KR102492807B1 - A drip coffee machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention proposes a drip coffee machine capable of varying the drip pattern of hot water and adjusting the amount of water. The drip coffee machine of the present invention uses a soft tube (T) such as silicone to guide the supplied hot water for drip downward. In addition, the operation plate 50 is installed at the lower part of the tube, and the tube part for guiding the water supplied from the tube to the dripper is installed at the lower part T, and the hot water is dropped to the dripper through the tube part 52. The inclination direction and inclination angle of the operation plate 50 are controlled by the drive links La, Lb, and Lc installed at regular intervals to determine the drip pattern. The vertical movement of the driving links La, Lb, and Lc is performed by a stepping motor, a lead screw, and a screw nut. Since such a coffee machine can realize various drip patterns according to the direction and degree of inclination of the operating plate 50 and can adjust the quantity, the advantages of drip coffee can be maximized.

Description

Drip coffee machine {A drip coffee machine}

The present invention relates to a hand drip coffee machine, and more particularly, to a hand drip coffee machine configured to optimize the taste and aroma of coffee by accurately controlling the trajectory and quantity of water falling onto a dripper.

In general, there are two ways to extract coffee, the espresso extraction method and the hand drip method. Espresso brewing has been widely used for a long time and relies on special machines capable of using high-pressure steam. In contrast, hand drip is more widely used in recent years, and it is known that users can enjoy the unique taste and aroma of coffee beans by directly dripping water onto a dripper with their hands.

In such a hand drip, in order to sufficiently extract the taste and aroma of ground coffee beans, hot water must fall evenly over the entire coffee powder. However, when hand dripping by hand, it can be said that it is practically impossible to always keep the prescribed route and quantity. In order to reinforce the disadvantages of these hand drips, Korean Patent Nos. 10-1661455, 10-1719356, and 10-1564317 have been proposed. These prior patent documents propose a drip coffee machine capable of repeatedly performing a predetermined pattern by replacing the drip with a mechanical component. However, it is considered that the drip device of the prior patent document has disadvantages in that not only is the structure complicated, but also various modifications are difficult because the drip pattern is fixed, and the amount of dripping water cannot be easily controlled.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drip coffee machine capable of having a standardized drip pattern while having a structurally simple configuration.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drip coffee machine configured to repeatedly implement various drip patterns.

Another object of the present invention can be said to be to provide a drip coffee machine capable of adjusting the amount of dripped water as it can have various drip patterns.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drip coffee machine configured to easily supply and cut off hot water and adjust the water quantity.

The drip coffee machine of the present invention includes a tube for guiding the supplied hot water for drip downward; an operating plate installed under the tube and having a tube portion therein for guiding water supplied from the tube to the dripper; a plurality of driving links installed on the operating plate at equal intervals to control the inclination direction of the operating plate according to a change in height in the vertical direction; And by controlling the vertical movement of the plurality of driving links, it is composed of an operating plate control means capable of controlling the inclination direction and inclination angle of the operating plate.

And according to one embodiment of the operation plate control means, a plurality of stepping motors capable of normal and reverse rotation, a plurality of lead screws each rotated by the stepping motors and installed in an up and down direction, and up and down by the rotation of the lead screw. It can be composed of a plurality of screw nut interlocking blocks having screw nuts coupled to the lead screw for movement. These screw-nut interlocking blocks move the corresponding part of the operating plate in the vertical direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the tube is composed of a soft tube in which hot water flowing therein is intermittently deformed elastically by an external force. And by pressurizing the soft tube, it may further include a pressurizing means capable of regulating the water flowing therein or adjusting the amount of water flowing therein.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the upper end of the driving link is connected to the screw nut interlocking block to be articulated, and the lower end of the driving link is movably connected to the operating plate.

