Automatic beverage preparation device

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of automatic preparation beverage equipment, including preparation bucket, brewing raw material providing module, water supply module, beverage storage bucket.Preparation bucket has extract outlet, and extract outlet is equipped with raw material filter screen.Brewing raw material providing module is connected with preparation bucket by inlet pipeline.Water supply module is connected with preparation bucket by water supply pipeline.Beverage storage bucket is located below preparation bucket, and beverage storage pipeline is connected with the extract outlet of preparation bucket, so that beverage of preparation bucket passes through raw material filter screen and enters beverage storage bucket.Raw material residue suction pump is connected with the suction port of preparation bucket by residue removal pipeline, to remove raw material residue in preparation bucket.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to an automatic beverage preparation device, and more precisely, to a cleaning module for an automatic beverage preparation device. Background Technology

[0002] In traditional bubble tea shops, tea brewing is largely done manually. For expansion or franchising, maintaining a consistent drinking experience across all branches requires a systematic approach. One secret to delicious beverages lies in brewing techniques, and automating the repeated tea-making process presents a significant technical challenge, particularly regarding the removal of residue. Currently available brewing equipment has insufficient capacity per batch to meet market demands.

[0003] This situation poses a challenge to the actual operation of bubble tea shops. Since these shops need to brew tea in batches and in large quantities daily, the reliability and automation level of the equipment directly impact operational efficiency. The cumbersome cleaning of traditional equipment forces operators to invest more manpower and time.

[0004] Brewing equipment with automatic removal of raw material residue can be combined with a raw material feeding machine, as shown in Taiwan Utility Model Patent TWM586586. However, in terms of the need for automated operation, there is still room for improvement in this equipment. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the technical deficiencies of traditional tea brewing equipment and provide an automatic beverage preparation device that can solve the technical problem of low efficiency in cleaning up raw material residues after beverage brewing, thus facilitating the development of automated operations.

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, this utility model provides an automatic beverage preparation device, comprising a preparation tank, a brewing ingredient supply module, a water supply module, and a beverage storage tank. The preparation tank has an extract outlet, which is equipped with a raw material filter. The brewing ingredient supply module is connected to the preparation tank via an inlet pipe. The water supply module is connected to the preparation tank via a water supply pipe. The beverage storage tank is located below the preparation tank and is connected to the extract outlet of the preparation tank via a beverage storage pipe, allowing the beverage from the preparation tank to pass through the raw material filter and enter the beverage storage tank. The preparation tank has a suction port penetrating one of its walls or one of its bottoms, and the suction port is spaced apart from the extract outlet. A residue suction pump is connected to the suction port of the preparation tank via a residue removal pipe to remove residue from the preparation tank.

[0007] Therefore, by designing a suction port at the bottom or wall of the preparation tank that is different from the extraction liquid outlet, and in conjunction with a raw material residue suction pump and a residue removal pipeline, the raw material residue and washing waste liquid after beverage extraction can be directly extracted from the preparation tank, avoiding the complicated disassembly and cleaning process.

[0008] Preferably, the raw material residue suction pump is connected to a raw material residue collection box via a collection pipeline, the raw material residue collection box having a raw material residue water filter screen with an aperture smaller than that of the raw material residue.

[0009] Preferably, the raw material residue filter screen inside the raw material residue collection box is higher than the bottom of the raw material residue collection box, and the raw material residue collection box also includes a raw material residue pusher for transferring the raw material residue above the raw material residue filter screen to the bottom of the raw material residue collection box.

[0010] Preferably, the slag removal pipeline is equipped with a slag removal valve to control the connection and disconnection of the slag removal pipeline.

[0011] Preferably, the valve size of the slag removal valve is between 1 inch and 4 inches.

[0012] Preferably, the slag removal valve includes a check valve, a ball valve, or a solenoid valve.

[0013] Preferably, an annular slope is formed between the bottom and the wall of the preparation tank, and the inlet of the slag removal valve is aligned with the inclination angle of the suction port formed on the annular slope.

[0014] In addition, to improve cleaning efficiency, in some embodiments, a technology that can generate rotating water flow is added to the water supply module of the injection preparation tank, so that the injected water forms a spiral inside the tank, which can effectively wash the tank wall and filter screen during the cleaning operation and improve the cleaning effect.

[0015] Preferably, the water supply module includes a rotating spray head that sprays water into the preparation tank.

[0016] Preferably, the water supply module is used to spray water into the preparation tank to generate a rotating water flow in the preparation tank.

[0017] Preferably, the water supply module is used to spray water at an angle into the preparation tank.

