WO2011147789A1

WO2011147789A1 - Drink infusing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2011147789A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/058387
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Pierre Blanc; Alain Goering
Original assignee: Compagnie Mediterraneenne Des Cafes
Priority date: 2010-05-25
Filing date: 2011-05-23
Publication date: 2011-12-01
Also published as: FR2960400B1; FR2960400A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for infusing a substance to be infused, said device comprising an infusion chamber (1) for receiving the substance to be infused. The infusion chamber (1) has two portions set up so as to be spaced apart from one another, in order to open the infusion chamber (1), or brought close to one another in order to close the infusion chamber (1) via a movement means that includes a cylinder having a plunger (7) that is movable relative to a cylinder body (6) and is formed so as to drive a first of the two portions. Said device is characterized in that the cylinder body (6) comprises: an inner chamber (17), a fitting member (14) that projects into the inner chamber (17), a peripheral guide surface (21) that engages with a peripheral guided surface (20) of the plunger (7), and an inner guide surface (19) that is formed on the fitting member (14) and engages with an inner guided surface (18) of the plunger (7).

Description

"Beverage brewing machine"

The present invention relates to a device for infusing a substance to be infused. Coffee grounds, in bulk, compacted or packaged in a waterproof packaging or not is part of such substances. The invention is particularly applicable to beverage brewing machines, especially for express drinks.

In this field, the infusion is typically performed by placing the infusible substance in a volume, here called brewing chamber, through which is passed hot water under pressure. Downstream of the infusion chamber, a beverage resulting from the extraction of the infusible substance is recovered. The extraction phase involves putting the chamber in the closed position while the introduction of the substance and its evacuation occur open chamber. These two operating configurations can be generated by a relative mobility of two parts of the infusion chamber.

WO-A1 - 9517121 discloses this mode of operation. According to this reference, the relative movement and relative movement of the two infusion chamber parts is produced by a cylinder, hydraulically controlled, driving one of the chamber parts. A cylinder-to-cylinder contact between the piston and the body of the cylinder allows the guide in translation of the piston. In absolute terms, it can be considered that the inner cylinder is in contact with the outer cylinder on points belonging to the edges defined as the intersection of the cylinder and plane faces. It can also be easily understood that the guidance in translation is even better than the distance separating the planes containing the contact points is large. In this technique, the cooperating surface between the piston and the cylinder body must be large enough to avoid the risk of blockage during translation. At the same time, in order to make a good approach to closure of the two chamber parts to ensure a good seal of the latter, the prior art involves low manufacturing tolerances which requires the use of machined parts, commonly made based of metal.

The invention overcomes at least partially the disadvantages of the known systems and provides a device for infusing a substance to be infused, comprising an infusion chamber for receiving the substance to be infused, the infusion chamber having two parts arranged to be mutually remote to open the brewing chamber or close together to close the brewing chamber by means of displacement means comprising a jack with a piston movable relative to a cylinder body and configured to drive a first two parts.

According to one aspect of the invention, the device is such that the cylinder body comprises an inner chamber, a fitting member projecting into the inner chamber and:

A peripheral guiding surface cooperating with a peripheral guided surface of the piston,

- An inner guide surface formed on the fitting member and cooperating with an inner guided surface of the piston.

In addition, the circumferential guide surface, the peripheral guided surface, the surrounding guide surface and the surrounding surface advantageously have axial symmetry along a central axis of the actuator.

An advantage of this distribution of the guide is that it is possible to reduce the effective guide length and allow, if necessary, a slight non-axial movement (in particular a swiveling) of the piston relative to the body. It is thus possible to compensate for geometrical defects. According to one possibility, the relative position of the two zones cooperating between the piston and the body is variable-they are advantageously close together while the two parts of the chambers are close together-so as to modify the rigor of the linear guidance. According to a preferred aspect of the invention, an inner guide surface is formed on the fitting member to cooperate with an inner guided surface of the piston and the jack is configured so that the length of the zone of cooperation between the surface of the piston Inner guiding and the inner guided surface decreases as the piston drives the first part to the second part. At the end of the piston movement, the length of the cooperation zone tends to zero. At this position the two guide planes comprising the contact points are merged. There is no longer guiding and then allows a swiveling around the point of intersection between the common plane to the two guide planes and the central axis of the cylinder.

