Beverage machine

Abstract

A beverage machine (1000), comprising a device main body (100), and a brewing unit (400), a fluid assembly (500), an air pump (600), an air pump three-way valve (10), and a steam rod (200) which are mounted on the device main body (100). The brewing unit (400) is configured to receive a fluid provided by the fluid assembly (500), so as to prepare a beverage. Two inlets of the air pump three-way valve (10) are respectively in communication with the air pump (600) and the fluid assembly (500). Air provided by the air pump (600) and the fluid provided by the fluid assembly (500) can be mixed at an outlet of the air pump three-way valve (10). The outlet of the air pump three-way valve (10) is in communication with the steam rod (200). A mixed medium of the air provided by the air pump (600) and the fluid provided by the fluid assembly (500) can be outputted by means of the steam rod (200).

Description

Beverage machine Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2024207592061, filed on April 12, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of beverage equipment, and in particular relates to a beverage machine. BACKGROUND

[0003] A steam wand is a commonly used structure in beverage machines. The steam wand outputs hot steam so that milk foam can be whipped in milk. Whipping milk foam is usually done manually by an operator setting the steam wand at a certain angle with the liquid surface of the milk and making the steam outlet not fully immersed in the milk so that the milk and air are fully mixed to form milk foam.

[0004] With the development of technology, electronic devices are gradually developing towards automation, and therefore there is a need to develop a beverage machine that can automatically whip milk foam. SUMMARY

[0005] The present disclosure provides a beverage machine that can automatically whip milk foam and has a simple structure, and solves the technical problem that beverage machines in the related art cannot automatically whip milk foam by using one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a beverage machine, comprising a device main body, a brewing unit installed on the device main body for preparing a beverage, a fluid assembly installed on the device main body and communicating with the brewing unit for providing a fluid required for preparing a beverage to the brewing unit, and a gas pump, a gas pump three-way valve and a steam wand, all of which are installed on the device main body; wherein two inlets of the gas pump three-way valve are respectively communicated with the gas pump and the fluid assembly, and an outlet of the gas pump three-way valve is communicated with the steam wand, so that air provided by the gas pump and the fluid provided by the fluid assembly are mixed and output through the steam wand. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows a working principle block diagram of a beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 shows a structural schematic diagram of a beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 3 shows a structural schematic diagram of the beverage machine of Figure 2 after removing the outer shell and the water tank.

[0011] Figure 4 shows a structural schematic diagram of the beverage machine of Figure 2 after removing the outer shell and the water tank.

[0012] Figure 5 shows a full sectional view of a steam wand in the beverage machine of Figure 2.

[0013] Figure 6 shows a full sectional view of a brewing unit in the beverage machine of Figure 2.

[0014] Figure 7 shows a full sectional view of a gas pump three-way valve in the beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 8 shows a working state schematic diagram of the beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 9 shows a working state schematic diagram of the beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 10 shows a working state schematic diagram of the beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 11 shows a working state schematic diagram of the beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 12 shows a working state schematic diagram of the beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 13 shows a working state schematic diagram of the beverage machine according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] In the drawings, the correspondence of the reference numerals to the components is as follows: 1000 - beverage machine. 100 - equipment body, 100a - mounting groove, 110 - cup seat, 120 - capsule holder, 120a - capsule cavity; 200 - steam wand; 210 - steam channel; 220 - nozzle; 230 - steam pipe, 240 - gimbal; 300 - steam receiving station; 310 - beverage cup, 320 - switch device, 330 - cleaning tank. 400 - brewing unit, 410 - beverage capsule, 420 - extractor; 500 - fluid assembly, 510 - water tank, 520 - flow meter; 530 - water pump; 540 - heating element; 600 - air pump, 610 - shockproof sleeve; 10 - air pump tee valve, 11 - valve body, 11a - channel, 11b - mounting cavity, 11c - counterbore, 11d - limit ring groove, 12 - air inlet connector, 13 - one-way valve, 14 - sealing assembly, 141 - compression ring, 142 - first sealing ring, 143 - pipe clamp, 15 - limit ring, 16 - second sealing ring; 20 - pressure relief tee valve; 30 - first tee valve; 40 - second tee valve; 50 - third tee valve; 60 - tee pipe; 70 - pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0023] In addition, the present disclosure can repeatedly refer to numbers and / or letters in different examples. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or arrangements being discussed. In addition, the present disclosure provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art can realize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0024] In the related art, in order to realize automatic milk frothing, a steam wand of a part of beverage machines is provided with a steam pipe and an air pipe at the same time, the steam pipe heats milk, and the air pipe provides air and makes milk flow. However, the double-channel design of the steam wand causes the outer diameter of the steam pipe to be very thick, which affects the milk frothing operation.

