Patent Application
20100236418
In the field of automatic preparation and dispensing of espresso coffee.
Known apparatuses are described for example in EP-A 0 154 206 and in EP-A 1 306 041.
As is known, espresso coffee is prepared by forcing hot water, normally at a temperature of between 88° C. and 95° C., to pass through a layer of ground coffee, which will be indicated hereinafter as powdered product or simply as coffee powder.
In order to carry out the process of preparing the beverage, the chamber, containing the powdered product, must be hermetically sealed to allow the pressurisation of the water which has to pass through the layer of powder and, consequently, one of the characteristic technical problems which face the designer of a coffee machine is that of ensuring adequate and reliable closure of the chamber in which the process of preparation of the beverage takes place.
The spread of espresso coffee machines in the world has led to diversification of the types of this beverage which have been influenced by the taste and tradition of the various countries.
Therefore, the quantity of coffee powder used and the volume of the beverage dispensed into the cup may be very varied. For example, to prepare a “ristretto” espresso of the Mediterranean type of 15 ccm, an average of 6 grams of ground coffee are used, whereas to prepare a dose of coffee of 120-150 ccm as consumed in Northern Europe up to 18 grams of ground coffee may be required.
However, since the pressure at which the water is forced through the coffee powder and the extraction time for the beverage should remain as constantly as possible at the ideal nominal value respectively of 9 bar and 25 seconds, the optimisation of the process of preparation of the beverage in all situations comprised between the two extremes of doses indicated above, involves the adaptation of the fineness of grinding, and of the volume and the diameter of the infusion chamber.
The dimensions of the diameter of these chambers, generally cylindrical in shape vary, according to the type of coffee, between 35 mm and 50 mm.
This means that with a pressure of 9 bar there may be, on the members which effect the closure of the infusion chamber, forces of between 880 and 1800 N in the direction of their axis.
In the dispensing devices of modern automatic type coffee machines which are normally actuated by electric motors, the movements of opening and closing of the infusion chamber are devised in such a way as to prevent the reversibility of the movement under the action of the force resulting from the pressure exerted by the water during the preparation of the beverage.
Normally, the prior art seeks to obtain this result through stops of a mechanical type in order to avoid maintaining under stress the motors of the actuating means which would otherwise have to be over-sized in order to withstand prolonged and heavy service.
In order to obtain a good quality dispensed beverage it is also necessary that, before being subjected to the thrust of the pressurised water, the coffee powder is adequately compacted inside the infusion chamber in such a way as to form a firm layer which has a homogeneous resistance to the water, which should pass through it without forming preferred paths.
However, it is desirable that the force with which the dose of coffee powder is compressed is not too great, otherwise there is a risk of forming a layer so compacted that it forms a barrier to the water.
Normally, a force is selected which is such as to provide a pressure of around 0.15 MPa on the member arranged to effect the compression of the dose of powder.
Moreover, in order to obtain correct extraction of the aromatic substances typical of the beverage, the grains of ground coffee should absorb the water which is forced to pass through them and they should be able to increase in volume.
For this it is necessary that the member which effects the compaction, which is generally formed by the same piston which performs the function of closing the infusion chamber, once compaction is completed should be able to retract by an amount sufficient to permit the expansion of the firm layer of ground coffee.
According to the prior art, described for example in EP-A-1 800 574, the dispensing units are provided with infusion chambers in which the operating volume is determined when the piston is in the closure position with the connecting rod and crank in alignment. With such technology the chamber may contain at maximum a certain quantity of ground coffee which depends on the diameter of the chamber and on the dimensions of the means for moving the piston, i.e. of the connecting rod and crank. The compressive force exerted on the dose of coffee powder loaded into the chamber is provided by the resilient force of a spring interposed between the end of the connecting rod and its point of connection to the piston.
Since the resilient force possessed by such a spring is less than the force generated by the pressurised water when it is admitted into the chamber, the piston rises up and allows the ground coffee to absorb the water and to expand.
Document EP-A-1 306 041 discloses a movement device for infusion dispenser assemblies, particularly for espresso coffee machines, which comprises a dispenser body that forms an infusion chamber and is supported by a supporting frame, a lower piston or dispensing piston being movable in said infusion chamber, an upper piston or infusion piston being insertable in said infusion chamber, and means for actuating said lower piston which are suitable to guide positively the translational motion of said lower piston during the upward or expulsion stroke and during the descent or return stroke.
