Steam regulating valve for coffee milk foam machine

Abstract

A steam regulating valve for a coffee milk foam machine comprises a valve body, the interior of the valve body is hollow to form a valve cavity, a valve disc is rotationally installed in the valve cavity, a valve deck is installed at the end of the valve body, the valve disc and the valve deck are connected in a sealed mode through an air regulating sealing ring, and the valve disc and the valve body are connected in a sealed mode through a fixed sealing ring. The valve disc rotates relative to the air adjusting sealing ring and the fixed sealing ring. An air guide groove is formed in the end, facing the air adjusting sealing ring, of the valve disc in an inwards-concave mode, the air guide groove extends in an arc shape with the rotating center of the valve disc as the original point, and the width and the depth in the arc-shaped extending direction of the air guide groove are linearly and gradually changed. The milk foam maker has the beneficial effects that through the special structure that the width and the depth of the air guide groove are linearly and gradually changed, when the handle is rotated, the diameter of the milk foam can be continuously adjusted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a milk frother accessory, specifically a steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most coffee machine milk frothing devices use the steam injection principle, and their core steam flow control valves have the following technical challenges:

[0003] 1. Nonlinearity of flow regulation: Traditional valves such as ball valves or cone valves regulate steam flow by simply adjusting the opening degree, but the flow rate change is related to the valve stem angle. In actual operation, 80% of the flow rate change is completed in the first 30% of the angle range, making it difficult for users to accurately control the amount of micro-steam and unable to achieve continuous adjustment of milk foam density and bubble diameter from 0.5 to 3 mm.

[0004] 2. Dynamic failure of sealing structure: Most existing rotary valves use a single O-ring axial seal, which is prone to the following problems when frequently rotated and adjusted: A. Circumferential friction loss occurs between the sealing ring and the valve body.

[0005] B. High-temperature steam (120-150℃) causes plastic deformation of the rubber sealing ring, resulting in loss of its rebound sealing ability.

[0006] C. When the valve core rotates, the pressure distribution on the sealing surface is uneven, and local overpressure accelerates wear.

[0007] 3. Design flaws in steam passages: Traditional steam valves mostly use a cross-shaped orifice design, which has the following drawbacks:

[0008] A. A sudden right-angle turn in the steam flow channel triggers turbulence, generating an additional 10-15 dB of noise.

[0009] B. The fixed aperture through-hole results in the minimum steam flow rate still exceeding the measured data of 3L / min, making it impossible to produce ultra-fine milk foam with bubbles <1mm.

[0010] C. There is no gradual flow adjustment mechanism, and users need to repeatedly try and fail to obtain the ideal milk foam state.

[0011] Therefore, it is necessary to make further improvements. Utility Model Content

[0012] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies and provide a steam regulating valve for coffee milk frothers that is simple in structure, easy to use, can achieve linear regulation of steam flow, and has good sealing performance between components.

[0013] The purpose of this utility model is achieved through the following means: a steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother, comprising a valve body, the inside of which is hollow to form a valve cavity, a valve disc being rotatably mounted in the valve cavity, a valve stem extending out of the valve body and connected to a handle on the valve disc, and rotating the handle can drive the valve disc to rotate in the valve cavity via the valve stem; a valve cover is installed at the end of the valve body, the valve disc and the valve cover are sealed together by a gas regulating sealing ring, the valve disc and the valve body are sealed together by a fixing sealing ring, and the valve disc rotates relative to the gas regulating sealing ring and the fixing sealing ring;

[0014] The valve disc is recessed at one end facing the air regulating sealing ring and has an air guide groove. The air guide groove extends in an arc shape with the rotation center of the valve disc as the origin, and the width and depth of the air guide groove gradually change linearly along the arc extension direction.

[0015] The gas regulating sealing ring is provided with an air inlet hole, which is connected to the air guide groove and the air inlet pipe located on the valve cover;

[0016] The gas regulating sealing ring is provided with a gas outlet hole, which is connected to the gas guide groove and the gas outlet pipe located on the valve cover.

[0017] Furthermore, the air guide groove is a V-shaped groove that is recessed on the valve disc.

[0018] Furthermore, the air guide groove occupies 2 / 3 of the circumference of the valve disc.

[0019] Furthermore, the valve disc is also provided with a concave through groove that extends through the air guide groove.

[0020] Furthermore, a raised sealing ring is provided on the gas regulating sealing ring corresponding to the position of the gas guide groove, and the sealing ring is provided to cover the outside of the gas guide groove.