[0018] In addition, in order to improve the suction efficiency, in some embodiments a closed preparation tank design is adopted. During the cleaning operation, all inlet and outlet valves are closed to create a near-vacuum state inside the tank, generating a negative pressure state during suction, which greatly improves the working efficiency of the raw material residue suction pump.

[0019] Preferably, the preparation vessel has a top cover, and the feed pipe and the water supply pipe are connected to the wall of the preparation vessel.

[0020] Preferably, the water supply pipeline of the water supply module includes a main annular channel arranged along the wall of the tank, and a plurality of inclined nozzles arranged circumferentially along the main annular channel. The water supplied by the water supply module is sprayed obliquely into the preparation tank after passing through the inclined nozzles.

[0021] Preferably, the feed line is equipped with a raw material supply valve to control the connection and disconnection of the feed line.

[0022] In addition, to improve cleaning efficiency, the bottom of the preparation tank is designed with a height difference structure, allowing tea residue to concentrate at the bottom of the tank for easy suction and removal. This also prevents tea residue from clogging the beverage outlet, ensuring smooth beverage output and improving cleaning efficiency.

[0023] Preferably, the suction port is positioned higher than the extract outlet.

[0024] Preferably, the bottom of the preparation vessel forms an annular groove, and the suction port is located on the vessel wall formed in the annular groove. An inner annular surface of the annular groove is higher than the bottom of the annular groove, and the inner annular surface of the annular groove connects to the extract outlet of the preparation vessel. The annular groove at the bottom of the preparation vessel can also work in conjunction with the vortex effect of rotating water flow to effectively concentrate tea residue at the bottom of the groove, facilitating suction and removal.

[0025] Preferably, the automatic beverage preparation equipment further includes a second hot water supply module, which is connected to the water supply pipeline of the water source supply module via a preheated hot water branch pipeline and to the preparation tank via a high-temperature hot water pipeline.

[0026] Accordingly, this utility model can be applied to the full-process automated control of slag removal and cleaning in the preparation tank. It can be integrated into the system using a programmable logic controller (PLC) and can be programmed to adjust according to the process requirements of different tea drinks, thereby greatly improving production efficiency and product quality stability while reducing labor costs. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the modular structure of an automated beverage preparation equipment.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding process in an automated beverage preparation system.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the beverage flow during the tea-serving operation of an automated beverage preparation equipment.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of water injection during the cleaning process of an automatic beverage preparation equipment.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the suction process during the cleaning operation of an automated beverage preparation equipment.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the preparation tank, water supply module, and cleaning module.

[0033] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 The top view of the schematic diagram of the second embodiment shown.

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the preparation tank, water supply module, and cleaning module.

[0035] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 The top view of the schematic diagram of the third embodiment shown.

[0036] Figure 10 This is another modular structural diagram of an automated beverage preparation device.

[0037] Reference numerals: 10-Water supply module; 11-Water supply pipeline; 11A-Hot water outlet; 113-Tilted nozzle; 13-Water supply valve; 15-Rotating spray head; 15A-Spray outlet; 20-Second hot water supply module; 21-High-temperature hot water supply pipeline; 21A-High-temperature hot water outlet; 23-High-temperature hot water valve; 25-Preheated hot water branch pipeline; 251-Preheated hot water valve; 30-Preparation tank; 31-Tank wall; 321, 322-Annular ramp; 33A-Extraction liquid outlet; 33B-Suction port; 35-Top cover; 37-Raw material filter; 39-Annular groove; 391-Inner ring surface; 392-Annular groove bottom; 40-Brewing raw material supply module; 41-Infeed pipe Path; 41A - Raw material supply outlet; 43 - Raw material supply valve; 50 - Beverage storage tank; 51 - Beverage storage pipeline; 53 - Extract supply valve; 55 - Beverage supply pipeline; 70 - Cleaning module; 71 - Slag removal pipeline; 73 - Slag removal valve; 75 - Raw material slag suction pump; 81 - Collection pipeline; 83 - Raw material slag collection box; 85 - Raw material slag water filter screen; 87 - Wastewater collection tank; 871 - Drain outlet; 89 - Raw material slag push rod; 91 - Cooling module; 93 - Compressor module; 95 - Beverage supply module; WS - Beverage waste liquid; WL1 - Soaked raw material; WL2 - Raw material slag; L1, L2, W1, W2, W3, W4, S1, S2, Su1 - Direction. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The following combinations Figure 1The automatic beverage preparation equipment comprises various modules, and the process of automatically preparing beverages is briefly described. In this embodiment, the automatic beverage preparation equipment uses tea preparation as an example. The aforementioned beverage preparation includes, but is not limited to, brewing or boiling tea. Brewing tea involves using hot water to infuse tea leaves to form a beverage, while boiling tea involves mixing tea leaves with water and then additionally heating the preparation tank or adding hot water to raise the temperature to form a beverage. However, the application of this automatic beverage preparation equipment is not limited to preparing tea; for example, it can be used to prepare coffee, fruit tea, herbal tea, or grain tea, and is not limited thereto.