Once dispensing of the beverage is completed, the flow of pressurised water is stopped and the residual water must be eliminated from the chamber and the exhausted grounds expelled. Generally, the residual water is eliminated by placing the chamber in communication with a discharge line while the resilient means itself which, once the thrust of the pressure has ceased, returns to compact the grounds and presses out the water. When sufficient time has elapsed to obtain adequate drying of the grounds, they are then expelled in order to prepare the chamber for any new dispensing. This type of dispensing unit, designed so as to effect the loading and closure of the chamber during the first half turn of the crank so as to carry out dispensing at bottom dead centre, are designed so as to perform the expulsion movements by advancing the crank beyond bottom dead centre in order to execute a complete revolution which brings the mechanism back into the initial state, ready to carry out a fresh cycle.
Although this is quite an efficient technique, it is however not devoid of drawbacks in the case where it is desired to increase the dose of ground coffee to be inserted into the infusion chamber. In that case it is necessary either to modify the diameter of the chamber or make it much longer, increasing the stroke of the piston, which solution entails the modification of the length of the connecting rod and of the crank.
The Applicant has observed that, when it is wished to produce a machine which, based on the above-mentioned technology, enables different types of coffee to be dispensed by using doses of powdered product of between 6 and 18 grams, once the cross-section of the infusion chamber is established it becomes necessary to make its length such as to contain the product up to the maximum quantity by adjusting the stroke of the connecting rod and crank.
However, operating in this way it is possible to obtain the alignment of the connecting rod with the crank, in such a way as to maintain the axially aligned thrusts and avoid the occurrence of torque on the drive shaft which must be overcome by the motor itself in order to keep the chamber closed, only when the minimum quantity of ground product is used and the piston is in the position in which it is inserted farthest into the cylindrical chamber and positioned in proximity to the bottom thereof. For all other doses the rotational point of connection between the connecting rod and the crank must stop before bottom dead centre along the path of the connecting rod head.
With such positioning, the admission of the pressurised water into the chamber causes a torque to be produced on the drive shaft and, to compensate the torque, it is necessary to adopt particular technical solutions.
One of these solutions, for example, provides that the motor must be excited in such a way as to apply a greater counter torque in order to ensure the closure of the infusion chamber by the piston.
This solution, however, would require the use of an expensive high torque reduction motor capable of resisting with the motor locked for the entire time of preparation of the beverage without exceeding the admissible heating up limit.
Moreover, with the aforesaid constructional solution, the layer of compressed coffee powder would be prevented from swelling up and therefore from correctly absorbing the water, since the motor would have to exert a torque such as to ensure that the connecting rod reacted with a force greater than that generated by the pressure of the water continuing to compress the layer of coffee powder.
Finally, the fact of using a volume of coffee powder such as to prevent the connecting rod from reaching bottom dead centre raises the problem of how to be able to act on the device for expelling the quantity of exhausted powder from the infusion chamber once the preparation of the beverage is completed.
For example, under these conditions the technical solution illustrated in EP-A-1 306 041 would not be longer practicable.
A main aim of the present invention is to propose an apparatus capable of dispensing coffee in doses having different volumes, by using an infusion chamber with fixed diameter and varying its volume via the different positioning and stopping of the piston for closure of the chamber, but overcoming the drawbacks mentioned above and encountered in the apparatuses of known type.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for the preparation and dispensing of doses, in selectable variable volumes, of infusions, particularly of coffee, by means of pressurised water, comprising an infusion chamber provided with a closed end and an opposed open end, a piston with an end axially insertable into said infusion chamber via said open end and removable therefrom, a water feeding element for feeding a predetermined quantity of pressurised water into said chamber and opening into the chamber in the zone comprised between the end of the piston inserted into the chamber and the closed end of the chamber, and a powdered product feeding device for feeding into said infusion chamber a predetermined quantity of powdered product from which to form the infusion in an amount proportional to a volume selected for the dose of infusion to be prepared. The apparatus further comprises displacement elements for displacing said infusion chamber between the position in which a defined quantity of powdered coffee is introduced and the position in which said piston is inserted and withdrawn via said open end and vice versa, a resilient element for compressing said quantity of powdered product to a defined compression value, a drive device for actuating the piston within the infusion chamber and outside it, guide elements for the piston. The drive device comprises an electric motor and a connecting rod-and-crank mechanism in which a crank is connected to a rotation shaft of the motor and a connecting rod is connected between an end of the crank and the end of the piston which remains outside said infusion chamber. A control unit for controlling the drive device and the water feeding element for feeding pressurised water into said infusion chamber is provided. The motor comprised in the drive device is reversible in its direction of rotation. The connecting rod comprises a first member extending predominantly longitudinally and a second member extending predominantly longitudinally, the first and second members being at least partly superposed on each other, said members being able to slide along their length for a defined distance in opposition to the resilient element interposed between them, the first member having a first end connected by a hinge to said piston and the second member having a first end connected by a hinge to said crank. Locking devices are provided for detachably connecting said first member of the connecting rod to a point outside the apparatus when said first and second members are in angular positions not aligned axially with said crank.