[0021] Furthermore, a sealing boss is provided on the gas regulating sealing ring at the position corresponding to the gas outlet. The sealing boss is hollow inside and extends into the gas outlet pipe to seal the gap between the gas outlet pipe and the gas regulating sealing ring.

[0022] Furthermore, the gas regulating sealing ring and the fixing sealing ring are made of silicone material.

[0023] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: 1. Simple structure, low production cost, and improved market competitiveness.

[0024] 2. Due to the special structure where the width and depth of the air guide groove gradually change linearly, the effective flow area exposed between the air inlet and outlet changes linearly when the handle is rotated. This linearly changing cross-section allows the operator to directly control the amount of steam entering the milk tank with a precise rotation angle of ±5°, achieving continuous adjustment of the milk foam bubble diameter within the range of 0.5-3mm.

[0025] 3. The combination design of the split gas regulating sealing ring and the fixed sealing ring enables the sealing ring of the gas regulating sealing ring and the gas guide groove to form a radial dynamic seal, eliminating the risk of circumferential leakage.

[0026] 4. The fixed sealing ring provides axial static sealing, and the pressure resistance is increased to 1.2MPa compared to 0.6MPa for the traditional structure.

[0027] This dual-sealing system ensures that steam pressure fluctuations during the adjustment process are <5% compared to >20% for traditional products, and reduces the standard deviation of bubble size distribution during milk foam generation to 0.15mm (0.8mm for traditional processes). Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a rendering of the final assembly of this utility model.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall assembly structure of this utility model.

[0030] Figure 3 In this utility model Figure 2 Enlarged view of the structure of part A.

[0031] Figure 4 , 5 Figures 6 and 7 are exploded views of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the valve disc structure in this utility model.

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the gas regulating sealing ring structure in this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. A steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother includes a valve body 1, the valve body 1 being hollow to form a valve cavity 11, a valve disc 2 being rotatably mounted inside the valve cavity 11, a valve stem 21 being provided on the valve disc 2 extending out of the valve body 1 and connected to a handle 3, and rotating the handle 3 can drive the valve disc 2 to rotate within the valve cavity 11 via the valve stem 21; a valve cover 4 is installed at the end of the valve body 1, the valve disc 2 and the valve cover 4 are sealed together by a gas regulating sealing ring 5, and the valve disc 2 and the valve body 1 are sealed together by a fixing sealing ring 6, the valve disc 2 rotating relative to the gas regulating sealing ring 5 and the fixing sealing ring 6;

[0035] The valve disc 2 is recessed at one end facing the air regulating sealing ring 5 and has an air guide groove 22. The air guide groove 22 extends in an arc shape with the rotation center of the valve disc 2 as the origin, and the width and depth of the air guide groove gradually change linearly along the arc extension direction.

[0036] The gas regulating sealing ring 5 is provided with an air inlet 52, which is connected to the air guide groove 22 and the air inlet pipe 41 located on the valve cover 4.

[0037] The gas regulating sealing ring 5 is provided with a gas outlet 53, which is connected to the gas guide groove 22 and the gas outlet pipe 42 located on the valve cover 4.

[0038] In one embodiment, the air guide groove 22 is a V-shaped groove recessed on the valve disc 2.

[0039] In one embodiment, the air guide groove 22 occupies 2 / 3 of the circumference of the valve disc 2.

[0040] In one embodiment, the valve disc 2 is further provided with a recessed through groove 23, which penetrates the air guide groove 22.

[0041] In one embodiment, a raised sealing ring 51 is provided on the gas regulating sealing ring 5 at the position corresponding to the gas guide groove 22, and the sealing ring 51 is provided to cover the outside of the gas guide groove 22.

[0042] In one embodiment, a sealing boss 54 is provided on the gas regulating sealing ring 5 at the position corresponding to the gas outlet 53. The sealing boss 54 is hollow inside and extends into the gas outlet pipe 42 to seal the gap between the gas outlet pipe 42 and the gas regulating sealing ring 5.

[0043] In one embodiment, the gas regulating sealing ring 5 and the fixing sealing ring 6 are made of silicone material.

[0044] Working principle:

[0045] 1. Initial state: When the handle 3 is in the 0° closed position, the air guide groove 22 is completely misaligned with the air inlet 52 and the air outlet 53. The sealing ring 51 of the air regulating sealing ring 5 completely covers the air guide groove 22, the steam passage is blocked, the steam flow is 0, and the system is in a safe locked state.

[0046] 2. Fine adjustment stage: Rotate the handle 3 to drive the valve disc 2 to rotate, and the air guide groove 22 gradually connects with the air inlet 52.

