation method further includes: obtaining a raw material gear coefficient K1 corresponding to the raw material grinding gear value L, obtaining a weight coefficient K2 corresponding to the beverage concentration, and obtaining a beverage raw material weight associated with the raw material gear coefficient K1 and the weight coefficient K2 based on a preset first calculation rule; and determining the first target power based on the weight of the beverage raw material according to the inversely proportional relationship between the first target power and the weight of the beverage raw material.

[0085] When the beverage preparation signal corresponds to the beverage concentration or the user selects the beverage concentration separately, according to the preset corresponding relationship, different beverage concentrations correspond to different weight coefficients K2. The greater the beverage concentration, the greater the corresponding weight coefficient K2. Different raw material grinding gear values ​​L correspond to different raw material gear coefficients K1. The greater the raw material grinding gear value L, the smaller the raw material gear coefficient K1. The weight of the beverage raw material can be calculated based on the preset first calculation rule through the raw material gear coefficient K1 and the weight coefficient K2, so that a more accurate weight of the beverage raw material can be obtained. The first target power is inversely proportional to the weight of the beverage raw material. The greater the weight of the beverage raw material, the lower the power of the water pump 33, so that the flow rate is slower, so that the powder cake can be fully infiltrated.

[0086] As an example, the preset first calculation rule is:

[0087] g = g1 + g2 × K2 × K1;

[0088] Among them, g is the weight of the beverage raw material, g1 represents the basic weight parameter set by the brewer 20, g2 represents the capacity-limited weight parameter set by the brewer 20, K1 represents the raw material gear coefficient, and K2 represents the weight coefficient. The basic weight parameter set by the brewer 20 can be the set optimal raw material weight; the brewer 20 corresponds to an upper limit and a lower limit of the raw material weight, and the capacity-limited weight parameter can be the difference between the upper limit and the lower limit of the raw material weight of the brewer 20. It can be understood that in order to ensure the normal use of the brewer 20, the weight of the beverage raw material contained in the brewer 20 must be between the upper limit and the lower limit of the raw material weight.

[0089] The weight of the beverage raw materials is obtained through the preset first calculation rule, and the power of the water pump 33 is accurately adjusted according to the weight of the raw materials to ensure that the water flow is slowed down when the powder amount is large so that the powder cake can be fully soaked, and the water flow is faster when the powder amount is small to avoid over-extraction, optimize the quality of the beverage, and ensure that the beverage concentration meets the standard.

[0090] Further, refer to Figure 6 The beverage preparation method further includes: obtaining a water flow coefficient Lw corresponding to the raw material grinding gear value L, and obtaining a first target power based on a preset second calculation rule; the second calculation rule characterizes the relationship between the raw material grinding gear value L, the beverage raw material weight g, the temperature T of the water input to the brewer 20, and the water flow coefficient Lw.

[0091] Based on the second calculation rule, the first target power is comprehensively adjusted in combination with parameters such as the raw material grinding gear value L, the weight of the beverage raw material g and the water temperature T, so as to realize dynamic adjustment of the power of the water pump 33 under multi-parameter conditions and ensure uniform infiltration of the powder cake under different conditions.

[0092] Among them, different raw material grinding gear values ​​L can correspond to different water flow coefficients Lw, or adjacent raw material grinding gear values ​​L correspond to the same water flow coefficient Lw; water flow coefficients Lw with a large gear difference correspond to different water flow coefficients Lw.

[0093] As an example, the preset second calculation rule is:

[0094]

[0095] Among them, W represents the first target power, g represents the weight of the beverage raw material; Kw represents the constant coefficient; L represents the raw material grinding gear value; Tw represents the temperature coefficient, and the temperature coefficient Tw is calculated based on the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 using a preset mapping relationship; Lw represents the water flow coefficient.

[0096] The second calculation rule can further improve the accuracy of the power calculation of the water pump 33 and optimize the control effect during the soaking stage.

[0097] In the above formula, the water flow coefficient Lw performs positive and negative compensation on the calculation result of the first target power W; the larger the raw material grinding gear value L, the coarser the raw material particles, the higher the water flow rate, and the water flow coefficient Lw is a negative number. The water flow coefficient Lw performs negative compensation on the result of the first target power W to slow down the pumping speed of the water pump 33 to prevent the soaked water from being discharged from the pressure relief valve 35.

