Brewing module and beverage preparation machine
阅读说明:本技术 冲泡模块和饮料制备机 (Brewing module and beverage preparation machine ) 是由 D·茨维克尔 C·舒尔特埃斯 J·费德勒 于 2018-05-16 设计创作,主要内容包括:一种用于由分份胶囊制备冲泡饮料的冲泡模块,其除了壳体(2)之外还包括第一冲泡模块部(3)和第二冲泡模块部(4),第二冲泡模块部能相对于所述壳体在第一冲泡模块部位置和第二冲泡模块部位置之间移动,其中在第二冲泡模块部位置处形成冲泡室。还设有操作元件,所述操作元件能够从第一操作元件位置被手动置入第二操作元件位置,所述操作元件的运动能够通过传动机构被传递到第二冲泡模块部的运动。该冲泡模块还包括用于阻尼第二冲泡模块部的运动的阻尼装置。该阻尼装置被设计为其具有根据位置和/或根据运动方向而非恒定的阻尼特性。(A brewing module for preparing a brewed beverage from a portion capsule comprises, in addition to a housing (2), a first brewing module portion (3) and a second brewing module portion (4) which is movable relative to the housing between a first brewing module portion position and a second brewing module portion position, wherein a brewing chamber is formed at the second brewing module portion position. An operating element is also provided, which can be manually brought from a first operating element position into a second operating element position, the movement of which can be transmitted to the movement of the second brewing module via a transmission mechanism. The brewing module further comprises damping means for damping the movement of the second brewing module part. The damping device is designed such that it has a damping characteristic that is not constant as a function of position and/or as a function of direction of movement.)
1. A brewing module for preparing a brewed beverage from a portion capsule, comprising:
a housing (2);
a first brewing module part (3) and a second brewing module part (4) which is movable relative to the housing between a first brewing module part position and a second brewing module part position, wherein a brewing chamber is formed at the second brewing module part position, which brewing chamber at least partially encloses the portion capsule (10) in a brewing position during a brewing process, wherein the brewing module is configured to brew a brewed beverage by introducing a brewing liquid into the portion capsule and to discharge the brewed beverage out of the portion capsule; and
an operating element (6) which can be manually moved from a first operating element position into a second operating element position,
a transmission mechanism which transmits the movement of the operating element (6) to the movement of the second brewing module relative to the housing,
characterized in that damping means are provided for damping the movement of the second brewing module, which damping means are designed such that they have a damping characteristic that is not constant, depending on the position and/or direction of movement.
2. Brewing module according to claim 1, wherein the operating element (6) is an operating lever which can be brought from a first operating element position into a second operating element position by means of a tilting movement from top to bottom and which operating element in the second operating element position closes the capsule insertion opening.
3. The brewing module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second brewing module part (4) is linearly translatable, in particular horizontally movable, relative to the housing, and the first brewing module part (3) is mounted in a fixed manner with respect to the housing.
4. The brewing module according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the damping achieved by the damping means is achieved by means of friction.
5. The brewing module according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the damping means are designed such that they damp only along and/or only during a closing movement or only during an opening movement.
6. The brewing module according to claim 5, wherein the two parts which move relative to each other during movement of the operating element each have contact portions which are in physical contact with each other and rub against each other only over a partial section of the displacement path.
7. Brewing module according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing comprises a sliding surface (51) and the element moving during the movement of the second brewing module has a damping element (53) which is pressed against the sliding surface due to the elastic force and/or the grip on the partial section or vice versa.
8. A brewing module according to claim 7, wherein the damping element (53) has elastic properties.
9. A brewing module according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the damping element (53) is arranged and designed such that it deforms by moving in one direction relative to the sliding surface when in contact with the sliding surface and exerts a resilient force on said sliding surface, while it avoids and can slide in a substantially unstressed manner along said sliding surface when moving in the other direction.
10. A brewing module according to claim 9, wherein the damping element (53) is arrangeable in a receptacle (54) which, towards one side, forms a narrow spot into which the damping element is pressed when moving in one direction relative to the sliding surface.
