Beverage machine
By introducing flow path control components and cleaning pipes into the coffee machine, combined with a cleaning channel designed at a specific angle and a one-way valve, automatic cleaning of the air intake channel is achieved, solving the problem of cleaning the air intake channel and improving the hygiene and ease of use of the equipment.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-20
AI Technical Summary
The air intake channels of existing coffee machines present cleaning challenges, leading to milk residue buildup, odors, and microbial growth, which affects the hygiene and ease of use of the equipment.
By introducing a flow path control component into the coffee machine and introducing cleaning liquid into the air intake channel through a cleaning tube, combined with a cleaning channel designed at a specific angle and a one-way valve, the automatic cleaning of the air intake channel can be achieved.
It significantly improves the cleanliness of the air intake channel, reduces the hassle of manual cleaning for users, enhances the hygiene and ease of operation of the equipment, and avoids blockage and hygiene risks in the air intake channel.
Smart Images

Figure CN224008229U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model relates to the field of beverage device, especially a beverage machine. BACKGROUND
[0002] In modern family and commercial applications, coffee machines have become one of the widely used kitchen and catering equipment. People can conveniently prepare espresso, American coffee and various types of fancy coffee drinks through the coffee machine, and many of the coffee drinks also need to be heated with milk and whipped into milk foam to achieve the improvement of taste and flavor.
[0003] Traditional household coffee machines are often provided with a detachable milk tank on the front side or side, and a specific Venturi structure in the milk tank generates negative pressure when steam passes through, sucking milk and external air into the negative pressure chamber, thereby preparing dense and delicate milk foam to provide necessary conditions for making cappuccino, latte coffee and other drinks. Since household coffee machines are used frequently in daily life, users have increasingly strict requirements for preparing high-quality coffee drinks, not only requiring the milk foam to be smooth and delicate, but also expecting the coffee machine to achieve higher standards in terms of operation convenience, cleaning and maintenance, and sanitary quality.
[0004] When the user uses the coffee machine to make coffee drinks (such as cappuccino with milk foam), high-speed steam passes through the steam channel, and negative pressure is generated in the negative pressure chamber based on the Venturi principle. Under the action of negative pressure, the milk in the storage chamber of the milk tank and the external air are sucked into the negative pressure chamber to form milk foam. After the preparation is completed, there is often milk foam residue in the air inlet channel, causing blockage and hygiene hazards. However, in the prior art, the Venturi structure and the milk tank components relied on for preparing milk foam have cleaning problems. When use is finished, steam stops being injected, and the negative pressure effect disappears, and part of the milk foam that has been generated may flow back and stay in the air inlet channel due to the sudden disappearance of the negative pressure. This stagnation can easily lead to hygiene problems, such as forming residual milk stains near the air inlet pipe and air inlet valve, thereby adversely affecting subsequent air flow, and even possibly causing partial blockage of the air inlet channel.
[0005] The existing cleaning methods mainly have two kinds: one is to manually disassemble the milk tank for cleaning, which is troublesome and time-consuming for the user, and the user needs to spend extra effort to clean the narrow and winding air inlet channel; the other is to use the steam path of the coffee machine for automatic cleaning. However, the cleaning range of the latter is often limited to the steam channel, the Venturi negative pressure chamber and the negative pressure chamber, and the air inlet channel is difficult to be cleaned in reverse by steam, because the negative pressure environment formed when steam passes through will only suck in air and not expel residual materials.
[0006] Due to the fact that the air inlet channel cannot be effectively cleaned, the milk stains accumulated inside the air inlet channel after long-term use not only affect the quality of the next preparation of milk foam, but also may cause odor, microbial growth and other hygiene problems, resulting in inconvenience and hygiene risks for users in the process of maintaining the equipment. This limitation leaves room for improvement in user experience, equipment usability and hygiene standards. Utility model content
[0007] The utility model aims at providing a beverage machine convenient to clean.
[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned utility model purposes, the utility model provides a beverage machine, which comprises a main body and an emulsifying device detachably connected to the main body.
[0009] The emulsifying device comprises a box body and a cover assembly arranged above the box body, the box body has a liquid storage cavity for storing liquid, and the cover assembly comprises a Venturi structure; the Venturi structure comprises a negative pressure cavity and a steam channel, a liquid inlet channel, an air inlet channel and an outlet channel connected to the negative pressure cavity, the steam channel is used for connecting a steam source, the liquid inlet channel is used for connecting the liquid storage cavity, and the air inlet channel is used for connecting external air.