A rotational mobility of the piston allows, by its rotation, an application of the bearing surface of the half brewing chamber which is integral with it on the fixed half brewing chamber and thus ensures a good seal of the chamber of infusion vis-à-vis the outside.

It should be noted that the ability to catch geometrical defects makes it possible to envisage a wider range of materials for the constituent elements of the device, such as plastic parts including the modulus of elasticity, the methods of manufacture and the resistance to pressure. induce relatively high tolerance levels especially in comparison with metal parts. The invention, which is less selective in the choice of materials, can best fit into an eco-design approach.

Other features of the invention are set forth below; they can be implemented cumulatively or alternatively:

the peripheral guiding surface is a portion of the peripheral wall of the inner chamber;

the peripheral guided surface comprises at least one seal carried by the peripheral wall of a base of the piston,

the inner guide surface comprises at least one seal carried by a portion of the outer peripheral wall of the fitting member,

the inner guided surface is formed by the peripheral wall of a hollow portion of the piston,

the jack is configured so that the length of the zone of cooperation between the inner guiding surface and the inner guided surface decreases when the piston drives the first part towards the second part,

the jack is configured so that the zone of cooperation between the inner guide surface and the inner guided surface is situated substantially at the same level that the peripheral wall of the base of the piston when the first part is close to the second part so that the brewing chamber is closed,

the peripheral guiding surface is cylindrical,

the inner guide surface is cylindrical.

the first part is mounted exclusively on the piston,

the zone of cooperation and the peripheral wall of the base have substantially the same length when the first part is brought closer to the second part so that the infusion chamber is closed.

The invention also relates to a beverage preparation machine by infusion of a substance to be infused characteristic in that it comprises a device according to the invention.

The accompanying drawings are given by way of example and are not limiting of the invention. They represent only one embodiment of the invention and will make it easy to understand.

Figure 1 shows in cross section a device of the invention according to a preferred embodiment and in a configuration where the brewing chamber is open.

Figure 2 shows a similar view with an infusion chamber configuration being closed.

Figure 3 shows a view similar to the previous ones with a closed infusion chamber.

Figure 4 is an alternative with a slight pivoting movement of the piston of a cylinder to catch games or geometric defects.

The embodiment described below is not limiting of the invention and is placed in the particular case of a device for infusing a substance packaged in a package of the type of coffee grind wrapped in an envelope filter paper. In this example, an infusion chamber 1 is made in the device for receiving the substance to be infused. The chamber 1 is advantageously sealed at the joint plane between two parts 3-4 which compose it so as to avoid any leakage of water through this. It should be noted that other configurations of chamber 1 may fall within the scope of the present invention, in particular for applications to capsules containing ground coffee grounds or other substances to be infused or for different forms of packaging, in particular unsymmetrical .

Comparing FIGS. 1 to 4, it is possible to modify the relative position of two parts 2-3 of an infusion chamber 1. Thus, in FIG. 1, a first portion 2 and a second portion 3 of the infusion chamber 1 are spaced apart leaving a passage for a substance infusion phase or an evacuation phase of an already infused substance. The two parts 2-3 face each other and are likely to be moved closer or closer together. As a preference, this movement achieved by a mobility in translation of one of the parts, the first part 2, of the brewing chamber 1. However, other mobilities or combined mobilities can be implemented without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, while the second part 3 is fixed relative to the rest of the machine in the case of figures, mobility can be affected. Similarly, a single translation movement can be replaced by a combined rototranslation movement.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the displacement means making it possible to bring the two parts 2-3 of the brewing chamber 1 closer and further apart comprise a jack whose body 6 is shown in cooperation with a piston 7 equipped with translational mobility and at the end of which is carried out or mounted the first part of the infusion chamber 1. Advantageously, the movement of the piston 7 is produced by a fluidic control. In the presented context, the jack is of the hydraulic type and comprises a fluidic channel 16 allowing the admission or the evacuation of fluid in an inner chamber 17 at which a fluidic thrust is carried out on the piston 7. The cylinder represented is simple effect and includes return means in the default position of the piston, in retracted position, corresponding to Figure 1. By way of illustration, the return means are made in the form of a spring 10 surrounding an outer peripheral wall of a part of the piston 7.