[0039] This utility model provides an automatic beverage preparation device, comprising a water supply module 10, a preparation tank 30 (serving as a tea brewing tank or tea steeping tank), a brewing raw material supply module 40 (serving as a tea discharging module), a beverage storage tank 50 (serving as a tea storage tank), a cooling module 91, a compressor module 93, and a beverage supply module 95.

[0040] The water supply module 10 is connected to the preparation tank 30 via a water supply pipe 11, and the water supplied by the water supply module 10 is injected into the preparation tank 30 from the corresponding outlet of the water supply pipe 11. In some embodiments, the water supply module 10 can provide hot water.

[0041] The brewing material supply module 40 is connected to the preparation tank 30 via the feed pipe 41 (as a tea input pipe). The feed pipe 41 has a material supply outlet 41A, and the appropriate amount of tea is added to the preparation tank 30 according to the total amount of tea to be brewed or boiled each time.

[0042] The preparation tank 30 is a large-capacity cylindrical container used to hold water and tea leaves. The steeping time of the tea leaves in hot water is determined according to the characteristics of various beverages. Furthermore, the bottom of the preparation tank 30 has an extract outlet 33A, which is equipped with a raw material filter screen 37 (such as...). Figure 7 As mentioned above, (it serves as a tea filter).

[0043] The beverage storage tank 50 is located below the preparation tank 30 and is connected to the extract outlet 33A of the preparation tank 30 via a beverage storage pipe 51. The beverage in the preparation tank 30 passes through the raw material filter screen 37 and enters the beverage storage tank 50 through the beverage storage pipe 51.

[0044] The beverage storage tank 50 is connected to the beverage supply module 95 via a beverage supply pipeline 55. A cooling module 91 is arranged around the beverage supply pipeline 55, and a compressor module 93 is connected to the cooling module 91. The compressor module 93 provides a heat exchange medium to the interior of the cooling module 91, where it exchanges heat with the beverage in the beverage supply pipeline 55 to cool the beverage. Therefore, a lower temperature beverage can be taken from the beverage supply module 95 for subsequent automated beverage preparation.

[0045] Matching Figure 1, Figure 2 , Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the process of one type of automated beverage preparation using automated beverage preparation equipment. This process includes the following steps:

[0046] For water injection, open the water supply valve 13 on the water supply pipeline 11 to allow the water supply module 10 to inject hot water into the preparation tank 30. The water flow direction is as shown by the arrows W1 and W2. This operation can be combined with preheating and / or sterilization cleaning of the preparation tank 30.

[0047] In the tea feeding and brewing process, the tea leaves are quantitatively fed into the preparation tank 30 by the tea ingredient supply module 40, with the tea feeding direction as shown by the arrow in direction L1.

[0048] For tea storage, open the channel of beverage storage pipe 51, and the prepared beverage (tea soup) is filtered through raw material filter 37 (such as...). Figure 6 (As shown) After filtration, the beverage flows into the beverage storage tank 50, and the beverage flows in the direction indicated by the arrow in direction S1.

[0049] During the tea supply process, when the beverage flows from the beverage storage tank 50 to the beverage supply module 95, it exchanges heat with the cooling module 91. Therefore, the beverage supply module 95 can provide beverages (tea soup) at a lower temperature. The flow direction of the low-temperature beverage is shown by the arrow in direction S2.

[0050] This utility model's automatic beverage preparation equipment is applied to hand-shaken beverage shops, which need to prepare beverages in batches and in large quantities every day. In this embodiment, to maintain the tea-brewing conditions within an acceptable error range each time, the preparation tank 30 of the automatic beverage preparation equipment adopts a large-capacity tank. For a typical operator, the beverage storage tank 50 can be quickly removed from the automatic beverage preparation equipment, but the preparation tank 30 is difficult to clean in a short time. Cleaning the preparation tank 30 requires waiting for its temperature to drop. Whether the preparation tank 30 has a mechanism or module for easy cleaning during repeated beverage preparation operations will affect the degree of automation of the tea-brewing equipment.

