Beverage machine

Abstract

The utility model provides a beverage machine which comprises an equipment body and further comprises a brewing unit installed on the equipment body and used for preparing a beverage; the fluid assembly is mounted on the equipment body, is communicated with the brewing unit and is used for providing fluid required for preparing the beverage for the brewing unit; the air pump and the three-way valve are both installed on the equipment body, and the air pump is communicated between the fluid assembly and the brewing unit through the three-way valve and used for providing purging airflow for the brewing unit. When beverage brewing is completed, the air pump is started, the three-way valve enables the air pump to be communicated with the brewing unit, airflow generated by the air pump can blow away residual beverage in the brewing unit, the utilization rate of beverage consumption agents is increased, and the problem that residual liquid at a beverage outlet drips is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of beverage machines, and in particular relates to a beverage machine with a residual liquid purging function. Background Art

[0002] Capsule extraction coffee machine is a new type of coffee machine. Its working principle is to put the pre-prepared coffee capsule into the machine, specifically, into the brewing unit, and extract the contents of the coffee capsule through a specific extraction technology to make a cup of delicious coffee. Compared with traditional coffee machines, capsule extraction coffee machines have the advantages of simple operation, convenient carrying, and stable quality. Its biggest feature is that you don’t need to grind and fill the coffee powder yourself, just put the coffee capsule into the machine to make high-quality coffee. In addition, the capsule extraction coffee machine is small in size and easy to carry, which is very suitable for use in the office or at home.

[0003] However, users find during use that after the coffee is made, a lot of coffee remains in the coffee capsule, causing waste. At the same time, the coffee liquid remaining in the coffee capsule will slowly fall down, and the user has already taken away the water cup below. The remaining coffee will drip onto the coffee machine or the desktop, increasing the cleaning intensity and bringing a bad user experience.

[0004] Therefore, after a beverage machine such as a capsule coffee machine brews a beverage, some of the beverage will remain in the brewing unit, resulting in low utilization of beverage consumables (such as coffee, milk tea or tea leaves, etc.), and the remaining beverage will slowly drip from the beverage outlet, resulting in a poor user experience. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the technical problem that beverage residues exist in current beverage machines after brewing is completed, the present application provides a beverage machine with a residual liquid purging function.

[0006] The present application provides a beverage machine, comprising an equipment body, and also comprising: a brewing unit, installed on the equipment body, for preparing beverages; a fluid component, installed on the equipment body and connected to the brewing unit, for providing the brewing unit with fluid required for preparing beverages; an air pump and a three-way valve, both installed on the equipment body, the air pump being connected between the fluid component and the brewing unit through the three-way valve, for providing a purge airflow to the brewing unit.

[0007] In some embodiments, the fluid assembly includes a water tank, a flow meter, a water pump, and a heating element that are sequentially connected through a pipeline, and an outlet of the heating element, the three-way valve, and an inlet of the brewing unit are sequentially connected.

[0008] In some embodiments, the fluid component further includes a first three-way solenoid valve and a three-way pipe that are connected to each other, wherein the first three-way solenoid valve is connected between the water pump and the heating element, and the three-way pipe is connected to an outlet of the heating element.

[0009] In some embodiments, the beverage machine further comprises a second three-way solenoid valve, wherein the second three-way solenoid valve is connected between the fluid assembly and the three-way valve, and a remaining outlet of the second three-way solenoid valve is connected to a fluid outlet of the beverage machine.

[0010] In some embodiments, the three-way valve comprises a valve body and a one-way valve disposed in a channel of the valve body for connecting to the air pump; or, the three-way valve (150) is a three-way solenoid valve.

[0011] In some embodiments, the three-way valve includes: the valve body, having three channels, two of which are provided with sealing assemblies for installing pipelines; an air pump inlet connector, used to connect the air pump, the air pump inlet connector is installed in the remaining channel and encloses an installation cavity with the valve body; the one-way valve is installed in the installation cavity.

[0012] In some embodiments, the channel is provided with an expanded hole for installing the sealing assembly; the sealing assembly includes a pressure ring and a sealing ring, the pressure ring is installed in the expanded hole and presses the sealing ring, and the sealing ring is wrapped around the pipe.

