A device and method for preparing a tea stock solution

Abstract

The application discloses a preparation device and method of tea stock solution, and relates to the technical field of tea stock solution production. The device comprises a grinding mechanism, an upper grinding disc and a lower grinding disc are arranged in a grinding box body of the grinding mechanism, the lower grinding disc is driven by a driving mechanism to rotate oppositely with the upper grinding disc, an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the distance between the upper grinding disc and the lower grinding disc is further arranged on the grinding box body, and the device further comprises an extension part, which comprises an upper extension body for extending the radial dimension of the upper grinding disc and a lower extension body for extending the radial dimension of the lower grinding disc; a pushing piece for controlling the extension of the upper extension body and the lower extension body is further arranged; a monitoring mechanism is arranged for monitoring the granularity of tea leaves; the adjusting mechanism adjusts the distance between the upper grinding disc and the lower grinding disc in real time based on the monitoring signal of the monitoring mechanism; and the pushing piece controls the extension dimension of the upper extension body and the lower extension body based on the power of the adjusting mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of tea extract production, specifically to an apparatus and method for preparing tea extract. Background Technology

[0002] As is generally known, tea concentrate is the liquid obtained by breaking tea leaves into powder with water and then filtering out the tea paste. The existing technology for producing tea concentrate involves the following process: Figure 1 As shown, a wet grinder is generally used for crushing tea leaves. The ratio of tea leaves to water is 1:10 to 20, the speed of the grinder is around 1400 rpm, the temperature of the deionized water is 35 to 50 degrees Celsius, the grinding speed is 1 kg / min, and the fineness of the crushed tea leaves is adjusted according to production needs.

[0003] For example, patent CN118341525A, published on July 16, 2024, entitled "A Wet Grinding Method for Tea," includes a driving component and a first grinding section and a second grinding section arranged vertically. The middle of the first grinding section and the second grinding section together form a grinding chamber. Both the first grinding section and the second grinding section have channels that communicate with the grinding chamber. A material feeding component is also provided at the bottom of the grinding chamber. The driving component drives the material feeding component to rotate at a differential speed with the second grinding section. The device also includes an adjustment mechanism, which is used to adjust the material feeding component to deflect to one side after moving upward. The adjustment mechanism drives the material feeding component to move upward and then deflect to one side, so that the material feeding component pushes the clumps of material at the edge of the grinding chamber to temporarily move away from the edge of the grinding chamber and move to the center. Then, the adjustment mechanism drives the material feeding component to return to its original position, and the material feeding component contacts the clumps of material at the center. Under the action of rotational force, the clumps of material accelerate and impact the inner wall of the grinding chamber, so that the clumps of material are dispersed, avoiding excessive clumps that would affect the output efficiency.

[0004] During the preparation of tea concentrate, both the separated tea concentrate and tea paste products are marketable. The concentration of the tea concentrate can be easily adjusted by the ratio of tea leaves to water. However, the quality of the tea paste products is closely related to the degree of crushing of the raw tea leaves. In other words, the particle size of the crushed tea leaves affects the quality of the tea paste products. If the tea paste particles are too fine, the tea flavor of the tea paste will be much weaker after filtering the tea concentrate. Conversely, if the tea paste particles are too coarse, the flavor of the tea concentrate will be weaker.

[0005] The shortcoming of the existing technology is that the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs of the grinder can be adjusted to control the particle size of the tea paste. However, when adjusting, the corresponding parts between the two are equidistant. That is, when the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs is increased, due to the flexible characteristics of tea leaves that deform and curl, some tea leaves are easily not ground sufficiently. When the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs is decreased, some tea leaves will be over-ground. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for preparing tea extract, thereby solving the technical problems in related technologies.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0008] A tea extract preparation apparatus includes a grinding mechanism. The grinding mechanism has an upper grinding disc and a lower grinding disc inside its grinding chamber. The lower grinding disc rotates relative to the upper grinding disc under the drive of a driving mechanism. The grinding chamber also includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs. The apparatus further includes an extension section, comprising an upper extension for extending the radial dimension of the upper grinding disc and a lower extension for extending the radial dimension of the lower grinding disc. It also includes a pushing member for controlling the extension of the upper and lower extensions. A monitoring mechanism monitors the particle size of the ground tea leaves. The adjustment mechanism adjusts the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs in real time based on the monitoring signal from the monitoring mechanism. The pushing member controls the extension dimensions of the upper and lower extensions based on the power of the adjustment mechanism.