[0025] According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a beverage machine 1000 is provided, which can automatically froth milk, and the steam wand 200 is simple in structure and easy to operate. The beverage machine 1000 can be a capsule coffee machine, a milk tea machine, a tea maker, etc., which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0026] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which respectively show a working principle diagram and an overall structure diagram of the beverage machine 1000. The beverage machine 1000 comprises a device main body 100, a brewing unit 400, a fluid assembly 500, an air pump 600, an air pump tee valve 10 and a steam wand 200. The device main body 100 is a mounting base of various components of the beverage machine 1000, which supports and fixes various components and positions various components, so that various components can continuously and stably operate. The brewing unit 400, the fluid assembly 500, the air pump 600, the air pump tee valve 10 and the steam wand 200 are all mounted on the device main body 100. The structure of the device main body 100 is diverse, which is not limited in the present disclosure, and the user can make adaptive design according to the number, size, shape and the like of the internal components of the beverage machine 1000.

[0027] The brewing unit 400 is used for preparing a beverage, and the fluid assembly 500 is in communication with the brewing unit 400 and is used for providing fluid required for preparing a beverage to the brewing unit 400. The fluid assembly 500 sends fluid into the brewing unit 400, and the fluid mixes with soluble substances (such as coffee, milk tea powder, cocoa powder, etc.) or insoluble substances (such as tea leaves, tea bags, medicinal material bags, etc.) in the brewing unit 400 to obtain a desired beverage. The specific structure of the brewing unit 400 is diverse and known to those skilled in the art, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0028] Please refer to FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 6. In some embodiments, the brewing unit 400 comprises a beverage capsule 410 and an extractor 420. The device main body 100 is provided with a capsule holder 120, which has a hollow capsule cavity 120a, and the beverage capsule 410 is arranged in the capsule cavity 120a, and the extractor 420 is mounted on the capsule holder 120. When the beverage capsule 410 is placed into the beverage machine 1000, the beverage capsule 410 is mounted on the capsule holder 120, and the capsule holder 120 drives the extractor 420 to move so as to press the extractor 420 tightly against the beverage capsule 410.

[0029] Please refer to FIG. 6. In some embodiments, after the beverage capsule 410 is placed into the beverage machine 1000, the extractor 420 is pressed tightly against the beverage capsule 410 and is sealed. At the same time, the piercing needle of the extractor 420 pierces the sealing film of the beverage capsule 410 and provides fluid medium C to the water inlet hole of the beverage capsule 410. The fluid medium C enters the brewing cavity through the water inlet hole to extract the beverage consumable A, so as to obtain the beverage B. The beverage B is discharged from the beverage capsule 410 through the liquid outlet of the beverage capsule 410.

[0030] The fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 to the brewing unit 400 can be various, such as milk, sugar water, sparkling water, boiling water, or alcoholic beverage, etc.; the temperature of the fluid can be hot, cold, or room temperature. For example, when the beverage machine 1000 is used to make milk coffee, the fluid assembly 500 provides milk to the brewing unit 400, which is mixed with coffee powder in the brewing unit 400 to obtain milk coffee, and the obtained milk coffee is discharged from the brewing unit 400; for another example, when the beverage machine 1000 is used to make alcoholic coffee, the fluid assembly 500 provides alcoholic beverage to the brewing unit 400, which is mixed with coffee powder in the brewing unit 400 to obtain alcoholic coffee, and the obtained alcoholic coffee is discharged from the brewing unit 400; for still another example, when the beverage machine 1000 is used to make soy milk, the fluid assembly 500 provides sugar water to the brewing unit 400, which is mixed with soy powder in the brewing unit 400 to obtain soy milk, and the obtained soy milk is discharged from the brewing unit 400.

[0031] The air pump three-way valve 10 has three valve ports, in some embodiments, two of the valve ports of the air pump three-way valve 10 are inlets, and the remaining one valve port is an outlet. The two inlets of the air pump three-way valve 10 are respectively communicated with the air pump 600 and the fluid assembly 500, so that the air provided by the air pump 600 and the fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 are mixed in the air pump three-way valve 10. The outlet of the air pump three-way valve 10 is communicated with the steam wand 200, and the mixed medium of air and fluid is output through the steam wand 200. Since the mixed medium of air and fluid enters the steam wand 200 together, only one channel needs to be arranged in the steam wand 200 for conveying the mixed medium, and any steam wand 200 can meet the use requirement, and the structure of the steam wand 200 does not need to be improved. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange an additional air channel in the steam wand as in the related art, which leads to an increase in the diameter of the steam wand and inconvenience in operation.

