CN117356900A

CN117356900A - Fluid raw material discharging machine

Info

Publication number: CN117356900A
Application number: CN202311338904.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李友民; 郭武洲
Original assignee: Bairuida Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Bairuida Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-29
Filing date: 2022-01-29
Publication date: 2024-01-09
Also published as: TW202228581A; TWI813502B; CN114794863B; TW202308547A; TWI785984B; CN117017058B; CN117017058A; TW202310785A; TW202228580A; CN114794862A; CN114794862B; TWI785983B; TWI813501B; CN114794863A

Abstract

The invention proposes a fluid raw material discharging machine for automatic cleaning operation. The automatic cleaning operation includes: controlling a switch to connect the water outlet end of the cleaning tank and the liquid input port of the diverter, so that the cleaning tank The solution flows into the diverter; the pump is actuated to push the residual fluid raw material in the raw material delivery pipeline forward, so that the residual fluid raw material is discharged into the flow guide device through the output joint; and the operation of the pump is used to transport the cleaning agent A negative pressure is formed in the pipeline, so that the cleaning solution in the diverter is sucked into the dual-mode fluid joint through the cleaning agent delivery pipeline, and then flows into the raw material delivery pipeline through the dual-mode fluid joint. The user does not need to disassemble the dual-mode fluid connector from the raw material container before using the fluid raw material discharge machine for automatic cleaning operation.

Description

Fluid raw material discharging machine

The present application is a divisional patent application with the name of a fluid raw material discharging machine, the application date of which is 2022, 1 month and 29 days, and the application number of which is 202210112060.7.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a fluid raw material discharging technology, in particular to a fluid raw material discharging machine with automatic cleaning capability and/or automatic disinfection capability.

Background

For many consumers, the ready-made beverage (freshly made beverage) is more attractive than factory-produced canned or bottled beverages in many upward orientations, such as freshness, mouthfeel, and/or raw material custom-tailored elasticity. Accordingly, many caterers offer a variety of ready-to-serve beverages to meet the needs of customers. As the cost of labor continues to rise, coupled with other factors (e.g., increased business costs due to epidemic impact or expansion), many industries have begun to utilize various machine equipment to provide or assist in preparing on-going beverages to reduce the labor time and costs required.

It is known that conventional beverage making machines have a number of lines for the transfer of the raw material liquid inside, which lines must be connected to different raw material containers by means of suitable connectors, respectively, in order for the machine to obtain the various raw materials required for making the beverage. The number of connectors used per machine will increase as the number of material containers connected to the machine increases. Because conventional beverage making machines do not have an automatic cleaning function, it is often necessary to use a lot of manpower and time to clean various parts, lines, and joints inside the machine to prevent the parts, lines, and joints inside the machine from growing bacteria or generating toxins.

One of the problems that the automatic cleaning function of the machine is difficult to realize in the industry is that the traditional joint can only simply transfer the liquid in the raw material container to the corresponding pipeline. Thus, in cleaning a beverage making machine, a cleaning person must first manually remove the plurality of connectors one by one from the different material containers and then manually or other auxiliary devices clean the associated parts, the plurality of lines, and the plurality of connectors. After the cleaning is completed, the cleaning personnel must manually connect a plurality of connectors one by one between the corresponding source material container and the pipeline. The manual method for disassembling the connectors one by one and finally connecting the connectors back to one by one not only consumes a lot of manpower time and is easy to pollute the surrounding environment in the connector disassembling process, but also often causes the problems of scratch and even damage of the connectors.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, how to effectively avoid the foregoing problems is a technical problem to be solved.

The present description provides an embodiment of a fluid raw material discharge machine. The fluid raw material discharging machine is used for outputting fluid raw materials stored in a plurality of raw material containers and can perform automatic cleaning operation, and comprises: an output joint; a fluid joint connected to a target material container of the plurality of material containers and having a material pipe and a cleaning pipe; a raw material conveying pipeline coupled between the raw material pipe and the output joint; a cleaner delivery line coupled to the cleaning tube; a pump coupled between the feedstock delivery line and the output fitting; and a diverter having a liquid input port and a plurality of liquid output ports, with a target output port of the plurality of liquid output ports coupled to the cleaner delivery line; wherein the automatic cleaning operation comprises: introducing a cleaning solution into the diverter; actuating the pump to push the residual fluid feedstock within the feedstock delivery line forward such that the residual fluid feedstock is discharged through the output fitting; and utilizing the operation of the pump to form negative pressure in the cleaning agent delivery pipeline so that the cleaning solution in the flow divider is sucked into the fluid joint through the cleaning agent delivery pipeline and the cleaning pipe and flows into the raw material delivery pipeline through the raw material pipe of the fluid joint.

