Brewing module and beverage processing equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a brewing module and beverage processing equipment, the brewing module comprises a mounting plate, a brewing cylinder, a piston piece and a driving mechanism, the brewing cylinder is arranged in a brewing cavity; the piston piece comprises a piston rod and a piston head which movably penetrate through the mounting plate in the vertical direction; the driving mechanism is in driving connection with the piston rod so as to drive the piston head to move downwards to extend into the brewing cavity and move upwards to be close to the lower end of the mounting plate; the mounting plate comprises a first plate section allowing the piston head to movably approach and a remaining second plate section, and the lower end of the first plate section is thinner than the second plate section. According to the brewing module, the first plate section is thinned, so that the piston piece can be accommodated in a receding manner, the space occupied by the movement stroke of the piston piece is reduced, and the overall height of the brewing module is reduced; the thinning arrangement of the first plate section can be naturally formed in the machining process of the mounting plate, extra slotting and other operations do not need to be carried out on the formed mounting plate, and the overall machining of the brewing module is simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of beverage preparation equipment, and in particular to a brewing module and beverage preparation equipment. Background Art

[0002] Existing beverage preparation equipment, such as coffee machines, is generally provided with a mounting plate, a brewing cylinder, an upper piston member and a lower piston member. The brewing cylinder is provided with a channel, the upper piston member is movably mounted on the mounting plate, and the lower piston member is movably mounted in the channel. When it is necessary to perform a beverage preparation operation, the upper and lower piston members approach each other in the channel and jointly compress the powder to obtain a powder cake. Then, by supplying hot water to the powder cake, the powder cake is brewed and extracted. When it is necessary to operate the brewing cylinder to receive the powder, it is necessary to operate the upper piston member to move upward from the channel to the mounting plate. The mounting plate in the prior art generally needs to have a groove or a through hole at the position corresponding to the upper piston member's movably approaching position to reserve enough space for the upper piston member to approach, which increases the processing complexity of the mounting plate. Utility Model Content

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a brewing module and beverage preparation equipment, aiming to solve the problem that the traditional mounting plate needs to be provided with grooves or through holes, which increases the processing complexity of the mounting plate.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a brewing module, comprising:

[0005] Mounting plate;

[0006] A brewing cylinder is provided below the mounting plate and is provided with a brewing cavity with an open upper end;

[0007] The piston member includes a piston rod movably provided in the mounting plate in the vertical direction, and a piston head connected to the lower end of the piston rod; and

[0008] a driving mechanism, drivingly connected to the piston rod, so as to drive the piston head to move downward into the brewing chamber and upward toward the lower end of the mounting plate;

[0009] The mounting plate includes a first plate segment for the piston head to move closer to and a remaining second plate segment, and the lower end of the first plate segment is thinner than the second plate segment.

[0010] Optionally, the thinned thickness of the first plate segment is not less than the thickness of the piston head.

[0011] Optionally, a gap is formed between the upper end of the brewing cylinder and the lower end of the mounting plate, and the spacing of the gap is a first spacing;

[0012] The thinned thickness of the first plate segment is smaller than the thickness of the piston head, and a first thickness difference is formed between the two, and the first thickness difference is not greater than the first distance.

[0013] Optionally, a mounting hole is formed through the first plate segment in the up-down direction, the mounting hole is for the piston rod to movably pass through in the up-down direction, and the diameter of the mounting hole is smaller than the outer diameter of the piston head.

[0014] Optionally, the area of the first plate segment is not less than the maximum orthographic projection area of the piston head on the mounting plate.

[0015] Optionally, at least in the circumferential direction of the mounting hole, the first plate segment maintains a uniform wall thickness.

[0016] Optionally, the first plate segment maintains a uniform wall thickness as a whole.

[0017] Optionally, the junction between the lower end surface of the first plate segment and the lower end surface of the second plate segment presents a smooth transition.

[0018] Optionally, the mounting plate is made of hard metal material.

[0019] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention further provides a beverage preparation device, including a brewing module, wherein the brewing module includes:

[0020] Mounting plate;

[0021] A brewing cylinder is provided below the mounting plate and is provided with a brewing cavity with an open upper end;

[0022] The piston member includes a piston rod movably provided in the mounting plate in the vertical direction, and a piston head connected to the lower end of the piston rod; and

[0023] a driving mechanism, drivingly connected to the piston rod, so as to drive the piston head to move downward into the brewing chamber and upward toward the lower end of the mounting plate;

[0024] The mounting plate includes a first plate segment for the piston head to move closer to and a remaining second plate segment, and the lower end of the first plate segment is thinner than the second plate segment.

