Powder machine for beverage equipment
By incorporating an overflow chamber and a dehumidification system into the powder processing machine, the problem of brewing liquid overflow is solved, internal blockages and moisture absorption of the powder are prevented, and the stability of the equipment and the quality of the beverage are improved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SUZHOU DR COFFEE SYST TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-01
AI Technical Summary
In existing powder mixing machines, the brewing liquid is prone to overflow, which can cause blockage of the powder mixing unit, affecting the efficiency and quality of beverage production. Furthermore, the overflowing brewing liquid may enter the powder hopper, causing the powder to become damp and clump together or damaging the electronic components of the equipment.
The design incorporates an overflow chamber, a drain outlet, a dehumidifying vent, and a drain pipe. The overflow chamber collects the overflowing brewing liquid and drains it into a water storage pan through the drain pipe. The dehumidifying fan extracts moisture from the overflow chamber to prevent moisture accumulation and odor generation.
It effectively avoids clogging of the powder mixing unit and moisture absorption of the powder caused by the overflow of the brewing liquid, protects the internal electronic components of the equipment, improves equipment stability and reduces maintenance costs, and ensures beverage quality and production efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN224179539U_ABST
Abstract
Description
A powder machine for beverage equipment Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of beverage equipment technology, and in particular to a powder feeder for beverage equipment. Background Technology
[0002] In the beverage production industry, powder mixers play a crucial role in beverage equipment. Their main function is to thoroughly mix powders with brewing liquid to create various beverages. Currently, common powder mixers on the market typically include a powder hopper for storing powder, a powder feeding unit for conveying the powder, a powder mixing unit for mixing the powder with the brewing liquid, and a powder feeding motor to drive the feeding screw. However, existing powder mixers have a significant problem in actual operation: the brewing liquid in the powder mixing unit easily overflows. Because there is flowing water in the powder mixing chamber, it is difficult to install a liquid level detection sensor, making it impossible to monitor the liquid level in a timely and effective manner, thus leading to frequent overflows of the brewing liquid.
[0003] Overflowing brewing liquid can lead to a series of serious consequences. On the one hand, overflowing brewing liquid can easily clog the powder mixing chamber, affecting the normal operation of the powder mixer and reducing the efficiency and quality of beverage preparation. On the other hand, overflowing brewing liquid (especially hot water) may enter the powder hopper from the powder mixing unit, causing the powder to become damp and clump, affecting the quality and subsequent use of the powder; it may even flow into the machine body, damaging other electronic components, increasing equipment maintenance costs and downtime, and causing unnecessary economic losses to beverage production companies. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a powder mixer for beverage equipment, which can effectively prevent the brewing liquid from overflowing from the powder mixing unit, thus avoiding a series of problems caused by the overflow of the brewing liquid.
[0005] This utility model is achieved through the following technical solution:
[0006] A powder feeder for a beverage equipment, the beverage equipment including a frame and a water storage tray, the powder feeder being arranged on the frame, the powder feeder comprising:
[0007] Powder silo, which is used to store powder;
[0008] A powder feeding unit is arranged below the powder silo;
[0009] A powder mixing unit is connected to one end of the powder feeding unit and is used to receive the brewing liquid and to fully mix the brewing liquid and the powder.
[0010] A powder feeding motor is connected to the other end of the powder feeding unit and is used to drive the powder feeding screw in the powder feeding unit to rotate, thereby pushing the powder into the powder mixing unit.
[0011] An overflow chamber is connected to the powder mixing unit and is used to receive the brewing liquid overflowing from the powder mixing unit. A drain outlet is formed on the overflow chamber, and a drain pipe is connected to the drain outlet and the drain pipe is connected to the water storage pan.
[0012] Furthermore, the powder mixing unit includes a mixing chamber body, on which an overflow port is formed, and the overflow chamber is connected to the overflow port.
[0013] Furthermore, the mixing chamber body also has a feed inlet that communicates with one end of the powder feeding unit, and the feed inlet is located above the overflow port.
[0014] Furthermore, a water inlet channel is formed on the mixing chamber body, and the liquid outlet end of the water inlet channel is arranged along the tangential direction of the inner peripheral wall of the mixing chamber body.
[0015] Furthermore, a liquid outlet channel is formed at the bottom of the stirring chamber body.