According to a more specific embodiment, the lower end of the driving link is formed in a spherical shape, and a donut-shaped ball seat is provided on the operating plate corresponding to the lower end of the driving link, and the lower end of the driving link is provided with magnetic force of the ball seat. It is configured to maintain the combined state by

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the lower end of the tube portion is formed as a hemispherical or partially spherical portion. And it may be configured to further include a vertical drop guide member composed of a spherical portion molded on the top so as to cover the spherical portion of the tube portion so as to flow, and a tube formed on the lower portion thereof.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the heating unit is formed on the upper part of the drip drive unit to heat the stored water, and the lower part is formed of a container formed with a hole for dropping water into the tube. .

As described above, it can be seen that the present invention provides a basic device for enjoying drip coffee by supplying hot water to the top of a dripper substantially full of ground coffee. The apparatus of the present invention as described above is considered to have the advantage of having a simple overall structure. This point may actually appear as advantages such as productivity and assembly.

And according to the present invention, in order to operate the lower end of the tube part for dripping hot water in a predetermined pattern, an operating plate is used, and this operating plate can be perfectly controlled in a desired direction by at least three driving links. . This means that the inclination angle and direction can be adjusted by a partial up-down motion of the operating plate.

Moreover, it can be said that there is an advantage that the size of the dripping water pattern can be easily adjusted by the smallest mechanical configuration, and that the pattern itself can appear in various ways. In addition, according to the present invention, since the pattern of dripped hot water is always consistently implemented in drip coffee, it is expected that satisfaction with the quality of the finished coffee itself will be very high. In addition, it is considered that there is, of course, an advantage that drip patterns can be implemented in various ways by the control of the operating plate.

According to the present invention, it can be seen that the heating unit for providing hot water is disposed above the drip driver, and the hot water is supplied to the tube of the drip driver by free fall. This can be said to be that the overall configuration of the drip coffee machine can be implemented more simply.

Furthermore, a tube supplying hot water for dripping is formed of a soft material such as silicone, that is, a material that is easily elastically deformed by an external force, and the tube is pressurized using a stopper. According to this configuration, it is possible to regulate the hot water for dripping with a simple structure, and also has the advantage of actually adjusting the amount of hot water for dripping by adjusting the degree of pressurization (controlling the position of the stopper). can do.

1 is an exemplary front view of the drip coffee machine of the present invention
2 is an exemplary perspective view of the drip coffee machine of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary perspective view of a drip driving unit of the drip coffee machine of the present invention.
4 is a partially cut away perspective view of the drip coffee machine of the present invention.
5 is an exemplary perspective view of the drip coffee machine of the present invention seen from another angle.

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 shows the overall appearance of the drip coffee machine of the present invention. The coffee machine of the present invention includes a heating unit (2) that heats water to a predetermined temperature using a built-in heater while storing a predetermined amount of water, and a drip drip that drips hot water supplied from the heating unit onto the dripper (14). It includes a driving part (4). In addition, a base 10 for lifting and supporting the server 12 and the dripper 14 is formed below the drip driver 4 . The base 10 is formed after a portion of the outer casing of the drip driver 4 extends downward, and a space on which the server 12 and the dripper 14 can be placed is provided at the top.

2 exemplarily shows an overall perspective view of the drip coffee machine of the present invention by exemplary modeling. And Figure 3 is an exemplary perspective view showing the internal configuration of the drip drive unit 4 of the coffee machine of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the supply and blocking of the water heated by the heating unit 2 and the overall configuration and function of the drip driving unit 4 will be described.

3 to 5, in the present invention, the heating unit 2 includes a container for holding water and a heater (not shown) installed on one side of the container to heat the water. This heating of water itself is already widely known, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. According to the present invention, a hole through which water can freely fall is formed in the center of the container of the heating unit, which is the inlet of the water guide member 22 installed near the upper center of the drip driving unit 4 shown in FIG. It is in communication with (22a).

