SOYMILK MACHINE COMPRISING THE SAME

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for separating testas and embryos of beans and to a soymilk machine containing such a device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Soymilk contains many high quality proteins, vitamins, amino acids and trace elements and thus has a very high nutritional value, making it an ideal health food. As food safety problems are on the increase nowadays and people's consciousness of a healthy green lifestyle has grown gradually, people often choose homemade soymilk for hygiene and safety

considerations. The demand for soymilk machines has caused the market for domestic soymilk machines to grow rapidly.

Existing soymilk machines mostly grind beans without separating testas and embryos of beans. Bean dregs in the raw pulp are filtered out manually using a filter screen and a cup. Such soymilk machines have many shortcomings. In one aspect, the bean dregs increase and filtering can be laborious and time-consuming. In another aspect, there is still some testas residue in the finally obtained soymilk, even after filtering, which will affect the taste of the soymilk. Experiments show that if the beans are ground after removing testas, more nutrients in the bean embryos will be preserved in the finally prepared soymilk. In a further aspect, another problem with the existing soymilk machine is that filtering is performed manually using a filter screen and a cup, which is laborious and inconvenient. Besides, the filter screen and the cup occupy some space and have to be stored and maintained, which is inconvenient.

US patent No. 3288614 discloses a process to make soymilk, which includes the following steps: crushing an amount of soybeans whose moisture content is about 10%-14% by weight; winnowing the crushed beans in order to remove the hulls, wherein the crushed beans, after removing the hulls, are called flakes and are still in unwetted state; adding water to the final flakes and preparing pulp from them; cooking the pulp under pressure for a period of time; homogenizing the cooked pulp under high pressure; removing fine particles in the pulp by centrifugal filtering; and finally, adding some ingredients to obtain an extracted fluid and completing the soymilk making process.

The method proposed in US3288614 is to crush the beans before peeling them by winnowing the crushed beans. Such a method is suitable in industrial processes but not easy to use in domestic apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for separating testas and embryos of beans.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a device that can separate testas and embryos of beans. This device includes a housing, a container installed in the housing and a machine head installed above the container and/or the housing. The device further includes a separation unit located in the container. The separation unit has an outlet and an inlet. The outlet and the inlet are configured such that: after the beans are soaked and testas and embryos of the beans are separated by stirring using a stirrer and a water flow, the separated testas enter into the separation unit through the inlet and are then discharged through the outlet by said floating and said water flow.

The device of the present invention has the following benefits: because the device of the present invention includes a separation unit located in the container, the testas separated from the embryos after soaking and stirring can easily be discharged through the separation unit. It is convenient for domestic use. The total amount of bean dregs is relatively small; therefore, filtering involves less time and labor. Furthermore, testas are almost never present in the finally obtained soymilk, so the taste of the soymilk can be improved and a higher percentage of nutrients in the embryos will be preserved in the finally obtained soymilk.

According to another aspect of the device of the present invention, the height of the inlet is higher than that of the outlet. Because the density of the testas is lower than or close to that of water and the density of the embryos is higher than that of water, the testas generally float at the upper part of the container while embryos sink to the bottom of the container.

According to an aspect of the device of the present invention, the separation unit is provided at an inner side wall of the container and the outlet is provided at the bottom wall of the container.

According to an aspect of the device of the present invention, the inlet is provided with an openable first seal. By means of the first seal, the inlet is closed during a process of separating testas from embryos aided by stirring using the stirrer and a water flow, and the inlet will be open when the testas are discharged. In this way, it can prevent embryos from being discharged from the separation unit during the process of separating testas and embryos. The opening and/or closing of the first seal can be performed by means of a mechanical transmission mechanism driven by a separate drive motor or manually by means of a popup pin, or by means of an electromagnetic drive mechanism.

According to still another aspect of the device of the present invention, the device also includes a pumping system that supplies water to the container. The pumping system is in communication with a water tank at one end and is connected to the container at the other end. The pumping is effected by a pump. Said pumping can facilitate the process of separating testas from embryos and the subsequent process of discharging testas from the separation, thus making these processes smoother and more effective.