The jack 6 carrying the first part 2 of the brewing chamber 1 and the second part 3 are advantageously mounted in a peripheral frame 5 here presented in the form of a belt-shaped element able to take up the thrust forces of the jack and, for all that, to provide an access surface through the upper part and the lower part of the infusion chamber 1.

Note that all or part of these parts can be made of high mechanical characteristic technical plastic reinforced by fibers of the fiberglass type, keviar fiber, carbon fiber, or other reinforcement. By way of example, they may be made of a polyphthalamide-type contact-approved polymer reinforced with glass or carbon fibers or else with a polysulfone reinforced with glass or carbon fibers. A drink outlet 4 is shown on the side of the second part 3 of the brewing chamber and corresponds to the evacuation of the substance extract to be infused when a flow of water (not shown) has passed through the infusion chamber 1 while a substance to infuse was present.

To achieve an operating phase in which the infusion can be performed, the infusion chamber 1 must go from an open configuration as in Figure 1 to a closed configuration as in Figures 3 and 4.

For this purpose, the piston of the jack is controlled so as to effect a translational movement in the direction of approximation of the two parts 2-3 of the brewing chamber 1.

According to the invention, this translational movement is specifically guided. Advantageously, the translational guidance of the piston 7 is formed at two distinct zones, namely a peripheral zone and an inner zone.

More precisely, in the frame presented, the body of the jack 6 has an inner chamber 17 delimited by a peripheral wall, advantageously of cylindrical shape and of circular section, providing a peripheral guiding surface 21. A portion of the piston 7 cooperates with the peripheral guide surface 21. Preferably, this portion is a peripheral portion of a base 8 of the piston 7 and more precisely at least one seal 9, which may be an elastomer projecting slightly from the surface of the peripheral portion of the base 8 towards the chamber 7. The diametral clearance installed between the outer surface of the base 8 of the piston and the chamber 7 prevents the contact of the two parts outside the contact on the seal 9. The sets and dimensions are chosen according to the desired swiveling amplitude. It will be noted, for example in Figure 2, that the peripheral portion of the base 8 forms a peripheral guided surface 20 moving along the peripheral guide surface 21 by contact of the seal 9.

In addition to this first zone of peripheral cooperation, advantageously forms a cooperation between the piston 7 and the body 6 of the cylinder towards the interior of the chamber 17. Thus, a fitting member 14 forming part of the body of the jack 6 or being integrally attached projecting inside the volume of the inner chamber 17. The case shown shows a fitting member 14 forming an inner guide surface 19 on its outer peripheral wall and cooperating with a female portion of the piston 7 made by a hollow portion 13 in the internal volume of the piston 7. Still preferably, the cooperation between the inner guide surface and the inner guided surface 18 formed by the hollow portion 13 is cylinder on cylinder, with a section circular. It is advantageous to be able to modify the configuration of the guidance during the operating phases of the device. For this purpose, an inner guiding surface is formed which cooperates in a variable manner with the inner guided surface 18. More specifically, the zone cooperating between these two surfaces 18-19 has a length which decreases when the part 2 is brought closer to Part 3 of the brewing chamber 1. For example, in FIG. 1, the surface 18 is entirely applied to the surface 19. In FIG. 2 the piston 7 has begun its forward translation and the cooperating zone between the surfaces 18 and 19 no longer represents substantially only half of the length of the fitting member 14. In the closed position of Figures 3 and 4, the length of the cooperating zone at the surfaces 18-19 is minimal. In this way, at the beginning of the movement of the piston 7, the linear guidance is accentuated. In contrast, near the closing phase of the infusion chamber 1, the guide length is minimal which increases the relative movement capabilities between the piston 7 and the body 6 of the cylinder, particularly for allow slight adjustments and catch-ups of geometric defects. This possibility is illustrated by a slight pivot of the piston 7 visible in FIG. 4 relative to the case of FIG.