11. Brewing module according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the sliding surface (51) is at a distance from the damping element (53), said distance varying as a function of the relative position, so that the friction force varies as a function of the position.
12. Brewing module according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises a cam disc (30) which is rotatably mounted on the housing (2) by means of the operating element (6) and has a first guide surface (34), wherein by means of the cam disc being turned the second brewing module part can be displaced from a first brewing module part position to a second brewing module part position by means of the first guide surface along a displacement path which is fixed with respect to the housing, the first guide surface (34) defining a transmission ratio which can be varied along the first guide surface.
13. Brewing module according to claim 12, wherein the housing has a sliding surface (51) and the cam disc has a damping element (53) which is pressed against the sliding surface (51) or vice versa due to elastic forces and/or due to jamming on the partial section.
14. The brewing module according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the cam disc further defines a second guide surface (35) by means of which the second brewing module portion is displaceable from the second brewing module portion position to the first brewing module portion position along a displacement path that is fixed with respect to the housing.
15. A beverage preparation machine, in particular a coffee machine, comprising water supply means, a pump (92) and water heating means (93), and a brewing module according to any one of the preceding claims.
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an extraction device for preparing a beverage or the like from an extraction material, such as ground coffee, contained in a capsule. In particular, the invention relates to a brewing module for an extraction device, a capsule recognition module and a beverage preparation machine having such a brewing module and/or capsule recognition module.
Background
An extraction device for preparing a beverage or the like from an extract present in a portion package is disclosed, for example, as a coffee machine or an espresso machine. In many corresponding systems, the portion package is designed as a capsule, in which the extract is sealed, for example in an airtight manner. For extraction, the capsule is pierced, for example, on two sides opposite to each other. An extraction liquid (typically hot water) is then introduced at the first side. The extraction product is drained from the capsule at the second side. This is done in a so-called brewing module. Such brewing module comprises a brewing chamber containing the capsule. A brewing module is particularly popular in which the capsule is inserted and the brewing chamber is closed manually by means of a lever, wherein the capsule is automatically moved out of the brewing chamber and is thrown into the capsule receptacle when the brewing chamber is opened again after the brewing process. Such brewing modules with automatic capsule ejection function are usually designed as horizontal brewing modules, i.e. the capsule is inserted from above, the closing of the brewing chamber is a horizontal relative movement of the two brewing module parts, the brewing liquid flows essentially horizontally and a capsule receptacle is formed below the brewing chamber.
The force to be applied when closing the brewing chamber and also when reopening the brewing chamber is not constant. In manually closable brewing modules, this results in the disadvantage that compromises have to be found in the lever ratios and the gear ratios. It is not possible to set the lever and gear ratios such that on the one hand it is easy to handle when a large force is required, for example when piercing a capsule, and on the other hand there is usually not too little resistance. Too little mechanical resistance does not give any feedback to the user and is not considered pleasant to the touch. In addition, the user experiences a sudden increase or decrease in mechanical resistance as an unpleasant jerk, and the operation of the device is therefore unacceptable.
Damping devices for damping the opening and closing movement of the brewing module are for example disclosed by EP 2485629. This is connected with the spring drive during the opening movement and serves in particular to prevent an excessively violent abutment against the stop at the end of the opening movement. The damping device can generally damp opening and closing movements uniformly by inertia and friction action, but also by friction alone, hydraulically, by means of air damping, magnetism, etc.
Disclosure of Invention
The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a brewing module for preparing a brewed beverage and a beverage preparation machine, where the closing of the brewing chamber is effected manually and nevertheless results in a closing performance that is both functionally and tactilely satisfactory, in particular without complicating the mechanical structure and without requiring excessive parts.
