Device for preparing a brewed beverage The present invention relates to a device for preparing a brewed beverage, in particular coffee, according to the preamble of claim 1. DE 201 00 865 U1 discloses a coffee machine with a grinder in which coffee beans are fed from a container to the grinder to then collect the ground coffee in a filter holder.
The filter holder mounted in the coffee maker, after being filled with ground coffee, can have hot water flowing through it to collect the brewed coffee into a pot under the filter holder.
Even though the brewed coffee based on the freshly ground coffee is beneficial in taste, there is a disadvantage that the coffee maker has a large height and considerable volume.
In addition, the grinder can easily clog due to rising water vapor.
A similar coffee machine is also shown in DE 295 02 596. DE 10 2018 114 588 A1 discloses a coffee ma- chine with a grinder arranged next to the brewing unit.
For the professional preparation of coffee, there are also portafilter machines, for example according to US 2016/0296061 A1, in which freshly ground coffee is collected in a portafilter and the portafilter with the freshly ground coffee is then clamped to a water outlet to brew coffee under pressure.
Such machines are usually connected to the water mains and are therefore unsuitable for pri- vate use due to the high installation costs.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a device for prepar- ing a brewed beverage, which allows coffee to be prepared using freshly ground coffee and has a compact design.
This object is solved with a device having the features of claim 1. The device according to the invention comprises a base station in which a pump, a heater and a control are provided, and a grinding unit arranged on the base station and having a container for coffee beans, a grinder and an outlet for ground coffee, a tank for fresh water detachably disposed on the base station, and a supply line projecting upwardly from the base station and having an out- let for heated water disposed above a filter holder, the filter holder being mova- ble from a position below the outlet for ground coffee to a position below the outlet.
This allows the user to initially position the filter holder below the outlet for ground coffee, and after filling the filter holder, to position the filter holder be- low the outlet for heated water.
In this way, the overall height of the device can be kept low, since the brewing of ground coffee and the filling of the filter holder take place at different positions of the filter holder.
In addition, the device is modular with the removable tank for fresh water, so that handling is also opti- mized for private use.
In a preferred embodiment, the base station is essentially plate-shaped, for ex- ample as a round disc with a flat surface, whereby the height of the base sta-
tion without the supply line can be less than 5 cm in order to have a small struc- ture.
The interfaces to the tank for fresh water and to the grinding unit are then arranged at the base station.
In this case, the base station can comprise a housing in whose interior the pump, the heater and a control unit are integrated, so that these components are not visible from the outside.
Only the upwardly projecting supply line, preferably a tubular body, then protrudes substantially from the base station, for example more than 10 cm.
In the embodiment according to the invention, the grinding unit is detachably ar- ranged on the base station and can thus be removed from the base station for cleaning purposes or for filling.
For this purpose, the grinding unit has a plug on an underside which can be contacted with a connector plug on the base station for an electrical connection.
This allows the grinding unit to be operated only when it is in contact with the connecting plug on the base station, which avoids incorrect operation.
In addition, control lines can also be provided between the base station and the grinding unit, which enable control of the grinding unit when the connector is connected to the connector plug.
For an optimal setup of the grinding unit, it is preferably positioned on the base station so that it can be rotated around a vertical axis.
This allows the orientation of the outlet for ground coffee to be freely selected and adapted to the respective set-up position.
Rotatability can be achieved, for example, by means of a connect- ing plug on the base station, which is essentially circular in cross-section and op- tionally protrudes upwards from the base station or forms a recess as a recepta- cle for inserting the plug of the grinding unit.
The grinding unit can thereby option-
ally be fixed on the base station via latching means or a clamping device.
Prefera- bly, at least one magnet is used for this purpose, which signals to the user that the arinding unit is correctly positioned on the base station.
The grinding unit preferably has a holder for attaching a filter holder to collect the ground coffee in the filter holder.
In this way, the filter holder is positioned precisely and spillage of ground coffee is avoided.