[0009] As described above, the upper extension body is annular, and one end of it is mounted on the grinding surface of the upper grinding disc by multiple rivets. The other end is provided with multiple first blocks in sequence in the circumferential direction. The multiple first blocks are slidably arranged on the side of the upper grinding disc away from the grinding surface in their respective radial directions, and each first block is provided with a first elastic element between itself and the upper grinding disc in the sliding direction.

[0010] As described above, the lower grinding body is annular, and one end of it is mounted on the grinding surface of the lower grinding disk by multiple rivets. The other end is provided with multiple second blocks in sequence along the circumference. The multiple second blocks are slidably arranged on the side of the lower grinding disk away from the grinding surface in their respective radial directions, and each second block is provided with a second elastic element between it and the lower grinding disk in the sliding direction. The multiple first blocks and the multiple second blocks correspond one-to-one in the axial direction.

[0011] As described above, each rivet used to connect the upper extension body to the upper grinding disc protrudes from the grinding surface of the upper grinding disc; each rivet used to connect the lower extension body to the lower grinding disc protrudes from the grinding surface of the lower grinding disc.

[0012] As described above, the plurality of rivets corresponding to the upper grinding body and the plurality of rivets corresponding to the lower grinding body are arranged in a staggered manner in the circumferential direction.

[0013] The aforementioned pushing component includes multiple upper push rods arranged sequentially along the circumference on the upper grinding disc, each upper push rod sliding along its corresponding radial direction on the upper grinding disc, and multiple lower push rods arranged along the circumference on the lower grinding disc, each lower push rod sliding along its corresponding radial direction on the lower grinding disc, with a one-to-one correspondence between the multiple upper push rods and the multiple lower push rods, and the corresponding upper push rods and lower push rods transmit power through a U-shaped rod.

[0014] As described above, the upper push rod is fixedly connected to the corresponding C-shaped rod, and the lower push rod is slidably connected to the corresponding C-shaped rod in the circumferential direction; the part of the C-shaped rod that is slidably connected to the lower push rod is provided with a first arc portion, the first arc portion provides a radial thrust to the lower push rod, and a second arc portion is provided between two adjacent first arc portions, the second arc portion is slidably connected to the corresponding first arc portion, and the first arc portion and the multiple second arc portions together form a ring structure.

[0015] As described above, each of the upper push rods and each of the lower push rods is provided with a third arc portion, and a fourth arc portion is provided between two adjacent third arc portions in the circumferential direction, and the fourth arc portion is slidably connected to the corresponding third arc portion.

[0016] The aforementioned adjustment mechanism includes an axial adjustment component and a radial adjustment component. The axial adjustment component is used to adjust the distance between the upper grinding disc and the lower grinding disc, and the radial adjustment component is used to adjust the extension distance of the extension portion.

[0017] This invention also relates to a method for preparing tea extract, which includes the following steps when preparing tea extract using the aforementioned tea extract preparation apparatus:

[0018] Step 1: Measuring tea leaves. Measure the tea leaves and water according to the ratio, and then put them into the grinding mechanism.

[0019] Step 2: Grinding the tea leaves. According to the required particle size of the tea leaves, the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs is adjusted using the adjustment mechanism, and the extension distance of the extension part is adjusted simultaneously. Then, while the upper and lower grinding discs are rotating relative to each other, the tea leaves and water are put into the grinding cavity between the upper and lower grinding discs for grinding and crushing. The monitoring mechanism monitors the grinding particle size of the tea leaves in real time, and the adjustment mechanism adjusts the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs and the extension distance of the extension part in real time based on the monitoring signal of the monitoring mechanism.