According to the invention, there is provided a brewing module for preparing a brewed beverage from a portion capsule, the brewing module comprising:
-a housing;
-a first brewing module portion and a second brewing module portion, the second brewing module portion being movable relative to the housing between a first brewing module portion position (brewing module open) and a second brewing module portion position (brewing module closed) in which a brewing chamber is formed by the first and second brewing module portions, the brewing chamber at least partially enclosing the portion capsule in a brewing position during brewing, wherein the brewing module is configured to brew a brewed beverage by introducing a brewing liquid into the portion capsule and to discharge it out of the portion capsule; and
an operating element which can be manually brought from a first operating element position into a second operating element position,
a transmission mechanism for transmitting the movement of the operating element to the movement of the second brewing module with respect to the housing,
in addition, the brewing module comprises damping means for damping the movement of the second brewing module part. According to the invention, the damping device is designed such that it has a non-constant damping characteristic as a function of position and/or direction of movement.
Hereinafter, the movement of the second brewing module from the first position to the second position is also referred to as "closing movement", while the reverse movement is referred to as "opening movement".
For example, the damping device can be designed such that it only follows a partial section of the displacement path and/or damps only during the closing movement or only during the opening movement.
The method of the invention allows, in the presence of a non-constant mechanical resistance during closing or opening, a purposeful or enhanced damping in the event of a sudden reduction of the resistance according to the displacement of the second infusion module part. The damping means may thereby prevent jerkiness, which is beneficial not only to the user feeling, but also to the service life of the brewing module by avoiding jerky-like movements.
In particular, the damping device can be designed such that the two parts of the brewing module which can be moved relative to one another, for example the cam disk and the housing or the second brewing module part and the housing, each have a contact which is in physical contact with one another and which rubs against one another only over a partial section of the displacement path. Such a contact can be formed, for example, by a sliding surface on the one hand and an elastic damping element on the other hand.
In addition or alternatively, it can be provided that one of the contact portions is formed by a damping element which is pressed to a different extent against the other contact portion in the closing movement and in the opening movement, in particular not at all in the opening movement or in the closing movement.
In an embodiment, the damping element may be designed, for example, as an elastic element which is movably accommodated in a receptacle of a corresponding part of the brewing module, wherein it is pressed against the other contact during one movement (for example, during the closing movement). This can be achieved, for example, in that the receptacle has a narrow region towards the direction in which the damping element is pressed during this movement, in which region the damping element is compressed between the two parts, while it can be moved away from the other contact during the opening movement.
The damping element can be designed, for example, as an elastic ring (damping ring). Instead of a damping ring, it is also possible to use, for example, other elastic damping elements, such as an elastic lip or an elastically deformable cushion.
The damping element is preferably arranged and designed such that it is deformable by movement in one direction relative to the sliding surface when in contact with the latter and resists the elastic forces of the deformation against the sliding surface, while the damping element can escape and slide along the sliding surface in a substantially unstressed manner when moved in the other direction. When using a damping element which is clamped in a narrow region when moving in one of the movement directions, this deformation is correspondingly caused by the compression of the damping element. This is achieved in the case of an elastic lip which is not perpendicular to the sliding surface but at a non-perpendicular angle thereto, i.e. which is inclined relative to the sliding surface and projects toward the side to which the lip moves during the closing movement (when the lip is to be damped on a section) or opening movement.
In particular, it can be provided that the housing has a sliding surface which protrudes towards the second brewing module part or towards another component which moves with the movement thereof, for example a cam disk of a transmission mechanism, and that the moving part (brewing module, cam disk, further element) comprises a damping element which is pressed against the sliding surface by elastic forces and/or by clamping on a partial section and/or in at least one direction of movement, or vice versa.
The sliding surface is at a distance from the damping element that varies with position, whereby the friction force varies with position.
In particular, the damping element may be formed from an elastomer.
The transmission mechanism for transmitting the movement of the operating element may comprise a cam disk which is rotatably mounted on the housing and has a first guide surface, wherein the second brewing module part can be displaced by means of the cam disk which is rotated from a first brewing module part position to a second brewing module part position by means of the first guide surface along a displacement path which is fixed to the housing, and the first guide surface defines a transmission ratio which varies significantly (for example at least by a factor of 2) along the first guide surface and which is the ratio between the path taken by the second brewing module part on the one hand and the angular movement taken by the cam disk on the other hand.
