Coffee powder guide cover and coffee machine

Abstract

The coffee machine is provided with a machine base, a bean grinding assembly, a brewing cup and a brewing head, the bean grinding assembly is provided with a funnel, the guide cover is arranged at the lower end of the funnel and provided with a rotatable structure, the guide cover rotates relative to the funnel through the rotatable structure so as to avoid the rising brewing cup, and the brewing head is arranged on the machine base. The guide cover comprises a surrounding and shielding wall used for guiding coffee powder to fall into the brewing cup, the surrounding and shielding wall is provided with at least one opening part, the opening part is arranged in an area which is not on the same side with the rotatable structure, a continuous flow guide channel is formed in the powder receiving state, the coffee powder falling path is effectively collected, and the coffee powder is prevented from falling into the brewing cup. And the coffee powder is prevented from splashing and scattering in the falling process.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of coffee machines, in particular to a coffee powder guide cover and a coffee machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the working process of a fully automatic coffee machine, after the coffee beans are ground into powder by the bean grinding assembly, the coffee powder needs to be accurately delivered to the brewing cup, which is called "powder receiving". The accuracy of powder receiving affects the extraction quality of coffee and the cleaning and maintenance of the machine. If the coffee powder spills outside the brewing cup, it will cause inaccurate extraction of coffee and is easy to accumulate residual powder inside the machine, breed bacteria, produce odor, and even affect the normal operation of the coffee machine.

[0003] To realize the directional delivery of coffee powder, a funnel for guiding powder is generally arranged below the powder outlet of the bean grinding assembly to guide the coffee powder to fall into the brewing cup. However, after the powder receiving is completed, in some embodiments, the brewing cup needs to be moved upward and tightly combined with the fixed brewing head to press the powder and extract. Therefore, a certain structural gap must be reserved between the lower end of the funnel and the brewing cup, which will cause the coffee powder to spill during the falling process.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the prior art proposes to add a movable coffee powder guide cover to the lower side of the funnel, including an up-down moving type and a rotatable type. However, the moving type guide cover has a complex structure, has the risk of jamming or failure of the moving parts, and has a high cost. The rotatable type guide cover needs to avoid the funnel structure during rotation, and usually needs to reserve a large gap between the guide cover and the funnel, which causes the coffee powder to overflow from the gap during falling, and the powder guiding effect is poor. At the same time, in order to avoid the interference between the guide cover and the funnel during rotation, the distance between the shielding part of the guide cover and the rotating shaft needs to be long enough, so there is a problem of large space occupation.

[0005] In summary, the existing funnel structure still has deficiencies in powder receiving reliability, structural simplicity, space setting, and maintenance convenience. How to realize the efficient, accurate, and spill-free delivery of coffee powder is still a technical problem to be solved in the field. SUMMARY

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present application proposes a coffee powder guide cover and a coffee machine, which aims to realize the structural simplicity and maintenance convenience of the coffee powder flow optimization by arranging a guide cover that can avoid the upward movement of the brewing cup below the funnel.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the following technical solutions are adopted in the present application: In a first aspect, the present application proposes a coffee powder guide cover applied to a coffee machine, wherein the coffee machine is provided with a machine base, a bean grinding assembly, a brewing cup, and a brewing head, and the bean grinding assembly is provided with a funnel. The guide cover is arranged at the lower end of the funnel and is provided with a rotatable structure, so that the guide cover rotates relative to the funnel through the rotatable structure to avoid the rising brewing cup; The guide cover comprises an enclosing wall for guiding the coffee powder to fall into the brewing cup, and the enclosing wall is provided with at least one opening part arranged at a region not on the same side as the rotatable structure.

[0008] In this way, the enclosing wall of the guide cover forms a continuous flow channel in the powder receiving state, effectively converging the falling path of the coffee powder and preventing splashing and spilling during the falling of the coffee powder.