[0020] Step 3: Separation of the mixture. The tea leaves, after being ground and crushed and mixed with water, are centrifuged and filtered to obtain tea concentrate and tea paste. These are then sterilized and packaged separately.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: through the monitoring signal of the monitoring mechanism, the adjustment mechanism can adjust the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs in real time, and the pushing component can control the extension size of the upper and lower extension bodies based on the power of the adjustment mechanism. That is, when the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs increases, the extension size of the upper and lower extension bodies increases, thereby increasing the grinding time of the tea leaves; when the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs decreases, the extension size of the upper and lower extension bodies decreases, thereby reducing the grinding time of the tea leaves, thus ensuring that the particle size of the ground tea leaves is kept within a suitable range. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the production process of tea extract;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a tea extract preparation device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a tea extract preparation device provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the diagram;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the upper grinding disc in a tea extract preparation device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 An exploded view of the components corresponding to the upper grinding disc in a tea extract preparation apparatus provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the lower grinding disc planar structure of a tea extract preparation device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 An exploded view of the components corresponding to the lower grinding disc in a tea extract preparation apparatus provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first and second arcuate portions of a tea extract preparation device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 10 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the third and fourth arcuate portions of a tea extract preparation device provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0034] 1. Grinding box; 10. Upper grinding disc; 11. Lower grinding disc; 12. Feed pipe; 13. Feed funnel; 14. Upper mounting base; 15. Lower mounting base; 16. Feeding wheel; 17. Grinding cavity; 18. Rivet; 19. C-shaped rod; 2. Adjustment mechanism; 20. Adjustable pitch motor; 21. Screw sleeve; 22. Gear disc; 23. Gear; 24. Push plate; 25. Extrusion groove; 26. Slide rod; 3. Upper extension body; 30. First block; 31. Upper push rod; 32. First elastic element; 33. Triangular block; 34. Transmission ring; 4. Lower extension body; 40. Second block; 41. Lower push rod; 42. Second elastic element; 43. First arc portion; 44. Second arc portion; 5. Third arc portion; 6. Fourth arc portion; 7. Worktable; 8. Feeding disc; 9. Feed channel. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the following will be described in conjunction with the appendix. Figure 1 To be continued Figure 10 The present invention will now be described in further detail.

[0036] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a tea extract preparation apparatus, comprising a grinding mechanism, wherein an upper grinding disc 10 and a lower grinding disc 11 are provided in a grinding chamber 1 of the grinding mechanism, the lower grinding disc 11 rotating relative to the upper grinding disc 10 under the drive of a driving mechanism, the grinding chamber 1 is further provided with an adjustment mechanism 2 for adjusting the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11, and further comprising an extension portion, which includes an upper extension body 3 for extending the radial dimension of the upper grinding disc 10 and a lower extension body 4 for extending the radial dimension of the lower grinding disc 11; further comprising a pushing member for controlling the extension of the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4; a monitoring mechanism for monitoring the particle size of the ground tea; the adjustment mechanism 2 adjusting the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 in real time based on the monitoring signal of the monitoring mechanism; the pushing member controlling the extension dimensions of the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 based on the power of the adjustment mechanism 2.

[0037] Specifically, for ease of description and understanding, since both the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 are disc-shaped structures, the axial direction is the axial direction of the disc-shaped structure, and the radial direction is the radial direction of the disc-shaped structure. The grinding mechanism includes a worktable 7 and a grinding box 1 arranged on the worktable 7. The upper grinding disc 10 is axially slidable within the grinding box 1 and cannot rotate circumferentially. That is, the upper grinding disc 10 is fixedly mounted on an upper mounting base 14. A feed hole is opened at the center of the upper grinding disc 10, and a feed pipe 12 is provided in the middle of the upper mounting base 14. A feed funnel 13 is installed on the feed pipe 12. The feed pipe 12 is axially slidable on the grinding box 1. The lower grinding disc 11 is rotatably arranged within the grinding box 1 and cannot slide axially. That is, the lower grinding disc 11 is fixed on a lower mounting base 15. The lower mounting base 15 is circumferentially rotatable within the mounting box, and the center of the lower mounting base 15 is fixedly connected to the power output end of the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism can be a drive motor, and its power output end is also provided with a feed wheel 16. The cavity formed between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 is the grinding cavity 17. The feed wheel 16 rotates... During operation, the tea leaves can be moved to all sides. The upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 have basically the same structure, that is, the middle part of the upper grinding disc 10 is concave upward along the axial direction, and the middle part of the lower grinding disc 11 is concave downward along the axial direction. That is, the axial width of the grinding cavity 17 gradually decreases and gradually tends to be parallel (two parallel planes, not curved surfaces) along any radial direction away from the center. The tea leaves are mainly ground and broken in the parallel part. During the high-speed rotation of the lower grinding disc 11 driven by the drive mechanism, the tea leaves in the grinding cavity 17 will be moved towards the position with a smaller axial width by centrifugal force. In this way, the tea leaves will be gradually ground and broken into a smaller particle size range by the cooperation of the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11. The adjustment mechanism 2 needs to adjust the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 according to the required particle size of the tea leaves. The adjustment mechanism that can achieve this function is a structure with bolts and nuts, which is the existing technology and will not be described in detail.