[0051] At Figure 1 In one embodiment, the automatic beverage preparation equipment includes a cleaning module 70, and the preparation tank 30 is equipped with the cleaning module 70 and has a suction port 33B penetrating the tank wall 31. The suction port 33B of the preparation tank 30 and the extraction liquid outlet 33A are spaced apart.

[0052] As an example of one structure, in this embodiment, the suction port 33B of the preparation tank 30 is positioned higher than the extract outlet 33A, so that the extracted beverage flows downwards by gravity to the beverage storage pipeline 51, and the soaked raw material WL1 is filtered out by the raw material filter screen 37 and retained in the preparation tank 30.

[0053] It is worth mentioning that the water supply module 10 of this utility model can provide hot water when brewing or steeping tea, and can provide cold water, hot water, or liquid containing detergent when cleaning.

[0054] The cleaning module 70 is configured to extract the soaked raw material WL1 and part of the beverage, or simultaneously the cleaning liquid injected during the cleaning process, from the preparation tank 30 by suction. The cleaning liquid can be water, hot water, or a liquid containing cleaning agent. The mixed waste containing the soaked raw material WL1, beverage and / or cleaning liquid will be described as beverage waste WS.

[0055] The cleaning module 70 includes a slag removal pipeline 71, a slag removal valve 73, and a raw material slag suction pump 75. The slag removal pipeline 71 connects to the suction port 33B of the preparation tank 30 and the raw material slag suction pump 75, which is used to remove beverage waste liquid WS containing the dissolved raw material WL1 from the preparation tank 30. The slag removal valve 73 is located on the slag removal pipeline 71 and is used to control the connection and disconnection of the slag removal pipeline 71. The raw material slag suction pump 75 is connected to the raw material slag collection box 83 via a collection pipeline 81.

[0056] As an example of automated control, when tea is being brewed or steeped in the preparation tank 30, the slag removal valve 73 closes the channel between the slag removal pipeline 71 and the raw material slag suction pump 75. The slag removal valve 73 is only opened after the beverage from the beverage storage pipeline 51 enters the beverage storage tank 50 in the preparation tank 30. Then, the raw material slag suction pump 75 is turned on to suck up the beverage waste liquid WS in the preparation tank 30.

[0057] The aforementioned waste removal valve 73 has a channel size that allows the brewed raw material WL1 and beverage waste liquid WS to flow in simultaneously. Specifically, the selection of the channel size of the waste removal valve 73 is related to the size of the brewed tea leaves for efficient removal of the brewed raw material WL1. As an example, the channel size can be between 1 inch and 4 inches. Preferably, it can be a channel with a diameter of 1 inch, 1.5 inches, 2 inches, 2.5 inches, 3 inches, 3.5 inches, or 4 inches. However, it is understood that different brewing materials may correspond to different valve sizes for the waste removal valve 73. The type of waste removal valve 73 may include a check valve, ball valve, butterfly valve, solenoid valve, or pneumatic valve.

[0058] The slag removal valve 73 can be an electric ball valve, which features excellent sealing and rapid opening and closing, suitable for applications requiring precise flow control and backflow prevention. The check valve is used to prevent liquid backflow, ensuring unidirectional flow in the system. The slag removal valve 73 can also be a solenoid valve for convenient automated control. All valves are made of food-grade stainless steel, meeting food safety requirements.

[0059] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 Based on the aforementioned cleaning module 70, the cleaning operation is basically divided into two stages, such as... Figure 4 The water injection stage, as shown, involves injecting water into the water supply module 10, with the water flow direction as indicated by arrows W3 and W4, to clean or agitate residues in the preparation tank 30; and as shown in the diagram... Figure 5 During the suction stage shown, the raw material residue suction pump 75 is turned on to extract the beverage waste liquid WS (including the soaked raw material WL1) from the preparation tank 30. The suction direction is as shown by the arrow in direction Su1, and the liquid is sent to the raw material residue collection box 83 behind the pipeline.

[0060] The cleaning operation can be carried out using the following automated process: (1) First, maintain the raw material residue suction pump 75 to continuously suction, and (2) then inject water into the water supply module 10 in batches. This can reduce the large accumulation of beverage waste liquid WS at the bottom of the preparation tank 30, maintain the unobstructed flow of the residue removal pipeline 71, and improve the cleaning efficiency.

[0061] The cleaning process can also be set to intermittently activate the raw material residue suction pump 75. For example, after the beverage has flowed into the beverage storage pipeline 51, the raw material residue suction pump 75 is activated for the first time to remove the soaked raw material WL1 and residual beverage from the preparation tank 30. Then, the raw material residue suction pump 75 is turned off, and the water supply module 10 is controlled to inject water for cleaning. Then, the raw material residue suction pump 75 is turned on again to remove the remaining soaked raw material WL1 and additional water from the bottom of the preparation tank 30. This cleaning process can be repeated several times.