The apparatus comprises an expulsion device for expelling from said infusion chamber the quantity of exhausted product used for the infusion at the end of preparation thereof.
The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the appended drawings, in which:
With reference to the aforesaid Figures, reference 1 indicates generally a wall of the containment frame of the apparatus. The latter comprises a cylinder 2, of which the internal chamber 3 constitutes the infusion chamber in which the beverage, in particular coffee, is prepared. Preferably, the infusion chamber has a cylindrical shape with circular cross-section.
The cylinder 2 has an open end 4 and a closed bottom 5, the latter being provided with an opening for the passage of the means for expelling the layer of exhausted coffee powder, as will be illustrated in detail hereinafter.
The discharge of the beverage, once it has been prepared, takes place via a conventional opening 3a, openable and closable, of the infusion chamber 3.
Inside the cylinder 2 are positioned a conventional filter 6 and a small plate 7, likewise conventional, forming part of the device for expelling the exhausted product at the end of preparation of the beverage, which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
Through the open end 4, in the course of preparation of the beverage, as will become clearer hereinafter, a piston 8 is introduced which is provided with a sealing gasket 9 placed in proximity to its end 10.
The piston 8 is fixed to the end 11 of a connecting rod, indicated as a whole by 12, by means of a hinged connection represented by the pin 13.
The piston 8 is provided in a conventional manner with an inner axial channel 8a which starts from a water feeding element, comprising a connector 14, and leads to an opening 8b, at the end 10 as indicated in
Through the connector 14, pressurised water is fed in, generally at a defined temperature, for the preparation of the beverage when the piston 8 is located within the cylinder 2 and therefore the infusion chamber 3 is sealed closed by means of the gasket 9.
For the preparation of the beverage, before the infusion chamber 3 is closed, a defined dose of powdered product, particularly ground coffee, is introduced into the chamber by means of a powdered product feeding device.
The powdered product can be introduced in a conventional manner, for example by means of a grinding and dosing device comprising a hopper 15 for loading the coffee beans and a volute 16, actuated by an electric motor 17, which feeds a dose of product to a chute 18 opening into the cylinder 2.
The cylinder 2 which, for the loading of a dose of ground coffee, at the beginning of a cycle of preparation of the beverage, is located in a position underneath the chute 18, as shown in
For the opening and closing of the infusion chamber 3 and therefore for inserting the piston 8 into, and withdrawing it from, the cylinder 2, a drive device is provided which comprises an electric motor 19, keyed onto the shaft 20 of a crank 21 and the connecting rod 12.
For the same purpose, conventional guide elements are also provided, comprising, for example, a groove 22, provided in the wall 1 of the frame of the apparatus and in the shape of a cam, in which slidingly engages the pin 13 with which the connecting rod 12 is connected to the piston 8.
To effect the angular displacement of the cylinder 2 from the position beneath the chute 18 to the position for operating the piston 8 and vice versa, the bottom wall 5 of the cylinder 2 is connected to a support plate 5b which is keyed onto the shaft 20 and pivotal about the latter. The movement is effected by means of known conventional mechanisms.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the piston 8 is inserted inside the cylinder 2, positioning it at different distances from the filter 6 or, more generally, from the bottom 5, so as to form infusion chambers 3 of different volume according to the type of beverage it is desired to prepare, espresso coffee of the Mediterranean type or American type coffee, and therefore depending on the quantity of powdered product measured out and loaded via the chute 18.
The positioning of the piston 8 is determined by the control unit (CPU) 23 which imparts the necessary motion to the electric motor 19 and consequent arrest. The motor 19, for reasons which will become clear from the continuation of the description, is of the type with reversible direction of rotation.
According to a main aspect of the present invention, the connecting rod has a variable longitudinal length.