[0009] Meanwhile, by arranging the rotatable structure on the guide cover, the guide cover can rotate relative to the funnel of the bean grinding assembly, and when the brewing cup rises, the guide cover is automatically deflected by the pushing force, and in combination with the design of the opening part, the guide cover is not restricted by the rigidity of the funnel or the enclosing wall of the guide cover when it is deflected, thereby achieving dynamic avoidance with a simple structure.

[0010] In some possible embodiments, the rotatable structure of the guide cover is a shaft sleeve rotatably connected to the machine base or the funnel or the bean grinding assembly through a rotating shaft, the enclosing wall of the guide cover is an arc-shaped wall integrally formed with the shaft sleeve, the opening part is a deflection gap of the arc-shaped wall and is arranged at the opposite side of the shaft sleeve, and a support arm is formed between the shaft sleeve and the arc-shaped wall.

[0011] In some possible embodiments, the guide cover is provided with a driving part outside the periphery of the shaft sleeve, which can be driven to rotate by a spring arranged on the machine base.

[0012] In some possible embodiments, a flexible misalignment sheet is further arranged to shield the deflection gap, the flexible misalignment sheet is integrally formed of a flexible material and is provided with a deflection slot at a position corresponding to the deflection gap.

[0013] In some possible embodiments, both side edges of the flexible misalignment sheet are respectively provided with a lead-in slope, and the lead-in slopes on the two sides are oppositely arranged and abut to form the deflection slot.

[0014] In some possible embodiments, the flexible misalignment sheet is provided with a first fixing part, and the first fixing part is provided with a fixing hole for connecting with the arc-shaped wall. A first connecting part is arranged at the opposite side of the deflection slot and is synchronously formed and processed with the flexible misalignment sheet and the fixing hole, the first connecting part allows the two sides of the deflection slot to rotate relative to each other, and the thickness of the first connecting part is smaller than the thickness of the first fixing part.

[0015] In some possible embodiments, the guide cover is integrally formed of a flexible material and is provided with a second fixing portion, a skirt wall, and a second connecting portion arranged between the second fixing portion and the skirt wall, the thickness of the second connecting portion being less than the thickness of the skirt wall and the second fixing portion to form the rotatable structure, and the second fixing portion is provided with a fixing hole for connecting with the funnel. The skirt wall is a shielding wall, and the opening portion is an elastic avoiding opening arranged at opposite sides of the connecting portion.

[0016] In some possible embodiments, the guide cover further comprises a movable shielding piece for shielding the elastic avoiding opening, the movable shielding piece is integrally formed of a flexible material and is attached to both side edges of the skirt wall.

[0017] In some possible embodiments, the movable shielding piece is provided with a third fixing portion, a shielding portion, and a third connecting portion arranged between the third fixing portion and the shielding portion, the thickness of the third connecting portion being less than the thickness of the shielding portion and the third fixing portion to enable the shielding portion to rotate relative to the funnel, and the third fixing portion is provided with a fixing hole for connecting with the funnel.

[0018] In a second aspect, the application further provides a coffee machine using the guide cover as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the coffee machine involved in the application; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the guide cover of the first embodiment of the application; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the guide cover of the first embodiment of the application in an installed state; Figure 4 is a sectional view of the guide cover of the first embodiment of the application in a powder receiving state; Figure 5 is a sectional view of the guide cover of the first embodiment of the application in a brewing cup rising state; Figure 6 is a partial schematic diagram of the guide cover of the first embodiment of the application in a powder receiving state; Figure 7 is a partial schematic diagram of the guide cover of the first embodiment of the application in a brewing cup rising state; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the guide cover of the first embodiment of the application with an elastic misalignment piece; Figure 9 is a side view of Figure 8 ; Figure 10 is a sectional view of Figure 9 in direction A; Figure 11 is a sectional view of Figure 10Schematic diagram of open and close state of avoiding joint of middle elastic dislocation sheet; Figure 12 is the overall schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the guide cover in the present application; Figure 13 is the sectional view of the second embodiment of the guide cover in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The features and other related features of the present application are further described in detail by the following examples for the understanding of the skilled in the art: It should be noted that the words "front", "back", "left", "right", "up" and "down" used in the following description refer to the directions in the drawings, and the words "bottom surface" and "top surface", "inner" and "outer" refer to the directions towards or away from the geometric center of a particular component.