[0013] In some embodiments, the valve body and the air pump air inlet connector are both provided with a limiting ring groove; the three-way valve also includes a limiting ring, and the limiting ring is embedded in the limiting ring grooves of the valve body and the air pump air inlet connector at the same time; a sealing ring is provided between the valve body and the air pump air inlet connector.

[0014] In some embodiments, the air outlet end of the air pump is provided with an air pump outlet connector, and the air pump outlet connector and the air pump inlet connector are connected through an air pipe; the air pump outlet connector and the air pump inlet connector are both provided with a protruding structure on the connector, and the air pipe is sleeved on the connector and covers the protruding structure; the air pipe and the connector are clamped and fixed by a throat clamp.

[0015] In some embodiments, a mounting groove is provided on the equipment body of the beverage machine, and the air pump is installed in the mounting groove; and a shockproof sleeve is provided on the air pump.

[0016] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, a beverage machine is provided, including an equipment body and a brewing unit, a fluid component, an air pump and a three-way valve installed on the equipment body. The brewing unit is used to prepare beverages; the fluid component is connected to the brewing unit to provide the brewing unit with the fluid required for preparing beverages; the air pump is connected between the fluid component and the brewing unit through the three-way valve to provide a purge airflow to the brewing unit. The present application improves the structure of the beverage machine by adding an air pump and a three-way valve therein. When making beverages, the air pump does not work, the fluid component is connected to the brewing unit, and the fluid required for preparing beverages is provided to the brewing unit to prepare the beverage. When the beverage is brewed, the fluid component stops working, the air pump starts, and the three-way valve connects the air pump to the brewing unit. The airflow generated by the air pump will blow away the residual beverage in the brewing unit, thereby improving the utilization rate of the beverage consumable and improving the problem of residual liquid dripping at the beverage outlet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a beverage machine in one or more embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A functional block diagram of a beverage machine in one or more embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a three-way valve of a beverage machine in one or more embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the air pump inlet connector in the three-way valve.

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the working principle of a brewing unit of a beverage machine in one or more embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0023] Description of reference numerals: 100 - beverage machine; 110 - device body, 110a - mounting groove; 120 - brewing unit, 121 - extractor, 1211 - extractor frame, 1211a - liquid inlet channel, 1212 - sealing layer, 1213 - pricking needle, 122 - capsule holder, 122a - capsule chamber; 130 - fluid component, 131 - water tank, 132 - flow meter, 133 - water pump, 134 - heating element, 135 - first three-way solenoid valve, 136 - three-way pipe; 140 - air pump, 141 - shockproof sleeve; 150 - three-way valve, 150a-installation cavity, 150b-expansion hole, 151-valve body, 151a-channel, 151b-limiting ring groove, 152-sealing assembly, 1521-pressure ring, 1522-first sealing ring, 153-air pump air inlet connector, 1531-protruding structure, 154-limiting ring, 155-second sealing ring; 160-second three-way solenoid valve; 170-check valve; 180-trachea; 190-throat clamp; 200-beverage capsule, 201-brewing cavity, 210-inner cup, 220-outer cup, 230-upper filter plate, 240-sealing film. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0025] In addition, the present application may repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present application provides various specific examples of processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0026] In the related art, after a beverage machine such as a coffee machine brews a beverage, some beverage will remain in the brewing unit, resulting in low utilization of beverage consumables (such as coffee, milk tea or tea leaves, etc.), and the remaining beverage will slowly drip from the beverage outlet, resulting in poor user experience.

[0027] The embodiment of the present application provides a beverage machine, which can improve the utilization rate of beverage consumables and help to improve the problem of residual liquid dripping at the beverage outlet. The beverage machine can be a capsule coffee machine, a milk tea machine, a tea maker, etc., and the present application does not limit it.

[0028] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the beverage machine 100 includes a device body 110 , a brewing unit 120 , a fluid assembly 130 , an air pump 140 and a three-way valve 150 .