In this case, the transmission ratio changes significantly. In embodiments, it varies between a maximum and a minimum that differ by a factor of at least 2, typically at least 4, 6, 8, 10 or more.
In this embodiment, the transmission ratio can be selected in particular such that it is smaller with a greater closing force than with a smaller closing force.
In addition to the first guide surface, the cam plate may also define a second guide surface by which the second brewing module portion is displaceable from the second brewing module portion position to the first brewing module portion position along a displacement path fixed to the housing. The second guide surface can also extend in particular such that a variable transmission ratio is defined along it, for example also in sections and for example also considerably larger, the multiple between the maximum transmission ratio and the minimum transmission ratio being at least 2, or at least 4, 6, 8, 10 or more.
The first and second guide surfaces may be designed as boundaries of a guide opening (this opening may be a continuous hole or recess) in the cam plate. A guide, for example pin-shaped, coupled to the second brewing module is, for example, integrally formed on or guided by the second brewing module and then inserted into the guide opening.
The second guiding surface may not be parallel to the first guiding surface, i.e. the transmission ratio need not be as large in the closing movement and the opening movement at a certain position of the second brewing module part.
The second brewing module part can be moved relative to the housing, for example, linearly, in particular horizontally, i.e. the displacement path is in particular linear or horizontal. The first brewing module portion may be mounted in a manner fixed to the housing. It is not excluded, however, that the first brewing module is also movable and, for example, performs a movement opposite to the second brewing module.
The displacement path fixed to the housing may for example be defined by a guide rail of the housing, such as a guide slot, in which a guide, such as a guide pin, coupled to the second brewing module part is inserted. The guide element can also cooperate with a guide surface, wherein one section of the guide element is subsequently inserted into the guide rail and another section of the guide element cooperates with the guide surface. For this purpose, the guide element is optionally provided with two bearings which are not associated with one another, of which the first bearing engages the guide rail and the second bearing engages the guide surface.
In particular, the second brewing module part can be an injector, by means of which the portion capsule is pierced, for example hot water as the brewing liquid is introduced from the injector into the portion capsule. The first brewing module part may form a discharge means for guiding the extraction product out of the capsule. For this purpose, it comprises, for example, an extraction-side perforation or other structure for piercing the capsule on the extraction side, which perforation opens the capsule on the extraction side. The opposite case is also conceivable, i.e. the first brewing module part may form the injector and the second brewing module part may form the discharge device.
In particular, the operating element can be an operating lever which can be moved from a first position into a second position by means of a tilting movement from top to bottom. In the second position, for example, the lever closes a capsule insertion opening formed by the housing of the beverage preparation machine, such as the brewing module.
The invention also relates to a beverage preparation machine having a brewing module of the above-mentioned type.
Drawings
Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
figures 1 and 2 are views of the brewing module in the open and closed state, respectively;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the brewing module of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is a cam plate of the brewing module of FIGS. 1-3;
figures 5 and 6 are simplified cross-sectional views of the brewing module during closing and opening, respectively;
figures 7-9 are sectional detail of the infusion module in different stages, which make the damping means clearly visible; and
fig. 10 is a schematic view of a coffee maker according to the present invention.
Detailed Description
The brewing module 1 according to fig. 1-3 comprises a
The injector 4 comprises a piercing member for piercing a portion capsule which is at least partially filled with an extraction material, such as ground coffee. The injector 14 is configured to introduce a liquid, such as hot water, into the pierced capsule through or beside the piercing member, wherein the water may be supplied via a water supply device (not shown), which may comprise, for example, a hose.