In this regard, the holder may be connected to a load cell to detect the weight of the ground coffee that is placed in the filter holder when grinding coffee.
Depending on the detected weight of the coffee grounds filled in, the grinding unit can then be switched off automatically when the desired quantity is reached.
This simplifies handling, and the amount of ground coffee can optionally be set via a control on the base station.
Preferably, at least one control surface is provided on the base station for con- trolling the grinding unit, the degree of grinding and/or the water supply, in par- ticular the amount of water, via the supply line.
This allows the device to be controlled via the base station with different programs, so that the user can ad-
just the strength in addition to the amount of coffee prepared, for example in conjunction with the degree of grinding.
In this way, an adjustment to the user's taste can be made.
In addition, when the grinding unit is switched on, it is also possible to carry out preheating via the heater at the same time or with a time delay in order to shorten the heating process.
In an advantageous embodiment, a mounting holder for the filter holder is fixed to the supply line for the hot water.
The mounting holder can be connected to a pipeline of the supply line via a sleeve in order to enable the supply of hot water via the supply line on the one hand and to support the mounting holder on the other.
The mounting holder can also be connected to a control unit of the base station via an electrical line or a control line in order to open or close a valve on the filter holder for draining or collecting the coffee brewed in the filter holder.
Preferably, a switchable valve is provided on a water-carrying line downstream of the heater in order to supply the heated water either to the supply line or to the tank with fresh water.
The tank with fresh water can be connected to the base station via a first connection for discharging water from the tank and a second connection for supplying heated water from the base station to the tank.
This allows the heater to first preheat the water in the water tank, for example to an average temperature between 40* and 60 *C, and then to further heat the heated water and then feed it to the supply line and thus to the brewing pro- cess.
This enables faster preparation of coffee when already preheated water is used.
Preheating can take place at least partially in parallel with a grinding pro- cess.
For an optimized brewing result, the supply line for the hot water can have a first line for hot water to a first outlet and a second line for hot water to a second outlet. The lines can each be arranged as pipelines in an insulating body. The pipelines can be supplied with hot water alternately or simultaneously, as de- sired, in order to wet the coffee grounds over as large an area as possible and to carry out the extraction process uniformly. Different areas of the ground cof- fee in the filter holder can be wetted by the first and second outlets. The invention is explained in more detail below by means of an example of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereby: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the device according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a side view of the device of figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the base station; Figure 4 shows a view of the grinding unit, and Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the device of Figure 1. A device 1 for preparing a brewed beverage, in particular coffee, comprises a base station 2, with a substantially plate-shaped body forming a housing. The base station 2 is connected to a power supply via a power plug 3. The housing of the base station 2 contains a control unit, at least one pump and a heater for heating water. The base station 2 can be switched on and off via a switch 4 ar- ranged on one edge and has a control panel 5 on an upper side to automati- cally control certain parameters during the brewing process. A tank 10 is removably arranged on the base station 2, which is closed via a lid
11. Next to the tank 10, a grinding unit 20 is placed on the base station 2, which is also removable from the base station 2. The grinding unit 20 is thereby ar- ranged on the base station 2 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, so that the direction of an outlet 23 for ground coffee can be made as desired by the user. The grinding unit 20 is thereby preferably held on the base station 2 via latching means, in particular at least one magnet. The grinding unit 20 com- prises a motor for driving the grinding mechanism, as well as a container 21 for coffee beans, which is closed via a lid 22.
On the base station 2, there is further provided a supply line 6 for hot water pro- jecting upwardly from the body of the base station 2, which first extends verti- cally upwardly and is then bent in a U-shape and opens out at an outlet 7,
which is optionally removable.
From the outlet 7, heated water can be intro- duced into a filter holder 30, which has an interior 31, in particular a funnel- shaped or cone-shaped interior, which has an outlet 32 on the underside for discharging brewed coffee into a vessel 40, such as a cup or a pot.