According to a further aspect of the device of the present invention, the device further includes a collecting filter located outside and below the container and above the water tank. The collecting filter is used to filter out and collect the testas discharged from the outlet, and directs water flowing from the collecting filter to the water tank in order to be recycled. Alternatively, the device further includes a collecting filter located outside and below the container to filter and collect testas discharged from the outlet.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a soymilk machine, which includes the above described device separating testas from embryos. In this soymilk machine, after discharging the testas, the embryos are ground by high speed rotation of the stirrer to prepare soymilk.

According to an aspect of the soymilk machine of the present invention, the soymilk machine further includes a pulp outlet unit disposed at the bottom wall of the container, which outlet is used to allow raw pulp to flow out of said container.. The pulp outlet unit includes a pulp outlet and an openable second seal. By means of the second seal, the pulp outlet is closed during the process of separating testas from embryos aided by stirring using the stirrer and a water flow, and when testas are discharged, and the pulp outlet will be open when discharging raw pulp from the container. The opening and/or closing of the second seal can be performed by means of a mechanical transmission mechanism driven by a separate drive motor, or manually by means of a popup pin, or by means of an electromagnetic drive mechanism.

According to another aspect of the soymilk machine of the present invention, the soymilk machine further includes a collecting filter located outside and below the container. The collecting filter can rotate between two operating positions. When it is rotated to the first operating position, the outlet of the separation unit is aligned so as to filter and collect testas discharged from the outlet. When it is rotated to the second operating position, the pulp outlet is aligned so as to filter the raw pulp and collect bean dregs. The soymilk machine further includes a cup located below the second operating position and which is aligned with the outlet of the collecting filter to receive the prepared soymilk.

In this way, both the filter screen and the cup that should be stored separately can be dispensed with, and manual filtering of bean dregs is superfluous. The soymilk machine of the present invention is faster and easier to use. Moreover, the filter screen and the cup placed integrally do not need extra storage space, so that this entire part of the soymilk machine is compact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Detailed descriptions of embodiments of the soymilk machine of the present invention will be given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. By providing a detailed description of the soymilk machine, the device separating testas from the embryos of beans also becomes clear. It will be appreciated that the description does not in any way limit the present invention. In the drawings:

Figs.la-lc are schematic views showing a simplified functional structure of the soymilk machine of the present invention, wherein Fig. la shows the state before water is added; Fig. lb shows the situation where the testas are filtered following the separation of the testas and the embryos after water has been added; and Fig. lc shows the situation where pulp is discharged through the outlet. Figs.2a-2b are schematic sectional views showing the upper portion of the soymilk machine of the present invention.

Fig.3 is a schematic view showing part of the stereostructure of the soymilk machine of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Definitions of terms

Low speed rotation refers to rotation with a rotational speed not exceeding about 1 ,000 rpm.

Medium speed rotation refers to rotation with a rotational speed between about

1 ,000-4,000 rpm.

High speed rotation refers to rotation with a rotational speed between about 4,000-20,000 rpm. 15,000 rpm is preferred.

In the process of separating testas from embryos, the stirring action is mainly enhanced by said low speed rotation (preferably 600 rpm); testas are separated from embryos by means of said medium speed rotation (preferably 3800 rpm); pulping is performed by means of the high speed rotation (preferably 15,000 rpm).

Raw pulp refers to a mixture of bean dregs and water obtained after grinding embryos of beans (without testas) at high speed.

Detailed description of the invention.

Reference is made to Fig.1 to Fig.3, which are, respectively, a schematic view of the functional structure, a schematic sectional view of the upper portion and a schematic view of part of the stereostructure of the soymilk machine 100 of the present invention.

According to the present invention, the soymilk machine 100 includes a device that separates testas from embryos of beans (which generally is not designated), a pulp outlet unit 8 and a cup 7 used to receive the prepared soymilk.

In the following, the device separating testas from embryos of beans (hereinafter referred to as separation device for short) of the present invention will be explained in detail in conjunction with the soymilk machine 100. The separation device includes a housing 1 ; a container 2 installed in the housing 1 ; a machine head 3 arranged above the container 2 and/or the housing 1 ; and a separation unit 4 located in the container 2. Preferably (but not necessarily), the separation device also includes a collecting filter 6 located under the container 2 to filter out and collect the testas discharged from the outlet.