[0029] The device body 110 is the installation base of each component of the beverage machine 100. It supports and fixes each component and positions each component so that each component can operate continuously and stably. The brewing unit 120, the fluid assembly 130, the air pump 140 and the three-way valve 150 are all installed on the device body 110. The structure of the device body 110 is diverse and is not limited in this application. The user can make an adaptive design according to the number, size, shape, etc. of the internal components of the beverage machine 100.

[0030] The brewing unit 120 is used to prepare beverages, and the fluid component 130 is connected to the brewing unit 120 to provide the fluid required for preparing beverages to the brewing unit 120. The fluid component 130 delivers the fluid to the brewing unit 120, and the fluid is mixed with the soluble substance (such as coffee, milk tea powder, cocoa powder, etc.) or insoluble substance (such as tea leaves, tea bags, medicinal material bags, etc.) in the brewing unit 120 to obtain the desired beverage.

[0031] The specific structure of the brewing unit 120 is various and is known to those skilled in the art, and is not limited in this application. Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the brewing unit 120 includes a capsule holder 122 and an extractor 121. The capsule holder 122 is provided with a capsule cavity 122a for placing a beverage capsule, and the extractor 121 is mounted on the capsule holder 122. The capsule holder 122 may be a part of the device body 110, or may be a component independent of the device body 110, which is not limited in the present application.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown, the beverage capsule 200 generally includes an inner cup 210, an outer cup 220, an upper filter disc 230 and a sealing film 240. The upper filter disc 220 and the inner cup 210 are arranged to form a closed brewing chamber 201. The beverage consumable is filled in the brewing chamber 201 and brewed in the brewing chamber 201. The fluid is injected into the brewing chamber 201 through the water inlet of the upper filter disc 230, and the fluid extracts the beverage consumable in the brewing chamber 201. The extracted beverage flows out through the liquid outlet of the beverage capsule 200. The sealing film 240 is connected to the upper filter disc 230 and is used to cover the water inlet to prevent the water inlet from being contaminated, thereby affecting the brewing quality of the beverage consumable.

[0033] The extractor 121 includes an extractor frame 1211, a sealing layer 1212 and a puncture needle 1213. The extractor frame 1211 is mounted on the device body 110 and / or the capsule holder 122. The sealing layer 1212 is disposed on the extractor frame 1211 and faces the capsule cavity 122a. When the beverage capsule 200 is mounted in the capsule cavity 122a, the extractor 121 presses the beverage capsule 200 so that the puncture needle 1213 punctures the sealing film 240 of the beverage capsule 200. Meanwhile, the sealing layer 1212 presses against the sealing film 240 of the beverage capsule 200 to achieve sealing at the puncture point of the puncture needle 1213. The extractor frame 1211 is provided with a liquid inlet channel 1211a. The fluid assembly 130 is connected to the liquid inlet channel 1211a. The puncture needle 1213 is located in the liquid inlet channel 1211a and is tightly connected to the side wall of the liquid inlet channel 1211a. The puncture needle 1213 penetrates the sealing layer 1212. When in use, the capsule holder 122 is pulled out and removed from the device body 110, and then the beverage capsule 200 is installed in the capsule cavity 122a, and then the extractor 121 is pressed against the beverage capsule 200, and the extractor 121 moves toward the beverage capsule 200, and the needle 1213 will pierce the upper sealing film 240 of the capsule, and inject fluid into the brewing cavity of the beverage capsule 200 through the water inlet hole of the beverage capsule 200, and the fluid is mixed with the substance in the beverage capsule 200 to achieve extraction and obtain a beverage. And because the extractor 121 is pressed against the beverage capsule 200, the inner cup 210 and the outer cup 220 of the beverage capsule 200 are deformed to a certain extent, and a liquid outlet is formed between the inner cup 210 and the outer cup 220, and the beverage is discharged according to the flow rate. Figure 5 The liquid flows out from the outlet in the direction of the arrow.