[0016] Furthermore, the powder mixing unit also includes a mixing motor and mixing blades fixed to the output shaft of the mixing motor, the mixing blades being located within the mixing chamber body.
[0017] Furthermore, a drain outlet is formed on the overflow chamber, and the drain outlet is connected to a drain pipe.
[0018] Furthermore, the beverage equipment also includes a water storage tray, and the drain pipe is connected to the water storage tray.
[0019] Furthermore, a dehumidification port is formed on the overflow chamber, and the dehumidification port is connected to a dehumidification fan through a pipeline.
[0020] Furthermore, the beverage equipment includes multiple powder dispensers arranged side by side.
[0021] Furthermore, the beverage equipment also includes a coffee machine and a refrigerator arranged on the rack, with the coffee machine arranged on one side of the rack and the refrigerator and the powder dispenser arranged vertically on the other side of the rack.
[0022] Furthermore, the beverage device also includes a socket, a first main control board, a second main control board, and an expansion board. The socket is used to connect an external power source to power the entire beverage device. The first main control board is used to control the operation of the coffee machine. The second main control board is used to control the operation of the refrigerator. The expansion board can control the operation of the powder dispenser. The first main control board is located on the side of the coffee machine away from the refrigerator. The second main control board is integrated with the expansion board and is located on the side of the refrigerator away from the coffee machine.
[0023] Furthermore, the first main control board and the second main control board are connected in parallel, and a first switch for independently controlling the start and stop of the coffee machine is provided between the first main control board and the socket, and a second switch for independently controlling the start and stop of the refrigerator is provided between the second main control board and the socket.
[0024] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this utility model are:
[0025] 1. By incorporating an overflow chamber, overflowing brewing liquid is prevented from clogging the powder mixing unit, thus affecting the normal operation of the powder mixer and reducing the efficiency and quality of beverage preparation. Furthermore, it prevents overflowing brewing liquid (especially hot water) from entering the powder hopper from the mixing unit, causing the powder to become damp and clump, affecting its quality and subsequent use. It also prevents brewing liquid from overflowing into other parts of the equipment and damaging surrounding electronic components.
[0026] 2. A dehumidification vent is formed on the overflow chamber, and the vent is connected to a dehumidification fan via a pipe. The dehumidification fan can effectively remove moisture from the overflow chamber, which not only helps to keep the overflow chamber dry and prevents condensation, odors, or bacterial growth caused by moisture accumulation, but also improves the humidity of the entire equipment, providing a more suitable working environment for other electronic components and further enhancing the overall performance and stability of the equipment.
[0027] 3. By forming a drain port on the overflow chamber and connecting the drain port to the drain pipe, the overflow chamber collects the overflowing brewing liquid and discharges it into the water storage pan through the drain pipe connected to the drain port, thereby preventing the brewing liquid from entering the dehumidifying fan through the pipeline or overflowing into other parts of the equipment. Attached Figure Description
[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the beverage equipment;
[0029] Figure 2 is a partial structural diagram of the beverage equipment;
[0030] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the powder mill;
[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mixing chamber body;
[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the powder mill;
[0033] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the mixing chamber body;
[0034] Figure 7 is a circuit control block diagram of the beverage equipment. Detailed Implementation
[0035] The following detailed, non-limiting description of the utility model's technical solution, in conjunction with preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings, is provided. In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model.
[0036] As shown in Figure 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a powder feeder for a beverage equipment. The beverage equipment includes a frame 100 and a coffee machine 200, a refrigerator 300, and a powder feeder 400 arranged on the frame 100. The coffee machine 200 is arranged on one side of the frame 100, and the refrigerator 300 and the powder feeder 400 are arranged vertically on the other side of the frame 100.