[0047] The linear gradient design of the air guide groove ensures that the exposed flow cross-section meets the following requirements:

[0048] A=K*θ

[0049] Where A is the effective flow area, θ is the rotation angle, and k = 0.15 mm² / °.

[0050] At this time, the steam flows along the path of inlet pipe 41 → inlet hole 52 → guide groove 22 → outlet hole 53 → outlet pipe 42.

[0051] Therefore, for every 10° rotation of the handle, the steam flow rate increases by 0.8 L / min and the bubble diameter decreases by 0.3 mm (experimental data). During this process, the sealing boss 54 of the gas regulating sealing ring 5 is interference-fitted with the gas outlet pipe 42 to eliminate lateral leakage.

[0052] 3. Full-pass working stage: The valve disc 2 rotates until the full-pass groove 23 is completely aligned with the air inlet 52. The depth of the deep groove structure of the full-pass groove 23 is greater than the maximum depth of the air guide groove, forming an independent steam channel. At this time, the steam flow rate increases sharply to 8L / min, and the bubble diameter is stable at 2.8-3.2mm, which is suitable for latte coffee. In this state, the sealing ring 51 still covers the non-working area of ​​the air guide groove to avoid crossflow.

[0053] Compared with traditional technologies, this solution incorporates a dual-seal dynamic compensation mechanism.

[0054] In its axial sealing: the deformation of the fixed sealing ring 6 under pressure is Δh=0.2-0.5mm, and the elastic modulus of the silicone is 0.5MPa, to ensure axial movement compensation of the valve disc.

[0055] In its radial seal, the overlap between the sealing ring 51 and the air guide groove 22 is δ=1.2±0.1mm, achieving continuous contact sealing during rotation.

[0056] When working together: the double-sealed structure ensures that the leakage rate is <0.1L / min in a 150℃ steam environment, which is allowed by industry standards to be ≤1L / min.

[0057] In summary, this steam regulating valve, through the precise geometric design of the air guide groove and the dual-seal dynamic compensation system, can more accurately control the amount of steam entering the milk tank, thereby controlling the final size of the milk foam. This allows the milk frother to produce milk foam with different textures according to the user's needs, to suit different coffee preferences, and therefore it can be widely used.

[0058] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this utility model. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed utility model.

Claims

1. A steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother, characterized in that: It includes a valve body (1), the valve body (1) is hollow to form a valve cavity (11), a valve disc (2) is rotatably installed in the valve cavity (11), a valve stem (21) is provided on the valve disc (2) and extends out of the valve body (1) and is connected to a handle (3), rotating the handle (3) can drive the valve disc (2) to rotate in the valve cavity (11) through the valve stem (21); a valve cover (4) is installed at the end of the valve body (1), the valve disc (2) and the valve cover (4) are sealed by an air regulating sealing ring (5), the valve disc (2) and the valve body (1) are sealed by a fixed sealing ring (6), and the valve disc (2) rotates relative to the air regulating sealing ring (5) and the fixed sealing ring (6); The valve disc (2) is recessed at one end facing the air regulating sealing ring (5) and has an air guide groove (22). The air guide groove (22) extends in an arc shape with the rotation center of the valve disc (2) as the origin, and the width and depth of the air guide groove gradually change linearly along the arc extension direction. The gas regulating sealing ring (5) is provided with an air inlet (52), which is connected to the air guide groove (22) and the air inlet pipe (41) located on the valve cover (4). The gas regulating sealing ring (5) is provided with an air outlet (53), which is connected to the air guide groove (22) and the air outlet pipe (42) located on the valve cover (4).

2. The steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air guide groove (22) is a V-shaped groove recessed on the valve disc (2).

3. The steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air guide groove (22) occupies 2 / 3 of the circumference of the valve disc (2).

4. The steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve disc (2) is also provided with a concave through groove (23), which passes through the air guide groove (22).

5. A steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas regulating sealing ring (5) is provided with a raised sealing ring (51) corresponding to the position of the gas guide groove (22), and the sealing ring (51) is provided to cover the outside of the gas guide groove (22).

6. A steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gas regulating sealing ring (5) is provided with a sealing boss (54) at the position corresponding to the air outlet (53). The sealing boss (54) is hollow inside and extends into the air outlet pipe (42) to seal the gap between the air outlet pipe (42) and the gas regulating sealing ring (5).

7. A steam regulating valve for a coffee milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas regulating sealing ring (5) and the fixing sealing ring (6) are made of silicone material.

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