[0034] The fluid component 130 provides various fluids to the brewing unit 120, such as milk, sugar water, carbonated water, boiled water or alcoholic beverages, and the temperature of the fluid can be hot, iced or at room temperature. For example, when the beverage machine 100 is used to make milk coffee, the fluid component 130 provides milk to the brewing unit 120, which is mixed with the coffee powder in the brewing unit 120, and the obtained milk coffee is discharged from the brewing unit 120; for example, when the beverage machine 100 is used to make alcoholic coffee, the fluid component 130 provides alcoholic beverages to the brewing unit 120, which is mixed with the coffee powder in the brewing unit 120, and the obtained alcoholic coffee is discharged from the brewing unit 120; for another example, when the beverage machine 100 is used to make soy milk, the fluid component 130 provides sugar water to the brewing unit 120, which is mixed with the soy powder in the brewing unit 120, and the obtained soy milk is discharged from the brewing unit 120.

[0035] The air pump 140 is connected between the fluid component 130 and the brewing unit 120 through the three-way valve 150, and is used to provide a purge airflow to the brewing unit 120. That is, the three interfaces of the three-way valve 150 are connected to the brewing unit 120, the fluid component 130 and the air pump 140 respectively. Therefore, the air pump has the following working modes:

[0036] When making a drink, the air pump 140 does not work, and the three-way valve 150 connects the fluid component 130 with the brewing unit 120, and the fluid component 130 provides the brewing unit 120 with the fluid required for preparing the drink, so as to prepare the drink.

[0037] When the beverage is brewed, the fluid component 130 stops working, the air pump 140 starts, and the three-way valve 150 connects the air pump 140 with the brewing unit 120. The airflow generated by the air pump 140 will blow away the residual beverage in the brewing unit 120, thereby improving the utilization rate of the beverage consumable and improving the problem of residual liquid dripping at the beverage outlet.

[0038] When the internal flow channel of the fluid component 130 is blocked due to impurities, or when the internal flow channel of the fluid component 130 needs to be dried after cleaning, the air pump 140 can be connected to the fluid component 130 through the three-way valve 150, and the air pump 140 generates an airflow to reversely flush the fluid component 130 to remove the blockage or blow dry the internal flow channel of the fluid component 130.

[0039] In summary, the beverage machine 100 of the present application includes a device body 110 and a brewing unit 120, a fluid component 130, an air pump 140 and a three-way valve 150 installed on the device body 110. The brewing unit 120 is used to prepare beverages; the fluid component 130 is connected to the brewing unit 120 to provide the brewing unit 120 with the fluid required for preparing beverages; the air pump 140 is connected between the fluid component 130 and the brewing unit 120 through the three-way valve 150 to provide a purge airflow to the brewing unit 120. The present application improves the structure of the beverage machine 100 by adding the air pump 140 and the three-way valve 150 therein. When making beverages, the air pump 140 does not work, and the fluid component 130 is connected to the brewing unit 120 to provide the brewing unit 120 with the fluid required for preparing beverages, thereby preparing beverages. When the beverage is brewed, the fluid component 130 stops working, the air pump 140 starts, and the three-way valve 150 connects the air pump 140 with the brewing unit 120. The airflow generated by the air pump 140 will blow away the residual beverage in the brewing unit 120, thereby improving the utilization rate of the beverage consumable and improving the problem of residual liquid dripping at the beverage outlet.

[0040] In some embodiments, Figure 2As shown, the fluid component 130 includes a water tank 131, a flow meter 132, a water pump 133 and a heating element 134 which are sequentially connected through pipes, and the outlet of the heating element 134, the three-way valve 150 and the inlet of the brewing unit 120 are sequentially connected. With such a design, the fluid component 130 has a water tank 131 with the function of storing liquid, so that the beverage machine 100 can be moved to various places such as outdoors without being connected to water pipes during operation, thereby enhancing the convenience and portability of the beverage machine 100. The flow rate of the fluid flow in the fluid component 130 can be measured in time by the flow meter 132, so as to timely understand whether the fluid flow rate meets the brewing requirements of the brewing unit 120, further facilitating the use of the beverage machine 100. The liquid in the water tank 131 is pumped into the brewing unit 120 by the water pump 133. When the heating element 134 is turned on during the flow of the liquid, the fluid can be heated, so that the beverage machine 100 can make hot drinks to meet the diverse needs of users. In some embodiments, the fluid assembly 130 further includes a first three-way solenoid valve 135 and a three-way pipe 136 connected to each other. The first three-way solenoid valve 135 is connected between the water pump 133 and the heating element 134, and the three-way pipe 136 is connected to the outlet of the heating element 134. After such a design, please refer to Figure 2 As shown, the three interfaces of the first three-way solenoid valve 135 are respectively connected to the water pump 133, the heating element 134 and the three-way pipe 136, and the three interfaces of the three-way pipe 136 are respectively connected to the heating element 134, the brewing unit 120 and the first three-way solenoid valve 135.

