Control method for solving stall problem of milk foam cup and milk foam cup

Abstract

The invention relates to a control method of a milk foam cup, the milk foam cup comprises a motor, an MCU control unit, a magnetic force driving disc assembly driven by the motor and a milk foam ring assembly, the milk foam ring assembly is driven by the magnetic force driving disc assembly to rotate by relying on magnetic force, and the control method is characterized by comprising the steps that S1, the motor is started; the motor operates in a preset first speed control mode; s2, judging whether the running parameters of the motor exceed preset threshold parameters or not; s21, when the operation parameter of the motor does not exceed the threshold parameter, controlling the motor to operate normally in a preset first speed control mode; and S22, when the operation parameter of the motor exceeds the threshold parameter, exiting the first speed control mode, performing speed reduction control on the motor, and when the operation parameter of the motor is lower than the threshold parameter, controlling the motor to operate normally in the preset first speed mode again. According to the invention, parameters are dynamically adjusted, so that stable and efficient stirring effects can be realized under different conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a milk frother control method, specifically a control method for solving the problem of milk frother stalling. Background Technology

[0002] A milk frother, also known as a latte cup, is a specialized device for making coffee drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos that contain milk foam. These products primarily use a built-in stirring mechanism to froth the milk, satisfying consumers' dual pursuit of coffee taste and quality. However, under current technological conditions, the stirring mechanism of milk frothers still has some problems that urgently need to be solved.

[0003] Specifically, most mainstream milk frothers on the market today use a magnetic stirring system. This system consists of a motor-driven magnet and a metal milk frother located inside the cup. When the motor rotates, the magnetic force drives the milk frother to rotate, thus stirring and frothing the milk. Due to the limitations of magnetic force transmission and system stability issues, a "stall" phenomenon often occurs during stirring. Stall occurs when the milk frother suddenly stops rotating, while the motor speed spikes abnormally, making it impossible to continue effectively stirring the milk. This severely impacts the user's coffee-making experience and the product's usability.

[0004] Stalling can occur due to energy loss and instability during magnetic force transmission, or insufficient magnetic coupling between the milk frothing ring and the magnet. Furthermore, factors such as milk viscosity, temperature, and load variations during stirring can also negatively impact the stability of the magnetic stirring system, potentially leading to stalling.

[0005] Therefore, how to optimize the design of the magnetic stirring system based on existing technology, improve the system's stability and reliability, avoid stalling, and further enhance product usability and user experience satisfaction has become an urgent technical challenge in the design and development of milk frothers. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a control method to solve the stalling phenomenon caused by the instability of the magnetic stirring system during milk frothing in a milk frother, thereby improving the stability and reliability of milk frothing and significantly enhancing the user experience.

[0007] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows: A control method for solving the stall problem of a milk frother, the milk frother comprising a motor, an MCU control unit, a magnetic drive disk assembly driven by the motor, and a milk frother ring assembly, wherein the milk frother ring assembly is driven to rotate by the magnetic drive disk assembly using magnetic force, characterized in that: the control method is as follows: S1: Start the motor, and the motor will run in the preset first speed control mode; S2: Determine whether the motor operating parameters exceed the preset threshold parameters; S21: When the motor operating parameters do not exceed the threshold parameters, the motor is controlled to operate normally in the preset first speed control mode; S22: When the motor operating parameters exceed the threshold parameters, exit the first speed control mode and decelerate the motor until the motor operating parameters are lower than the threshold parameters, then control the motor to run normally again in the preset first speed mode. Furthermore, the motor operating parameters are the motor speed and / or the current through the motor coils.

[0008] Furthermore, the preset threshold parameters are rotational speed and / or current, wherein the rotational speed is between 1000 and 8000 rpm, and the current is between 200 and 70 mA.

[0009] Furthermore, the first speed control mode is configured to control the motor to run at a constant speed.

[0010] Furthermore, S22 specifically includes: when the motor operating parameters exceed the threshold parameters, exiting the first speed control mode, decelerating the motor, controlling the motor operating parameters to be lower than the threshold parameters, and then gradually increasing the motor speed to control the motor to operate normally in the preset first speed mode.