The present disclosure further provides an embodiment of a fluid feedstock discharge machine. The fluid raw material discharging machine is used for outputting fluid raw materials stored in a plurality of raw material containers and can perform automatic disinfection operation, and comprises: an output joint; a bimodal fluid coupling removably connected to a target feedstock container of the plurality of feedstock containers and having a feedstock tube and a cleaning tube; a raw material conveying pipeline coupled between the raw material pipe and the output joint; a cleaner delivery line coupled to the cleaning tube; a pump coupled between the feedstock delivery line and the output fitting; a cleaning tank configured to hold a sanitizing solution and having a water outlet end; a diverter having a liquid input port and a plurality of liquid output ports, with a target output port of the plurality of liquid output ports coupled to the cleaner delivery line; and a change-over switch coupled between the water outlet end of the cleaning tank and the liquid input port of the diverter; wherein the automatic sterilization operation comprises: controlling the change-over switch to conduct the water outlet end of the cleaning tank and the liquid input port of the flow divider so as to enable the disinfection solution in the cleaning tank to flow into the flow divider; actuating the pump to push the residual cleaning solution in the raw material conveying pipeline forward so that the residual cleaning solution is discharged into a diversion device through the output joint; and utilizing the operation of the pump to form negative pressure in the detergent delivery pipeline so that the disinfection solution in the flow divider is sucked into the dual-mode fluid joint through the detergent delivery pipeline and the cleaning pipe and flows into the raw material delivery pipeline through the raw material pipe of the dual-mode fluid joint.

One of the advantages of the above-described embodiments is that the user does not need to detach the feed tube of the bimodal fluid coupling from the originally connected tubing prior to the automatic cleaning and/or sterilization procedure using the fluid feed discharge machine.

Another advantage of the above-described embodiments is that the user does not need to detach the cleaning tube of the bimodal fluid coupling from the originally connected tubing prior to the automatic cleaning and/or sanitizing procedure using the fluid raw material discharge machine.

Another advantage of the above-described embodiments is that the user does not need to detach the bimodal fluid coupling from the material container prior to the automatic cleaning and/or sterilization procedure using the fluid material discharge machine.

Another advantage of the above-described embodiments is that the user does not naturally need to reconnect the raw material tube of the bimodal fluid connector to the corresponding line, nor the bimodal fluid connector to the corresponding raw material container, until the fluid raw material discharge machine has completed an automatic cleaning and/or sanitizing procedure. Therefore, not only can a lot of manpower time be effectively saved, the surrounding environment is not easy to pollute, but also the problem of scratching or even damaging the joint can be effectively avoided.

Other advantages of the present invention will be explained in more detail in connection with the following description and accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and do not constitute an undue limitation to the application.

Fig. 1 is a simplified external view of a fluid raw material discharging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a simplified perspective schematic view of the fluid material discharge machine of fig. 1.

FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic diagram of a dual mode fluid coupling and a feedstock container according to an embodiment of the present invention, when separated from each other.

Fig. 4 is a simplified schematic view of the dual mode fluid coupling of fig. 3 and a raw material container coupled to each other.

Fig. 5 and 6 are simplified external views of a dual mode fluid coupling operating in an operational mode according to an embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives.

FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of a dual mode fluid coupling according to an embodiment of the present invention operating in an operational mode.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a dual mode fluid coupling according to one embodiment of the present invention operating in an operational mode.

Fig. 9 is a simplified side view schematic illustration of the dual mode fluid coupling of fig. 8.

FIG. 10 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the dual mode fluid coupling of FIG. 7 taken along the direction A-A'.

Fig. 11-12 are simplified exploded views of a dual mode fluid coupling according to an embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives.

Fig. 13-18 are schematic views illustrating an assembly process of a dual-mode fluid joint according to an embodiment of the invention at different viewing angles.

Fig. 19 to 20 are schematic views of an assembled rotatable portion and a bending plate according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 21 is an assembled schematic view of the rotatable portion and the push rod according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic rear view of a dual mode fluid coupling according to an embodiment of the present invention operating in an operational mode.

FIG. 23 is a simplified schematic illustration of the internal fluid flow direction of a bimodal fluid coupling operating in an operational mode in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic rear view of a dual mode fluid coupling according to one embodiment of the present invention operating in a cleaning mode.

Fig. 25 and 26 are simplified schematic diagrams of the dual mode fluid coupling operating in a cleaning mode according to an embodiment of the present invention, shown in a simplified external view from different perspectives.

FIG. 27 is a schematic side view of a dual mode fluid coupling operating in a cleaning mode according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a schematic top view of a dual mode fluid coupling operating in a cleaning mode according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a simplified schematic illustration of the internal liquid flow direction of a bimodal fluid coupling operating in a cleaning mode in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a simplified schematic illustration of the internal liquid flow direction of a bimodal fluid coupling operating in a cleaning mode in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 31 is a simplified perspective rear perspective schematic view of the fluid material discharge machine of fig. 1 during an automatic cleaning procedure.