[0041] Therefore, when the brewing unit 120 needs heated fluid, the fluid delivered by the water pump 133 is heated by the heating element 134 under the action of the first three-way solenoid valve 135, then flows to the three-way pipe 136, and then flows into the brewing unit 120, so as to deliver the heated fluid to the brewing unit 120; when the brewing unit 120 does not need heated fluid, the fluid delivered by the water pump 133 flows directly to the three-way pipe 136 without passing through the heating element 134 under the action of the first three-way solenoid valve 135, and then flows into the brewing unit 120, so as to deliver unheated fluid to the brewing unit 120, so as to make the function of the beverage machine 100 more complete and meet the user's needs for various tastes.

[0042] In some embodiments, the beverage machine 100 further includes a second three-way solenoid valve 160, which is connected between the fluid assembly 130 and the three-way valve 150, and the remaining outlet of the second three-way solenoid valve 160 is connected to the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 100. After this design, please continue to refer to Figure 2 As shown, the three interfaces of the second three-way solenoid valve 160 are connected to the three-way pipe 136, the three-way valve 150 and the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 100 respectively.

[0043] The fluid delivered by the fluid assembly 130 can be directly discharged through the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 100 under the action of the second three-way solenoid valve 160, for example, to provide hot water, hot steam, etc. to the user; or enter the brewing unit 120 to brew the beverage consumable, so that the beverage machine 100 can prepare hot drinks, hot water, cold brew drinks and room temperature water. In this way, the functions of the beverage machine 100 are more complete and more diversified, meeting the user's needs for more tastes and flavors. The following is a detailed description of the beverage machine 100 for making coffee:

[0044] When the user needs hot coffee, the liquid delivered by the water pump 133 is heated by the heating element 134 under the action of the first three-way solenoid valve 135, and then flows to the three-way pipe 136, and then enters the brewing unit 120 under the action of the second three-way solenoid valve 160, and is mixed with the coffee powder in the brewing unit 120 to obtain hot coffee, and is discharged from the brewing unit 120.

[0045] When the user needs coffee at room temperature, the liquid delivered by the water pump 133 flows directly to the three-way pipe 136 without passing through the heating element 134 under the action of the first three-way solenoid valve 135, and then enters the brewing unit 120 under the action of the second three-way solenoid valve 160, mixes with the coffee powder in the brewing unit 120 to obtain coffee at room temperature, and is discharged from the brewing unit 120.

[0046] When the user needs hot water, the liquid delivered by the water pump 133 is heated by the heating element 134 under the action of the first three-way solenoid valve 135, then flows to the three-way pipe 136, and then is discharged from the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 100 under the action of the second three-way solenoid valve 160 to obtain hot water.

[0047] When the user needs water at room temperature, the liquid delivered by the water pump 133 flows directly to the three-way pipe 136 without passing through the heating element 134 under the action of the first three-way solenoid valve 135, and then is discharged from the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 100 under the action of the second three-way solenoid valve 160 to obtain water at room temperature.

[0048] The three-way valve 150 has the function of switching the connection relationship of the internal channel. The three-way valve 150 can be a conventional three-way solenoid valve or a three-way pipe with a one-way valve. The specific structure is not limited in this application. In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, a one-way valve 170 is provided in the passage of the three-way valve 150 for connecting the air pump 140. With this design, the gas generated by the air pump 140 can only flow from the air pump 140 to the three-way valve 150, and the fluid in the three-way valve 150 cannot enter the air pump 140, thus preventing the fluid from damaging the air pump 140 to a certain extent.

[0049] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, the three-way valve 150 includes a valve body 151, a one-way valve 170 and an air pump air inlet connector 153. The valve body 151 has three channels 151a, and the three channels 151a are interconnected, wherein two channels 151a are provided with sealing assemblies 152 for installing pipelines; the air pump air inlet connector 153 is used to connect the air pump 140, and the air pump air inlet connector 153 is installed in the remaining channel 151a, and is enclosed with the valve body 151 to form an installation cavity 150a; the one-way valve 170 is installed in the installation cavity 150a.