[0037] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the powder feeder 400 includes a powder silo 410, a powder feeding unit 420, a powder mixing unit 440, a powder feeding motor 430, and an overflow chamber 450. The powder silo 410 is located at the top of the powder feeder 400 and is used to store powder. The powder feeding unit 420 is arranged below the powder silo 410. The powder mixing unit 440 is connected to one end of the powder feeding unit 420 and is used to receive the brewing liquid and fully mix the brewing liquid and the powder. The powder feeding motor 430 is connected to the other end of the powder feeding unit 420 and is used to drive the powder feeding screw 421 in the powder feeding unit 420 to rotate and push the powder into the powder mixing unit 440. The overflow chamber 450 is connected to the powder mixing unit 440 and is used to receive the brewing liquid overflowing from the powder mixing unit 440. When the beverage equipment starts working, the powder feeding motor 430 starts, transmitting power to the powder feeding screw 421 in the powder feeding unit 420, causing the screw 421 to rotate. Driven by the screw 421, the powder at the bottom of the powder hopper 410 is conveyed through the powder feeding unit 420 to the powder mixing unit 440. Simultaneously, brewing liquid (such as hot water) enters the powder mixing unit 440 and mixes with the powder to produce a beverage that meets quality requirements. During beverage preparation, if the liquid level in the powder mixing unit 440 rises above the preset position due to excessive brewing liquid flow or other reasons, the excess brewing liquid will flow into the overflow chamber 450 to prevent overflowing liquid from clogging the powder mixing unit 440, affecting the normal operation of the powder dispenser 400, and reducing the efficiency and quality of beverage preparation. On the other hand, it also avoids the possibility that overflowing brewing liquid (especially hot water) may enter the powder hopper 410 from the powder mixing unit 440, causing the powder to become damp and clump together, affecting the quality of the powder and its subsequent use. It also avoids the brewing liquid overflowing into other parts of the equipment and damaging the surrounding electronic components.
[0038] As shown in Figure 4, the powder mixing unit 440 includes a mixing chamber body 441 with an overflow port 4410. An overflow chamber 450 is connected to the overflow port 4410. During beverage preparation, if the liquid level in the mixing chamber body 441 rises above a preset level due to excessive flow of the brewing liquid or other reasons, the excess brewing liquid flows into the overflow chamber 450 through the overflow port 4410. The overflow chamber 450 provides a reliable overflow protection mechanism for the powder mixing unit 440. The connection between the overflow port 4410 and the overflow chamber 450 ensures that excess brewing liquid is promptly discharged, preventing it from overflowing into the powder hopper 410 and causing the powder to become damp. It also prevents the liquid from flowing into the equipment body and damaging other electronic components, greatly improving the stability and reliability of the equipment, reducing maintenance costs and failure rates, and extending the equipment's service life.
[0039] The mixing chamber body 441 also has a feed inlet 4411 that is connected to one end of the powder feeding unit 420. The feed inlet 4411 is located above the overflow port 4410, so that the excess brewing liquid flows into the overflow chamber 450 through the overflow port 4410 before reaching the feed inlet 4411, thus preventing the brewing liquid from overflowing and entering the powder silo 410 through the feed inlet 4411, which would cause the powder to become damp.
[0040] A water inlet channel 4412 is also formed on the mixing chamber body 441. Referring to Figure 6, the liquid outlet end of the water inlet channel 4412 is set along the tangential direction of the inner peripheral wall of the mixing chamber body 441, so that the brewing liquid will form a rotating water flow after entering the mixing chamber body 441, which will drive the powder to roll fully in the mixing chamber body 441, thereby enabling the powder and the brewing liquid to be mixed efficiently and fully in the mixing chamber body 441, so as to ensure the uniformity of the beverage mixing and improve the taste and quality of the beverage.
[0041] The bottom of the mixing chamber body 441 also has a liquid outlet channel 4413 for discharging the fully mixed beverage.
[0042] The powder mixing unit 440 also includes a mixing motor 442 and mixing blades fixed to the output shaft of the mixing motor 442. The mixing blades are located inside the mixing chamber body 441. During operation, the mixing motor 442 drives the mixing blades to rotate at high speed, further promoting the mixing of powder and brewing liquid to produce beverages that meet quality requirements.
[0043] As shown in Figure 5, a dehumidification port 452 is formed on the overflow chamber 450, and the dehumidification port 452 is connected to a dehumidification fan 460 through a pipe. The dehumidification fan 460 can effectively extract moisture from the overflow chamber 450, which not only helps to keep the overflow chamber 450 dry and prevents odors or bacterial growth due to moisture accumulation, but also improves the humidity of the entire equipment, providing a more suitable working environment for other electronic components inside the equipment, and further improving the overall performance and stability of the equipment.