[0025] In the technical solution provided by the present invention, the lower end of the first plate segment of the mounting plate is thinned so that a certain space is reserved at the lower end of the first plate segment compared to the second plate segment, which can make room for the piston member and reduce the upper and lower space occupied by the movement stroke of the piston member to a certain extent, thereby helping to reduce the overall height of the brewing module; in addition, the thinning setting of the first plate segment can be naturally formed during the processing of the mounting plate, for example, without the need for additional operations such as grooving on the formed mounting plate, which helps to simplify the overall processing of the mounting plate and the brewing module used therein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 A perspective schematic diagram of an embodiment of the brewing module provided by the present invention at a first viewing angle;

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the middle brewing module from a second viewing angle;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the mounting plate.

[0030] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0031] 100 mounting plate; 110 first plate section; 111 mounting hole; 120 second plate section; 200 brewing cylinder; 310 first piston member; 311 first piston rod; 312 first piston head; 320 second piston member; 410 first driving mechanism; 420 second driving mechanism.

[0032] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the various components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0035] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing throughout the text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme in which A and B are satisfied at the same time. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0036] See also Figures 1 to 3 The utility model provides a brewing module, which can be used in beverage preparation equipment.

[0037] The specific form of the beverage preparation device is not limited; it can be a device used to prepare any suitable material to ultimately obtain the desired beverage, such as a coffee machine, soymilk machine, etc. Furthermore, taking the coffee preparation device as an example: in actual use, the beverage preparation device can be directly configured as a brewing machine, which is a device that basically only performs a brewing function and is capable of compacting and brewing existing coffee powder. Alternatively, the beverage preparation device can be configured as a fully automatic or semi-automatic coffee machine. Depending on actual needs, the coffee machine also includes a grinding mechanism that can grind coffee beans to obtain coffee powder, which is then transferred to the brewing module for compacting and brewing.

[0038] The brewing module includes a mounting plate 100, a brewing cylinder 200, a piston member (hereinafter referred to as the first piston member 310 for ease of understanding), and a driving mechanism. The brewing cylinder 200 is located below the mounting plate 100 and has a brewing chamber with an open top. The first piston member 310 includes a first piston rod 311 that is movably disposed vertically through the mounting plate 100, and a first piston head 312 connected to the lower end of the first piston rod 311. The driving mechanism is operatively connected to the first piston rod 311 to drive the first piston head 312 downwardly into the brewing chamber and upwardly toward the lower end of the mounting plate 100.

[0039] The mounting plate 100 includes a first plate segment 110 for the first piston head 312 to move toward, and a remaining second plate segment 120 . The lower end of the first plate segment 110 is thinner than the second plate segment 120 .

[0040] In the technical solution provided by the present invention, the lower end of the first plate segment 110 of the mounting plate 100 is thinned, so that a certain space is reserved at the lower end of the first plate segment 110 compared to the second plate segment 120, which can make way for the first piston member 310 and reduce the vertical space occupied by the movement stroke of the first piston member 310 to a certain extent, thereby helping to reduce the overall height of the brewing module; in addition, the thinning setting of the first plate segment 110 can be naturally formed during the processing of the mounting plate 100, for example, without the need for additional operations such as grooving on the formed mounting plate 100, which helps to simplify the overall processing of the mounting plate 100 and the brewing module used therein.

[0041] It can be understood that, taking the use state of the brewing module as an example, the mounting plate 100 extends substantially in the horizontal direction, and is preset with the required concave and convex structures for the adaptive installation of the driving mechanism, etc.

[0042] Since the brewing cylinder 200 generally has a powder receiving state and a brewing state, the brewing chamber of the brewing cylinder 200 is set to be open at least at the upper end, so that when the upper end is opened, for example, when the first piston head 312 moves outward from the brewing chamber, coffee powder provided by the grinding module or an external powder source can be connected, and it is in the powder receiving state; when the first piston head 312 is extended into the brewing chamber, the upper end opening of the brewing chamber is covered, and the first piston head 312 can press and brew the coffee powder in the brewing chamber, and it is in the brewing state.