The machine head 3 includes a stirrer 31 and a motor (not shown) used to drive the stirrer 31. Optionally, the stirrer 31 of the machine head 3 can be a sharp cutting tool or a not too sharp stirring tool. The motor can rotate at high speed, medium speed or low speed, as desired.

Preferably, the separation unit 4 located at the inner side wall of the container 2 has an outlet 42 and an inlet 41. The outlet 42 and the inlet 41 are configured such that: after beans are soaked and testas and embryos of the beans are separated by stirring using a stirrer and a flow of water, the separated testas enter into the separation unit through the inlet 41 and are then discharged through the outlet 42 as a result of floating of the testas and said flow of water. Specifically, after the soybeans are soaked, the testas will not separate from the embryos. However, since the soybeans swell when absorbing water, the testas will become soft and loose. For example, when the stirrer 31 rotates at a rotational speed of about 4,000rpm, the testas will gradually separate from the embryos and the integrity of the embryos can be substantially maintained. Part of the testas will float on the water surface due to the density difference between the testas and the embryos, and part of the bean peels can float on the water surface, aided by the flow of water and the stirring by the stirrer 31. In particular, because of the circulating flow of water, a vortex will develop at the inlet 41. By the action of eddy currents, testas can enter into the inlet 41 and are discharged from the outlet 42. In the meantime, the embryos still remain in the previous container 2. Testas are collected at the filter screen 61. The circulating flow of water plays an important role in separating testas from embryos. The stirring motion by the stirrer 31 can also separate testas from embryos.

Preferably, the inlet 41 is situated at a higher level than the outlet 42. In this way, because the density of testas is lower than or equal to the density of water, testas will float in the upper part of the container near the outlet 42 automatically or with the aid of eddy currents. This can facilitate the discharging of testas. The outlet 42 is preferably positioned at the bottom wall 22 of the container 2. More preferably (but not necessarily), the inlet 41 has an openable first seal 43. By means of the openable first seal 43, the inlet 41 can be closed during the process of separating testas from embryos aided by stirring with the stirrer 31 and the flow of water, and the inlet 41 can be open during discharging testas (see Fig. l a and Fig. lb). In this way, embryos can be prevented from discharging through the separation unit 41 during the process of separating testas and embryos, to avoid material waste. The opening and/or closing of the first seal 43 can be actuated by a mechanical transmission mechanism driven by a separate drive motor or can be manually operated by a popup pin 11 (see Fig.2b and Fig3.), or actuated by an electromagnetic drive mechanism. Actuation by a mechanical transmission mechanism driven by a separate drive motor or actuation by an electromagnetic drive mechanism is well known to those skilled in the art. The present invention only mentions these techniques because they can be used to open the first seal 43; consequently, these techniques will not be described in detail herein.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the separation device also includes a pumping system 5 that supplies water to the container 2. The pumping system 5 includes a water pipe 53, a water tank 51 and a pump 52. The water pipe 53 is in communication with the water tank 51 at one end and is connected to the container 2 at the other end. The water circulation can be achieved by means of the pump 52. Said water circulation can facilitate the process of separating testas from embryos and the subsequent process of discharging testas from the separation unit to make these processes smoother and more effective.

Preferably, the collecting filter 6 is disposed outside and below the container 2 and above the water tank 51. It includes a filter screen 61 and an outlet 62 to filter out and collect testas in the volume of the collecting filter 6. Water flowing out of the collecting filter 6 will flow to the water tank 51 to be recycled.

Finally, the soymilk machine 100 of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the separation device as supplementary material to help more clearly understand the present invention. The soymilk machine 100 also includes a pulp outlet unit 8 provided at the bottom wall 22 of the container 2 to allow raw pulp to flow out of said container. The pulp outlet unit 8 includes a pulp outlet 82 and an openable second seal 81. Similarly, by means of the second seal 81 , the pulp outlet 82 is closed during the process of separating testas from embryos with the aid of stirring by the stirrer 31 and a flow of water when discharging testas, and the pulp outlet 82 is open during discharging raw pulp from the container 2. The opening and/or closing of the second seal 81 can be actuated by a mechanical transmission mechanism driven by a separate drive motor or can be manually operated by another popup pin 13 (see Fig.2a and Fig.3), or actuated by an electromagnetic drive mechanism.