[0010] The main body is provided with a flow path control assembly, a steam pipe is connected between the flow path control assembly and the steam channel, and a cleaning pipe is connected between the flow path control assembly and the air inlet channel; the flow path control assembly can controllably deliver steam to the steam channel through the steam pipe to prepare a target beverage or controllably deliver cleaning liquid to the air inlet channel through the cleaning pipe to clean the air inlet channel.
[0011] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the beneficial effects that by increasing the flow path control assembly in the main body and arranging the cleaning pipe between the flow path control assembly and the air inlet channel, the cleaning liquid can be controllably introduced into the air inlet channel from one side of the main body without changing the overall structure of the beverage machine, so that the milk foam and impurities remaining in the air inlet channel can be flushed out. This automatic cleaning method significantly reduces the trouble of manual disassembly and cleaning for the user, improves the hygiene and operation convenience of the equipment. At the same time, the flow path control assembly reasonably allocates the delivery paths of steam and cleaning liquid, ensures flexible switching between the preparation of milk foam and the cleaning of the air inlet channel, not only makes the cleaning of the air inlet channel more thorough, but also avoids the problem that the air inlet channel cannot be effectively cleaned in reverse under the cleaning condition of the steam channel in the prior art, thereby significantly improving the usability, hygiene and reliability of the beverage machine.
[0012] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the air intake channel is provided with an air intake component, the air intake component includes an air intake hole, and the negative pressure chamber is connected to the external environment through the air intake hole; the cover assembly is provided with a cleaning channel, the cleaning channel is connected to the air intake channel, and the extending direction of the cleaning channel is at an angle to the extending direction of the air intake channel.
[0013] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the air intake channel is provided with an air intake one-way valve, the air intake channel has an air inlet communicating with the negative pressure chamber, and the cleaning channel has an outlet communicating with the air intake channel.
[0014] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the outlet is located between the air intake check valve and the air vent along the height direction, and the outlet is set close to the air intake check valve; or, the horizontal position of the outlet is higher than the lower end of the air intake check valve.
[0015] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the cover assembly is provided with a cleaning channel, the cleaning channel is connected to the air inlet channel, a first one-way valve is provided in the cleaning channel, and a second one-way valve is provided in the steam channel. The first one-way valve allows one-way communication from the cleaning channel to the air inlet channel, and the second one-way valve allows one-way communication from the steam channel to the negative pressure chamber.
[0016] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the cover assembly is provided with a cleaning channel, the cleaning channel is connected to the air inlet channel, and the extending direction of the cleaning channel is parallel to the extending direction of the steam channel.
[0017] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the main body is provided with an interface, the emulsification device includes a connector, the connector includes a tubular body extending in the same direction and fluid-isolated and a water pipe, the steam channel is defined by the tubular body, the water pipe extends into the cleaning channel, and the connector is connected to the interface to connect the steam pipe and the cleaning pipe respectively.
[0018] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, it also includes an air intake valve disposed on the main body, the air intake valve being connected between the cleaning pipe and the flow path control component, the air intake valve having an air inlet and an air outlet; the air intake valve can selectively open and close the air inlet to allow or restrict external air from entering the air intake channel through the air inlet; the cleaning pipe is connected to the air outlet.
[0019] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present application, the flow path control assembly includes a diverter valve, the diverter valve includes a first outlet and a second outlet, the first outlet is connected to the steam pipe, the second outlet is connected to the cleaning pipe; the diverter valve is configured to restrict the second outlet from communicating with the cleaning pipe during the opening of the air inlet by the air inlet valve.
[0020] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present application, the cover assembly is provided with an air inlet adjusting member, the air inlet adjusting member is operable to control the air inlet amount from the external environment to the air inlet passage, the beverage machine further includes a switch part, the switch part is configured to be triggered to make the flow path control assembly deliver cleaning liquid to the air inlet passage through the cleaning pipe. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the beverage machine of the present application.
[0022] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is an enlarged schematic view of the dashed box portion in
[0023] Figure 3 is Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connector member of the emulsification device of the beverage machine.
[0024] Figure 4 is Figure 1 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the emulsification device of the beverage machine.