[0043] Furthermore, when the lower end of the brewing chamber is also open, the brewing module may further include a second piston member 320. The second piston member 320 includes a second piston head extending into the brewing chamber and a second piston rod connected to the lower end of the second piston head. The second piston member 320 can cooperate with the first piston member 310 to compress the coffee powder into a powder cake. Of course, the second piston member 320 can also be used alone to discharge the upper residue of the brewing chamber.

[0044] In order to achieve the movement and drive of the first piston member 310 and the second piston member 320, the brewing module also includes a driving mechanism, which can be a first driving mechanism 410 for driving the movement of the first piston member 310 and a second driving mechanism 420 for driving the movement of the second piston member 320. The specific form of the first driving mechanism 410 and / or the second driving mechanism 420 is not limited, and can be a driver such as a linear cylinder, or a combination of a driver such as a linear cylinder, a motor, and a transmission component. The transmission component can be configured as a reversing transmission component according to actual needs, such as a gear rack mechanism, a screw nut mechanism, etc.; it can also be configured as a speed and position adjustment transmission component, such as a gear set, etc.

[0045] Regarding the mounting plate 100, specifically:

[0046] The thinning of the first plate segment 110 is primarily reflected at the lower end of the first plate segment 110. Specifically, the upper surfaces of the first and second plate segments 110, 120 can remain substantially flush (or, depending on actual installation requirements, be partially configured with a concave-convex structure). The height difference between the lower surfaces of the first and second plate segments 110, 120 creates a naturally concave structure in the first plate segment 110 relative to the second plate segment 120. The thinning of the first plate segment 110 can be naturally formed during the molding process of the mounting plate 100, or it can be achieved through a relatively simple cutting operation after the mounting plate 100 is molded. This also helps to simplify the overall molding process of the mounting plate 100 to a certain extent, compared to conventional operations such as slotting and drilling.

[0047] The entire mounting plate 100 can be made of a hard metal material, such as stainless steel, with sufficient hardness. Even if the overall thickness of the first plate segment 110 is smaller than that of the second plate segment 120, this will not affect the structural strength of the first plate segment 110 or even the entire mounting plate 100. Furthermore, when the first piston member 310 reciprocates and approaches, the first plate segment 110 and the first piston head 312 may collide to some extent. The hard metal material can reduce the structural damage caused by this collision.

[0048] Specifically, in view of the above, the first plate segment 110 naturally forms a recessed structure compared to the second plate segment 120. The recessed structure can form a space to avoid when the first piston head 312 moves closer, so that the distance between the first piston head 312 and the upper end of the brewing cylinder 200 can be widened as much as possible within a limited space. That is, on the basis of not increasing the overall design height of the brewing module in the up and down directions as much as possible, it is ensured that the brewing cylinder 200 and the first piston member 310 do not interfere with each other.

[0049] In one embodiment, the reduced thickness of the first plate segment 110 is not less than the thickness of the first piston head 312. That is, the depth of the recessed structure is equal to or greater than the thickness of the first piston head 312. In this way, when the first piston head 312 moves closer to the first plate segment 110, it can be completely accommodated in the recessed structure formed by the first plate segment 110, and the lower end surface of the first piston head 312 is at least flush with the notch of the recessed structure. In other words, the first piston head 312 and the second plate segment 120 jointly smooth the lower end surface of the mounting plate 100. When the brewing cylinder 200 is subjected to, for example, translation or rotation about the vertical axis relative to the mounting plate 100, there will be no interference with the first piston head 312.

[0050] Alternatively, in one embodiment, a gap is formed between the upper end of the brewing cylinder 200 and the lower end of the mounting plate 100, and the spacing of the gap is a first spacing. The reduced thickness of the first plate segment 110 is less than the thickness of the piston head, and a first thickness difference is formed between the two. This first thickness difference is no greater than the first spacing. In this way, the overall thickness requirement of the mounting plate 100 can be appropriately reduced, that is, the thickness of the mounting plate 100 does not need to be increased to a thickness greater than the thickness of the first piston head 312. Interference between the first piston head 312 and the brewing cylinder 200 can also be avoided.