According to another aspect of the soymilk machine 100 of the present invention, the soymilk machine 100 preferably also includes a collecting filter 6 located outside and below the container 2. The collecting filter 6 includes two containers 6, as shown in Fig. la. The left container is used to collect testas and the right container is used to collect residue after pulping. The collecting filter 6 itself can entirely rotate between two operating positions 9 and 10 (or only the outlet 62 below the collecting filter 6 can separately rotate between two operating positions 9 and 10). When the collecting filter rotates to the first operating position 9, the outlet 42 of the separation unit 4 is positioned so as to filter out and collect testas discharged from the outlet 42. When the collecting filter rotates to the second operating position 10, the pulp outlet 82 is postioned so as to filter the raw pulp and collect bean dregs. A cup 7 is located below the second operating position 10 and is aligned with the outlet 62 of the collecting filter 6 to receive the prepared soymilk. Alternatively, the collecting filter 6 can be provided with two separate containers and outlets, so that the collecting filter 6 does not need to rotate.

When in use, the operation of the soymilk machine includes the following steps:

- closing the first seal 43 and the second seal 81 , and sufficiently soaking the beans in the container 2 while stirring and rubbing the beans at low or medium speed to separate testas from embryos;

- then, rotating the outlet 62 of the collecting filter 6 to the first operating position 9 in order to align it with the water tank 51 ;

- opening the first seal 43, and, by means of floating, stirring and flowing water (and preferably water circulated by the pumping system 5), making the testas enter into the interior of the separating unit through inlet 41 and discharging them to the collecting filter 6 through outlet 42;

- filtering the testas by means of the filter screen 61 and letting the remaining water flow to the water tank 51 through outlet 62 to be recycled by the pumping system;

- subsequently, completing the filtering of the testas, and then closing the first seal 43, crushing and grinding the embryos at high speed and heating the raw pulp by a heater 12 (see Fig.2a) disposed near the bottom of the container 2; and - thereafter, rotating the outlet 62 of the collecting filter 6 to the second operating position 10 to align it with a cup 7 and opening the second seal 81 to let the raw pulp enter the collecting filter 6 from the pulp outlet 82 to filter the raw pulp and trap bean dregs in the collecting filter 6 and letting the finally obtained soymilk flow out through the outlet 62 into the cup 7, ready to be drunk.

The present invention has the following beneficial effects: because the separation device of the present invention includes a separation unit 4 located in the container 2, testas separated from embryos after soaking and stirring can easily be discharged through the separation unit 4. This is convenient for domestic use. The total amount of bean dregs is relatively small; therefore, filtering involves less time and labor. Furthermore, testas are almost never found in the finally obtained soymilk, so that the taste of the soymilk can be improved and a higher percentage of nutrients in the embryos will be preserved in the finally obtained soymilk. Besides, a filter screen and a cup that should be stored separately are not necessary. Manual filtering of bean dregs is also superfluous. The soymilk machine of the present invention is faster and easier to use. Moreover, the filter screen and the cup placed integrally do not need extra storage space, so this entire part of the soymilk machine is compact.

It should be understood that although various characteristics and beneficial effects of the present invention and details of the structure and function of the present invention are described above, the foregoing is merely exemplary and not to be construed in a limiting sense. Specific details, especially with respect to shape, size, number and arrangement of components can be changed within the broadest scope defined by the claims of the present invention. For example, the numbers of the separation unit 4 and the pulp outlet units 8 are not limited to one as shown in the drawings of the present invention; they can be two or more.

"A" or "an" used in the claims of the present invention does not exclude the presence of a plurality. They are only used for convenience of description, but do not limit the protection scope of the present invention.

Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this present invention belongs. It will be appreciated that the soymilk machine 100 of the present invention is not limited to the above described examples. Any variations and equivalents occurring to those skilled in the art in view of the present invention without any creative thinking are included in the scope defined by the claims of the present invention.