[0062] In this embodiment, the flow direction of the soaked raw material WL1 and the beverage waste liquid WS is not entirely driven by gravity. Therefore, how to increase the suction force of the raw material residue suction pump 75 during suction, or maintain the unobstructed flow channel, will affect the efficiency of the cleaning module 70 in performing the cleaning operation. As one example, in Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the smooth flow of cleaning water is maintained by generating a rotating water flow in the preparation tank 30.

[0063] The water supply module 10 can be adjusted to generate a rotating water flow in the preparation tank 30. As an example, the water supply module 10 includes a rotating spray head 15 with multiple spray outlets 15A. When water flows from the water supply module 10 into the interior of the rotating spray head 15 and then sprays the water out, the water wheel of the rotating spray head 15 is driven to rotate by the water flow, so that the rotating spray head 15 sprays water onto the tank wall 31 of the preparation tank 30 while rotating, thus generating a rotating water flow in the preparation tank 30.

[0064] Based on this technique of generating a rotating water flow, in this embodiment, the preparation tank 30 has a removable top cover 35 that can close the upper opening of the tank wall 31. A raw material supply outlet 41A and a hot water outlet 11A of the feed pipe 41 are connected to the top cover 35 of the preparation tank 30. When using the rotating spray head 15, the axis of the rotating spray head 15 passes through the top cover 35, and the spray outlet 15A of the rotating spray head 15 is connected to the hot water outlet 11A of the water supply pipe 11. The hot water supplied by the water supply module 10 enters the preparation tank 30 to generate a rotating water flow.

[0065] As another example, the rotating spray head 15 can also be driven by an electric motor, providing more precise rotation control.

[0066] Please see Figure 6 and Figure 7 The diagram shows a second embodiment of the preparation tank, water supply module, and cleaning module.

[0067] In this embodiment, the water supply pipe 11 of the water supply module 10 extends into the preparation tank 30. The angle at which the water flow (direction W1) from the water supply pipe 11 enters the preparation tank 30 affects whether the water flow forms a rapid rotating flow within the preparation tank 30. Specifically, when the guiding water flow from the water supply pipe 11 is injected into the hot water outlet 11A of the preparation tank 30, it deviates from the center of the preparation tank 30, causing the water flow to move from the side towards other positions, forming a rotating flow, such as... Figure 7 The direction shown is W2.

[0068] In other embodiments, the hot water outlet 11A of the water supply pipe 11 can be connected to the barrel wall 31 of the preparation barrel 30, so that the water flows along the circumference of the barrel wall 31 of the preparation barrel 30 and enters the preparation barrel 30 in a tangential direction to form a rotating water flow.

[0069] Furthermore, as another technical means to improve the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning module 70, in this embodiment, the structure of the preparation tank 30 can be designed so that the preparation tank 30 maintains a certain vacuum state when the cleaning module 70 is started, thereby creating negative pressure inside the preparation tank 30 and improving the suction efficiency of the raw material slag suction pump 75. For example, the raw material supply outlet 41A of the feed pipe 41 and the hot water outlet 11A of the water supply pipe 11 are connected to the tank wall 31 of the preparation tank 30, reducing the perforation of the top cover 35.

[0070] As one example of maintaining a near-vacuum state, the top cover 35 of the preparation vessel 30 has a seal at the opening above the corresponding vessel wall 31. This not only maintains a near-vacuum state when the raw material residue suction pump 75 is activated, but also ensures temperature stability during the tea brewing process. Alternatively, the extraction liquid supply valve 53 of the beverage storage pipeline 51, the water supply valve 13 of the water supply pipeline 11, and / or the raw material supply valve 43 are all blocked before the cleaning module 70 is opened, thus maintaining a near-vacuum state in the preparation vessel 30.

[0071] In this embodiment, an annular slope 321 is formed between the bottom of the preparation tank 30 and the tank wall 31. The suction port 33B formed on the annular slope 321 of the preparation tank 30 is close to the bottom of the preparation tank 30. The oblique opening increases the cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port 33B. The position of the suction port 33B of the preparation tank 30 is higher than that of the extract outlet 33A. The bottom of the suction port 33B is close to the bottom of the preparation tank 30, which can completely remove the beverage waste liquid WS from the bottom of the preparation tank 30.