[0051] The first plate segment 110 is penetrated by a mounting hole 111 in the up-down direction, and the mounting hole 111 is for the first piston rod 311 to movably pass through in the up-down direction. The aperture of the mounting hole 111 is at least larger than the outer diameter of the first piston rod 311, so that the first piston rod 311 can pass through the mounting hole 111 more smoothly; the aperture of the mounting hole 111 is smaller than the outer diameter of the first piston head 312, so that the part of the first plate segment 110 other than the mounting hole 111 will not pass through upward, and a stop limit can be formed when the first piston head 312 moves upward.

[0052] Of course, the area of the first plate segment 110 is not less than the maximum orthographic projection area of the first piston head 312 on the mounting plate 100, ensuring that when the first piston head 312 moves closer, it can basically completely approach the plate surface area of the first plate segment 110. Furthermore, the shape of the first plate segment 110 can be configured to adapt to the shape of the maximum orthographic projection of the first piston head 312 on the mounting plate 100, so that when the first piston head 312 moves closer, the entire lower end surface of the mounting plate 100 has no obvious gaps or notches.

[0053] At least along the circumference of the mounting hole 111, the first plate segment 110 maintains a uniform wall thickness. This ensures that the maximum thickness of the first plate segment 110, at least in its entirety or in part, along the circumference of the mounting hole 111, is consistent. Because the upper end surfaces of the first plate segment 110 and the second plate segment 120 are substantially flush, when the maximum thicknesses of the first plate segment 110 at these locations are consistent, the lower end surface of the first plate segment 110 formed at these locations is also flush without significant unevenness, facilitating a secure and large contact surface with the first piston head 312 as it moves closer. In further embodiments, the entire thickness of the first plate segment 110 can be maintained uniform, ensuring that the entire first plate segment 110 can securely abut the first piston head 312.

[0054] Because of the thickness difference between the first plate segment 110 and the second plate segment 120, the junction between the lower end surface of the first plate segment 110 and the lower end surface of the second plate segment 120 can be processed during the molding process of the mounting plate 100 to achieve a smooth transition. A smooth transition involves a straight, inclined transition at the thickness difference between the first plate segment 110 and the second plate segment 120, or a convex, curved transition at the thickness difference between the first plate segment 110 and the second plate segment 120. This simplifies the molding and processing of the first plate segment 110 and eliminates sharp protrusions on the lower end surface of the mounting plate 100, preventing structural interference.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural transformations made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the utility model concept, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A brewing module, characterized in that: include: Mounting plate; A brewing cylinder is provided below the mounting plate and is provided with a brewing cavity with an open upper end; The piston member includes a piston rod movably provided in the mounting plate in the vertical direction, and a piston head connected to the lower end of the piston rod; and a driving mechanism, drivingly connected to the piston rod, so as to drive the piston head to move downward into the brewing chamber and upward toward the lower end of the mounting plate; The mounting plate includes a first plate segment for the piston head to move closer to and a remaining second plate segment, and the lower end of the first plate segment is thinner than the second plate segment.

2. The brewing module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thinned thickness of the first plate segment is not less than the thickness of the piston head.

3. The brewing module according to claim 1, wherein: A gap is formed between the upper end of the brewing cylinder and the lower end of the mounting plate, and the spacing of the gap is a first spacing; The thinned thickness of the first plate segment is smaller than the thickness of the piston head, and a first thickness difference is formed between the two, and the first thickness difference is not greater than the first distance.

4. The brewing module according to claim 1, wherein: The first plate segment is provided with a mounting hole in the up-down direction, the mounting hole is for the piston rod to movably pass through in the up-down direction, and the diameter of the mounting hole is smaller than the outer diameter of the piston head.

5. The brewing module according to claim 1, wherein: The area of the first plate segment is not less than the maximum orthographic projection area of the piston head on the mounting plate.

6. The brewing module according to claim 4, characterized in that: At least in the circumferential direction of the mounting hole, the first plate segment maintains a uniform wall thickness.

7. The brewing module according to claim 1, wherein: The first plate section maintains a uniform wall thickness as a whole.

8. The brewing module according to claim 1, wherein: The junction between the lower end surface of the first plate segment and the lower end surface of the second plate segment presents a smooth transition.

9. The brewing module according to claim 1, wherein: The mounting plate is made of hard metal material.

10. A beverage preparation device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a brewing module according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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