[0032] Please refer to FIG. 5, which shows a full cross-sectional view of the steam wand 200 in some embodiments. The steam wand 200 includes a steam pipe 230, a steam channel 210, and a nozzle 220. The steam channel 210 is located in the lumen of the steam pipe 230 and is used for steam flow. The nozzle 220 is connected to the outlet end of the steam channel 210 or one end of the steam pipe 230, and the nozzle 220 is communicated with the steam channel 210. The nozzle 220 is used to spray steam.

[0033] Therefore, the beverage machine 1000 provided by one or more embodiments of the present disclosure has the following several working modes.

[0034] Working mode one: in the case that the beverage maker 1000 enters the automatic milk frothing mode, the controller of the beverage maker 1000 controls the air pump 600 and the fluid assembly 500 to work. The air pump 600 outputs air to the air pump three-way valve 10, and the fluid assembly 500 outputs fluid to the air pump three-way valve 10. The air and the fluid are output to the steam wand 200 through the outlet of the air pump three-way valve 10. At this time, the steam wand 200 only needs to be placed in the milk, and the position of the outlet of the steam wand 200 does not need to be considered. That is, whether the outlet of the steam wand 200 is exposed to the milk surface or not, since the air pump 600 provides sufficient air, the fluid provides the power of milk flow, and if the fluid is steam, the fluid can also heat the milk, under the three factors of air, heat and flow state, the milk automatically forms milk froth. The flow path of the fluid medium in this mode is shown in FIG. 8.

[0035] In some embodiments, in the initial stage of milk frothing, the controller controls the air inlet pressure of the air pump 600 to be not less than the fluid pressure of the fluid assembly 500 until the set milk froth requirement is met. The set milk froth requirement can be that the time of milk frothing reaches a set value, or that the thickness of the generated milk froth reaches a set value. Subsequently, the controller controls the air inlet pressure of the air pump 600 to be less than the fluid pressure of the fluid assembly 500 until the milk frothing is completed. In the initial stage of milk frothing, since the air inlet pressure of the air pump 600 is relatively large, the air flow rate is high, and more textured or breathable milk foam can be generated. In the later stage of milk frothing, as the air inlet pressure of the air pump 600 decreases relative to the fluid pressure of the fluid assembly 500, the air flow rate is low, and more dense milk froth can be generated.

[0036] Working mode two: if the user selects the manual steam option, in the case that the beverage maker 1000 enters the manual milk frothing mode, the controller controls the fluid assembly 500 to provide fluid to the steam wand 200, and the air pump 600 can not need to work. Of course, in some embodiments, the air pump 600 can also continue to work, and the user can manually adjust the position of the steam wand 200 to adjust the amount of air during milk frothing. The flow path of the fluid medium in this mode is shown in FIG. 8.

[0037] Working mode three: after the milk froth preparation is completed, the controller can control the air pump 600 and / or the fluid assembly 500 to continue to work for a period of time. At this time, since the steam wand 200 has been taken out of the milk, the air flow and / or the fluid can clean the internal channel of the steam wand 200, flush the residual beverage, and realize self-cleaning of the steam wand 200. The flow path of the fluid medium in this mode is shown in FIG. 8.

[0038] Mode 4: The brewing unit 400 is in communication with the fluid assembly 500, and the fluid assembly 500 provides fluid to the brewing unit 400 for brewing a beverage. For example, the fluid assembly 500 provides hot steam / hot water to the brewing unit 400, and the hot steam / hot water enters a coffee capsule to extract coffee. The fluid medium flow path in this mode is shown in FIG. 9.

[0039] Mode 5: The brewing unit 400 is in communication with the fluid assembly 500, and the fluid assembly 500 is in communication with the air pump 600, both of which are in communication with the air pump three-way valve 10. Thus, when the fluid assembly 500 is not in operation and only the air pump 600 is in operation, the air flow generated by the air pump 600 can blow away the residual beverage in the brewing unit 400, improve the utilization rate of the beverage consumable, and improve the problem of residual liquid dripping from the beverage outlet. The fluid medium flow path in this mode is shown in FIG. 10.