[0025] Figure 5 is Figure 1 is a schematic view of still another embodiment of the emulsification device of the beverage machine.
[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the beverage machine of the present application.
[0027] Figure 7 is Figure 6 is an enlarged schematic view of the dashed box portion in
[0028] The repeated use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or similar features or elements of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] The present application will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the present application, and any structural, method, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are included in the scope of the present application.
[0030] As used herein, the terms first, second, etc. can be used to describe various elements or structures, but the described objects should not be limited by the above terms. The above terms are only used to distinguish the described objects from each other. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the relative direction with respect to the fluid flow in the fluid passage. For example, "upstream" refers to the direction of fluid flow, and "downstream" refers to the direction of fluid flow.
[0031] Reference Figure 1 And Figure 2 As shown in the drawings, one embodiment of the utility model provides a kind of beverage machine 100, for example coffee machine, tea extraction machine and juice machine etc.. Beverage machine 100 includes main body 20 and the emulsification device 30 detachably connected to main body 20.Emulsification device 30 includes box body 31 and cover component 32 being covered on box body 31, box body 31 has the liquid storage cavity 311 for containing liquid, cover component 32 includes Venturi structure. Venturi structure includes negative pressure cavity 33 and the steam passage 331, liquid inlet passage 332, air inlet passage 333 and outlet passage 334 being communicated with negative pressure cavity 33, steam passage 331 is used to connect steam source, liquid inlet passage 332 is used to connect liquid storage cavity 311, air inlet passage 333 is used to connect external air.
[0032] Wherein, main body 20 is equipped with flow path control component 22, steam pipe 23 is connected between flow path control component 22 and steam passage 331, and cleaning pipe 24 is connected between flow path control component 22 and air inlet passage 333;Flow path control component 22 can controllably transport steam to steam passage 331 through steam pipe 23 to make target beverage, or controllably transport cleaning liquid to air inlet passage 333 through cleaning pipe 24 to clean it.
[0033] By increasing flow path control component 22 in main body 20, and setting cleaning pipe 24 between flow path control component 22 and air inlet passage 333, cleaning liquid can be controllably introduced into air inlet passage 333 from one side of main body 20 without changing the overall structure of beverage machine 100, so that residual milk foam and impurities are washed out. This automatic cleaning method significantly reduces the trouble of manual disassembly and cleaning for the user, improves the hygiene and operation convenience of the equipment. At the same time, by reasonably allocating the delivery path of steam and cleaning liquid through flow path control component 22, flexible switching between making milk foam and cleaning air inlet passage 333 is ensured, which not only makes the cleaning of air inlet passage 333 more thorough, but also avoids the problem that air inlet passage 333 cannot be effectively cleaned in reverse under the cleaning condition of steam passage 331 in the prior art, thereby significantly improving the ease of use, hygiene and reliability of beverage machine 100.
[0034] The flow path control assembly 22 includes a diverging valve 220, which includes a first outlet 221 connected to the steam pipe 23 and a second outlet 222 connected to the cleaning pipe 24. The diverging valve 220 can be switched to communicate the steam pipe 23 with the first outlet 221 or the cleaning pipe 24 with the second outlet 222, so as to realize the delivery of steam to the steam pipe 23 or the delivery of cleaning liquid to the cleaning pipe 24. Of course, the flow path control assembly 22 can also include a solenoid valve to control the flow direction of the cleaning liquid and / or steam. In addition, steam can be output through the steam pipe 23 after the cleaning of the air inlet channel 333 to clean the steam channel 331, so that the residual liquid in the air inlet channel 333 can be sucked out through the Venturi effect, thereby further improving the cleaning effect.
[0035] In an embodiment, the air inlet assembly 34 is arranged in the air inlet channel 333 and includes an air inlet hole 341 through which the negative pressure cavity 33 communicates with the external environment. The cover assembly 32 is provided with a cleaning channel 335, which communicates with the air inlet channel 333 and has an extension direction that forms an angle with the extension direction of the air inlet channel 333.
[0036] The additional cleaning channel 335 and the angle between the extension direction of the cleaning channel 335 and the extension direction of the air inlet channel 333 do not affect the air intake from the external environment to the negative pressure cavity 33, but help the cleaning liquid to more effectively flush into the dead angle inside the air inlet channel 333, especially the surface of the air inlet assembly 34, during the cleaning stage, thereby more comprehensively removing the residual milk foam adhered to the inner wall of the channel or the periphery of the air inlet assembly 34.