[0011] This invention also aims to provide a milk frother that can solve the stalling problem. The technical solution of this milk frother is as follows: A milk frother includes a motor, an MCU control unit, a magnetic drive disk assembly driven by the motor, and a milk frother assembly, wherein the milk frother assembly is driven to rotate by the magnetic drive disk assembly by magnetic force, and the milk frother is characterized in that the milk frother uses the above-mentioned control method.

[0012] The control method of this invention accurately monitors motor parameters (speed, current, etc.) to precisely determine the actual rotation state of the milk frother, thus achieving dynamic control of the magnetic stirring system. During stirring, if an abnormal surge in motor speed or a sudden decrease in motor current is detected, it indicates a stall in the milk frother's rotation. The method immediately activates an emergency control mechanism, adjusting the motor's output torque or speed to optimize magnetic coupling and quickly restore the system to a stable state, preventing stalling and the inability to use the milk frother effectively.

[0013] Furthermore, by dynamically adjusting the parameters, this invention ensures stable and efficient stirring under various conditions. This not only improves the fineness and uniformity of the milk foam but also significantly reduces energy consumption and noise during the stirring process, further enhancing the overall performance of the product. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a milk frother. Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the magnetic drive system of the milk frother Figure 3 A diagram illustrating the control process of a milk frother experiencing a stall and recovering to normal operation. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the control flow according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 An embodiment of the motor current detection circuit used in this invention Detailed Implementation

[0015] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, a milk frother typically consists of a cup body and a lid. A motor 1 and an MCU control unit (not shown) are located at the bottom of the cup body. Above the motor 1 is a magnetic drive disk assembly 2, which has at least one magnet 21. Above the magnetic drive disk assembly 2 is a milk frothing ring assembly 3, which is rotatably mounted inside the cup body. At least one magnet 31 is also located on the milk frothing ring assembly 3.

[0017] The following is for reference. Figure 2 The rotation drive mechanism of the milk frothing ring assembly 2 is described below. The opposing end faces of magnets 21 and 31 are arranged with opposite polarities, and there is a certain attractive force between them. Magnets 21 and 31 are generally made of strongly magnetic materials. When the motor rotates, driving the magnetic drive disk assembly 2 to rotate, magnet 21 drives magnet 31 to rotate accordingly, thereby driving the milk frothing ring assembly 3 to rotate as well.

[0018] When using the aforementioned magnetic rotation drive method to froth milk, the rotation speed of the frothing ring is easily affected by factors such as the amount and level of liquid in the cup, as well as external vibrations. During operation, the frothing ring's rotation speed often gradually decreases to zero, while the motor speed gradually increases to a high speed. The inventor defines this as a "stall" phenomenon. Once a stall occurs, the milk frother cannot work effectively, failing to produce the desired milk froth, severely impacting the user experience and significantly reducing the product's practicality.

[0019] In the face of the aforementioned "stalling" phenomenon, existing milk frothers do not have an effective solution. Once a stall occurs, if the user notices this phenomenon, the machine needs to be stopped and restarted. However, if the user does not notice it in time, the milk frothing ring will remain at zero speed, while the motor will remain at high speed. By the time the control program reaches the set time and reminds the user that the milk froth is ready, the user will find that the milk froth is not ready when they open the lid, thus wasting time and resulting in low customer satisfaction.

[0020] Therefore, this invention proposes a new control method to solve the aforementioned stall phenomenon. The following is a detailed explanation... Figure 3 , Figure 4 The control process of the present invention will be described.

[0021] The control method of the present invention is as follows: Step 1: Start the motor; the motor will run in the preset first speed control mode. Step 2: Check whether the motor operating parameters exceed the preset threshold parameters; In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the motor operating parameters detected by the present invention can be the motor speed or the current passing through the motor coil. Accordingly, the threshold parameters can be set to the speed or the current. The speed threshold parameter used in the milk frother of the present invention can be any value within the range of 1000 to 8000 rpm, and the current threshold parameter can be any value within the range of 200 mA to 70 mA.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention detects the current passing through the motor coil (hereinafter referred to as motor current), and determines whether a "stall" phenomenon has occurred based on whether the motor current exceeds a preset current level (threshold current), so as to take corresponding intervention measures to correct the stall phenomenon and restore it to a normal working state. Here, "exceeding" specifically refers to the motor current being lower than the preset threshold current.