[0040] When the steam wand 200 is used for a long time or is placed for a long time, foreign matter will inevitably remain in the outlet jet of the steam wand 200. For example, dried milk in the jet can harden into a block and block the jet of the steam wand 200. In order to improve the reliability of the beverage machine 1000 and protect the user, please refer to FIGS. 1 and 4, in some embodiments, the beverage machine 1000 is also provided with a pressure relief three-way valve 20 as a safety protection structure of the beverage machine 1000. The pressure relief three-way valve 20 also has three valve ports, and in some embodiments, two of the valve ports of the pressure relief three-way valve 20 are in communication with the outlet of the air pump three-way valve 10 and the steam wand 200, i.e., the pressure relief three-way valve 20 is in communication between the outlet of the air pump three-way valve 10 and the steam wand 200. The remaining one valve port of the pressure relief three-way valve 20 is a pressure relief port, which is in communication with the outside. The pressure relief three-way valve 20 can be a mechanical pressure relief valve or an electromagnetic pressure relief valve, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0041] Thus, the beverage machine 1000 provided by one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can also have the following working modes.

[0042] Mode 6: During the use of the steam wand 200, when the pressure of the upstream pipeline of the steam wand 200 is greater than the pressure relief pressure of the pressure relief three-way valve 20, the pressure relief port is opened, and air and / or fluid are discharged to a safe area for pressure relief. The upstream pipeline of the steam wand 200 should be understood as all pipelines or chambers in components that are directly or indirectly in communication with the steam wand 200. When the pressure relief three-way valve 20 is pressure relieved, the medium can be directly discharged to a position on the beverage machine 1000 that is not accessible to the user, or can be pressure relieved to a waste water tray or a waste capsule box provided by the beverage machine 1000. The fluid medium flow path in this mode is shown in FIG. 11.

[0043] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the beverage machine 1000 is further provided with a first three-way valve 30. The first three-way valve 30 also has three valve ports, in some embodiments, the first valve port and the second valve port of the first three-way valve 30 are respectively communicated with the fluid assembly 500 and the brewing unit 400, that is, the first three-way valve 30 is communicated between the fluid assembly 500 and the brewing unit 400, and the third valve port of the first three-way valve 30 is communicated with the outside, which can be the atmospheric environment, or the waste water tray or the waste capsule box provided by the beverage machine 1000, etc. The first three-way valve 30 can be a mechanical pressure relief valve, a mechanical three-way valve, or an electromagnetic three-way valve, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0044] Therefore, the beverage machine 1000 provided by one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can also have the following working modes.

[0045] Working mode seven: before or after the beverage brewing using the brewing unit 400, the valve port communication relationship of the first three-way valve 30 is set so that the outlet of the fluid assembly 500 is communicated with the outside. The fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 can be discharged for a period of time to clean the internal pipeline of the fluid assembly 500; or the medium is replaced, for example, the fluid in the fluid assembly 500 before is milk, and now it is changed to water, so the internal pipeline of the fluid assembly 500 needs to be flushed with water. The fluid medium flow path in this mode is shown in FIG. 12.

[0046] The brewing unit 400 can also be blocked during use, for example, the beverage consumable is damp and caked, blocking the outlet of the brewing unit 400, so that the upstream of the brewing unit 400 also has a pressure relief demand, then the first three-way valve 30 can also realize the pressure relief of the upstream pipeline of the brewing unit 400.

[0047] In the case that the steam wand 200 and the upstream pipeline of the brewing unit 400 are both provided with pressure relief function, please refer to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the beverage machine 1000 further includes a three-way pipe 60. The three-way pipe 60 is a pipeline with three pipe ports, two of which are respectively communicated with the pressure relief port of the pressure relief three-way valve 20 and the third valve port of the first three-way valve 30. The remaining one pipe port of the three-way pipe 60 is communicated with the outside, so that the pressure relief three-way valve 20 and the first three-way valve 30 are both communicated with the outside through the three-way pipe 60, which can directly discharge the medium to a position on the beverage machine 1000 that the user cannot touch, or can be discharged to the waste water tray or the waste capsule box provided by the beverage machine 1000.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the beverage machine 1000 further comprises a second three-way valve 40. The second three-way valve 40 also has three valve ports, and in some embodiments, two of the valve ports of the second three-way valve 40 are respectively communicated with the fluid assembly 500 and the brewing unit 400, i.e., the second three-way valve 40 is communicated between the fluid assembly 500 and the brewing unit 400, for providing the fluid output by the fluid assembly 500 to the brewing unit 400. The remaining one valve port of the second three-way valve 40 is communicated with the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 1000, for providing the fluid output by the fluid assembly 500 to the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 1000. The fluid can be directly discharged through the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 1000, for example, to provide hot water, hot steam, hot milk, sugar water, etc. to the user. The second three-way valve 40 can be a mechanical three-way valve or an electromagnetic three-way valve, and the present disclosure does not make any limitation.