[0050] With this design, the second three-way solenoid valve 160 and the three-way valve 150, as well as the brewing unit 120 and the three-way valve 150 can be connected via pipes. The pipe close to the valve body 151 is located in the sealing assembly 152. The sealing assembly 152 fixes the pipe and ensures the sealing of the connection between the pipe and the valve body 151 to prevent leakage.

[0051] The air pump air inlet connector 153 is installed in one of the three channels 151a. After installation, it is enclosed with the valve body 151 to form an installation cavity 150a for installing the check valve 170. Under the action of the installation cavity 150a, the first check valve 170 is fixed between the valve body 151 and the air pump air inlet connector 153. With this design, when installing the check valve 170, the air pump air inlet connector 153 is first disassembled, and then the check valve 170 is installed in the corresponding channel 151a, and then the air pump air inlet connector 153 is connected to the valve body 151, thereby fixing the check valve 170 and completing the installation of the check valve 170. When disassembling the check valve 170, the air pump air inlet connector 153 is disassembled from the valve body 151, and the check valve 170 can be removed. With this design, the air pump air inlet connector 153 not only serves to connect the air pump 140 , but also serves as a limit check valve 170 , which helps to simplify the structure of the three-way valve 150 , facilitates the processing and manufacturing of the three-way valve 150 , and thus facilitates the manufacturing of the beverage machine 100 .

[0052] The structure of the sealing component 152 is diverse, and may be a sealing rubber ring fixedly disposed in the channel 151a, wherein the pipe is inserted into the through hole of the sealing rubber ring with interference fit, and the sealing rubber ring fills the gap between the pipe and the channel 151a.

[0053] In some embodiments, the channel 151a is provided with a reamer hole 150b for mounting the sealing assembly 152. Figure 3 As shown, the inner diameter of the expansion hole 150b gradually decreases from the side away from the valve body 151 to the side close to the valve body 151. When installing the sealing assembly 152, the expansion hole 150b guides the sealing assembly 152, which can facilitate the smooth installation of the sealing assembly 152 into the channel 151a.

[0054] In some embodiments, the sealing assembly 152 includes a pressure ring 1521 and a first sealing ring 1522. The pressure ring 1521 is installed on the expansion hole 150b and presses the first sealing ring 1522. The first sealing ring 1522 is wrapped around the pipeline. After such a design, the first sealing ring 1522 and the pressure ring 1521 are both sleeved on the pipeline. The first sealing ring 1522 contacts the inner wall of the channel 151a and the pressure ring 1521 on both sides along its axial direction. During the process of connecting the pressure ring 1521 with the expansion hole 150b, it gradually moves closer to the first sealing ring 1522 to press the first sealing ring 1522. The first sealing ring 1522 is deformed by force to fill the gap between the pipeline and the channel 151a, so that the sealing performance of the sealing ring is better. At the same time, the first sealing ring 1522 will clamp the pipeline after being deformed by force, which can prevent the pipeline from falling off, and enhance the reliability of the connection between the pipeline and the three-way valve 150. Therefore, the design of the pressure ring 1521 and the first sealing ring 1522 helps to improve the sealing performance between the pipeline and the three-way valve 150, and also helps to improve the reliability of the connection between the pipeline and the three-way valve 150.

[0055] There are various ways of connecting the pressure ring 1521 and the expansion hole 150b, such as threaded connection, clamping connection, etc., which are not limited in this application.

[0056] In some embodiments, the outer circumference of the pressure ring 1521 is provided with an external thread, and the inner circumference of the expansion hole 150b is provided with an internal thread. The pressure ring 1521 is threadedly connected in the expansion hole 150b. The pressure ring 1521 is tightened to compress the first sealing ring 1522 to seal and fix the connection between the pipeline and the three-way valve 150; the pressure ring 1521 is loosened so that the first sealing ring 1522 does not compress the pipeline or reduces the compression force, so that the pipeline can be removed from the three-way valve 150.