[0038] However, in the existing technology, when the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 of the grinder is adjusted, the corresponding parts between the two are equidistant. That is, when the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 is increased, due to the flexible characteristics of tea leaves that deform and curl, some tea leaves are easily not ground sufficiently. When the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 is decreased, some tea leaves will be over-ground.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment, based on the above-mentioned problems, an extension is provided accordingly. That is, an upper extension body 3 is arranged at the edge of the upper grinding disk 10, and a lower extension body 4 is arranged at the edge of the lower grinding disk 11. The upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 extend the portion of the grinding surface of the upper grinding disk 10 and the grinding surface of the lower grinding disk 11 that are parallel to each other. Both the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 are made of soft material and can be extended in the radial direction. That is, their radial cross-sections can be regarded as having a winding structure or a bent folding mechanism. When subjected to external force, they can be unfolded or rolled up. Their elastic deformation is adapted to the shape change when unfolding and rolling up. One side of the surface roughness group is basically consistent with the grinding surface of the upper grinding disk 10, and the other side of the surface is smooth for contact with the pusher. The pusher can adjust the extension distance between the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 based on the power of the adjustment mechanism 2. That is, there is a transmission mechanism between the adjustment mechanism 2 and the pusher. The axial distance adjustment and radial distance adjustment of the grinding cavity 17 are adjusted synchronously in a certain proportion. The specific settings are set according to the actual situation, which will not be elaborated here. In this embodiment, a monitoring mechanism (such as a camera) for monitoring the grinding particle size of tea is also provided in the grinding box 1. In this way, the adjustment mechanism 2 can adjust the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 in real time according to the particle size change after grinding the tea. Correspondingly, the pusher can also adjust the extension size of the upper grinding body and the lower grinding body in real time based on the power of the adjustment mechanism 2, so as to ensure that the particle size of the ground tea is kept within a suitable range.

[0040] A feeding disc 8 is provided inside the grinding chamber 1. The feeding disc 8 rotates together with the lower grinding disc 11 to feed the ground and broken tea leaves to the discharge channel 9 and discharge them from the grinding chamber 1.

[0041] The beneficial effects of this embodiment are as follows: through the monitoring signal of the monitoring mechanism, the adjustment mechanism 2 can adjust the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 in real time, and the pusher can control the extension size of the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 based on the power of the adjustment mechanism 2. That is, when the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 increases, the extension size of the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 increases, thereby increasing the grinding time of the tea. When the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 decreases, the extension size of the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 decreases, thereby reducing the grinding time of the tea, thus ensuring that the particle size of the tea is kept within a suitable range.

[0042] Preferably, the upper extension 3 is annular, and one end of it is mounted on the grinding surface of the upper grinding disk 10 by a plurality of rivets 18. The other end is provided with a plurality of first blocks 30 in the circumferential direction. The plurality of first blocks 30 are slidably arranged on the side of the upper grinding disk 10 away from the grinding surface in their respective radial directions. Each first block 30 is provided with a first elastic element 32 between itself and the upper grinding disk 10 in the sliding direction.