A soft tube T made of a silicone material having soft ductility and elasticity is connected to the inlet 22a of the water guide member 22, and water supplied from the heating unit 2 is guided to the tube T. And in order to supply hot water to the dripper 14, it should be possible to control the water guided to the tube T. In the present invention, a stopper 42 capable of blocking water from flowing down by pressing the tube T at the upper end of the tube T is installed. As clearly shown in FIG. 4 , the stopper 42 may block or allow water to flow down by pressurizing the tube T at its front end while linearly moving in the horizontal direction.

The horizontal linear motion of the stopper 42 is performed by a stepping motor Ma, a lead screw 44 rotated by the stepping motor Ma, and a screw nut screwed in the middle of the lead screw 44 ( 46a). When the lead screw 44 is rotated by the stepping motor Ma, the screw nut 46a performs linear reciprocating motion in the left and right directions. Accordingly, the screw nut interlocking block 46 including the screw nut 46a performs left and right reciprocating motion. Since the screw nut interlocking block 46 is substantially connected to the stopper 42, the stopper 42 also performs left and right reciprocating motions like the screw nut 46a.

As described above, in the present invention, a soft tube (T) is used, and the stopper 42 reciprocating in a straight line is configured to control the flow of water by pressing the soft tube (T). Here, since the stopper 42 performs linear reciprocating motion by the lead screw 44 rotated by the stepping motor Ma and the screw nut 46 coupled thereto, precise position control is possible. In this way, being able to accurately control the position of the stopper 42 means that the amount of water flowing down through the tube T can be substantially controlled.

Next, a look at the lower structure of the above-described tube (T). The drip driver 4 has an operating plate 50 installed below the tube T described above. A tube portion 52 extending downward is provided at the center of the operating plate 50 . Since the central portion of the operating plate 50 connected to the tube portion 52 needs to receive water from the tube T described above, it is preferable to mold it into a funnel shape communicating with the tube portion 52. Water supplied from the tube T falls freely through the end of this tube portion 52. In the illustrated embodiment, there is a separate vertical drop guide member 54 is installed at the end of the tube portion 52, this member is an optional configuration and will be described later.

Here, the lower part of the tube part 52 is the part where water falls into the dripper, and the pattern of the water falling along the trajectory drawn by the lower part of the tube part 52 is determined. That is, the water falling into the dripper 14 has a pattern following the trajectory drawn by the lower end of the tube part 52 . Accordingly, it can be seen that the pattern of water falling onto the dripper 14 is substantially determined by the trajectory drawn by the lower end of the tube part 52 . In the present invention, the operating plate 50 having the tube portion 52 can be defined as operating so that the lower end of the downwardly extending tube portion 52 can have a predetermined trajectory.

In the illustrated embodiment, three driving links La, Lb, and Lc are installed on the operating plate 50 at regular intervals. Each of these driving links (La, Lb, Lc) performs a function of lifting or lowering the operating plate 50 of each installed part through a vertical movement. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the driving link La on the left side may be in a raised state, and the driving link Lb on the right side may be in a lowered state. In this state, it will be seen that the tube portion 52 is tilted to the left in the drawing.

And, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the operating plate 50 maintains a horizontal state, and in this state, the tube part 52 maintains a vertical state in the center. As such, it can be seen that the operation plate 50 can be tilted by separately controlling the vertical heights of the three driving links La, Lb, and Lc described above. And by continuously controlling the heights of the three driving links (La, Lb, Lc), the lower end of the tube portion 52 will draw a predetermined pattern, for example, a circle of a predetermined size.

That is, by independently controlling the heights of the three driving links La, Lb, and Lc, it is possible to change the inclination of the operating plate 50, which causes the position of the lower end of the tube portion 52 to change. brings results And by continuously changing the height of the three driving links (La, Lb, Lc), the inclination of the operating plate 50 continuously changes, and accordingly, the lower end of the tube part 52 forms a corresponding pattern (trajectory). will draw

Here, the pattern drawn by the lower end of the tube part 52 appears due to the change in inclination of the operating plate 50 in this way. The pattern (trajectory) of the tube portion 52 or the continuous change pattern of the inclination of the operating plate 50 can be said to have the same meaning. For specific examples of such patterns, circular patterns having various sizes of diameters, linear reciprocating motion patterns, and elliptical patterns may also be included.