[0057] There are various ways to connect the air pump air inlet connector 153 and the valve body 151, such as threaded connection, screw connection, bonding, etc., which are not limited in this application.

[0058] In some embodiments, Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the valve body 151 and the air pump air inlet connector 153 are both provided with a limiting ring groove 151b; the three-way valve 150 also includes a limiting ring 154, and the limiting ring 154 is embedded in the limiting ring groove 151b of the valve body 151 and the air pump air inlet connector 153. In other words, a limiting ring groove 151b is provided on the valve body 151 and the air pump air inlet connector 153; when the air pump air inlet connector 153 is located in the channel 151a, the two limiting ring grooves 151b are aligned and connected, and the limiting ring 154 is located in the two limiting ring grooves 151b at the same time. In this way, the air pump air inlet connector 153 is difficult to be removed from the valve body 151 under the clamping action of the limiting ring 154, so that the air pump air inlet connector 153 and the valve body 151 are connected together.

[0059] The limiting ring 154 is usually a flexible ring made of plastic. Before installing the air pump air inlet connector 153, it is pre-installed in the limiting ring groove 151b of the valve body 151, and then the air pump 140 connector is installed. During the installation process, the front part of the air pump 140 connector will expand the limiting ring 154 and pass through the limiting ring 154. When the air pump air inlet connector 153 continues to extend forward until the limiting ring groove 151b on it is aligned with the limiting ring groove 151b of the upper valve body 151, the limiting ring 154 will restore its deformation, become smaller in size, and be located in the two limiting ring grooves 151b at the same time, so that the air pump air inlet connector 153 and the valve body 151 are connected together.

[0060] In some embodiments, a second sealing ring 155 is provided between the valve body 151 and the air pump air inlet connector 153 to fill the gap between the air pump air inlet connector 153 and the valve body 151, prevent gas from overflowing from the gap, ensure the air pressure blown out by the air pump 140, and further ensure the effect of airflow to purge the residual beverage in the brewing unit 120, improve the utilization rate of the beverage consumable, and improve the problem of residual liquid dripping at the beverage outlet.

[0061] In some embodiments, the air pump 140 is directly connected to the air pump air inlet connector 153. In this case, the air pump 140 and the three-way valve 150 need to be installed at the same place. In some embodiments, the air outlet end of the air pump 140 is provided with an air pump air outlet connector (not shown in the figure), and the air pump air outlet connector and the air pump air inlet connector 153 are connected through an air pipe 180. Through the design of the air pipe 180, the air pump 140 can be installed away from the three-way valve 150. In this way, the air pump 140 and the three-way valve 150 can be installed in different areas of the device body 110, such as Figure 1 As shown, it helps to optimize the spatial layout of the device body 110 and reduce the spatial size of the device body 110.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the three-way valve 150 is installed at the right end of the device body 110, and the air pump 140 is installed at the top of the front end of the device body 110.

[0063] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the air pump outlet joint and the air pump inlet joint 153 are both provided with a protruding structure 1531, and the air pipe 180 is sleeved on the joint and covers the protruding structure 1531; the air pipe 180 and the joint are clamped and fixed by the throat clamp 190. The design of the protruding structure 1531 and the throat clamp 190 increases the friction between the air pipe 180 and the air pump outlet joint and the air pump inlet joint 153, and strengthens the reliability of the connection between them, which to a certain extent prevents the air pipe 180 from being separated from the air pump outlet joint and the air pump inlet joint 153 due to excessive air pressure when the air pump 140 is working, thereby ensuring the continuous and stable operation of the beverage machine 100.

[0064] In some implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the device body 110 of the beverage machine 100 is provided with a mounting groove 110a, and the air pump 140 is installed in the mounting groove 110a; the air pump 140 is provided with a shockproof sleeve 141. The air pump 140 is prone to vibration during operation, and the design of the shockproof sleeve 141 can buffer the vibration, reduce the vibration, reduce the working noise of the beverage machine, and reduce the resonance between the air pump 140 and the device body 110, thereby ensuring the stable operation of other components on the device body 110 to a certain extent, and ensuring the continuous and stable operation of the beverage machine 100.