[0049] By switching the valve port communication relationship of the second three-way valve 40, the fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 can enter the brewing unit 400 to brew the beverage consumable, or be discharged through the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 1000. By providing the second three-way valve 40, the function of the beverage machine 1000 is expanded, so that the beverage machine 1000 can prepare hot beverages, hot water, cold-brewed beverages and normal-temperature water. In this way, the function of the beverage machine 1000 is more perfect and more diversified, and the needs of the user for more taste and flavor are met.

[0050] Therefore, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the beverage machine 1000 can also have the following working modes.

[0051] Working mode eight: the valve port communication relationship of the second three-way valve 40 is set so that the outlet of the fluid assembly 500 is communicated with the fluid outlet of the beverage machine 1000, and the user can directly obtain the fluid, such as hot water, boiling water, hot milk, normal-temperature water, etc. The fluid medium circulation path in this mode is shown in FIG. 13.

[0052] The fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 can be various, for example, the fluid can be normal-temperature fluid, hot fluid or frozen fluid; the type of the fluid can be water, milk, wine, etc., and the present disclosure does not make any limitation. To realize fluid supply, the fluid assembly 500 at least comprises a storage container for storing the fluid, a power device for providing power for fluid flow, and a plurality of pipelines 70 for realizing the transportation of the fluid at different positions. In some embodiments, the fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 is steam / hot water, and the fluid assembly 500 can further comprise a heating member 540 for directly heating water to generate hot steam / hot water. The heating member 540 can be a heating wire, a heating tube or a heating disc (such as a thick-film heating disc), and the present disclosure does not make any limitation.

[0053] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the fluid assembly 500 comprises a water tank 510, a flow meter 520, a water pump 530, a heating element 540 and a third three-way valve 50 which are connected in sequence by pipes 70. When the heating element 540 is on, the fluid assembly 500 provides hot fluid, such as boiling water or steam. When the heating element 540 is off, the fluid assembly 500 provides normal temperature fluid. The three ports of the third three-way valve 50 are connected to the outlet of the heating element 540, the inlet of the air pump three-way valve 10 and the inlet of the brewing unit 400 respectively. By switching the port connection relationship of the third three-way valve 50, the fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 can be delivered into the brewing unit 400 to brew the beverage consumable, or into the steam wand 200 to prepare the beverage. The third three-way valve 50 can be a mechanical three-way valve or an electromagnetic three-way valve, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0054] Please refer to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the second three-way valve 40 can be connected between the third three-way valve 50 and the first three-way valve 30. It can be understood that the connection between the components in the fluid assembly 500 is achieved by pipes 70, and the connection between the air pump 600, the air pump three-way valve 10, the pressure relief three-way valve 20, the first three-way valve 30, the second three-way valve 40, the third three-way valve 50, the steam wand 200, the brewing unit 400 and other components can also be achieved by pipes 70.

[0055] The air pump three-way valve 10 has the function of switching the connection relationship of the internal channels, and the specific structure is not limited by the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the air pump three-way valve 10 can be a conventional three-way electromagnetic valve. During the process of the fluid delivered by the fluid assembly 500 entering the steam wand 200, the valve port of the air pump three-way valve 10 for connecting the air pump 600 remains closed to prevent the fluid from entering the air pump 600 and damaging the air pump 600. In some embodiments, the air pump three-way valve 10 can also be a three-way pipe provided with a one-way valve 13. Please refer to FIG. 1, the channel of the air pump three-way valve 10 for connecting the air pump 600 is provided with a one-way valve 13, which allows air reaching a set pressure to enter the air pump three-way valve 10 from the side of the air pump 600, but blocks the fluid delivered by the fluid assembly 500 from entering the air pump three-way valve 10.

[0056] Please refer to FIG. 7, which shows a full cross-sectional view of the air pump three-way valve 10 in some embodiments. The air pump three-way valve 10 includes a valve body 11, a one-way valve 13, and an air pump intake joint 12 for connecting the air pump 600. The valve body 11 has three passages 11a, the air pump intake joint 12 is installed in one of the passages 11a of the valve body 11 and forms an installation cavity 11b with the valve body 11, and the one-way valve 13 is installed in the installation cavity 11b. When installing the one-way valve 13, first, the air pump intake joint 12 is detached, then the one-way valve 13 is installed in the corresponding passage 11a, then the air pump intake joint 12 is connected with the valve body 11, thereby fixing the one-way valve 13, and the installation of the one-way valve 13 is completed. When detaching the one-way valve 13, the air pump intake joint 12 is detached from the valve body 11, and the one-way valve 13 can be removed. In this way, the air pump intake joint 12 not only plays a role in connecting the air pump 600, but also plays a role in limiting the one-way valve 13. Compared with directly using a three-way electromagnetic valve, the air pump three-way valve 10 has a lower cost and can facilitate the maintenance of the one-way valve 13.