In the embodiment described here, the
As known per se, for preparing the brewed beverage, the capsule is placed between the ejection means 3 and the injector 4 and the two are moved towards each other so as to form a brewing chamber therebetween enclosing the capsule. Hot water is fed under pressure to the capsule through the injector and the extraction product flows through the discharge means 3 via the
In the embodiments described herein, the relative movement of the second brewing module (injector) with respect to the first brewing module (discharge device) is achieved in such a way that the
Before preparing the brewed beverage, the user inserts a capsule through a capsule insertion opening provided at the upper side of the housing, the capsule being held at a height set for this purpose by means of corresponding members as described, for example, in WO2015/048914, until the brewing chamber is closed. The insertion of such a capsule into the brewing chamber can be done directly or in an indirect manner as described in WO2016/087190 by, for example, first holding the capsule in position above the brewing chamber for capsule identification.
The brewing module comprises an operating
In addition, first
For this purpose, the guide pin has a first sliding
Due to the guide surfaces formed by the guide openings, upon operation of the operating
As shown in particular in fig. 4, the
In the embodiment shown, the
Description of the drawings: in one embodiment, the transmission ratio in the first section is between 0.6mm/° and 2.5mm/° (the transmission ratios within the respective sections need not be constant but may indeed be different), the transmission ratio in the second section is between 0.1mm/° and 0.2mm/° and the transmission ratio in the third section is between 0.2mm/° and 0.4mm/°. For example, the second brewing module is pushed forward by the first section about 25mm in a stem movement of about 30 °, 2-3mm in a stem movement of 15 ° in the second section, and 10-12mm in a stem movement of 40 ° in the third section. Obviously different values are of course possible, the optimum value depending on the specific geometry, the material chosen and possibly also the damping means. In any case, the difference between the different gear ratios is large along the path.
The
The transmission ratio and the displacement carried over by the second guide surface may correspond approximately to the value of the first guide surface, wherein the third section of the first guide surface corresponds to the first section of the second guide surface, the second sections correspond to each other, and the first section of the first guide surface corresponds to the third section of the second guide surface.
An example of a brewing chamber is described in WO2015/04814, where the capsule is subjected to different mechanical loads in different phases when closing and re-opening the brewing chamber, which is why different amounts of closing and opening forces are applied. The invention is not limited to infusion chambers of the type described in WO2015/048914, but can be used with any type of infusion chamber for portion capsules in which the force to be applied during closing and/or opening is not constant throughout the path.
Fig. 4 also shows a particular optional feature. The
Fig. 5 shows a part of the brewing module during the closing movement, wherein the guide pin moves to the right in the
Fig. 6 shows a corresponding illustration of the opening movement by a counterclockwise rotation of the cam disk.
Fig. 5 and 6 also show a damping device which is formed by a damping
Fig. 7-9 show details of the brewing module with the damping
The damping element comprises an elastic element, in this case a damping
Fig. 7 shows the situation during the closing process, in which the
Fig. 8 shows what will happen immediately, i.e. near the end of the closing process. The damping
During the opening movement (fig. 9, direction of movement 60), the friction initiated between the sliding
If the damping
Instead of a damping ring, other damping elements, for example elastic lips, can also be used. The damping element is preferably arranged and designed such that it deforms on contact with the sliding surface as a result of movement in one direction relative to the sliding surface and exerts a spring force on the sliding surface, said force counteracting the deformation, while it can escape on movement in the other direction and slides along the sliding surface in a substantially force-free manner. This is achieved in the case of a resilient lip, which is not perpendicular to the sliding surface but at a non-perpendicular angle to the sliding surface.
Fig. 10 schematically shows a machine for preparing an infused beverage from a
List of reference numerals
1, a brewing module; 2 a brewing module housing; 3 a discharge device; 4 an injector; 6 operating the rod; 13 a beverage outlet; 21 a housing side portion; 22 a first housing rail; 25 a second housing rail; 30 a cam plate; 31 a roller pin; 32 holes for pivot pins; 33 a guide opening; 34 a first guide surface; 34.1 a first section; 34.2 a second section; 34.3 a third section; 35 a second guide surface; 35.1 a first section; 35.2 a second section; 35.3 a third section; 36 end portions; a
- 上一篇:一种医用注射器针头装配设备
- 下一篇:具有人体工学电源开关的饮料机器