The filter holder 30 is thereby arranged on a mounting holder 9 at a predetermined dis-
tance from the surface of the base station 2, for example between 8 and 20 cm, in particular 10 to 15 cm, in order to be able to place a vessel 40 under the filter holder 30. The mounting holder 9 comprises two arms which grip around the fil- ter holder 30 in a clamping or latching manner or loosely support the latter.
Other holding means can also be used to fix the filter holder 30. The mounting holder 9 is fixed to the supply line 6 via a sleeve 8.
In Figure 2, it can be seen that the grinding unit 20 has a holder 24 arranged below the outlet 23 for ground coffee, although the position of the holder 24 can also be arranged next to or above the outlet 23. The filter holder 30 may be suspended from the holder 24 by a connecting member, such that the weight of the filter holder 30 is held on the holder 24. The holder 24 is preferably coupled to a load cell which, after the filter holder 30 has been hooked in, detects the amount of coffee grounds inserted into the filter holder 30. Thus, depending on the set coffee strength and the amount of water to be brewed, it can be deter-
mined which amount of coffee grounds is inserted into the filter holder 30 via the grinding unit 20.
In Figure 3, the base station 2 is shown without the grinding unit 20 and the tank 10. On the upper side of the substantially plate-shaped base station 2,
there is a dome-shaped connecting plug 25, for example a peg-shaped protru- sion, which forms a connector plug and is connectable to a plug or socket on the underside of the grinding unit 20 to electrically connect the grinding unit 20 to the base station 2. In addition, one or more control lines can also be con- nected when a contact is made.
Due to the connecting plug 25, which is circular in cross-section, the grinding unit 20 can be rotated about a vertical axis and re- mains electrically connected to the base station 2.
A port 12 is further provided on the top of the base station 2 for connection to the tank 10 for fresh water, which has at least one opening 13 through which the water from the tank 10 can be introduced into the base station 2, where it can be heated and the heated water then conveyed into the filter holder 30 via the supply line 6 and the outlet 7.
The control panel 5 on the base station 2 can be used, for example, to set the strength of the coffee and also the amount of coffee to be brewed.
Indirectly, this can also be used to set the degree of grinding.
Figure 4 shows the grinding unit 20. The grinding unit 20 comprises a lower, es-
sentially cylindrical section in which a motor for the grinding mechanism and a control system can be provided.
Above this is arranged the container 21 for cof- fee beans, via which coffee beans can be conveyed into the grinding unit in or- der to then discharge the ground coffee at the outlet 23.
Figure 5 shows a schematic flow diagram of the device 1. The tank 10 with fresh water is connected to the base station 2 via port 12, which is shown by the dashed frame.
In this connection, a port 12 is connected to a pump 51 via a line 52 and a switchable valve 53, a line 54, a throttle element 55, so that water can be drawn from the tank 10 to the pump 51. Via the pump 51, the water is conveyed through a schematically shown heater 50 with heating resistors to convey the preheated or heated water to a valve 56. The valve 56 is switchable between two positions.
In a first position, water from the heater 50 is reintro- duced into the tank 10 for fresh water via a return line 63, shown dashed.
This allows the water in the tank 10 to be preheated, which may occur, for example,
simultaneously or at least partially simultaneously with the grinding operation.
Preheating of the water in the tank 10 preferably takes place up to a certain temperature, for example between 40° and 60°. Only when a certain preheating temperature is reached, the valve 56 can be switched to the second position in order to supply the heated water passed through the heater 51 to the supply line 6 via a line 58. A further valve 60 is located in the line 58 to selectively deliver the hot water to a first line 61 to a first outlet 70 or to a second line 62 to a second outlet 71. The first outlet 70 may, for example, wet a peripheral region of the coffee grounds in the filter holder 30, while the second outlet 71 tends to wet a central region of the coffee grounds in the filter holder 30. The outlets 70 and 71 can be controlled simultaneously or alternately to ensure as uniform an extraction process as possible.
The line 58 is further connected to the valve 53 via a drain line 59, so that any residual water remaining after the brewing process can be drawn from the sup- ply line 6 and reintroduced into the tank 10 for fresh water.