[0044] As shown in Figure 5, an overflow chamber 450 has a drain port 451 connected to a drain pipe. The beverage equipment also includes a water storage pan 600, and the drain pipe is connected to the water storage pan 600. After collecting the overflowing brewing liquid, the overflow chamber 450 drains it into the water storage pan 600 through the drain pipe connected to the drain port 451, thus preventing the brewing liquid from entering the dehumidifier 460 through the pipe or overflowing into other parts of the equipment.
[0045] Furthermore, the powder dispenser 400 is designed to accommodate various types of powders, including fine coffee powder, milk powder, and larger fruit powders. All powders can be smoothly conveyed into the mixing chamber 441 by the powder feeding screw 421 and thoroughly mixed with the brewing liquid. This feature enables the beverage equipment to produce a wide variety of drinks, satisfying the diverse taste preferences of consumers in the market.
[0046] To improve beverage preparation efficiency, the beverage equipment includes multiple powder processors 400 arranged side-by-side. These multiple powder processors 400 operate independently, allowing the equipment to simultaneously prepare beverages using various powders, significantly improving efficiency. In high-traffic locations such as coffee shops and beverage stores, this can quickly meet diverse customer needs, reduce waiting times, and increase customer satisfaction. In this embodiment, two powder processors 400 are specifically arranged side-by-side.
[0047] The working principle of the powder feeder is as follows: When the beverage equipment starts working, the powder feeding motor 430 starts, and its power is transmitted to the powder feeding screw 421 in the powder feeding unit 420, causing the powder feeding screw 421 to start rotating. Under the spiral push of the powder feeding screw 421, the powder located at the bottom of the powder bin 410 is transported through the powder feeding unit 420 to the mixing chamber body 441 of the powder mixing unit 440. At the same time, the brewing liquid (such as hot water) enters the mixing chamber body 441 through the water inlet channel 4412. Since the outlet end of the water inlet channel 4412 is set along the tangential direction of the inner peripheral wall of the mixing chamber body 441, the brewing liquid will form a rotating water flow after entering the mixing chamber body 441, causing the powder to tumble fully in the mixing chamber body 441. The mixing motor 442 drives the mixing blades to rotate at high speed, further promoting the mixing of powder and brewing liquid, so that they can be quickly and fully integrated to produce beverage ingredients that meet the quality requirements. During beverage preparation, if the liquid level in the mixing chamber 441 rises above the overflow port 4410 due to excessive flow of the brewing liquid or other reasons, the excess brewing liquid will flow into the overflow chamber 450 through the overflow port 4410. The overflow chamber 450 collects this overflowing brewing liquid and discharges it into the water storage pan 600 through a drain pipe connected to the drain port 45, thus preventing the brewing liquid from overflowing into other parts of the equipment. Furthermore, the dehumidifier 460 dehumidifies the overflow chamber 450 through the dehumidifier port 452, preventing moisture accumulation from affecting other parts of the equipment, especially preventing damage to surrounding electronic components. When the beverage equipment needs to prepare beverages with various powders, multiple powder mixers 400 arranged side-by-side can work simultaneously. Each powder mixer 400 is responsible for conveying and mixing different powders, greatly improving the efficiency and versatility of beverage preparation.
[0048] In addition, as shown in Figure 7, the beverage equipment also includes a socket 800, a first main control board 810, a second main control board 820, and an expansion board 840. The socket 800 is used to connect to an external 220V AC power supply for the entire beverage equipment. The first main control board 810 controls the operation of the coffee machine 200, and the second main control board 820 controls the operation of the refrigerator 300. The expansion board 840 mainly includes a powder dispenser 400 (including a powder feeding motor 430, a stirring motor 442, and a dehumidifier 460), a clamping valve (used to clamp the milk pipe during milk pipe cleaning to prevent cleaning solution from flowing back into the milk tank), and related components for the refrigerator 300 and the powder dispenser 400. The electrical components used for detection (such as refrigerator level sensor, refrigerator door reed switch detection - to detect whether the refrigerator door is closed, powder box reed switch detection - to detect whether the powder box is in place, powder box spotlight detection for powder shortage) are used in this embodiment. The first main control board 810 is located on the side of the coffee machine 200 away from the refrigerator 300, and the second main control board 820 is integrated with the expansion board 840 and located on the side of the refrigerator 300 away from the coffee machine 200. This design can shorten the power lines and signal lines of the powder dispenser 400, the clamp valve, and the related detection electrical components of the refrigerator and powder dispenser, avoiding the extra wiring caused by directly connecting them to the main control board and reducing the wiring inside the equipment.