[0037] Through the oblique introduction of the cleaning waterway, the cleaning liquid can impact and disturb the residual in the channel when entering the air inlet channel 333, push the stubborn stains to fall off and be smoothly discharged. Compared with the defect that it is difficult to completely clean the stubborn dirt inside the air inlet channel 333 in the prior art, the unique angle design of the cleaning channel 335 can greatly improve the cleaning efficiency and cleanliness while maintaining the compactness of the device structure. Users do not need to manually clean by complicatedly disassembling the components, but can realize the cleaning and dredging of the air inlet channel 333 through the flushing of the cleaning liquid in a short time, thereby significantly improving the use experience and health protection of the beverage machine 100.
[0038] In an embodiment, the air inlet channel 333 is provided with an air inlet one-way valve 35, the air inlet channel 333 has an air vent 336 communicating with the negative pressure cavity 33, and the cleaning channel 335 has a flow outlet 337 communicating with the air inlet channel 333.
[0039] The air inlet one-way valve 35 is arranged in the air inlet channel 333, so that the external air can smoothly enter the negative pressure cavity 33 to form milk foam when the emulsifying device 30 is normally working, and the liquid in the negative pressure cavity 33 is prevented from flowing back into the air inlet channel 333 when the emulsifying device 30 stops working, thereby avoiding the risk of the air inlet hole 341 being blocked.
[0040] The outlet 337 is located between the air inlet one-way valve 35 and the air vent 336 in the height direction, and the outlet 337 is arranged close to the air inlet one-way valve 35; or the horizontal position of the outlet 337 is higher than the lower end of the air inlet one-way valve 35.
[0041] When the milk foam is made, in order to efficiently clean the residual milk foam in the area, the outlet 337 of the cleaning channel 335 is arranged between the air inlet one-way valve 35 and the air vent 336 and close to the air inlet one-way valve 35, or the horizontal position of the outlet 337 is higher than the lower end of the air inlet one-way valve 35. When the cleaning liquid is introduced through the cleaning pipe 24, the cleaning liquid will directly enter the air inlet channel 333 from the outlet 337 close to the air inlet one-way valve 35, and strongly flush the area near the air inlet one-way valve 35, so as to ensure that the residual milk foam adhered to the inner wall near the air inlet one-way valve 35 is quickly removed. Since the position of the air inlet one-way valve 35 is a key point where the residual milk foam is easy to accumulate, the outlet 337 of the cleaning channel 335 is accurately positioned near the air inlet one-way valve 35, so that the cleaning liquid can be concentrated on this position, which not only effectively flushes the narrow area between the air inlet one-way valve 35 and the air inlet channel 333, but also prevents the area from being affected by the subsequent normal air inlet due to the accumulation of stains, thereby significantly improving the cleanliness and long-term reliability of the components. Compared with manual cleaning or the situation that the residual milk foam around the air inlet one-way valve 35 cannot be completely cleaned, this structure is more conducive to keeping the air inlet system unobstructed and hygienic, reducing the frequency and difficulty of maintenance, and improving the operation experience and cleaning quality of the whole machine.
[0042] In an embodiment, in order to realize a more reasonable fluid channel layout in structure, the extension direction of the cleaning channel 335 is parallel to the extension direction of the steam channel 331.
[0043] The extension direction of the cleaning channel 335 is parallel to the extension direction of the steam channel 331, which is not only conducive to the orderly arrangement of the internal elements of the emulsifying device 30, but also can obtain higher convenience in space utilization and processing and assembly. Moreover, it is convenient for the connection of the emulsifying device 30 and the main body 20, and improves the convenience of use and maintenance.
[0044] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3The host body 20 is provided with an interface 25, and the emulsifying device 30 comprises a connector 37, which comprises a tubular body 371 and a water channel 372 extending in the same direction and being fluidly isolated, and a steam passage 331 is defined by the tubular body 371, and the water channel 372 extends into the cleaning passage 335, and the connector 37 is connected to the interface 25 to respectively communicate the steam pipe 23 and the cleaning pipe 24.