[0021] Further, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "mount", "connect", "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integrally connected; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present case can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0022] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 The coffee machine to which the coffee powder guide cover of the present application is applied includes a base 100, a bean grinding assembly 200, a brewing cup 300, and a brewing head 400. The bean grinding assembly 200 is provided with a hopper 210. When the coffee machine is working, the brewing head 400 is relatively fixed at the upper end of the base 100, and the brewing cup 300 is relatively moved in position, at least to complete powder receiving at the lower end of the bean grinding assembly 200 and upward movement to press tightly with the brewing head 400 to perform powder pressing and extraction. The configuration form of the brewing cup 300, the brewing head 400 and the bean grinding assembly 200 is a conventional technical means in the field of coffee machines, and the moving form will not be described in detail in the present case.

[0023] Taking the coffee machine of the embodiment of the present application as an example, because the coffee powder falls downward from the bean grinding assembly 200 and the hopper 210 during powder receiving, the brewing cup 300 is in a vertical state at this time. When moving upward to connect with the brewing head 400, avoiding the space of the bean grinding assembly 200, it will be an inclined upward process. At this time, if the hopper 210 is too long, it will be interfered when the brewing cup 300 moves, so a certain structural gap must be reserved between the lower end of the hopper 210 and the brewing cup 300, which will lead to easy spilling around when the coffee powder falls.

[0024] To this end, the application is provided with a guide cover 500, which is provided at the lower end of the guide cover 500 and is provided with a rotatable structure, so that the guide cover 500 is rotated relative to the funnel 210 through the rotatable structure to avoid the rising brewing cup 300.

[0025] Further, the guide cover 500 includes an enclosing wall for guiding the coffee powder to fall into the brewing cup 300, and at least one opening portion is provided on the enclosing wall, which is provided on the side opposite to the rotatable structure.

[0026] In this way, the enclosing wall of the guide cover 500 forms a continuous flow channel in the powder receiving state, effectively converging the coffee powder falling path and preventing splashing and spilling during the coffee powder falling process.

[0027] At the same time, by providing a rotatable structure on the guide cover 500, it can be rotated relative to the funnel 210 of the bean grinding assembly 200, and when the brewing cup 300 rises, the guide cover 500 is automatically deflected by the push, and in combination with the design of the opening portion, the guide cover 500 is not restricted by the rigidity of the funnel 210 or its own enclosing wall structure when it is deflected, achieving dynamic avoidance under simple structure.

[0028] The implementation of the guide cover 500 is described by specific embodiments as follows. Embodiment one, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The rotatable structure of the guide cover 500 is a shaft sleeve 11, which is rotatably connected to the machine base 100 through a rotating shaft 110, and the rotation of the shaft sleeve 11 on the rotating shaft 110 makes the guide cover 500 rotate relative to the funnel 210. The machine base 100, the funnel 210 and the bean grinding assembly 200 are fixed parts, so in other embodiments, the shaft sleeve 11 can also be rotatably connected with the funnel 210 and the bean grinding assembly 200.

[0029] Further, the enclosing wall of the guide cover 500 is an arc-shaped wall 12 integrally formed with the shaft sleeve 11, and the opening portion is a avoiding gap 121 of the arc-shaped wall 12, which is provided on the opposite side of the shaft sleeve 11. A support arm 13 is formed between the shaft sleeve 11 and the arc-shaped wall 12. At this time, the shaft sleeve 11, the arc-shaped wall 12 and the support arm 13 are integrally formed of hard rubber material, which can be common materials such as polypropylene (PP).