Next, a configuration for controlling the height of each driving link (La, Lb, Lc) to execute a pattern for the position where the inclination pattern of the operating plate 50 or the tube portion 52 is drawn will be examined. . Since the configuration of the three driving links La, Lb, and Lc shown is substantially the same, the configuration implemented in one driving link La will be described as a representative. The up and down motion means for up and down movement of the driving link (La) includes a stepping motor (M) capable of forward rotation and reverse rotation, and control of rotation speed. The stepping motor M rotates the lead screw 62 installed vertically.

Also, since the screw nut 64a is coupled to the lead screw 62, the screw nut 64a is substantially moved in the vertical direction by the rotation of the lead screw 62. Here, the screw nut 64a is connected to the above-described driving link La through a screw nut interlocking block 64 formed around it. Accordingly, when the stepping motor M rotates, the lead screw 62 rotates, causing the screw nut 64a and the screw nut interlocking block 64 to move up and down. Here, since the screw nut interlocking block 64 is connected to the driving link La, it can be seen that the rotation of the stepping motor M ultimately appears as a vertical movement of the driving link La.

In the present invention, it can be seen that the configuration from the stepping motor M to the drive links La, Lb, and Lc is a means for substantially controlling the inclination of the operating plate 50. And the configuration from the stepping motor M to the driving links La, Lb, and Lc substantially determines the operation pattern of the operation plate 50, which determines the inclination direction and the inclination of the operation plate 50. can be said to be possible.

Here, the screw nut 64a and the screw nut interlocking block 64 do not rotate like the lead screw 62 but perform up and down motion, and a separate structure preventing rotation in this way may be further included. For example, the above-described screw nut interlocking block 64 may be configured to be guided while penetrating the fixing shaft 69 installed in the vertical direction. In the illustrated embodiment, it is known to those skilled in the art that the aforementioned fixing shaft 69, stepping motor M, and lead screw 62 are substantially supported by the entire frame or outer casing of the drip driving unit 4. If so, you will be able to fully understand. In addition, since the screw nut interlocking block 46 related to the above-described stopper 42 also guides the horizontally installed fixing shaft 49 while penetrating, its own rotation is prevented.

In the above-described peripheral configuration related to the driving link (La), in order to further smooth the vertical movement of the driving link (La), the upper end of the driving link (La) and the screw nut interlocking block 64 are connected to each other by a pin (P) It is preferable to configure a relatively certain degree of joint motion to be possible. And as can be clearly seen in Figure 3, the lower end (Ba) of the driving link (La) is formed in a spherical shape. In addition, the ball seat 59, which is a corresponding part of the operating plate 50 that the lower end Ba contacts, is made of a magnet having a donut shape. Here, it is natural that the lower end Ba of the driving link responds to the attractive force of the magnet.

Therefore, the lower end Ba of the driving link La can maintain the contact state of the ball seat 59 of the operating plate 50 by magnetic force. Here, the ball-shaped lower end Ba and the donut-shaped ball seat 59 are also capable of joint motion in substantially all directions of 360 degrees. As such, it can be seen that the upper and lower ends of the driving link La are configured to allow joint motion within a certain angle range with the screw nut interlocking block 64 and the operating plate 50 connected thereto, respectively. The fact that the upper and lower ends of the driving link La are articulatedly connected in this way means that the operation plate 50 can move smoothly.

And the drive motor Ma, the lead screw 62, the screw nut 64a, and the screw nut linkage block 64 as described above are commonly applied to the three drive links La, Lb, and Lc. to be. Therefore, the operating plate 50 of the present invention is driven by the three driving links La, Lb, and Lc. When the operating plate 50 is in a horizontal state, the lower end of the tube part 52 is located in the center. And, the drive links (La, Lb, Lc) are programmed to sequentially operate, respectively, by a control unit (not shown).