[0045] The host body 20 is provided with a dedicated interface 25 for quick docking with the emulsifying device 30. The connector 37 of the emulsifying device 30 is provided with a tubular body 371 and a water channel 372, which are arranged in isolation to effectively separate the transmission paths of steam and cleaning liquid. The tubular body 371 defines a steam passage 331, so that the steam provided by the host body 20 can smoothly enter the negative pressure cavity 33; the water channel 372 directly extends into the cleaning passage 335 for introducing cleaning liquid to flush the air inlet passage 333 in the cleaning condition.
[0046] When the user installs the emulsifying device 30 to the host body 20, the connector 37 is connected to the steam pipe 23 and the cleaning pipe 24 through the interface 25, which eliminates the cumbersome steps of connecting or aligning multiple pipelines in the past. The cleaning liquid and the steam can work in their respective independent paths, which not only ensures the stable supply of steam during normal milk foam production, but also quickly introduces the cleaning liquid into the air inlet passage 333 for flushing in the cleaning stage. Through the matching of the connector 37 and the interface 25, the steam supply function and the cleaning function are integrated in a modular and detachable manner, which significantly improves the convenience of using the emulsifying device 30, the efficiency of cleaning and maintenance, and the rationality of the structural design. The user can quickly complete the installation and disassembly of the emulsifying device 30 in daily use, and does not need complicated operation when cleaning, thereby significantly improving the operation experience and persistent cleanliness of the beverage machine 100.
[0047] Referring to Figure 4 In order to further optimize the fluid control and make the cleaning passage 335 and the steam passage 331 maintain stable one-way transmission respectively, a first one-way valve 361 is arranged in the cleaning passage 335, and a second one-way valve 362 is arranged in the steam passage 331, the first one-way valve 361 allows one-way communication from the cleaning passage 335 to the air inlet passage 333, and the second one-way valve 362 allows one-way communication from the steam passage 331 to the negative pressure cavity 33.
[0048] The cleaning liquid in the cleaning channel 335 is unidirectionally delivered into the air inlet channel 333 through the first unidirectional valve 361, and cannot flow back to the cleaning pipe 24 or contaminate other components, and the residual cleaning liquid after the flushing of the steam channel 331 cannot flow into the cleaning pipe 24. At the same time, the steam in the steam channel 331 unidirectionally enters the negative pressure cavity 33 through the second unidirectional valve 362, and cannot flow back from the steam channel 331 to the air inlet channel 333. When the operator selects the cleaning process through the flow path control assembly 22, the cleaning liquid unidirectionally enters the air inlet channel 333 under the guidance of the first unidirectional valve 361 to flush and remove the residual milk foam and impurities; and when the beverage is normally prepared, the stable entry of the steam into the negative pressure cavity 33 through the second unidirectional valve 362 ensures the formation of ideal milk foam.
[0049] With reference to Figure 5 The cleaning channel 335 has a flow inlet 338 and a flow outlet 337, the cleaning pipe 24 is connected to the flow inlet 338, and the flow outlet 337 is connected to the air inlet channel 333, and the horizontal position of the flow outlet 337 is higher than the lower end of the air inlet unidirectional valve 35.
[0050] The air inlet unidirectional valve 35 is used to ensure the smooth entry of external air into the negative pressure cavity 33 without backflow during normal operation. After the preparation of the beverage, if the air inlet channel 333 still has residual milk foam or other impurities, the cleaning liquid delivered by the cleaning pipe 24 will be guided to flow in through the cleaning channel 335 during the cleaning process, the horizontal position of the flow outlet 337 is higher than the lower end of the air inlet unidirectional valve 35, the cleaning liquid can impact the air inlet unidirectional valve 35, and the cleaning liquid can naturally and strongly flush the periphery of the air inlet unidirectional valve 35 when flowing through the air inlet channel 333, so that the residual material is smoothly stripped, diluted and discharged through the milk foam outlet. The cleaning path design ensures the thorough cleaning of the valve area, reduces the probability of failure of the components due to the accumulation of residual milk foam, and enhances the long-term reliability and hygiene level of the air inlet system. The user can achieve effective cleaning without complicated operation, thereby further improving the use convenience and maintenance level of the beverage machine 100.
[0051] In addition, the horizontal position of the flow outlet 337 is higher than the horizontal position of the flow inlet 338, and the flow inlet 338 is lower than the flow outlet 337, which facilitates the connection of the emulsifying device 30 and the main body 20.