[0043] Specifically, multiple first blocks 30 drive the upper extension body 3 at multiple points in the circumferential direction. That is, each first block 30 generates a pulling force on the upper extension body 3 based on the elastic force of its corresponding first elastic element 32, causing the upper extension body 3 to tend to curl up, that is, the extension size is shrinking. The pusher is used to control the extension size of the upper extension body 3 to increase. That is, the pusher includes multiple upper push rods 31 arranged sequentially in the circumferential direction on the upper grinding disk 10. Each upper push rod 31 slides on the upper grinding disk 10 along its corresponding radial direction. The multiple upper push rods 31 correspond one-to-one with the multiple first blocks 30. One end of each upper push rod 31 abuts against the side of the upper extension body 3 away from the grinding surface, and the part of the upper extension body 3 where the upper push rod 31 applies force is bent. The bending part of the upper extension body 3 changes with the change of the position of the upper push rod 31.

[0044] Preferably, the lower grinding body is annular, and one end of it is mounted on the grinding surface of the lower grinding disk 11 by a plurality of rivets 18. The other end is provided with a plurality of second blocks 40 in sequence along the circumference. The plurality of second blocks 40 are slidably arranged on the side of the lower grinding disk 11 away from the grinding surface in their respective radial directions. Each second block 40 is provided with a second elastic element 42 between itself and the lower grinding disk 11 in the sliding direction. The plurality of first blocks 30 and the plurality of second blocks 40 correspond one-to-one in the axial direction.

[0045] Specifically, multiple second blocks 40 drive the lower extension body 4 at multiple points in the circumferential direction. That is, each second block 40 generates a pulling force on the lower extension body 4 based on the elastic force of its corresponding second elastic element 42, causing the lower extension body 4 to tend to curl up, that is, the extension dimension is decreasing. The pusher is used to control the extension dimension of the lower extension body 4 to increase. That is, the pusher also includes multiple lower push rods 41 arranged circumferentially on the lower grinding disc 11. Each lower push rod 41 slides on the lower grinding disc 11 along its corresponding radial direction. The multiple lower push rods 41 and the multiple second blocks 40 In a one-to-one correspondence, one end of each lower push rod 41 abuts against the side of the lower extension that is away from the grinding surface, and the part of the lower extension 4 that is subjected to force by the lower push rod 41 is also bent. As the position of the lower push rod 41 changes, the bent part of the lower extension 4 changes accordingly. Among them, multiple first blocks 30 correspond one-to-one with multiple second blocks 40, multiple upper push rods 31 correspond one-to-one with multiple lower push rods 41, and the corresponding upper push rods 31 and lower push rods 41 transmit power through the U-shaped rod 19, that is, the extension size changes of the upper extension 3 and the lower extension 4 can be kept basically synchronized.

[0046] Each of the C-shaped rods 19 is a split structure, with the two parts connected by a plug-in connection. The grinding box 1 is also a split structure, that is, the grinding box 1 is divided into an upper part and a lower part. When it is necessary to clean the grinding cavity 17, the upper part and the lower part are separated, and the two parts of the C-shaped rods 19 can also be separated.

[0047] In an optional embodiment, the adjusting mechanism 2 includes an axial adjusting component and a radial adjusting component. The axial adjusting component is used to adjust the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11, and the radial adjusting component is used to adjust the extension distance of the extension portion. The axial adjusting mechanism includes an adjusting motor 20 arranged on the upper part of the grinding chamber 1. The power output shaft of the adjusting motor 20 is axially parallel to the axial direction of the upper grinding disc 10, and the power output shaft of the adjusting motor 20 is a telescopic structure with threads arranged on its extended section. A threaded sleeve 21 is provided on the upper part of the grinding chamber 1 and screwed to the extended section. It rotates on the feed pipe 12. A gear disk 22 is installed, and a gear 23 is installed at the end of the extended section. The gear 23 meshes with the gear disk 22. A push plate 24 is installed on each side of the gear 23 along its axial direction. The gear disk 22 is located between the two push plates 24. Several extrusion grooves 25 are arranged circumferentially on the gear disk 22. A slide rod 26 is slidably installed in each extrusion groove 25. Each upper push rod 31 is connected to a slide rod 26. That is, as the extrusion groove 25 rotates circumferentially with the gear disk 22, the extrusion groove 25 will exert an extrusion force on the slide rod 26 connected to it, causing the slide rod 26 to move along its corresponding radial direction. In this way, each slide rod 26 will drive its connected slide rod 26. The upper push rod 31 applies an extension thrust to the upper extension body 3, and each upper push rod 31 transmits power to the corresponding lower push rod 41 through the U-shaped rod 19. Thus, the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4 are driven to extend synchronously. When adjusting the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11, the power output shaft of the pitch adjusting motor 20 rotates, causing relative rotation between the extended section and the threaded sleeve 21. This extension and retraction of the power output shaft of the pitch adjusting motor 20 drives the gear disc 22 to move axially via the two push plates 24. The axial movement of the gear disc 22 then drives the upper grinding disc 10 to move axially. This allows for adjustment of the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11. Simultaneously, the rotation of gear 23 drives the gear disc 22 to rotate in the opposite direction. The rotation of gear disc 22 causes each extrusion groove 25 to exert an extrusion force on its corresponding slide rod 26. Each slide rod 26 then drives the upper push rod 31 connected to it to move along its corresponding radial direction, thereby enabling adjustment of the extension dimensions of the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4. The distance adjustment dimension between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 is in a certain proportion to the extension dimensions of the upper extension body 3 and the lower extension body 4. The specific setting depends on the actual application and will not be elaborated further here.