[0065] In some embodiments, the water tank 131, the flow meter 132, the water pump 133, the heating element 134, the first three-way solenoid valve 135, and the second three-way solenoid valve 160 are installed at the same location of the device body 110, for example, the fluid assembly 130 and the brewing unit 120 are arranged side by side. The first three-way solenoid valve 135 and the second three-way solenoid valve 160 can be arranged up and down, such as Figure 1 As shown, the internal space of the device body 110 is fully utilized to reduce the volume of the device body 110. Other structures of the device body 110 that are not described in detail can refer to the relevant disclosure of the prior art, and will not be described here.

[0066] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0067] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0068] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0069] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0070] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. in this application are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0071] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0072] In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the fact that they can be implemented by ordinary technicians in this field. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

[0073] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A beverage machine, comprising a device body (110), characterized in that: Also includes: A brewing unit (120), mounted on the device body (110), for preparing a beverage; a fluid assembly (130), mounted on the device body (110), in communication with the brewing unit (120), and used to provide the brewing unit (120) with fluid required for preparing a beverage; The air pump (140) and the three-way valve (150) are both installed on the equipment body (110); the air pump (140) is connected between the fluid component (130) and the brewing unit (120) through the three-way valve (150) to provide a purge air flow to the brewing unit (120).

2. The beverage machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fluid component (130) comprises a water tank (131), a flow meter (132), a water pump (133) and a heating element (134) which are connected in sequence through pipelines; the outlet of the heating element (134), the three-way valve (150) and the inlet of the brewing unit (120) are connected in sequence.

3. The beverage machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fluid component (130) further comprises a first three-way solenoid valve (135) and a three-way pipe (136) which are connected to each other, wherein the first three-way solenoid valve (135) is connected between the water pump (133) and the heating element (134), and the three-way pipe (136) is connected to the outlet of the heating element (134).

4. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The beverage machine (100) further comprises a second three-way solenoid valve (160), wherein the second three-way solenoid valve (160) is connected between the fluid assembly (130) and the three-way valve (150), and the remaining outlet of the second three-way solenoid valve (160) is connected to the fluid outlet of the beverage machine (100).

5. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The three-way valve (150) comprises a valve body (151) and a one-way valve (170) arranged in a channel (151a) of the valve body (151) for connecting to the air pump (140); or, the three-way valve (150) is a three-way solenoid valve.

6. The beverage machine (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The three-way valve (150) comprises: The valve body (151) has three channels (151a), wherein two channels (151a) are provided with sealing components (152) for installing pipelines; An air pump air inlet connector (153) for connecting to the air pump (140); the air pump air inlet connector (153) is installed in the remaining channel (151a) and is enclosed with the valve body (151) to form an installation cavity (150a); The one-way valve (170) is installed in the installation cavity (150a).

7. The beverage machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The channel (151a) is provided with an expansion hole (150b) for installing the sealing assembly (152); the sealing assembly (152) includes a pressure ring (1521) and a first sealing ring (1522), the pressure ring (1521) is installed in the expansion hole (150b) and presses the first sealing ring (1522), and the first sealing ring (1522) is wrapped around the pipe.

8. The beverage machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The valve body (151) and the air pump air inlet connector (153) are both provided with a limiting ring groove (151b); the three-way valve (150) further comprises a limiting ring (154), and the limiting ring (154) is embedded in the limiting ring groove (151b) of the valve body (151) and the air pump air inlet connector (153) at the same time; A second sealing ring (1544) is provided between the valve body (151) and the air pump air inlet connector (153).

9. The beverage machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: An air pump outlet connector is provided at the air outlet end of the air pump (140), and the air pump outlet connector is connected to the air pump inlet connector (153) via an air pipe (180); The air outlet connector of the air pump (140) and the air inlet connector (153) of the air pump are both provided with a protruding structure (1531); the air pipe is sleeved on the connector and covers the protruding structure (1531); the air pipe and the connector are clamped and fixed by a throat clamp (190).

10. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The device body (110) of the beverage machine (100) is provided with a mounting groove (110a), and the air pump (140) is installed in the mounting groove (110a); the air pump (140) is provided with a shockproof sleeve (141).

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