[0098] Exemplarily, the preset mapping relationship for calculating the temperature coefficient Tw is as follows:

[0099] Tw = 1.4 – T / 200;

[0100] When calculating the temperature coefficient Tw based on the water temperature T, when the water temperature T<60°C, determine that the water temperature T=60; when the water temperature T>100°C, determine that the water temperature T=100, and then use the formula: Tw=1.4-T / 200 to map the water temperature T to the temperature coefficient Tw; the temperature coefficient Tw takes a value of 1.1 to 0.9. For example, when the water temperature T=60, the temperature coefficient Tw is 1.1, and when the water temperature T=100, the temperature coefficient Tw is 0.9.

[0101] In some implementations, the first water supply amount is determined based on the raw material grinding level value and the weight of the beverage raw material, according to the relationship that the first water supply amount is inversely proportional to the raw material grinding level value and directly proportional to the weight of the beverage raw material.

[0102] The first water supply in the soaking stage is calculated according to the raw material grinding gear value and the weight of the beverage raw materials. While the water flows through the powder cake evenly and slowly, the first water supply is ensured to be appropriate, thereby avoiding excessive first water supply and being discharged, or too little first water supply and inability to fully soak the powder cake. The appropriate first water supply can also further ensure the stability of the cup volume after brewing.

[0103] In other embodiments, the weight of the beverage raw material corresponding to the beverage concentration may be determined based on the beverage concentration, since the beverage concentration is proportional to the beverage raw material weight; and the first water supply amount may be determined based on the beverage raw material weight.

[0104] The first water supply amount is determined only by the weight of the beverage raw materials, and the weight of the beverage raw materials is determined only by the beverage concentration, which simplifies the algorithm of the first water supply amount in the soaking stage, thereby improving the efficiency of beverage making.

[0105] In addition, the second water supply volume can be determined according to the relationship between the volume of the beverage cup and the second water supply volume. The second water supply volume is mainly determined by the volume of the beverage cup, ensuring the stability of the output volume of the beverage cup.

[0106] Reference Figure 7 The beverage preparation method further includes: obtaining the weight of beverage raw materials and the raw material grinding gear value corresponding to the beverage preparation signal, and determining the first target power according to the weight of the beverage raw materials and the raw material grinding gear value, wherein the first target power is inversely proportional to the weight of the beverage raw materials, and the first target power is directly proportional to the raw material grinding gear value, and the weight of the beverage raw material weight to the first target power is greater than the weight of the raw material grinding gear value to the first target power.

[0107] The first target power is determined by the weight of the beverage raw materials and the raw material grinding gear value, wherein the influence of the beverage raw material weight on the first target power is greater than that of the raw material grinding gear value, because the weight of the beverage raw materials will increase when the concentration of the beverage is increased. For example, the weight of the beverage raw materials corresponding to a strong flavor is larger, while the weight of the beverage raw materials corresponding to a light flavor is smaller. When calculating the first target power, the weight of the beverage raw materials for the first target power is increased to further ensure that the water flow slows down when the amount of powder is large so that the powder cake can be fully infiltrated to ensure sufficient extraction, while the water flow is faster when the amount of powder is small to avoid over-extraction. The first target power can be precisely adjusted to prepare different beverages to precisely adjust the water flow rate to ensure the extraction effect.

[0108] Reference Figure 8The beverage preparation method further includes: obtaining the weight of the beverage raw materials corresponding to the beverage preparation signal and the temperature of the water input into the brewer 20, and determining the first target power according to the weight of the beverage raw materials and the temperature of the water, wherein the first target power is inversely proportional to the weight of the beverage raw materials, the first target power is directly proportional to the temperature of the water, and the weight of the beverage raw materials to the first target power is greater than the weight of the water temperature to the first target power.

[0109] The first target power is determined by the weight of the beverage raw materials and the temperature of the water input into the brewer 20, wherein the influence of the weight of the beverage raw materials on the first target power is greater than the influence of the temperature of the water on the first target power. When calculating the first target power, the weight of the beverage raw materials on the first target power is increased to further ensure that the first target power can be accurately adjusted under different beverage raw material weights and temperature conditions, thereby accurately adjusting the water flow rate to ensure the extraction effect.

[0110] In some embodiments, the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 during the steeping phase is higher than the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 during the brewing phase.