The operation of the operating plate 50 will be reviewed with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 . When all the drive links La have the same height, as shown in FIG. 3, the operating plate 50 maintains a horizontal state. In this state, the lower end of the tube part 52 is located in the center. Here, when one driving link La is moved upward and the other two driving links La are moved downward, the operating plate 50 is inclined as shown in FIG. 4 . That is, the operating plate 50 has an inclination in which a portion connected to the driving link La is elevated and a portion connected to the other driving links Lb and Lc is lowered. And in this state, it can be seen that the lower end of the tube portion 52 is inclined in the direction of the raised driving link (La).

In this state, when the driving link Lb is continuously raised and the other driving links La and Lc are lowered, the operating plate 50 is connected to the driving link Lb and the other driving links La and Lc rise. ) becomes the inclined state where the connected part descends. And at this time, the tube portion 52 will have an inclined state towards the raised driving link (Lb).

Looking at this process, it can be seen that the operating plate 50 is continuously changed from a state in which the portion connected to the driving link La is raised to a state in which the portion connected to the driving link Lb is raised. And according to the change in the inclination direction of the operating plate 50, the lower end of the tube portion 52 is changed from a state inclined toward the driving link La to a state inclined toward the direction where the driving link Lb is located. will do In other words, if the three motors are driven at a constant rate, they move while drawing an arc corresponding to about 1/3 of the entire circle.

Subsequently, when the driving link Lc rises and the other driving links Lb and La continuously descend correspondingly, the inclination direction of the operating plate 50 changes according to the principle described above, and the tube portion 52 ), again, at this time, if the three motors are driven at a constant rate, an arc motion corresponding to 1/3 of the circle is performed. With this operating principle, while the driving link (La) ▶ driving link (Lb) ▶ driving link (Lc) is sequentially in a high state, when the other remaining driving links are controlled to come down relatively, the tube portion (52) The lower part of the whole rotates while drawing a circle.

In the circular motion of the lower end of the tube portion 52 drawing a circular pattern, it will be fully understood that the size of the diameter is determined based on the height difference between the elevation of each drive link and the descent of another drive link. From the above, it can be seen that when the height change of the above-described three driving links (La, Lb, Lc) occurs sequentially with the same period, the lower end of the tube portion 52 repeats the movement of drawing an accurate circle.

However, in the present invention, by combining the degree of change in height and time period of the three driving links (La, Lb, Lc), repetitive motion in various forms in addition to the circular motion of the lower end of the tube portion 52 as described above. It will also be appreciated that it will be possible to perform For example, it will also be possible to control each of the driving links La, Lb, and Lc so that the lower end of the tube portion 52 located at the very center initially performs a circular motion in which the current gradually increases. Alternatively, it is also possible to perform linear reciprocating motion at the lower end of the tube portion 52, and at this time, it is also possible to set the linear direction to be in a different direction.

Next, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the configuration of the lower end of the tube portion 52 will be described. As shown, the lower end of the tube portion 52 may be formed to have a hemispherical or partially spherical portion 52a. And a vertical drop guide member 54 is installed at the lower end of the tube portion 52 . That is, a vertical drop guide member 54 having a bulbous portion 54a covering and connecting the bulbous portion 52a of the tube portion 52 and a tube 54b connected to the bulbous portion 54a is installed. It will be.

The bulbous part 52a of the vertical drop guide member 54 and the bulbous part 52a of the tube part 52 are designed to have a clearance so that joint motion is possible with each other, and by the load and weight of the supplied hot water , the vertical drop guide member 54 can always maintain a vertical state. In this way, since the tube 54b of the vertical drop guide member 54 maintains a vertical state, the hot water flowing down through it always falls accurately vertically, dispensing water in an optimal pattern corresponding to the size of the dripper 14. expected to be able to supply.

Next, other examples that can be modified in addition to the above-described example will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described through an embodiment in which three driving links are configured. However, the subject of the present invention is to make the hot water coming down through the tube portion 52 have a specific pattern by continuously changing the inclination direction of the operating plate 50 using a plurality of driving links. Therefore, it can be said that the present invention is not limited by the number of driving links.