[0023] The following explanation uses a threshold current setting of 120mA as an example, corresponding to a normal motor speed of 5000rpm. During normal operation, the motor runs at 5000rpm, and the milk foam ring moves at approximately the same speed, with a motor current of approximately 120mA. When stalling occurs, the milk foam ring's speed gradually decreases to zero, while the motor speed rapidly increases to approximately 8000rpm. At this point, the corresponding motor current rapidly decreases to approximately 70mA, indicating a stall has occurred. The control program then corrects this. Specifically: When the motor current exceeds the preset threshold current, a stall phenomenon is considered to have occurred (the corresponding manifestation is: the speed of the milk frothing ring gradually decreases to zero, while the motor speed gradually increases to a high speed state, and the magnet 21 on the magnetic drive disk assembly 2 and the magnet 31 on the milk frothing ring 3 cannot achieve a sufficient magnetic drive). At this time, the program will control the motor to exit the first speed control mode and decelerate the motor until the motor current reaches a level that does not exceed the preset threshold current (at this time, the magnet 21 on the magnetic drive disk assembly 2 and the magnet 31 on the milk frothing ring 3 can again achieve a sufficient magnetic drive). The program will then control the motor to resume operation in the first speed control mode. When the motor current is detected to be below the preset threshold current, it is considered to be in normal operation and continues to operate in the first speed control mode. When the preset working time T is met or the milk foam meets the requirements, the program controls the motor to stop running, thus completing the entire milk frothing process.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first speed control mode is a constant speed mode. Specifically, the present invention uses a PWM control method to control the motor speed, and achieves the motor speed regulation function by changing the duty cycle. The present invention can use any constant speed value within the range of 1000rpm to 8000rpm; in practice, the present invention uses 5000rpm.

[0025] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a circuit for detecting motor current used in this invention, where R2 is a current-sensing resistor, and a very small resistor is used, such as a resistor with a resistance of 0.25 ohms.

[0026] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with specific examples. While the descriptions are detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Other undisclosed or not described in detail portions of the present invention do not further improve upon existing technology and are not part of the main inventive content; these portions can be derived by combining with existing technology.

Claims

1. A control method for solving the stall problem of a milk frother, the milk frother comprising a motor, an MCU control unit, a magnetic drive disk assembly driven by the motor, and a milk frother assembly, wherein the milk frother assembly is driven to rotate by the magnetic drive disk assembly by magnetic force, characterized in that: The control method is as follows: S1: Start the motor, and the motor will run in the preset first speed control mode; S2: Determine whether the motor operating parameters exceed the preset threshold parameters; S21: When the motor operating parameters do not exceed the threshold parameters, the motor is controlled to operate normally in the preset first speed control mode; S22: When the motor operating parameters exceed the threshold parameters, exit the first speed control mode and decelerate the motor until the motor operating parameters are lower than the threshold parameters, then control the motor to run normally again in the preset first speed mode.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motor operating parameters are the motor speed and / or the current through the motor coils.

3. The control method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The preset threshold parameters are rotational speed and / or current, wherein the rotational speed is between 1000 and 8000 rpm and the current is between 200 and 70 mA.

4. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first speed control mode is configured to control the motor to run at a constant speed.

5. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that... Step S22 is as follows: When the motor operating parameters exceed the threshold parameters, exit the first speed control mode, decelerate the motor, control the motor operating parameters to be lower than the threshold parameters, and then gradually increase the motor speed to control the motor to run normally in the preset first speed mode.

6. A milk frother, comprising a motor, an MCU control unit, a magnetic drive disk assembly driven by the motor, and a milk frother assembly, wherein the milk frother assembly is driven to rotate by the magnetic drive disk assembly by magnetic force, characterized in that... The milk frother is controlled using the control method described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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