[0030] During operation, please refer to Figures 4 to 7When the brewing cup 300 is filling with coffee powder, the guide cover 500 is connected to the lower end of the funnel 210, which extends the powder guiding channel and prevents coffee powder from spilling out of the outer circumference of the brewing cup 300. After filling, when the brewing cup 300 moves upward, it will push against the lower end of the support arm 13 and the curved wall 12 and move upward. At this time, the guide cover 500 is subjected to an upward force and rotates relative to the funnel 210 through the bushing 11 and the rotating shaft 110. At this time, the clearance notch 121 can prevent the curved wall 12 from interfering with the funnel 210 and rotate smoothly upward, allowing the brewing cup 300 to pass smoothly. After the brewing cup 300 has passed smoothly, the guide cover 500 returns to its original position by gravity and rotates relative to the funnel 210 through the bushing 11 and the rotating shaft 110.

[0031] In some preferred embodiments, when the brewing cup 300 rises and the guide cover 500 returns to its original position, a driving force is required. As a driving method, a driving part 14 is provided on the outer periphery of the bushing 11 of the guide cover 500. The driving part 14 is also integrally formed with the bushing 11. The driving part 14 is driven by the spring 120 provided on the base 100 and rotates through the rotating shaft 110, thereby driving the guide cover 500 to return to its original position.

[0032] Further, please refer to Figures 8 to 11 The clearance notch 121 is an open opening, therefore it is necessary to cover it. To address this, the guide cover 500 also includes an elastic misalignment piece 15 that covers the clearance notch 121. The elastic misalignment piece 15 is integrally formed from a flexible material and has a clearance slot 151 corresponding to the clearance notch 121. When receiving powder, as... Figure 10 As shown, the clearance slit 151 is in a closed state. When the brewing cup 300 rises, the clearance slit 151 will open, allowing the funnel 121 to pass through the clearance notch 121 without being interfered with by the guide cover 500. The flexible material that can be used is commonly used materials such as thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or food-grade silicone.

[0033] Preferably, the elastic misalignment piece 15 has guide slopes 154 on both sides of its edge. The guide slopes 154 on both sides are arranged opposite to each other and fit together to form the avoidance seam 151, which can effectively prevent misalignment when the avoidance seam 151 is closed.

[0034] Specifically, the elastic misalignment sheet 15 is provided with a first fixed part 152, which is provided at least on both sides of the avoiding gap 151, and in some embodiments, the first fixed part 152 is also provided on the opposite sides of the avoiding gap 151. The first fixed part 152 is provided with a fixed hole for connecting with the arc-shaped wall 12, which is sleeved with the clamping column 510 provided at the corresponding position of the arc-shaped wall 12 to form an elastic clamping structure. It should be noted that the fixed hole is not separately marked in the figure, which is used in combination with the clamping column 510 on the opposite side, and the same naming method and marking method are used for the fixed hole and the clamping column 510 in combination with it in the following description.

[0035] It should be further pointed out that the elastic misalignment sheet 15 and the enclosing wall described above can be integrally manufactured by known molding processes such as secondary injection molding or double-color injection molding to form a whole component with continuous structure and integrated function. As the setting mode of the elastic misalignment sheet 15, the mode of being provided on the outer side of the enclosing wall is adopted in the above embodiment. In some embodiments, the setting position of the elastic misalignment sheet 15 is not limited to the outer side of the enclosing wall, but can also be on the inner side of the enclosing wall. When the elastic misalignment sheet 15 is located on the outer side, it cooperates with the enclosing wall to form an extension of the powder guide channel and cooperates to guide the coffee powder to fall. When it is located on the inner side, the elastic misalignment sheet 15 serves as the main powder guide structure, and the coffee powder is guided to the brewing cup only through the elastic misalignment sheet 15, and the enclosing wall only serves as a structural support.