And in the described embodiment, it can be seen that the heating part 2 is designed on the top of the drip driving part 4, so that the heated hot water can be supplied into the tube T of the drip driving part 4 by free fall. there is. However, it goes without saying that the heating unit 2 of the present invention can substantially heat water to a set temperature, and supplying the heated water to the tube T through a separate driving means can be sufficiently considered.

Upper and lower portions of the drive links La, Lb, and Lc are configured to allow joint motion within a certain angle with other connected components. In this way, in the range of four possible configurations for joint motion, it is also considered obvious that it cannot be limited to the embodiments described above. It will also be possible to connect both ends of the drive link with other components through various known configurations (for example, configurations using principles such as universal joints). And, although the illustrated embodiment is designed with three driving links, it is obvious that it cannot be limited thereto. For example, it is obvious that it will be possible to configure a plurality of three or more, but it is considered to be preferable to configure three.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, while the soft tube (T) is pressed by the stopper 42, the embodiment in which the supply of hot water is interrupted has been described. However, it is of course also possible to design to implement regulation of hot water by applying various valves already known in addition to this. In addition, various modifications are expected to be possible within the scope of the basic technical idea of the present invention described above, and it is natural that the scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted based on what is described in the claims. I think.

2 ..... heating part
4 ..... Drip drive unit
22 ..... water guide member
22a ..... inlet
42 ..... Stopper
44 ..... Leadscrew
46 ..... Screw nut interlocking block
46a ..... screw nut
50 ..... operating plate
52 ..... tube part
52a ..... bulbous part
54 ..... Vertical drop guide member
54a ..... bulbous part
62 ..... Leadscrew
64 ..... screw nut interlocking block
64a ..... screw nut
69 ..... fixed axis
La, La, Lc ..... driving link
M, Ma ..... Stepping Motor

Claims (7)

a tube for guiding the supplied drip hot water downward;
an operating plate installed at the lower part of the tube and having a lower part of the tube for guiding the water supplied from the tube to the dripper;
a plurality of driving links installed on the operating plate at equal intervals to control the inclination direction of the operating plate according to a change in height in the vertical direction; And
It is constituted by operating plate control means capable of controlling the inclination direction and inclination angle of the operating plate by controlling the vertical movement of the plurality of driving links;
The lower end of the drive link is formed in a spherical shape, and a ball seat made of a magnet is provided on the operating plate corresponding to the lower end of the drive link, so that the lower end of the drive link and the ball seat are maintained in a coupled state by magnetic force. The lower part (Ba) and the ball seat (59) of the drip coffee machine are capable of joint movement in all directions of 360 degrees.
According to claim 1,
The operating plate control means,
A plurality of stepping motors capable of forward and reverse rotation;
A plurality of lead screws each rotated by the stepping motor and installed in the vertical direction, and
Consisting of a plurality of screw nut interlocking blocks having screw nuts coupled to the lead screw so as to move up and down by the rotation of the lead screw,
A drip coffee machine in which the screw nut interlocking block moves the operation plate up and down, respectively.
According to claim 1,
The tube is composed of a soft tube in which hot water flowing therein is interrupted by elastic deformation by an external force,
The drip coffee machine further comprises a pressurizing means capable of regulating water flowing therein or adjusting the amount of water flowing therein by pressurizing the soft tube.
According to claim 2,
The drip coffee machine of claim 1 , wherein the upper end of the driving link is movably connected to the screw nut interlocking block, and the lower end of the driving link is movably connected to the operating plate.
delete According to claim 1,
The lower end of the tube portion is formed as a hemispherical or partially spherical portion,
A drip coffee machine configured to further include a vertical drop guide member composed of a spherical portion molded on the upper portion to cover the spherical portion of the tube portion so as to flow, and a tube formed below the spherical portion.
delete

Images