The cylinder of the device of the invention ensures the displacement in translation of the piston 7 in a direction defined by the central axis 25 marked in Figure 4. Note that the fitting member 14 is placed on this axis. In addition, the set of guiding and guided surfaces, inner and peripheral, have the central axis 25 as axis of symmetry. Thus, these surfaces define two zones, peripheral and internal, of the same central axis. In cross-section, the profiles of these cooperation zones thus define two closed curves, advantageously circular, of the same center. The cavity of the part 2 participating in forming the infusion chamber 1 is also preferentially also symmetrical along the axis 25.

In addition to the variation in the length of co-operating zones between the inner guided surfaces 18 and the inner guide surface 19, it is advantageous to play on the position of the co-operating zone between the peripheral guided surface 20 and the peripheral guide surface 21. Thus, when the zone co-operating at this level is set back in the body of the jack 6, as is the case in FIG. 1, the guidance already produced by the surfaces 18-19 is accentuated by that between the surfaces 20-21. . In contrast, in the case of FIGS. 3 and 4, the peripheral guiding surface 20 is brought, in the longitudinal direction of the jack, to a closer position and advantageously substantially at the same level as the cooperating zone of the inner guided surfaces. 18 and inner guide surface 19. Figure 3 indicates, by a thin vertical line, the realization of such an alignment. By bringing together cooperating regions of the piston 7 and the body 6 of the periphery and the inside of the cylinder, the possibility of a slight rotational movement of the piston 7 is favored. FIG. 4 shows, by two fine lines, a swiveling while the surfaces inside / outside guide are at the same level.

As a result of these features, the actual evolution between different piston guide configurations has been achieved. During the approach phase of the first part, a long guide is produced and avoids any game in translation. In this phase, the cylinder is advantageously subjected to a relatively low pressure which does not cause deformation of the components during the docking of the first part 2 on the second part 3. Then, we can produce a stronger thrust on the piston to achieve a perfect seal of the brewing chamber. In this phase, the authorized swiveling is advantageous because it allows to use higher hydraulic pressures to control the cylinder without risking parts breakage that could occur if the piston could not adapt in position by swiveling.

Preferably, a seal 9 is housed at the peripheral guided surface 20 so as to seal as well as at the inner guide surface where a pair of seals 24 is also shown. The pair of seals 24 can be replaced by a single annular seal but with a lower clearance without contact. The use of two seals positioned on either side equidistant from the mean plane of the annular seal installed on the large diameter of the piston when the infusion chamber is closed allows the absorption of greater deformation.

In general, annular scraper seals made of elastomer are usable.

A seal 15 behind the first part of the infusion chamber 1 ensures the tightness to the infusion liquid behind the infusion chamber 1.

For preference, the piston 7 is made of several elements. Thus, the illustrated possibility shows the formation of a first element 1 1 realizing the distal portion of the piston at which the first part 2 of the infusion chamber 1 is formed. Around the first element 1 1, the spring 10 is mounted between a fixed surface relative to the peripheral frame 5 and a ring installed on this part 1 1. The latter is advantageously carried by a second element 12 constituting the piston 7. This second element here forms the entirety of the suface of the piston 7 cooperating with the cylinder body 6. Thus, the second element 1 1 comprises a radial portion forming the base 8 and a longitudinal portion forming the guided surface 18. The two parts are advantageously assembled at the base 8, by clipping in a slight recess in the base 8.