[0072] In addition, the inlet of the slag removal valve 73 is aligned with the inclination angle of the suction port 33B formed on the annular ramp 321 to minimize the pipe length between the slag removal valve 73 and the suction port 33B, which can also reduce the amount of beverage waste liquid remaining inside the slag removal pipe 71.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the raw material residue collection box 83 can also be used to separate the raw material residue WL2 from the beverage waste liquid WS. The raw material residue collection box 83 has a raw material residue water filter screen 85 with a pore size smaller than that of the raw material residue WL2. The raw material residue water filter screen 85 collects the raw material residue WL2, while the beverage waste liquid WS falls into the wastewater collection tank 87. Excess beverage waste liquid WS flows out from the drain outlet 871 of the wastewater collection tank 87.

[0074] Please see Figure 8 and Figure 9 The diagram shows a third embodiment of the preparation tank, water supply module, and cleaning module.

[0075] As another example of generating rotating water flow, the water supply module 10 includes a main annular channel disposed along the barrel wall 31 and connected to the hot water outlet 11A. The water flow provided from the hot water outlet 11A enters the preparation barrel 30 tangentially along the outlet on the main annular channel, guiding the water flow to rotate.

[0076] Furthermore, the main annular channel is equipped with several circumferentially arranged inclined nozzles 113. The water supplied by the water supply module 10 is sprayed obliquely onto the barrel wall 31 of the preparation barrel 30 after passing through the inclined nozzles 113, guiding the water flow to rotate, such as... Figure 9 The direction shown is W2.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bottom of the preparation container 30 forms an annular groove 39, and the suction port 33B is located on the container wall 31 formed in the annular groove 39. The inner annular surface 391 of this annular groove 39 structure is higher than the annular groove bottom 392 of the annular groove 39. The center of the inner annular surface 391 of the annular groove 39 structure is connected to the extraction liquid outlet 33A of the preparation container 30, and then the extraction liquid outlet 33A is connected to the beverage storage pipe 51. With this design, when the tea soup is drawn into the beverage storage pipe 51 by gravity, the brewed raw material WL1 in the preparation container 30 is more likely to accumulate at the bottom of the annular groove 392, reducing the accumulation of brewed raw material WL1 on the raw material filter screen 37 of the extraction liquid outlet 33A above the beverage storage pipe 51. Having the suction port 33B of the preparation container 30 directly aligned with the brewed raw material WL1 also increases cleaning efficiency.

[0078] Compared to Figure 6 The embodiment shown does not have an annular groove, in Figure 8 In the embodiment shown, the soaked raw material WL1 remaining inside the preparation tank 30 and the washing water flow can easily accumulate at the bottom of the annular tank 392, and can be washed relatively clean when the amount of water is small.

[0079] Furthermore, under this structure, when a rotating water flow is generated inside the preparation tank 30, the soaked raw material WL1 on the raw material filter 37 of the extract outlet 33A can also be flushed into the annular groove 39 for accumulation.

[0080] Furthermore, the structure of the annular groove 39 at the bottom of the preparation container 30 can be designed to accommodate the flow characteristics of rotating water. As a specific example, the height difference between the inner ring surface 391 and the bottom 392 of the annular groove 39 is sufficient to prevent the dissolved raw material WL1 from flowing into the beverage storage pipe 51 with the beverage, without excessively hindering the normal flow of the beverage.

[0081] The preparation tank 30 has an annular ramp 321 from the tank wall 31 to the bottom of the annular groove 392. The annular ramp 322 from the bottom of the annular groove 392 to the inner annular surface 391 of the annular groove 39. This ensures that tea residue can concentrate from the tank wall 31 towards the bottom of the annular groove 392. When a rotating water flow is generated inside the preparation tank 30, centrifugal force causes the brewed raw material WL1 to move outwards and settle to the bottom of the annular groove 392, while the beverage flows out from the extract outlet 33A above the inner annular surface 391.

[0082] In addition, when the annular groove bottom 392 is present, the suction port 33B can be arranged on the annular slope 322 of the inner annular surface 391 of the annular groove bottom 392 to the annular groove 39. In this case, the position of the suction port 33B may be higher than the position of the extract outlet 33A, but it will not affect the suction stage of the cleaning operation.

[0083] In this embodiment, the opening of the collection pipe 81 behind the raw material residue suction pump 75 is connected to the upper part of the raw material residue collection box 83. The internal space of the raw material residue collection box 83 is divided into a water filtration zone and a raw material residue accumulation zone. The water filtration zone of the raw material residue collection box 83 is equipped with a raw material residue water filtration screen 85 and a wastewater collection tank 87. The raw material residue water filtration screen 85 is located above the wastewater collection tank 87 and higher than the bottom of the raw material residue collection box 83. The remaining area of ​​the raw material residue collection box 83 outside the water filtration zone is the raw material residue accumulation zone. The raw material residue collection box 83 also includes a raw material residue push rod 89 located above the raw material residue water filtration screen 85.