[0036] Further, a first connecting part 153 is provided on the opposite sides of the avoiding gap 151 to allow the opposite sides of the avoiding gap 151 to rotate, and the thickness of the first connecting part 153 is smaller than the thickness of the first fixed part 152 to form a kind of flexible hinge structure that can be repeatedly bent by the elasticity of the material. In this way, the entire elastic misalignment sheet 15 is actually a complete one-piece structure with only one avoiding gap 151 gap, like Figure 11 (b) shown, it should be noted that the single avoiding gap 151 cannot be completely fitted in the practical state during the molding process. During the manufacturing process, the first connecting part 153 and the fixed hole are integrally formed on the whole structure, and the whole structure is bent after the first connecting part 153 is rotated, and then the whole guide cover 500 is completed by being fixed around the clamping column 510 of the arc-shaped wall 12. At this time, the avoiding gap 151 as the gap is naturally connected and closed into the completely fitted state as Figure 11 (a) shown under the elastic clamping of the first fixed part 152 on both sides.

[0037] Embodiment two, please refer to Figure 12 and Figure 13 , the same parts as in embodiment one in embodiment two, including flexible material, fixed part processing, and fixing mode through clamping column 510, which will not be described in detail in the following description.

[0038] The guide cover 500 is integrally formed of flexible material, and is provided with a second fixing portion 21, a skirt wall 22, and a second connecting portion 23 arranged between the second fixing portion 21 and the skirt wall 22. The thickness of the second connecting portion 23 is smaller than the thickness of the skirt wall 22 and the second fixing portion 21, so as to form a flexible hinge structure capable of being repeatedly bent by the elasticity of the material, and actually form the rotatable structure as described above. Meanwhile, the second fixing portion 21 is provided with a fixing hole for connecting with the funnel 210.

[0039] At this time, the skirt wall 22 is a shielding wall, and the opening portion is an elastic avoiding opening 221 arranged at the opposite side of the connecting portion. The skirt wall 22 is made of flexible material, but when it is arranged to form a ring structure, it will have structural rigidity and interfere with the rising of the brewing cup 300. Therefore, the elastic avoiding opening 221 is arranged, so that when the skirt wall 22 is pressed, it rotates around the second connecting portion 23 and elastically yields, so that the brewing cup 300 can smoothly rise, and at the same time, by the elastic force of the skirt wall 22, it can be automatically reset.

[0040] At this time, the guide cover 500 made of flexible material can also be integrally formed with the second connecting portion and the fixing hole, and then the fixing hole can be installed on the clamping column 510 of the funnel 210 to complete the installation.

[0041] For the opening at the elastic avoiding opening 221, the guide cover 500 made of flexible material further comprises a movable shielding piece 24 shielding the elastic avoiding opening 221, and the movable shielding piece 24 is integrally formed of flexible material. Specifically, the movable shielding piece 24 is provided with a third fixing portion 241, a shielding portion 242, and a third connecting portion 243 arranged between the third fixing portion 241 and the shielding portion 242. The thickness of the third connecting portion 243 is smaller than the thickness of the shielding portion 242 and the third fixing portion 241, so that the shielding portion 242 rotates relative to the third fixing portion 241, and the third fixing portion 241 is provided with a fixing hole for connecting with the funnel 210. The third connecting portion 242 and the fixing hole can also be integrally formed, and then the fixing hole can be installed on the clamping column 510 of the funnel 210 to complete the installation. Preferably, the two sides of the movable shielding piece 24 are attached to the two side edges of the skirt wall 22 at the elastic avoiding opening 221, so as to prevent powder from leaking.

[0042] In this embodiment, when the brewing cup 300 rises, the skirt wall 22 will first rotate with the second connecting portion 23 as the rotating structure, and elastically deform due to the arrangement of the elastic avoiding opening 221, and then reset after the brewing cup 300 passes through smoothly. At the elastic avoiding opening 221, the shielding portion 242 is pushed by the brewing cup 300 and then opened with the third connecting portion 243 as the rotating structure, and then resets after the brewing cup 300 rises due to the elastic force of the third connecting portion 243 and its own gravity.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that the preferred embodiment of the flexible material in both Embodiment I and Embodiment II is the use of anti-static silicone to reduce the sticking or spilling of coffee powder due to static electricity.