[0057] Since the air pump intake joint 12 needs to limit the one-way valve 13, it is necessary to ensure the stable connection between the valve body 11 and the air pump intake joint 12. For this purpose, please refer to FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the valve body 11 and the air pump intake joint 12 are both provided with a limiting ring groove 11d. The limiting ring groove 11d of the valve body 11 is opposite to the opening position of the limiting ring groove 11d of the air pump intake joint 12, forming a closed ring groove. The air pump three-way valve 10 is provided with a limiting ring 15, which is embedded in the limiting ring grooves 11d of the valve body 11 and the air pump intake joint 12. Under the limitation of the limiting ring 15, the valve body 11 and the air pump intake joint 12 will not produce relative displacement. In order to ensure the sealing, in some embodiments, a second sealing ring 16 can also be provided between the valve body 11 and the air pump intake joint 12.

[0058] The remaining two passages 11a of the valve body 11 are each provided with a sealing assembly 14 for mounting the pipe 70, which seals the gap between the pipe 70 and the passage 11a. The structure of the sealing assembly 14 can be various, for example, the sealing assembly 14 can be a sealing rubber ring fixedly arranged in the corresponding passage 11a, and the pipe 70 is inserted into the through hole of the sealing rubber ring in an interference fit, and the sealing rubber ring fills the gap between the pipe 70 and the passage 11a. Please refer to FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the sealing assembly 14 includes a compression ring 141, a pipe clamp 143, and one or more first sealing rings 142. The inner wall of the passage 11a where the sealing assembly 14 is mounted is provided with an expansion hole 11c, and the first sealing ring 142 and the compression ring 141 are mounted in the expansion hole 11c. One or more first sealing rings 142 are arranged along the axial direction of the pipe 70, and the first sealing ring 142 wraps around the outer wall of the pipe 70 to seal the gap between the pipe 70 and the valve body 11. The compression ring 141 presses the first sealing ring 142 from the inside to prevent the first sealing ring 142 from moving outward. To ensure sealing effect, glue can be applied to seal the expansion hole 11c after the compression ring 141 is mounted in the expansion hole 11c. The pipe clamp 143 is clamped on the pipe 70 and located outside the compression ring 141 to prevent the compression ring 141 from loosening.

[0059] Since the air pump 600 will vibrate and produce noise when working, in some embodiments, please refer to FIG. 3, a shockproof sleeve 610 is sleeved on the air pump 600. In order to mount the air pump 600, the equipment main body 100 of the beverage machine 1000 is provided with a mounting groove 100a, and the air pump 600 sleeved with the shockproof sleeve 610 is collectively mounted in the mounting groove 100a. The vibration is buffered through the design of the shockproof sleeve 610, and the working noise of the beverage machine 1000 is reduced. In order to facilitate air intake of the air pump 600, in some embodiments, please refer to FIG. 3, the mounting groove 100a is arranged at the top of the equipment main body 100.

[0060] Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the water tank 510, the flow meter 520, and the water pump 530 (the water tank 510, the flow meter 520, and the water pump 530 are not shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) are mounted at the same position of the equipment main body 100; the heating element 540, the first three-way valve 30, the second three-way valve 40, the third three-way valve 50, the pressure relief three-way valve 20, and the air pump three-way valve 10 are mounted at the same position of the equipment main body 100 and arranged side by side with the water tank 510. In order to facilitate arrangement, each three-way valve can be arranged up and down, fully utilizing the internal space of the equipment main body 100, and reducing the volume of the equipment main body 100. The other structures of the equipment main body 100 not described in detail can refer to the related disclosures of related technologies, which will not be described here.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the beverage maker 1000 further comprises a steam receiving station 300, which is configured to receive a beverage cup 310 containing a beverage. The steam wand 200 is operable to extend into the beverage cup 310 to facilitate the operation of the steam wand 200 to inject steam into the beverage in the beverage cup 310. The device body 100 and / or the steam receiving station 300 is provided with a switch device 320. The steam wand 200 is operable to actuate the switch device 320, which can be a touch switch device 320 or an inductive source acting on the switch device 320, such as an optical signal or a magnetic field signal. The fluid assembly 500 and / or the air pump 600 are configured to provide fluid and / or air to the internal passage of the steam wand 200 in response to the switch device 320.

[0062] Accordingly, the beverage maker 1000 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can further have the following operation modes.

[0063] Mode 9: Before or after the use of the steam wand 200, the user operates the steam wand 200 to turn on the switch device 320, so that the fluid assembly 500 and / or the air pump 600 provide fluid and / or air to the internal passage of the steam wand 200 in response to the switch device 320. The internal passage and outlet of the steam wand 200 are cleaned, or the outlet blockage of the steam wand 200 is cleared. The fluid medium flow path in this mode is shown in FIG. 8.