[0084] In this way, the sucked-up beverage waste liquid can fall onto the raw material residue filter screen 85 in the filtration zone. Excess beverage waste liquid WS enters the wastewater collection bucket 87, while the raw material residue WL2 remains above the raw material residue filter screen 85. When too much raw material residue WL2 accumulates above the raw material residue filter screen 85, the raw material residue pusher 89 pushes the raw material residue WL2 off the raw material residue filter screen 85. The raw material residue WL2 falls due to gravity and is transferred to the bottom of the raw material residue collection box 83.

[0085] It is worth mentioning that the technical means of generating rotating water flow described in this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. In other embodiments, as another technical means of generating rotating water flow, the barrel wall 31 of the preparation barrel 30 can also adopt an inverted conical design, with the upper diameter of the barrel being larger than the lower diameter. After the water flows into the barrel tangentially, it is geometrically constrained by the inverted conical barrel wall 31 and naturally spirals down along the barrel wall. Under the combined action of gravity and centrifugal force, a stable spiral water flow is formed, thereby concentrating the tea residue towards the bottom annular groove 39.

[0086] In other embodiments, as another technical means to generate rotating water flow, the inner wall of the preparation tank 30 may be provided with a spiral guide plate or a spiral channel. The spiral guide plate is spirally distributed along the inner surface of the tank wall 31. When water is injected from the water supply pipe 11, the water flow follows the guidance of the spiral guide plate to generate a spiral downward flow path, forming a stable rotating water flow. In the presence of the spiral guide plate, the raw material supply outlet 41A can be lower than the spiral guide plate to avoid tea leaves or smaller raw materials remaining on the spiral guide plate during feeding.

[0087] In other embodiments, as another technical means to generate rotating water flow, spiral grooves can be directly machined into the inner wall of the preparation tank 30. The hot water outlet 11A of the water supply module 10 is directly connected to the upper end of the spiral grooves, and a spiral water flow is naturally formed when the hot water flows along the spiral grooves.

[0088] In addition to the aforementioned, the automated operation of brewing or steeping tea can also be performed using the following modules. As an example, in this embodiment, the feed pipe 41 of the brewing raw material supply module 40 is equipped with a raw material supply valve 43 to control the connection and disconnection of the feed pipe 41. When tea leaves are to be supplied, the raw material supply valve 43 opens the channel of the feed pipe 41, allowing the tea leaves inside the brewing raw material supply module 40 to be fed into the preparation tank 30, and closes the feed pipe 41 when a predetermined weight of tea leaves has been added. Furthermore, the raw material supply valve 43 can be located at the connection point between the feed pipe 41 and the opening of the tank wall 31 of the preparation tank 30, which can prevent the tea leaves from getting damp and improve the accuracy of tea leaf feeding.

[0089] Similarly, the extract supply valve 53 of the beverage storage line 51 and / or the water supply valve 13 of the water supply line 11 may be a check valve, ball valve, butterfly valve, solenoid valve or pneumatic valve.

[0090] Similarly, a flow meter (not shown) may be included on the water supply line 11 to detect the amount of water flowing from the water supply module 10 into the preparation tank 30, as a basis for automated control.

[0091] In other embodiments, there may be two or more beverage storage tanks 50, connected to the extraction outlet 33A of the same preparation tank 30 via a T-junction (not shown). As an example, two beverage storage tanks 50 can be switched to the extraction outlet 33A via manual or automatic valves to receive different batches of beverages prepared, thus accelerating automation efficiency.

[0092] Please see Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another modular structure of an automated beverage preparation equipment, and... Figure 1 The difference between this automatic beverage preparation equipment and others lies in the fact that it has two water supply modules. Water supply module 10 is the first hot water supply module, such as a boiler, which is connected to the preparation tank 30 through the hot water outlet 11A of the water supply pipeline 11. The other water supply module is the second hot water supply module 20, which is connected to the preparation tank 30 through the high-temperature hot water outlet 21A of the high-temperature hot water supply pipeline 21.

[0093] In this embodiment, the second hot water supply module 20 is connected to the water supply pipeline 11 via the preheated hot water branch pipeline 25, which raises the temperature of the preheated hot water provided by the first hot water supply module (water source supply module 10) and then flows into the high-temperature hot water supply pipeline 21 and enters the preparation tank 30.