[0048] Furthermore, each rivet 18 used to connect the upper extension 3 to the upper grinding disk 10 protrudes from the grinding surface of the upper grinding disk 10; each rivet 18 used to connect the lower extension 4 to the lower grinding disk 11 protrudes from the grinding surface of the lower grinding disk 11.

[0049] Specifically, since the grinding surface of the upper grinding disc 10 is concave upward along the axial direction and the grinding surface of the lower grinding disc 11 is concave downward along the axial direction, the axial width of the grinding cavity 17 between the two gradually decreases in any radial direction away from the center position. The grinding and breaking of tea leaves takes place between the grinding surfaces at the edges of the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11. During the process of the tea leaves being thrown to the edge of the grinding space based on centrifugal force, the clumps of tea leaves may collide with the protruding rivets 18. The arrangement of so many rivets 18 can achieve the effect of breaking up the clumps of tea leaves.

[0050] Furthermore, the multiple rivets 18 corresponding to the upper grinding body and the multiple rivets 18 corresponding to the lower grinding body are arranged in a staggered manner in the circumferential direction. Specifically, since the direction of movement of the clump of tea leaves is difficult to determine and the clumps vary in size, the multiple rivets 18 corresponding to the upper grinding body and the multiple rivets 18 corresponding to the lower grinding body are arranged in a staggered manner in the circumferential direction, which can further increase the probability of the clump of tea leaves hitting the rivets 18.

[0051] In an optional embodiment, a plurality of triangular blocks 33 are arranged circumferentially on the upper extension 3. The distance between adjacent triangular blocks 33 is less than the distance between two adjacent rivets 18. If clumps still form during the grinding process, the triangular blocks 33 will break up the clumps. Since the triangular blocks 33 are arranged on the upper extension 3, tea leaves thrown from the lower grinding disc 11 to the edge of the grinding cavity 17 due to centrifugal force will impact the triangular blocks 33 along the concave inclination direction of the lower grinding disc 11, thus better breaking up the clumps. Each triangular block 33 is rotatably arranged on the upper extension body 3, and a transmission ring 34 is rotatably provided on the upper grinding disc 10. The transmission ring 34 makes rolling friction contact with the rotation axis of each triangular block 33, and each upper push rod 31 also makes rolling friction contact with the rotation axis of the corresponding triangular block 33. Thus, as the upper push rod 31 moves along its corresponding radial direction, its corresponding triangular block 33 will rotate. Under the transmission action of the transmission ring 34, multiple triangular blocks 33 will rotate together, which can solve the problem of tea leaves being blocked between two adjacent triangular blocks 33.

[0052] Preferably, the upper push rod 31 is fixedly connected to the corresponding C-shaped rod 19, and the lower push rod 41 is slidably connected to the corresponding C-shaped rod 19 in the circumferential direction; the part of the C-shaped rod 19 that is slidably connected to the lower push rod 41 is provided with a first arc portion 43, the first arc portion 43 provides the lower push rod 41 with a radial thrust, and a second arc portion 44 is provided between two adjacent first arc portions 43, the second arc portion 44 is slidably connected to the corresponding first arc portion 43, and the first arc portion 43 and the second arc portion 44 together form a ring structure.