[0064] It can be understood that each operation mode of the beverage maker 1000 is controlled by the controller. When the user triggers a mode start signal (for example, presses a button on the control panel of the beverage maker 1000 or touches a key area of the control screen of the beverage maker 1000), the controller controls the corresponding device to work to realize the corresponding operation mode.

[0065] The steam receiving station 300 can be part of the device body 100, or can be independent of the device body 100. The number of steam receiving stations 300 is not limited to one, and multiple steam receiving stations 300 can be provided according to actual use needs. Referring to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the steam receiving station 300 is independent of the device body 100 and is arranged beside the cup seat 110 of the device body 100. The beverage cup 310 can be placed on the steam receiving station 300 or the cup seat 110. In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the steam receiving station 300 on the device body 100, a magnet and a concave-convex matching positioning structure are arranged on the steam receiving station 300 and the device body 100. When the steam receiving station 300 is mounted on the device body 100, the positioning structure fixes the position of the steam receiving station 300 relative to the device body 100. At the same time, the steam receiving station 300 is fixed on the device body 100 by the magnet.

[0066] The switch device 320 can be a micro switch, a photoelectric sensor, etc., and the specific type is not limited in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the switch device 320 comprises a first inductor and a second inductor coupled with each other. The first inductor is movably arranged in the steam receiving station 300, and the steam wand 200 is operable to act on the first inductor. The second inductor is mounted on the device main body 100. The first inductor and the second inductor are coupled with each other, which can be magnetic coupling, photoelectric coupling or mechanical structure coupling, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first inductor is a magnet, and the second inductor is a reed switch, and the cleaning signal is triggered by magnetic coupling.

[0067] In order to facilitate the collection of the fluid medium discharged by the steam wand 200, please refer to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the steam receiving station 300 is provided with a cleaning tank 330. The steam wand 200 is operable to extend into the cleaning tank 330, and the cleaned fluid medium is discharged into the cleaning tank 330. The cleaning tank 330 collects the fluid medium discharged by the steam wand 200, so as to avoid the fluid medium discharged by the steam wand 200 from flowing into the surrounding environment and affecting the surrounding environment. In addition, during the process of discharging the fluid medium into the cleaning tank 330, the fluid medium discharged by the steam wand 200 will splash inside the cleaning tank 330 under the blockage of the tank wall of the cleaning tank 330. When the splashed fluid medium falls on the outer surface of the steam wand 200, the outer part of the outlet end of the steam wand 200 can also be cleaned.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first inductor is arranged in the steam receiving station 300 and extends into the cleaning tank 330. After the steam wand 200 extends into the cleaning tank 330, it can not only discharge the cleaned fluid medium, but also act on the first inductor. That is, the steam wand 200 can trigger the coupling between the first inductor and the second inductor only after extending into the cleaning tank 330, so as to avoid the coupling between the first inductor and the second inductor from being triggered by mistake, which causes the fluid medium to be discharged out of the cleaning tank 330 and pollute the environment or scald people.

[0069] Please refer to FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the steam wand 200 is provided with a universal joint 240, and the steam wand 200 is rotatably mounted on the device main body 100 through the universal joint 240. The steam wand 200 can be flexibly and freely rotated, so as to facilitate the operation of the steam wand 200 on the beverage machine 1000. The user can easily rotate the steam wand 200 from the beverage cup 310 to the cleaning tank 330 or other positions, thereby improving the user experience. The universal joint 240 is a mature prior art, and the specific structure can adopt the related disclosure of the prior art, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0070] According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a beverage machine 1000 is provided, which comprises a device body 100, and a brewing unit 400, a fluid assembly 500, an air pump 600, a three-way valve 10 of the air pump, and a steam wand 200 installed on the device body 100. The brewing unit 400 is used to receive the fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 to prepare a beverage. Two inlets of the three-way valve 10 of the air pump are respectively communicated with the air pump 600 and the fluid assembly 500. The air provided by the air pump 600 and the fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 can be mixed at the outlet of the three-way valve 10 of the air pump. The outlet of the three-way valve 10 of the air pump is communicated with the steam wand 200. The mixed medium of the air provided by the air pump 600 and the fluid provided by the fluid assembly 500 can be output through the steam wand 200. An operator only needs to insert the steam wand 200 into milk, and the milk foam can be automatically whipped. Moreover, since the air and the fluid are mixed before entering the steam wand 200, the steam wand 200 only needs to be provided with one steam channel 210, and the structure of the steam wand 200 does not need to be improved.