For reasons of embodiment by injection of plastic material facilitated by a conservation of the average thickness of all the walls, the first element 1 1 may be perforated on the non-functional parts as far as its contact surface with the second parts 12 is large enough to withstand the efforts without generating unacceptable constraints by the material that would cause its rupture.

As indicated above, the device according to the invention comprises a jack such that the translational guidance of its piston is improved. In an advantageous case, this allows a slight swiveling movement of the piston 7 as is the case of the illustration of FIG. 4. Thus, if the relative alignment of the parts 2 and 3 of the infusion chamber 1 n is not perfect, it can be compensated by the cylinder. Note that it also advantageously provides a slight relative relative movement between the cylinder body 6 and the peripheral frame 5 in particular at a recess 23 formed at the rear of the cylinder body 6 cooperating with a slot of the formed belt 5. The slight relative mobility between these parts significantly increases the ability to produce this portion of an infusion machine for beverage preparation with optimized manufacturing methods and better selected materials.

REFERENCES

1. Infusion chamber

2. First part

3. Second part

4. Beverage outlet

5. Peripheral chassis

6. Cylinder body

7. Piston

8. Base

9. Joint

10. Spring

1 1. First element

12. Second element

13. Hollow portion

14. Pressing member

15. Joint

16. Fluidic channel

17. Interior room

18. Inside Guided Surface

19. Inner guide surface

20. Guided peripheral surface

21. Peripheral guidance surface

22. Cooperation area

23. Withdrawal

24. Joint

25. Central axis

Claims

1. Device for infusing a substance to infuse, comprising an infusion chamber (1) for receiving the substance to be infused, the infusion chamber (1) having two parts arranged to be mutually distant to open the chamber infusion (1) or close together to close the infusion chamber (1) by means of displacement comprising a jack with a piston (7) movable relative to a cylinder body (6) and configured to cause a first of both parties,

characterized in that the cylinder body (6) has an inner chamber (17), a fitting member (14) projecting into the inner chamber (17) and:

a peripheral guiding surface (21) cooperating with a peripheral guided surface (20) of the piston (7),

an inner guide surface (19) formed on the fitting member (14) and cooperating with an inner guided surface (18) of the piston (7), and further characterized in that the peripheral guide surface (21) ), the peripheral guided surface (20), the inner guide surface (19) and the inner guided surface (18) have axial symmetry along a central axis (25) of the cylinder,

the jack is configured so that the length of the cooperation zone (22) between the inner guide surface (1 9) and the inner guided surface (18) decreases when the piston drives the first part (2) towards the second part (3).

2. Device according to the preceding claim wherein the peripheral guide surface (21) is a portion of the peripheral wall of the inner chamber (17).

3. Device according to the preceding claim wherein the peripheral guided surface (20) comprises at least one seal (9) carried by the peripheral wall of a base (8) of the piston (7).

4. Device according to the preceding claim wherein the jack is configured so that the cooperation zone (22) between the inner guide surface (19) and the inner guided surface (18) is located substantially at the same level as the peripheral wall of the base (8) of the piston (7) when the first part (2) is brought closer to the second part (3) so that the infusion chamber (1) is closed.

5. Device according to the preceding claim wherein the cooperation zone and the peripheral wall of the base have substantially the same length when the first part is brought closer to the second part so that the infusion chamber is closed.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the inner guide surface (19) comprises at least one seal (24) carried by a portion of the outer peripheral wall of the fitting member (14).

7. Device according to the preceding claim wherein the inner guided surface (18) is formed by the peripheral wall of a hollow portion (13) of the piston (7).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the peripheral guide surface (21) is cylindrical.

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the inner guided surface (18) is cylindrical.

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the first portion (2) is mounted exclusively on the piston (7).

1 1. Device according to one of the preceding claims comprising hydraulic control means of the jack configured to exert a hydraulic pressure, when the first portion (2) is close to the second portion (3), greater than the hydraulic pressure exerted during the movement of reconciliation.

12. Machine for preparing drinks by infusion of a substance to be infused comprising a device according to one of the preceding claims.