Furthermore, the grinding unit 20 is placed on the base station 2, which is con- nected to the grinding unit 20 via a connecting plug 25 for electrical contacting for power supply and/or control.
In the grinding unit 20 there is an electric motor 26 with which the grinder 28 is driven.
Via the grinder 28, the degree of grinding can preferably be adjusted in order to grind the coffee beans in the container 21 to the desired fineness.
A corresponding adjustment device 27 can be provided for this purpose, which can be controlled via a control line.
On the grinding unit 20 there is also the outlet 23 for ground coffee and the holder 24 for hanging the filter holder 30. The holder 24 is connected to the load cell, which can optionally also be coupled to the control system in the base station 2. Figure 5 also shows the control panel 5, by means of which certain settings for brewing coffee can be made, in particular the coffee strength and the amount of coffee brewed.
Preferably, two spaced openings may be provided at the outlet 32 on the un- derside of the filter holder 30 to optionally allow two cups 41 to be filled simulta- neously.
A valve 33 is provided at the outlet 32 for optionally closing or opening an outlet on the filter holder 30 in order to be able to adjust the dwell time of the hot water on the ground coffee during brewing.
In addition, the valve 33 acts as an anti-drip device.
The valve 33 may be connected to the base station 2 via a power supply, not shown, through the mounting holder 9 and the supply line 6.
To prepare coffee, the tank 10 is first filled with sufficient fresh water and then a coffee strength is set on the control panel 5 as well as the amount of water.
The filter holder 30 is preferably filled with a filter paper insert, which can optionally be omitted if the filter holder 30 has a corresponding sieve.
The filter holder 30 filled with the filter paper insert is then hooked onto the holder 24, whereby the holder 24 can detect the hooking of the filter holder 30 via a sensor in order to then automatically start the grinding process.
Alternatively, the grinding process can also be initiated via a button on the control panel 5. As soon as the desired amount of ground coffee has been filled into the filter holder 30, the grinding unit 20 stops the grinding process.
During the grinding process, the water in the tank 10 can be preheated via the pump 51 and the heater 50, for example be- tween 20° to 50° above room temperature.
The filter holder 30 is now removed from the grinding unit 20 and fixed to the mounting holder 9. Hot water can then be introduced via the supply line 6 by pressing a button or automatically, optionally via a single outlet 70 or 71 or al- ternately via several outlets 70 and 71. The brewed coffee is then discharged into the cups 41 or other vessels when the valve 33 at the outlet 32 is opened.
In a further embodiment not shown, a sensor can be arranged on the supply line 6 above the filter holder 30, by means of which it can be detected whether a filter holder 30, in particular a filled filter holder, is arranged under the outlet 7. Then a dispensing of hot water at the outlet 7 can be prevented via the control of the base station 2, if inadvertently no filter holder 30 or a filter holder 30 not filled with coffee grounds is arranged under the outlet 7. Such a sensor can, for example, perform detection via optical means, for example by emitting light beams and detecting the reflected light beams via an optical sensor.
At least the coloring below the sensor can be detected in this way.
Other sensors, for example contact sensors, can also be used to detect whether the filter holder is inserted.
However, an optical sensor can additionally be used to deter- mine whether the filter holder 30 is filled with coffee grounds.
List of reference signs 1 Device 2 Base station 3 Power plug
4 Switch 5 Control panel 6 Supply line 7 Outlet
8 Sleeve 9 Mounting holder 10 Tank 11 Lid 12 Port
13 Opening Grinding unit 21 Container 22 Lid 23 Outlet
20 24 Holder Connecting plug 26 Electric motor 27 Adjustment device 28 Grinder
25 30 Filter holder 31 Interior 32 Outlet 33 Valve 40 Vessel
41 Cup 50 Heater 51 Pump 52 Line 53 Valve
54 Line Throttle element 56 Valve 58 Line 59 Drain line
60 Valve 61 Line 62 Line 63 Return line 70 Outlet 71 Outlet