[0044] As mentioned above, the present application is a coffee powder guide cover and coffee machine. All technical solutions that are the same or similar to the present application should be considered as falling within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A coffee powder guide cover, characterized by, The application is applied to a coffee machine, which is provided with a base (100), a bean grinder assembly (200), a brewing cup (300), and a brewing head (400). The bean grinder assembly (200) is provided with a hopper (210). The guide cover (500) is arranged at the lower end of the hopper (210) and is provided with a rotatable structure, so that the guide cover (500) is rotated relative to the hopper (210) through the rotatable structure to avoid the rising brewing cup (300). The guide cover (500) comprises an enclosing wall for guiding the coffee powder to fall into the brewing cup (300), and the enclosing wall is provided with at least one opening part, which is arranged at a region on the same side as the rotatable structure.

2. A coffee powder guide according to claim 1, wherein The rotatable structure of the guide cover (500) is a shaft sleeve (11), which is rotatably connected to the base (100), the hopper (210), or the bean grinder assembly (200) through a rotating shaft (110). The enclosing wall of the guide cover (500) is an arc-shaped wall (12) integrally formed with the shaft sleeve (11). The opening part is an avoiding gap (121) of the arc-shaped wall (12) and is arranged at the opposite side of the shaft sleeve (11). A supporting arm (13) is formed between the shaft sleeve (11) and the arc-shaped wall (12).

3. A coffee powder guide according to claim 2, wherein the guide is formed from a single piece of material. The guide cover (500) is provided with a driving part (14) outside the periphery of the shaft sleeve (11), which can be driven to rotate by a spring (120) arranged on the base (100).

4. A coffee powder guide according to claim 2, wherein The guide cover (500) further comprises an elastic misalignment sheet (15) for shielding the avoiding gap (121), which is integrally formed of a flexible material and is provided with an avoiding gap (151) at the position corresponding to the avoiding gap (121).

5. A coffee powder guide according to claim 4, wherein The two side edges of the elastic misalignment sheet (15) are respectively provided with lead-in inclined surfaces (154), and the lead-in inclined surfaces (154) on the two sides are oppositely arranged and abut to form the avoiding gap (151).

6. A coffee powder guide according to claim 4, wherein The elastic misalignment sheet (15) is provided with a first fixing part (152), and the first fixing part (152) is provided with a fixing hole for connecting with the arc-shaped wall (12). A first connecting part (153) is arranged at the opposite side of the avoiding gap (151) and is synchronously formed with the elastic misalignment sheet (15) and the fixing hole. The first connecting part (153) makes the two sides of the avoiding gap (151) relatively rotate, and the thickness of the first connecting part (153) is smaller than that of the first fixing part (152).

7. A coffee powder guide according to claim 1, wherein The guide cover (500) is integrally formed of a flexible material and is provided with a second fixing part (21), a skirt wall (22), and a second connecting part (23) arranged between the second fixing part (21) and the skirt wall (22). The thickness of the second connecting part (23) is smaller than that of the skirt wall (22) and the second fixing part (21) and forms the rotatable structure. The second fixing part (21) is provided with a fixing hole for connecting with the hopper (210). The skirt wall (22) is an enclosing wall, and the opening part is an elastic avoiding opening (221) arranged at the opposite side of the second connecting part (23).

8. A coffee powder guide according to claim 7, wherein The flexible material is integrally formed with the movable shielding piece (24), and the two sides of the movable shielding piece (24) are attached to the two side edges of the skirt wall (22).

9. A coffee powder guide according to claim 8, wherein The movable shielding piece (24) is provided with a third fixed part (241), a shielding part (242), and a third connecting part (243) arranged between the third fixed part (241) and the shielding part (242). The thickness of the third connecting part (243) is less than the thickness of the shielding part (242) and the third fixed part (241), so that the shielding part (242) rotates relative to the funnel (210). The third fixed part (241) is provided with a fixed hole for connecting with the funnel (210).

10. A coffee maker characterized in that, A coffee powder guide cover according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images