[0111] When the water temperature is low and not conducive to extraction, the water temperature is increased during the soaking stage, and the water temperature during the brewing stage can match the beverage temperature selected by the user. With the cooperation of the water pump 33 running at the first target power, the degree of infiltration of the powder cake is maximized. At the same time, since there is a fixed waiting stage from the soaking stage to the brewing stage, and the amount of water required during the soaking stage is relatively small, the water temperature increased during the soaking stage will not affect the temperature of the beverage finally output.

[0112] The beverage preparation includes a soaking stage, a waiting stage and a brewing stage. The waiting stage is arranged between the soaking stage and the brewing stage. The waiting stage is used for the water supplied to the brewer 20 during the soaking stage to further fully soak the beverage raw materials to further ensure the concentration and taste of the beverage. The determination of the above-mentioned first target power, if the calculation result of the first target power is lower than the minimum limit power, may cause the water pump 33 to fail to operate, or cause the water flow rate to be too slow and seriously affect the beverage preparation efficiency. Therefore, the water pump 33 has a minimum limit power, that is, a preset power lower limit value. In the soaking stage, the first target power is obtained. When the first target power is lower than the preset power lower limit value, the first target power is determined to be the preset power lower limit value, and the power of the heater 34 is controlled to increase to increase the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20.

[0113] In this way, when the calculated first target power is low and lower than the preset power lower limit, the water pump 33 will directly use the minimum limit power to ensure the normal operation of the water pump 33 and the beverage preparation efficiency. When the power of the water pump 33 is continuously maintained at the minimum limit power, the power of the heater 34 can be increased to increase the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20 to assist in soaking, and the first target power can be recalculated and updated, and then the water pump is controlled to continue to operate at the updated first target power to maintain the water flow rate in the soaking stage at an optimal state.

[0114] In one embodiment, the heater 34 may be an instant hot plate.

[0115] The beverage temperature includes a first beverage temperature and a second beverage temperature. The first beverage temperature is lower than the second beverage temperature. The power of the heater 34 corresponding to the first beverage temperature is lower than the power of the heater 34 corresponding to the second beverage temperature. The heater 34 is used to heat water input into the brewer 20.

[0116] The beverage temperature is also used to control the heating power of the heater 34. In one embodiment, the beverage temperature includes high temperature and low temperature. If the user selects high temperature, the power of the heater 34 is relatively large; if the user selects low temperature, the power of the heater 34 is relatively small.

[0117] In some embodiments, the beverage preparation method further comprises: during the soaking stage, controlling the emptying pump 51 to start, so as to empty the pipeline from the brewing device 20 to the beverage outlet 43 .

[0118] During the soaking stage, the drain pump 51 and the water pump 33 are turned on and off together, and the air can be exhausted through the drain pump 51, and a small amount of water can be discharged, and the air and water can be exhausted to the waste water tray 45 through the drain pump 51, instead of through the beverage outlet 43, so as to prevent the beverage outlet 43 from splashing, and the cup volume will not be affected by the water discharge from the beverage outlet 43. In addition, the residual liquid in the output pipeline 41 prepared by the last cup of beverage can also be discharged, further ensuring the accuracy of the cup volume.

[0119] In the above beverage preparation method, the beverage preparation signal includes a hot beverage preparation signal and a cold beverage preparation signal, and the beverage preparation method further includes:

[0120] In response to the hot beverage preparation signal, in the soaking stage, the water pump 33 is controlled to supply a first water supply volume to the brewer 20, during which the water pump 33 operates at a first target power lower than the full power; in the brewing stage, the water pump 33 is controlled to supply a second water supply volume to the brewer 20, during which the water pump 33 operates at full power;

[0121] In response to the cold drink making signal, during the soaking stage, the water pump 33 is controlled to supply a first water supply volume to the brewer 20, during which the water pump 33 operates at full power; during the brewing stage, the water pump 33 is controlled to supply a second water supply volume to the brewer 20, during which the water pump 33 operates at a second target power lower than the full power.

[0122] In one embodiment, the water pump 33 is configured as an AC pump:

[0123] Preparation of hot brewed beverages: During the soaking stage, the water pump 33 is frequency-cut controlled so that the water pump 33 runs at a first target power lower than the full power to reduce the water flow rate; and during the brewing stage, the water pump 33 is full-frequency controlled so that the water pump 33 runs at full power to maintain the water flow rate at the rated flow rate.