[0052] With reference to Figure 6 and Figure 7Unlike the above embodiments, the beverage machine 200 comprises an air inlet valve 26 arranged on the main body 20, the air inlet valve 26 is connected between the cleaning pipe 24 and the flow path control assembly 22, and the air inlet valve 26 has an air inlet 261 and an air outlet 262; the air inlet valve 26 can selectively open and close the air inlet 261 to allow or limit external air to enter the air inlet passage 333 through the air inlet 261; the cleaning pipe 24 is connected at the air outlet 262.
[0053] The air inlet valve 26 is a key control element in the main body 20, which can freely switch between making milk foam and making hot milk by opening and closing the air inlet 261. When milk foam needs to be made, the air inlet valve 26 is opened to allow external air to enter the air inlet passage 333 from the air inlet 261 through the air outlet 262; when hot milk needs to be made or cleaning is needed, the air inlet valve 26 is closed to block the communication with the external environment and maintain an independent fluid environment. In the cleaning working condition, the cleaning liquid is injected into the air inlet passage 333 through the cleaning pipe 24 and the air outlet 262, thereby realizing efficient flushing of the air inlet passage 333. By adding the air inlet valve 26 in the main body 20, not only the diversified use scenarios (such as hot milk foam and hot milk making) are met, but also the automatic cleaning of the air inlet passage 333 is ensured. When the cleaning liquid is introduced along the cleaning pipe 24 and enters the air inlet passage 333 through the air outlet 262 of the air inlet valve 26, since it is not in communication with the external environment, the cleaning liquid can fully flush the internal residues and discharge the milk foam residues and impurities. In this scheme, the air inlet valve 26 does not contact the liquid, which can greatly reduce the frequency and difficulty of disassembling and cleaning the emulsifying device 30 by the user, and improve the operation convenience, hygiene and functional diversity of the equipment.
[0054] In this embodiment, in order to further ensure that the cleaning process and the air inlet process do not interfere with each other, the flow path control assembly 22 comprises a diverter valve 220, the diverter valve 220 comprises a first outlet 221 and a second outlet 222, the first outlet 221 is connected to the steam pipe 23, and the second outlet 222 is connected to the cleaning pipe 24; the diverter valve 220 is configured to limit the communication of the second outlet 222 with the cleaning pipe 24 during the opening of the air inlet 261 by the air inlet valve 26.
[0055] The diverter valve 220 is a core component of fluid line switching, which accurately distinguishes the delivery paths of steam and cleaning liquid. The first outlet 221 is connected to the steam pipe 23, which can smoothly introduce high-temperature steam into the negative pressure cavity 33 during normal milk foam preparation; the second outlet 222 is connected to the cleaning pipe 24, which can introduce cleaning liquid into the air inlet passage 333 during the cleaning stage. However, when the air inlet valve 26 is in the state of opening the air inlet 261 to introduce external air for making milk foam or hot milk, in order to prevent unnecessary cleaning liquid from entering this path and mixing into the beverage making process, the diverter valve 220 limits the communication of the cleaning pipe 24, thereby ensuring that the cleaning liquid will not be injected at inappropriate times.
[0056] By setting the distribution valve 220, the steam and cleaning modes can be flexibly distinguished: when the air inlet passage 333 needs to be cleaned, the air inlet valve 26 is closed and the cleaning liquid is guided to flow through the cleaning pipe 24 by the distribution valve 220 to flush the air inlet passage 333; when milk foam is needed to be made or the air content is needed to be adjusted, the air inlet valve 26 is opened at the same time, and the distribution valve 220 limits the cleaning pipe 24 from being connected, so as to avoid the interference of the cleaning liquid to the normal making process. The orderly switching of the milk foam making and cleaning functions not only ensures the long-term cleanliness and smoothness of the air inlet passage 333, but also effectively eliminates the risk of the cleaning liquid mistakenly entering the making path to affect the taste and hygiene, thereby significantly improving the reliability and user experience of the whole machine.
[0057] Of course, when the air inlet valve 26 is closed, the distribution valve 220 can be controlled according to the working mode of the beverage machine 200. For example, in the hot milk mode, the second outlet 222 is limited to connect the cleaning pipe 24; in the cleaning mode, the second outlet 222 is allowed to connect the cleaning pipe 24.