[0094] This type of water supply module can provide hot water in two ways:

[0095] Hot water from the first hot water supply module can be sequentially transported through the water supply pipeline 11, bypassing the second hot water supply module 20, and directly from the hot water outlet 11A to the preparation tank 30. The first hot water supply module in this flow channel uses water temperature to evaluate the degree of heating of the hot water in the water supply module.

[0096] Alternatively, hot water from the first hot water supply module can sequentially pass through a portion of the water supply pipeline 11, the preheated hot water branch pipeline 25, and the second hot water supply module 20, and then be delivered to the preparation tank 30 via the high-temperature hot water outlet 21A. The second hot water supply module in this flow path is used to evaluate the degree of hot water heating in the water supply module based on water consumption and time.

[0097] When water flows through the second hot water supply module 20, the second hot water supply module 20 heats the hot water in the pipeline again, so that the hot water temperature at the high-temperature hot water outlet 21A is higher than the hot water temperature at the hot water outlet 11A of the water supply pipeline 11. In this embodiment, both the hot water outlet 11A and the high-temperature hot water outlet 21A have the same hot water source, which is provided by the water supply module 10 (the first hot water supply module). This two-stage heating hot water supply design can ensure that the high-temperature hot water is maintained at a specific temperature.

[0098] In the aforementioned hot water piping system, the preheating branch pipe 25 may include a preheating valve 251 and / or a flow meter. The high-temperature hot water supply pipe 21 may include a high-temperature hot water valve 23. Adjustments will be made according to the automated process.

Claims

1. An automatic beverage preparation device, comprising: The preparation tank has an extract outlet, which is equipped with a raw material filter screen. The brewing ingredient supply module is connected to the preparation vessel via a feed pipe: A water supply module is connected to the preparation tank via a water supply pipeline; A beverage storage tank is located below the preparation tank and is connected to the extract outlet of the preparation tank via a beverage storage pipe, allowing the beverage from the preparation tank to pass through the raw material filter screen and enter the beverage storage tank; characterized in that... The preparation vessel has a suction port that penetrates the wall or bottom of the vessel, and the suction port is spaced apart from the extract outlet; and A raw material residue suction pump is connected to the suction port of the preparation tank via a slag removal pipeline to remove the raw material residue from the preparation tank.

2. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The raw material residue suction pump is connected to a raw material residue collection box via a collection pipeline. The raw material residue collection box has a raw material residue water filter screen with a pore size smaller than that of the raw material residue.

3. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The raw material residue filter screen inside the raw material residue collection box is higher than the bottom of the raw material residue collection box. The raw material residue collection box also includes a raw material residue pusher to transfer the raw material residue above the raw material residue filter screen to the bottom of the raw material residue collection box.

4. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The slag removal pipeline is equipped with a slag removal valve to control the connection and disconnection of the slag removal pipeline.

5. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The valve size of this slag removal valve ranges from 1 inch to 4 inches.

6. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The slag removal valve is a check valve, ball valve, or solenoid valve.

7. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The water supply module includes a rotating spray head that can spray water into the preparation tank.

8. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The water supply module is used to spray water into the preparation tank to generate a rotating water flow in the preparation tank.

9. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The water supply module is used to spray water at an angle into the preparation tank.

10. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The preparation container has a top cover, and the feed pipe and the water supply pipe are connected to the wall of the preparation container.

11. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The water supply module includes a main annular channel along the wall of the container and a plurality of inclined nozzles arranged circumferentially along the main annular channel. The water supplied by the water supply module is sprayed obliquely into the preparation container after passing through the plurality of inclined nozzles.

12. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 1 or 11, characterized in that, The feed line is equipped with a raw material supply valve to control the connection and disconnection of the feed line.

13. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The suction port is positioned higher than the extract outlet.

14. The automatic beverage preparation equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The bottom of the preparation vessel forms an annular groove, and the suction port is located on the vessel wall formed in the annular groove. The inner annular surface of the annular groove is higher than the bottom of the annular groove, and the inner annular surface of the annular groove is connected to the extract outlet of the preparation vessel.

15. The automatic beverage preparation equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The bottom of the preparation tank and the tank wall form an annular slope, and the inlet of the slag removal valve is aligned with the inclination angle of the suction port formed on the annular slope.

16. The automatic beverage preparation equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and 15, characterized in that, It also includes a second hot water supply module, which is connected to the water supply module's water supply pipeline via a preheated hot water branch pipeline and to the preparation tank via a high-temperature hot water pipeline.

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