[0124] Preparation of cold brew beverages: During the soaking stage, the water pump 33 is fully controlled to operate at full power to maintain the water flow rate at the rated flow rate; and during the brewing stage, the water pump 33 is frequency-cut controlled to operate at a second target power lower than the full power to reduce the water flow rate.

[0125] Please refer to Figure 1 , control the heater 34 to work, so as to provide the hot water required for hot extraction to the brewer 20. The beverage temperature of the hot-extracted beverage may include high temperature, medium temperature and low temperature. Among them, the heating power of the heater 34 corresponding to the high temperature is larger, and the heating power of the heater 34 corresponding to the low temperature is smaller; control the heater 34 to stop working, so as to provide the normal temperature water required for cold extraction to the brewer 20.

[0126] Due to the different concentration requirements for cold-brewed and hot-brewed drinks, the taste of cold-brewed drinks is lighter. During the soaking stage, it is necessary to avoid excessive wetting of the powder cake. During the brewing stage, the water flow needs to be slightly slowed down to extend the cold brewing time. This can make the taste of cold-brewed drinks smoother and less sour.

[0127] Reference Fig. 9 , exemplarily showing the process steps of the beverage preparation method, the user can make two choices, the choice of flavor and the choice of the raw material grinding gear value L, the beverage preparation signal received will include the beverage concentration and the raw material grinding gear value L, according to Figure 5 The first calculation rule in the method step shown in the figure determines the weight of the beverage raw material, and according to the weight of the beverage raw material, the temperature of the water input to the brewer 20, the raw material grinding gear value L, and the corresponding water flow coefficient, based on Figure 6 The second calculation rule in the method steps shown in obtains the final first target power. During the soaking stage, the water pump 33 operates at the first target power.

[0128] By adopting the above-mentioned beverage preparation method, the power setting of the water pump 33 is very flexible. According to the different adjustments of beverage temperature, beverage concentration and beverage cup size, the water pump 33 can effectively adjust the water flow rate in the soaking stage so that the brewing process can be fully extracted. The production of different beverages can achieve the ideal beverage concentration and taste effect, thereby improving the quality of the final beverage.

[0129] The present application also provides a beverage machine, which includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program that can be run on the processor, and the processor is used to execute the beverage preparation method in any one of the above-mentioned embodiments when running the computer program.

[0130] With the above beverage preparation method, the power setting of the water pump 33 is very flexible. Under different conditions of beverage temperature, beverage concentration and beverage cup size, the water pump 33 can effectively adjust the water flow rate in the soaking stage so that the brewing process can be fully extracted, affecting the quality of the final beverage.

[0131] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0132] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a beverage, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: A beverage preparation signal is received; Obtaining a beverage temperature, a beverage concentration, and a beverage cup volume corresponding to the beverage preparation signal; Setting a water supply amount based on at least one of the beverage temperature, the beverage concentration, and the beverage cup size, wherein the water supply amount includes a first water supply amount and a second water supply amount; During the soaking phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the first water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at a first target power lower than the full power; During the brewing phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the brewer with the second water supply volume, during which the water pump operates at full power; Wherein, the second water supply amount is greater than the first water supply amount.

2. The beverage preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the soaking stage, the temperature of water input to the brewer is obtained, and according to the relationship that the first target power is proportional to the temperature of the water, the first target power is dynamically adjusted based on the temperature of the water.

3. The beverage preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first target power satisfies at least one of the following characteristics: The first target power is inversely proportional to the beverage concentration, the beverage concentration includes a first beverage concentration and a second beverage concentration, the first beverage concentration is less than the second beverage concentration, and during the soaking stage, the first target power corresponding to the first beverage concentration is greater than the first target power corresponding to the second beverage concentration; The first target power is proportional to the beverage temperature, the beverage temperature includes a first beverage temperature and a second beverage temperature, the first beverage temperature is lower than the second beverage temperature, and during the soaking stage, the first target power corresponding to the first beverage temperature is lower than the first target power corresponding to the second beverage temperature.

4. The beverage preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The beverage preparation signal includes a raw material grinding gear value, and a raw material gear coefficient corresponding to the raw material grinding gear value is obtained, and a weight coefficient corresponding to the beverage concentration is obtained. Based on a preset first calculation rule, the weight of the beverage raw material associated with the raw material gear coefficient and the weight coefficient is obtained; the first target power is determined based on the inverse proportional relationship between the first target power and the weight of the beverage raw material.