[0058] In an embodiment, in order to further realize the dynamic control of the cleaning path and the air inlet path, an air inlet adjusting member is arranged on the cover assembly 32, which can be operated to control the air inlet amount from the external environment to the air inlet passage 333, and the beverage machine 200 further comprises a switch part which is configured to be triggered to make the flow path control assembly 22 deliver the cleaning liquid to the air inlet passage 333 through the cleaning pipe 24.
[0059] In this embodiment, the air inlet adjusting member can be a rotary knob, a press key or a similar manually adjustable structural element, which is used to switch the connection state between the cleaning pipe 24 and the air inlet passage 333. When the air inlet adjusting member is in a position allowing the cleaning passage 335 to be connected with the air inlet passage 333, the cleaning liquid can smoothly enter the air inlet passage 333 to flush the residues inside the air inlet passage 333. At the same time, the air inlet adjusting member is also used to control the air inlet amount from the external environment to the air inlet passage 333, and when the air inlet passage 333 is cleaned, the connection between the air inlet passage 333 and the external environment can be cut off, so that the cleaning liquid can efficiently flush the air inlet passage 333 in a controlled closed environment, thereby ensuring that the cleaning liquid has a more significant flushing effect on the milk foam residues near the air inlet assembly 34 during the cleaning process, so that the deposited milk stains and impurities in the passage can be smoothly discharged. By arranging the air inlet adjusting member, the user can flexibly adjust the foaming degree of the milk foam and the cleaning mode according to the needs.
[0060] In addition, the switch part can be arranged on the cover assembly 21 or the main body 20.
[0061] In an actual coffee drinking scenario, the user can quickly install the emulsification device 30 on the main body 20. At this time, the interface 25 on the main body 20 is automatically docked with the connector piece 37 of the emulsification device 30, and the steam pipe 23 and the cleaning pipe 24 are respectively connected to the steam passage 331 and the cleaning passage 335 in the Venturi structure. The user adds cold milk in the liquid storage cavity 311, selects the "milk foam mode" through the panel, and the flow path control assembly 22 in the main body 20 delivers steam into the Venturi structure. The high-speed steam forms negative pressure in the negative pressure cavity 33, and the milk is sucked from the liquid storage cavity 311, while the air inlet valve 26 opens the air inlet 261 to allow external air to enter the air inlet passage 333, mix with the milk to produce dense milk foam, and flow into the user's cup through the outlet passage 334, completing the preparation of the cappuccino.
[0062] After the preparation is completed, the traditional device often causes hygiene hazards due to the residual milk foam in the air inlet passage 333, and the user has to manually disassemble and clean. In the present embodiment, the user can select the "cleaning mode" on the control panel without complicated operation. At this time, the flow path control assembly 22 in the main body 20 switches according to the instruction, so that the cleaning pipe 24 is in communication with the air inlet passage 333. In the beverage machine 200, the air inlet 261 of the air inlet valve 26 can also be closed at the same time, so as to cut off the external air from entering. The cleaning liquid can be delivered from one side of the main body 20 to the air inlet passage 333. The cleaning liquid enters along the direction of the cleaning passage 335 under high pressure, directly impacts and removes the milk foam residue near the air inlet passage 333, and then flows out from the direction of the milk foam outlet, thoroughly cleaning the air inlet passage 333.
[0063] The whole cleaning process does not require the user to manually disassemble the emulsification device 30, but only needs to touch the panel instruction after the milk foam preparation is completed, so as to realize the thorough cleaning of the inside of the air inlet passage 333 in a short time. The design of the connector piece 37 between the emulsification device 30 and the main body 20 ensures that the pipeline connection is always accurate and reliable during use and cleaning, and the user does not need to align complicatedly. By adding the controllable cleaning pipe 24 between the main body 20 and the detachable emulsification device 30 of the beverage machine 200, and designing the specific cleaning passage 335 in the cover assembly 32 of the emulsification device 30, the automatic and effective cleaning of the air inlet passage 333 is realized, the risk of accumulation of milk foam and other residues in the air inlet passage 333 is significantly reduced, the residual milk foam adhered in the air inlet passage 333 can be completely removed, so as to prevent blockage, odor and microbial breeding.