With particular reference to
The member 25 is further provided with longitudinal slots 28 and 29 in which engages, with freedom to slide, the shank of respective screws 30, 31 fixed to the underlying first member 24 in corresponding holes 32, 33.
In particular, the axial length of the slots 28 and 29 determines the amount of slide of one member relative to the other, and therefore the elongation and shortening of the connecting rod 12 as a whole.
The member 25 is further provided at its end 34 with a circular hole 35 with which that end is keyed in such a way as to be able to rotate at the end 36 of the crank 21 by means of a pin 37.
The first longitudinal member 24, at its end 38, is provided with a slot 39 by means of which it is connected so as to be able to rotate but also with the possibility of translation in the direction of the axis X-X, on the same pin 37 of the crank 21 on which the end 34 of the second longitudinal member 25 is connected.
The same member 24 is provided with a position sensor 40, mounted on a lateral tongue 41, intended to collaborate with a locating means 42, integral with the second member 25 fixed thereto at its end 43.
The latter is connected by means of a resilient element, preferably a spring 44, for example a coil spring, to the first member 24. The spring 44 is hooked by one of its ends into the hole 45 of a lug 46 of the member 25 and, by the other end, into the hole 47 of the member 24 so as to exert traction between them.
In the preferred exemplary embodiment illustrated, the position sensor 40 comprises an optical device 48 into which is slidingly inserted the locating means 42 integral with the member 25. The spring 44 exerts a tension between the members 24 and 25 such that, in the rest state as illustrated in
The end 38 of the first member 24 is provided with at least one tooth 49, in the embodiment shown in
The apparatus described above with reference to the Figures cited makes possible to carry out the preparation of beverages, in particular coffee-based beverages, with different volumes.
To this end, after loading the necessary quantity of powdered product into the cylinder 2, the latter is displaced angularly until it assumes a position in axis with the direction of reciprocating movement of the piston 8.
At this point, the piston 8 is commanded to enter the cylinder 2 itself until it meets the powdered product and to continue its insertion by as much travel as is necessary only to effect the compacting of the powdered material.
The compression of the material takes place as a result of the relative movement which occurs between the first member 24 and the second member 25 of the connecting rod 12 in opposition to the force of the spring 44, with the consequent movement of the locating member 42 away from the optical sensor 48.
For a given force of the spring 44, and therefore for a given pressure to be exerted on the coffee powder, the disengagement of the member 42 out of the optical sensor 48 causes a signal to be emitted to the control unit 23 which proceeds to stop the motor 19 which had been moving in a first direction of rotation, for example, in the case illustrated, in an anticlockwise direction.
The infusion chamber 3 is closed by the piston 8 with the formation of a corresponding defined chamber volume suitable for the type of beverage to be prepared.
At this point, with the motor 19 kept inactive, the control unit 23 effects the admission of the pressurised water at the conventional temperature necessary for the beverage being prepared. The pressurised water reaches the inside of the infusion chamber 3 via the connector 14 of the piston 8 and the inner channel 8a which traverses the latter axially.
The admission of the pressurised water initially causes lifting of the piston 8 relative to the bottom 5 of the cylinder 2 with the consequent axial displacement of the first member 24 of the connecting rod 12 which can slide with respect to the second member 25, connected to the pin 37 of the crank, thereby gradually increasing the traction of the spring 44 until the tooth 49 engages with an upstanding zone of the toothed sector 50, as illustrated in
The engagement between the at least one tooth 49 and the sector 50 effects the axial locking of the member 24 of the connecting rod 12 in the angular position which it has reached. The further action exerted by the pressurised water inside the infusion chamber 3 on the piston 8, although it gives rise to the formation of a torque with respect to the axis of rotation 20 of the motor, does not need to be opposed by a counter torque exerted by the motor 19 in order to remain at a standstill in equilibrium since the torque is discharged onto the structure 1 of the apparatus as a consequence of the coupling between the tooth 49 and the toothed sector 50.
At the end of preparation of the beverage which, in the meantime, has been dispensed via the opening 3a of the infusion chamber 3, the admission of the pressurised water ceases and the chamber 3 is emptied of the residual water.
Since the connecting rod 12 is prevented from continuing its travel by the volume of exhausted powder present in the chamber, the thrust on the piston 8 decreases. The spring 44 therefore causes the first member 24 of the connecting rod 12 to be lowered, with the consequent disengagement of the tooth 49 from the toothed sector 50 and squeezing of the exhausted grounds present in the chamber 3.