[0071] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "on" or "under" of a first feature to a second feature can include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or can include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, "on", "above" and "over" of the first feature to the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the first feature is higher in horizontal height than the second feature. "Under", "below" and "underneath" of the first feature to the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the first feature is lower in horizontal height than the second feature.

[0072] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0073] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, motion condition and the like between components in a certain posture, and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.

[0074] In the present disclosure, unless specifically defined otherwise and limited, the terms "connected", "fixed", and the like should be construed as being broad, for example, "fixed" can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral; can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; can be direct connection, or indirect connection through intermediate medium; can be internal connection of two elements, or interaction relationship of two elements, unless otherwise specifically limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0075] In addition, in the present disclosure, the description such as "first", "second" and the like is only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0076] In the description of the present disclosure, the description referring to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in the present disclosure.

[0077] In addition, the technical solutions of each embodiment can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that a person skilled in the art can realize it, when the combination of technical solutions appears contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist, nor within the protection scope required by the present disclosure.

[0078] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, replacements and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and purposes of the present disclosure, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A beverage machine, comprising: Equipment body; a brewing unit, mounted on the device body, for preparing beverages; a fluid assembly, mounted on the device body and in communication with the brewing unit, for providing the brewing unit with fluid required for preparing a beverage; and The air pump, the air pump three-way valve and the steam wand are all installed on the main body of the device; Among them, the two inlets of the air pump three-way valve are respectively connected to the air pump and the fluid component, and the outlet of the air pump three-way valve is connected to the steam wand, so that the air provided by the air pump and the fluid provided by the fluid component are mixed and output through the steam wand.

2. The beverage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure relief three-way valve, wherein the pressure relief three-way valve is connected between the outlet of the air pump three-way valve and the steam wand, and the pressure relief port of the pressure relief three-way valve is connected to the outside. 3 . The beverage machine according to claim 2 , further comprising a first three-way valve, wherein the first three-way valve is connected between the fluid component and the brewing unit, and the remaining valve port of the first three-way valve is connected to the outside.

4. The beverage machine according to claim 3, further comprising a three-way pipe, wherein the three-way pipe is connected to the pressure relief port of the pressure relief three-way valve and the remaining valve ports of the first three-way valve, so that the pressure relief three-way valve and the first three-way valve are both connected to the outside through the three-way pipe.

5. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a second three-way valve, wherein the second three-way valve is connected between the fluid assembly and the brewing unit, and the remaining outlet of the second three-way valve is connected to the fluid outlet of the beverage machine.

6. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: A one-way valve is provided in the passage of the air pump three-way valve for connecting to the air pump; or, the air pump three-way valve is a three-way solenoid valve.

7. The beverage machine according to claim 6, wherein: The air pump three-way valve comprises: The valve body has three channels, two of which are provided with sealing assemblies for installing pipelines; An air pump air inlet connector, used for connecting the air pump, the air pump air inlet connector being installed in the remaining one of the channels and forming a mounting cavity together with the valve body; The one-way valve is installed in the installation cavity.

8. The beverage machine according to claim 7, wherein: The channel is provided with an expanded hole for installing the sealing assembly; the sealing assembly includes a first sealing ring, a pressure ring and a pipe clamp arranged in sequence, the first sealing ring is wrapped around the pipe, the pressure ring is installed in the expanded hole and presses the first sealing ring, and the pipe clamp is clamped on the pipe and is located outside the pressure ring.

9. The beverage machine according to claim 7, wherein: The valve body and the air pump air inlet connector are both provided with a limiting ring groove; the air pump three-way valve also includes a limiting ring, which is embedded in the limiting ring grooves of the valve body and the air pump air inlet connector; a second sealing ring is provided between the valve body and the air pump air inlet connector.

10. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The fluid assembly includes a water tank, a flow meter, a water pump, a heating element and a third three-way valve which are sequentially connected through pipelines. The outlet of the heating element, the air pump three-way valve and the inlet of the brewing unit are all connected to the third three-way valve.

11. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a shockproof sleeve mounted on the air pump.

12. The beverage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a steam receiving station for placing a beverage cup, the steam wand being operably extendable into the beverage cup; A switch device is provided on the device body and / or the steam receiving station, and the steam wand can be operably acted on the switch device so that the fluid component and / or the air pump responds to the switch device and provides fluid and / or air to the internal channel of the steam wand.

13. The beverage machine according to claim 12, wherein: The switch device includes a first induction member and a second induction member coupled with each other; the first induction member is movably arranged at the steam receiving station, the steam wand is operably acted on the first induction member, and the second induction member is installed on the equipment body.

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