[0064] In addition, by reasonably configuring the air inlet valve, the one-way valve, the air inlet adjusting member and the distribution valve, the device can be flexibly switched and independently operated between the normal milk foam making and cleaning state, avoiding the mutual interference of the cleaning liquid and the steam or air channel. This not only ensures the stability and quality of the milk foam making and hot milk making, but also significantly improves the efficiency and thoroughness of the cleaning process, reduces the frequency and difficulty of user disassembly and maintenance. Overall, the utility model achieves the coordination and unity of hygiene, reliability and ease of use in the structural design and fluid control strategy, and provides a better use experience and higher hygiene protection for the daily use and long-term maintenance of the beverage machine.
[0065] It should be understood that although the present specification is described in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution, and the description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity, and those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that those skilled in the art can understand.
[0066] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of the feasible embodiments of the utility model, and are not used to limit the protection scope of the utility model, and any equivalent embodiments or changes made without departing from the spirit of the utility model art should be included in the protection scope of the utility model.
Claims
1. A beverage machine, comprising a main body and an emulsifying device detachably connected to the main body; The emulsification device includes a housing and a cover assembly covering the housing. The housing has a liquid storage chamber for holding liquid, and the cover assembly includes a Venturi structure. The Venturi structure includes a negative pressure chamber and a steam channel, a liquid inlet channel, an air inlet channel, and an outlet channel communicating with the negative pressure chamber. The steam channel is used to communicate with a steam source, the liquid inlet channel is used to communicate with the liquid storage chamber, and the air inlet channel is used to communicate with external air. Its features are: The main body is equipped with a flow path control component, a steam pipe is connected between the flow path control component and the steam channel, and a cleaning pipe is connected between the flow path control component and the air intake channel; the flow path control component can controllably deliver steam to the steam channel through the steam pipe to make the target beverage, or deliver cleaning liquid to the air intake channel through the cleaning pipe to clean it.
2. The beverage machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The air intake channel is provided with an air intake assembly, which includes an air intake hole. The negative pressure chamber is connected to the external environment through the air intake hole. The cover assembly is provided with a cleaning channel, which is connected to the air intake channel, and the extension direction of the cleaning channel is at an angle to the extension direction of the air intake channel.
3. The beverage machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The air intake channel is equipped with an air intake one-way valve, the air intake channel has an air inlet that connects to the negative pressure chamber, and the cleaning channel has an outlet that connects to the air intake channel.
4. The beverage machine as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The outlet is located between the intake check valve and the vent along the height direction, and the outlet is positioned close to the intake check valve; or, the horizontal position of the outlet is higher than the lower end of the intake check valve.
5. The beverage machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cover assembly is provided with a cleaning channel, which is connected to the air intake channel. A first one-way valve is provided in the cleaning channel, and a second one-way valve is provided in the steam channel. The first one-way valve allows one-way communication from the cleaning channel to the air intake channel, and the second one-way valve allows one-way communication from the steam channel to the negative pressure chamber.
6. The beverage machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cover assembly is provided with a cleaning channel, which is connected to the air inlet channel, and the extending direction of the cleaning channel is parallel to the extending direction of the steam channel.
7. The beverage machine as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The main body is provided with an interface, and the emulsification device includes a connector. The connector includes a tubular body and a water pipe that extend in the same direction and are fluidly isolated. The steam channel is defined by the tubular body, and the water pipe extends into the cleaning channel. The connector is connected to the interface to connect the steam pipe and the cleaning pipe respectively.
8. The beverage machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an air intake valve disposed on the main body, the air intake valve being connected between the cleaning pipe and the flow path control component, the air intake valve having an air inlet and an air outlet; the air intake valve selectively opens and closes the air inlet to allow or restrict external air from entering the air intake channel through the air inlet; the cleaning pipe is connected to the air outlet.
9. The beverage machine as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The flow path control assembly includes a directional valve, which has a first outlet and a second outlet. The first outlet is connected to the steam pipe, and the second outlet is connected to the cleaning pipe. The directional valve is configured to restrict the second outlet from connecting to the cleaning pipe while the inlet valve is open.
10. The beverage machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cover assembly is provided with an air intake regulator, which can operably control the amount of air intake from the external environment to the air intake channel. The beverage machine also includes a switch, which can be operably triggered by the air intake regulator. The switch is configured such that when triggered, the flow path control assembly delivers cleaning liquid to the air intake channel through the cleaning pipe.