[0053] Specifically, since the lower grinding disc 11 needs to rotate, the lower extension body 4 needs to rotate with it. Therefore, each lower push rod 41 needs to maintain the extension dimension of the lower extension body 4 and must rotate with it. Thus, the connection between the C-shaped rod 19 and each lower push rod 41 needs to be set as a sliding contact. That is, a first arc portion 43 is provided at the end of each C-shaped rod 19 corresponding to the lower push rod 41. A second arc portion 44 is slidably arranged between two adjacent first arc portions 43. During the axial movement of each lower push rod 41, the lower push rod 41 not only contacts the first arc portion 43 but also contacts the second arc portion 44. That is, in the radial direction, if the adjusting mechanism 2 does not apply force, the position of the lower push rod 41 remains unchanged in the radial direction, thereby stably maintaining the extension dimension of the lower extension body 4.

[0054] Furthermore, each of the upper push rods 31 and each of the lower push rods 41 is provided with a third arc portion 5, and a fourth arc portion 6 is provided between two adjacent third arc portions 5 in the circumferential direction, and the fourth arc portion 6 is slidably connected to the corresponding third arc portion 5.

[0055] Specifically, the contact area between the upper push rod 31 and the upper extension needs to be increased, and the contact area between the lower push rod 41 and the lower extension also needs to be increased, so as to ensure that the edges of the upper extension 3 and the lower extension 4 can be basically circular after extension. In this way, the time for the tea leaves to be ground and broken after being thrown out at any position in the grinding cavity 17 can remain basically consistent. That is, in this embodiment, each upper push rod 31 and each lower push rod 41 is provided with a third arc portion 5, and a fourth arc portion 6 is provided between two adjacent third arc portions 5 in the circumferential direction. The fourth arc portion 6 is slidably connected to the corresponding third arc portion 5. That is, multiple third arc portions 5 and multiple corresponding fourth arc portions 6 can form a ring together. In this way, whether it is the upper extension 3 or the lower extension 4, the edges can basically remain circular when pushed and extended.

[0056] Another embodiment of the present invention also relates to a method for preparing tea extract, wherein the method for preparing tea extract using the aforementioned tea extract preparation apparatus includes the following steps:

[0057] Step 1: Measuring tea leaves. Measure the tea leaves and water according to the ratio, and then put them into the grinding mechanism.

[0058] Step 2: Grinding tea leaves. According to the required tea leaf particle size, the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 is adjusted using the adjustment mechanism 2. The extension distance is adjusted synchronously. Then, during the relative rotation of the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11, tea leaves and water are put into the grinding cavity 17 between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 for grinding and crushing. The monitoring mechanism monitors the grinding particle size of the tea leaves in real time. The adjustment mechanism 2 adjusts the distance between the upper grinding disc 10 and the lower grinding disc 11 and the extension distance of the extension part in real time based on the monitoring signal of the monitoring mechanism.

[0059] Step 3: Separation of the mixture. The tea leaves, after being ground and crushed and mixed with water, are centrifuged and filtered to obtain tea concentrate and tea paste. These are then sterilized and packaged separately.