Since the movement of both the member 24 and the crank 21 is now freed, the motor 19 is actuated in the opposite direction of rotation, causing the piston 8 to be lifted within the cylinder 2 until it is completely withdrawn via the opening 4.
The reversal of the direction of rotation of the motor 19 is commanded by a control unit 23, which has received consent for this from the signal which has come from the optical sensor 48 which has again been engaged by the member 42.
The end 53, outside the cylinder 2, is hinged at the vertex 54a of a substantially triangular plate 54 which, at the other vertex 54b, is provided with a sliding device, preferably a roller 55. In the present embodiment, the triangular plate 54 and the roller 55 provide engaging elements.
Provided at the third vertex 54c of the triangular plate 54 is the hinged connection to the mechanisms, not illustrated since they are known and conventional, intended to impart the pivoting movement to the cylinder 2 via the support plate 5b connected to the bottom 5 of the cylinder itself.
The roller 55 engages in a cam path borne by a disc 56. The disc 56 is keyed onto the axis 20 of the motor 19 and is therefore rotatable in both directions of rotation together with the motor 19 itself.
The cam path comprises a first curved section, indicated by the arrow F, constituted by a groove formed in the outer circular wall 57 of the disc 56 and by the curved edge 58 of a beak-shaped member 59 mounted on the disc 56.
The beak-shaped member 59 is mounted to pivot about a pin 60, borne by the disc 56, and which engages in the hole 61. The member 59 is pushed by a spring 62 towards the wall 57 of the disc 56, with resilient pivoting about the pin 60, so as to obstruct, with the point 63, the path indicated by the arrow E, as indicated in
During the rotation of the disc 56 in an anticlockwise direction, the roller 55 is initially forced to travel over the section of cam indicated by the arrow E, pressing the edge 58 of the beak-shaped member 59 and, overcoming the resilient force of the spring 62, the gap opens for passing over the end 63 of the member 59.
With the reversal of the direction of rotation of the disc 56, the roller 55, after travelling over the cam section indicated by the arrow F, reaches the position illustrated in
The lifting of the plate 7 at the end of the dispensing of the beverage causes the emergence of the layer 7a of exhausted coffee powder from the cylinder 2, as indicated in
The thrust towards the outside is brought about by the layer meeting a scraper 18a borne by the chute 18.
The layer 7a descends along a chute 2a integral with the cylinder 2.
With reference to
The position K is that in which the roller 55 stops in the case of a minimum dose of powdered material, while the position J corresponds to the maximum dose.
Once the roller 55 has passed over the end 63 of the member 59, the latter, pushed by the action of the spring 62, closes the passage towards the path of the arrow E. Therefore, when the direction of rotation of the motor 19 and of the disc 56 is reversed, the roller 55 is prevented from entering therein and is deflected along the path indicated by the arrows F and F1.
The path indicated by the arrow F is formed by the edge 64 of the member 59, opposite to the edge 58, together with the opposed shaped wall 65 of the disc 56. In this section F the reaction of the roller 55 against the edge 64 transmits to the member 54 the upward thrust movement of the stem 52 and, at the end of the path F, when the roller 55 arrives at the pin 60, the layer 7a is outside the chamber 3 of the cylinder 2.
When the expulsion of the layer 7a from the cylinder 2 is completed, the angular displacement of the cylinder 2 itself takes place in a clockwise direction, determined, in a known manner, by the support plate 5b integral with the bottom 5, while the roller 55 continues its travel in the section of the path indicated by the arrow F1 and, reacting against the wall 66, transmits to the member 54 the movement which causes the lowering of the stem 52 and the positioning of the plate 7 within the cylinder 2 itself as far as the bottom 5 of the latter, restoring the initial conditions for further beverage dispensing.
After reaching the end of the cam path indicated by the arrow F1, the roller 55 is located at the start of the cam path indicated by the arrow E, ready to carry out another cycle.
The expulsion device for expelling the exhausted powder according to a preferred embodiment of the invention makes possible to carry out the expulsion in all those cases in which the closure of the cylinder and the formation of the infusion chamber is effected by a drive device which reverses their direction of actuation in the opening of the infusion chamber relative to that of closure.
It is to be understood that the dimensions and also the materials may be any, also depending on requirements, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as described above and claimed hereinafter.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09425110.5 | Mar 2009 | EP | regional |