[0049] The first main control board 810 and the second main control board 820 are connected in parallel to each other to independently control the start and stop of the coffee machine 200 or the refrigerator 300. Specifically, a first switch 850 for independently controlling the start and stop of the coffee machine 200 is provided between the first main control board 810 and the socket 800, and a second switch 860 for independently controlling the start and stop of the refrigerator 300 is provided between the second main control board 820 and the socket 800.
[0050] In addition, the beverage equipment also includes a switching power supply 830. The input terminal of the switching power supply 830 is electrically connected to the first main control board 810, and the output terminal is electrically connected to the expansion board 840. By designing the power source of the expansion board 840 to come from the first main control board 810 of the beverage equipment, the problem of not being able to make powder when the refrigerator is not turned on is avoided. In this embodiment, the input voltage of the switching power supply 830 is 220V, and the output voltage is 24V.
[0051] In addition, to save on power or signal cable routing, the first main control board 810, the second main control board 820, and the expansion board 840 are all equipped with 5V and / or 24V low-voltage power supplies.
[0052] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this utility model, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these all fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model patent should be determined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A powder feeder for a beverage equipment, the beverage equipment comprising a frame (100) and a water storage tray (600), the powder feeder (400) being arranged on the frame (100), characterized in that, The powder feeder (400) includes: a powder silo (410) for storing powder; a powder feeding unit (420) disposed below the powder silo (410); a powder mixing unit (440) connected to one end of the powder feeding unit (420) for receiving brewing liquid and thoroughly mixing the brewing liquid and the powder; and a powder feeding motor (430) connected to the powder feeding unit (420). At the other end, it is used to drive the powder feeding screw (421) in the powder feeding unit (420) to rotate and push the powder into the powder mixing unit (440); overflow chamber (450), the overflow chamber (450) is connected to the powder mixing unit (440) and is used to receive the brewing liquid overflowing from the powder mixing unit (440), and a drain port (451) is formed on the overflow chamber (450), the drain port (451) is connected to a drain pipe, and the drain pipe is connected to the water storage pan (600).
2. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The powder mixing unit (440) includes a mixing chamber body (441), an overflow port (4410) is formed on the mixing chamber body (441), and the overflow chamber (450) is connected to the overflow port (4410).
3. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mixing chamber body (441) also has a feed inlet (4411) that communicates with one end of the powder feeding unit (420), and the feed inlet (4411) is located above the overflow port (4410).
4. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, A water inlet channel (4412) is also formed on the stirring chamber body (441), and the liquid outlet end of the water inlet channel (4412) is arranged along the tangential direction of the inner peripheral wall of the stirring chamber body (441).
5. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The powder mixing unit (440) also includes a mixing motor (442) and mixing blades fixed to the output shaft of the mixing motor (442), the mixing blades being located inside the mixing chamber body (441).
6. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, A dehumidifying vent (452) is formed on the overflow chamber (450), and the dehumidifying vent (452) is connected to a dehumidifying fan (460) through a pipe.
7. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beverage equipment includes multiple powder processors (400) arranged side by side.
8. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beverage equipment also includes a coffee machine (200) and a refrigerator (300) arranged on the frame (100), with the coffee machine (200) arranged on one side of the frame (100) and the refrigerator (300) and the powder machine (400) arranged vertically on the other side of the frame (100).
9. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The beverage device also includes a socket (800), a first main control board (810), a second main control board (820), and an expansion board (840). The socket (800) is used to connect an external power supply to power the entire beverage device. The first main control board (810) is used to control the operation of the coffee machine (200). The second main control board (820) is used to control the operation of the refrigerator (300). The expansion board (840) can control the operation of the powder dispenser (400). The first main control board (810) is located on the side of the coffee machine (200) away from the refrigerator (300). The second main control board (820) is integrated with the expansion board (840) and is located on the side of the refrigerator (300) away from the coffee machine (200).
10. The powder feeder for beverage equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first main control board (810) and the second main control board (820) are connected in parallel. A first switch (850) for independently controlling the start and stop of the coffee machine (200) is provided between the first main control board (810) and the socket (800). A second switch (860) for independently controlling the start and stop of the refrigerator (300) is provided between the second main control board (820) and the socket (800).