5. The beverage preparation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The preset first calculation rule is: g = g1 + g2 × K2 × K1; Among them, g is the weight of the beverage raw material, g1 represents the basic weight parameter set by the brewer, g2 represents the capacity-limited weight parameter set by the brewer, K1 represents the raw material gear coefficient, and K2 represents the weight coefficient.

6. The beverage preparation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Obtain the water flow coefficient corresponding to the raw material grinding gear value, and obtain the first target power based on a preset second calculation rule; the second calculation rule characterizes the relationship between the raw material grinding gear value, the weight of the beverage raw material, the temperature of the water input to the brewer, and the water flow coefficient.

7. The beverage preparation method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The preset second calculation rule is: Among them, W represents the first target power, g represents the weight of the beverage raw material; Kw represents the constant coefficient; L represents the raw material grinding gear value; Tw represents the temperature coefficient, and the temperature coefficient is calculated based on the temperature of the water input into the brewer using a preset mapping relationship; Lw represents the water flow coefficient.

8. The beverage preparation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: According to the inversely proportional relationship between the first water supply amount and the raw material grinding gear value, and the directly proportional relationship between the first water supply amount and the beverage raw material weight, the first water supply amount is determined based on the raw material grinding gear value and the beverage raw material weight.

9. The beverage preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The weight of beverage raw materials and the raw material grinding gear value corresponding to the beverage preparation signal are obtained, and the first target power is determined according to the weight of the beverage raw materials and the raw material grinding gear value, wherein the first target power is inversely proportional to the weight of the beverage raw materials, the first target power is directly proportional to the raw material grinding gear value, and the weight of the beverage raw material weight to the first target power is greater than the weight of the raw material grinding gear value to the first target power.

10. The beverage preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The weight of beverage raw materials corresponding to the beverage preparation signal and the temperature of water input into the brewer are obtained, and the first target power is determined according to the weight of the beverage raw materials and the temperature of the water, wherein the first target power is inversely proportional to the weight of the beverage raw materials, the first target power is directly proportional to the temperature of the water, and the weight of the beverage raw materials to the first target power is greater than the weight of the water temperature to the first target power.

11. The beverage preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water supply amount is set based on at least one of the beverage temperature, the beverage concentration, and the beverage cup size, and the water supply amount includes a first water supply amount and a second water supply amount, and includes at least one of the following features: According to the relationship that the concentration of the beverage is proportional to the weight of the beverage raw material, the weight of the beverage raw material corresponding to the concentration of the beverage is determined based on the concentration of the beverage; and the first water supply amount is determined based on the weight of the beverage raw material; According to the relationship that the amount of the beverage cup is consistent with the second water supply amount, the second water supply amount is determined according to the amount of the beverage cup.

12. The beverage preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: During the soaking stage, the first target power is obtained. When the first target power is lower than a preset power lower limit, the first target power is determined to be the preset power lower limit, and the power of the heater is controlled to increase to increase the temperature of water input to the brewer.

13. The beverage preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The method comprises at least one of the following features: During the soaking stage, the drain pump is controlled to start so as to drain the pipeline from the brewing device to the beverage outlet; The temperature of the water input to the brewer during the steeping phase is higher than the temperature of the water input to the brewer during the brewing phase; The beverage temperature includes a first beverage temperature and a second beverage temperature, the first beverage temperature is lower than the second beverage temperature, the power of the heater corresponding to the first beverage temperature is lower than the power of the heater corresponding to the second beverage temperature, and the heater is used to heat water input into the brewer; During the soaking stage, the water pump is frequency-cut controlled so that the water pump operates at the first target power lower than the full power.

14. The beverage preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The beverage preparation signal includes a hot beverage preparation signal and a cold beverage preparation signal, and the method further includes: In response to the hot beverage preparation signal, during the soaking phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the first water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at a first target power lower than full power; during the brewing phase, the water pump is controlled to supply the second water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at full power; In response to the cold drink making signal, during the soaking stage, the water pump is controlled to supply the first water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at full power; during the brewing stage, the water pump is controlled to supply the second water supply volume to the brewer, during which the water pump operates at a second target power lower than full power.

15. A beverage machine, characterized in that: The beverage machine comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program that can be run on the processor, and the processor is used to execute the beverage preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 when running the computer program.

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