[0060] The foregoing has only described certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tea extract preparation apparatus, comprising a grinding mechanism, wherein an upper grinding disc and a lower grinding disc are provided in the grinding chamber of the grinding mechanism, the lower grinding disc rotating relative to the upper grinding disc under the drive of a driving mechanism, and the grinding chamber is further provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs, characterized in that, Also includes: The extension includes an upper extension for extending the radial dimension of the upper grinding disc and a lower extension for extending the radial dimension of the lower grinding disc; it also includes a pusher for controlling the extension of the upper extension and the extension of the lower extension. The monitoring mechanism is used to monitor the particle size of tea leaves; the adjustment mechanism adjusts the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs in real time based on the monitoring signal from the monitoring mechanism; the pushing component controls the extension dimensions of the upper and lower extension bodies based on the power of the adjustment mechanism. The upper extension body is annular, and one end of the axial part is mounted on the grinding surface of the upper grinding disk by multiple rivets. The other end is provided with multiple first blocks in the circumferential direction. The multiple first blocks are slidably arranged on the side of the upper grinding disk away from the grinding surface in their respective radial directions, and each first block is provided with a first elastic element between itself and the upper grinding disk in the sliding direction. The lower extension body is annular, and one end of the axial part is mounted on the grinding surface of the lower grinding disk by multiple rivets. The other end is provided with multiple second blocks in sequence in the circumferential direction. The multiple second blocks are slidably arranged on the side of the lower grinding disk away from the grinding surface in their respective corresponding radial directions, and each second block is provided with a second elastic element between it and the lower grinding disk in the sliding direction. The multiple first blocks and the multiple second blocks correspond one-to-one in the axial direction. Each rivet used to connect the upper extension body to the upper grinding disc protrudes from the grinding surface of the upper grinding disc; each rivet used to connect the lower extension body to the lower grinding disc protrudes from the grinding surface of the lower grinding disc. The plurality of rivets corresponding to the upper extension body and the plurality of rivets corresponding to the lower extension body are arranged in a staggered manner in the circumferential direction. Several triangular blocks are also arranged circumferentially on the upper extension body. The distance between adjacent triangular blocks is smaller than the distance between two adjacent rivets. Each triangular block is rotatably arranged on the upper extension body. A transmission ring is provided on the upper grinding disc. The transmission ring is in rolling friction contact with the rotation axis of each triangular block. Each upper push rod is also in rolling friction contact with the rotation axis of the triangular block at the corresponding position.

2. The apparatus for preparing tea extract according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pushing component includes multiple upper push rods arranged circumferentially on the upper grinding disc, each upper push rod sliding on the upper grinding disc along its corresponding radial direction, and multiple lower push rods arranged circumferentially on the lower grinding disc, each lower push rod sliding on the lower grinding disc along its corresponding radial direction. The multiple upper push rods and multiple lower push rods correspond one-to-one, and the corresponding upper push rods and lower push rods transmit power through a U-shaped rod.

3. The apparatus for preparing tea extract according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper push rod is fixedly connected to the corresponding C-shaped rod, and the lower push rod is slidably connected to the corresponding C-shaped rod in the circumferential direction; the part of the C-shaped rod that is slidably connected to the lower push rod is provided with a first arc portion, the first arc portion provides the lower push rod with a radial thrust, and a second arc portion is provided between two adjacent first arc portions, the second arc portion is slidably connected to the corresponding first arc portion, and the first arc portion and the multiple second arc portions together form a ring structure.

4. The apparatus for preparing tea extract according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the upper push rods and each of the lower push rods is provided with a third arc portion, and a fourth arc portion is provided between two adjacent third arc portions in the circumferential direction. The fourth arc portion is slidably connected to the corresponding third arc portion.

5. The apparatus for preparing tea extract according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism includes an axial adjustment component and a radial adjustment component. The axial adjustment component is used to adjust the distance between the upper grinding disc and the lower grinding disc, and the radial adjustment component is used to adjust the extension distance of the extension portion.

6. A method for preparing tea extract, based on the tea extract preparation apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The preparation method of the tea extract includes the following steps: Tea leaves are measured by measuring the tea leaves and water according to a specific ratio, and then fed into the grinding mechanism. In the tea grinding process, the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs is adjusted using an adjustment mechanism according to the required particle size of the tea. The extension part is simultaneously adjusted in terms of its extension distance. Then, as the upper and lower grinding discs rotate relative to each other, the tea leaves and water are put into the grinding cavity between the upper and lower grinding discs for grinding and crushing. The monitoring mechanism monitors the grinding particle size of the tea leaves in real time, and the adjustment mechanism adjusts the distance between the upper and lower grinding discs and the extension distance of the extension part in real time based on the monitoring signal from the monitoring mechanism. The mixture is separated by centrifuging and filtering the ground and crushed tea leaves mixed with water to obtain tea concentrate and tea paste, which are then sterilized and packaged separately.

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