Fig. 32 to 35 are schematic views showing a simplified spatial arrangement of parts of the robot cleaning process at different viewing angles.

Fig. 36-37 are simplified flow charts of an embodiment of an automatic cleaning method employed by the fluid material discharge machine of the present invention.

Fig. 38-39 are simplified flow charts of an embodiment of an automatic sterilization method employed by the fluid material discharge machine of the present invention.

FIG. 40 is a simplified flow chart of an embodiment of a method for restoring piping used in the fluid material discharge machine of the present invention.

Symbol description:

100 fluid material discharging machine (fluid material dispensing apparatus)

101 upper part holding cavity (upper chamber)

102 workbench (working platform)

103 lower chamber (lower chamber)

105 door panel (door)

107 neck container (neg chamber)

109 control panel (control panel)

110 output connector (outlet connector)

120 target container (target container)

130 raw material container (material container)

140 discharge check valve (outlet check valve)

150 double-mode fluid joint (dual-mode fluid connector)

152 raw material conveying pipeline (material transmission pipe)

154 detergent delivery pipe (detergent transmission pipe)

160 pump (pump)

162 connector (connector)

170 cleaning groove (cleaning sink)

172 disinfectant container (disinfectant container)

174 water injection joint (water injection connector)

178 communication hole (connection hole)

180 drainage tank (drainage sink)

182 drain pipe (drainage pipe)

190 shunt (fluid diverter)

192 switch (switch)

194 check valve (check valve)

242 stopper (stopper)

244 projection (protruding portion)

310 hollow connector (hollow connecting element)

322 raw material tube (Material tube)

324 cleaning tube (cleaning tube)

330 head (head portion)

340 tail (rear portion)

350 spring (spring)

360 push rod (rod)

370 bending plate (bonded plate)

380 rotatable portion (rotatable element)

390 plug (plug)

411 cavity (chamber)

412 first space (first space)

413 second space (second space)

415 blocking member (block element)

416 first spacing piece (first restriction element)

417 second spacing piece (second restriction element)

431 connector (connecting opening)

433 first calipers (first clamp element)

435 second calipers (second clamp element)

437 first bump (first protruding element)

439 second bump (second protruding element)

441 punch (through hole)

443 first helical track (first spiral track)

445 second helical track (second spiral track)

447 retaining wall member (block wall portion)

449 tail limiter (rear-portion restriction element)

461 rod head (rod head)

463 seal part (sealing portion)

465 flange (outer flange)

467 flange (outer flange)

469 slot (slot)

471 first label area (first marked region)

473 second marking area (second marked region)

481 front side opening (front opening)

482 rear opening (rear opening)

483 first extension (first elongated portion)

484 second extension (second elongated portion)

485 first fin (first fin)

486 second fin (second fin)

487 first guide (second guiding element)

488 second guide (first guiding element)

489 barrier (block port)

581 first region (first area)

582 second region (second area)

781 first window (first window)

782 second window (second window)

890 flow guide (version device)

891 fluid inlet (fluid inlet)

893 first fluid outlet (first fluid outlet)

895 second fluid output (second fluid outlet)

3602-3614, 3702-3716, 3802-3814, 3902-3916, 4002-4014 operation flow (operation)

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or similar elements or method flows.

Please refer to fig. 1 and fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a simplified perspective schematic diagram of a fluid material discharge machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a simplified perspective schematic diagram of the fluid material discharge machine 100 of fig. 1. The fluid material discharge machine 100 may be used to output various fluid materials (fluid materials) associated with beverage preparation or food flavoring.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the fluid material discharging machine 100 comprises an upper chamber 101, a table 102, a lower chamber 103, a door 105, a neck chamber 107, a control panel 109, and a plurality of output connectors 110.

In order to avoid overcomplicating the drawing, the door plate 105 and the control panel 109 of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 are intentionally omitted in fig. 2, and the outline of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 is shown by a dotted line, and internal elements to be further described in the following description are shown by a solid line. It should be noted that the external shape of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 shown in fig. 1 and 2 is merely a simplified schematic diagram for convenience of description, and is not limited to the actual external shape of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100.

The upper receiving chamber 101 of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may be in communication with the neck receiving chamber 107 or may be in communication with the lower receiving chamber 103 via a suitable connecting channel. The associated electrical wires, signal lines, connectors, raw material delivery lines (material transmission pipe), and cleaner delivery lines (detergent transmission pipe) may be routed within the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 in a variety of suitable manners.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 further comprises a plurality of pumps 160, a cleaning tank 170, a drainage tank 180, and one or more flow splitters 190.

The aforementioned plurality of pumps 160 may each be coupled to other components via various suitable feed delivery lines (e.g., the exemplary feed delivery line 152 depicted in fig. 2) and associated connectors (e.g., the exemplary connector 162 depicted in fig. 2), and may be disposed within the upper and/or lower receiving chambers 101, 103 in various suitable spatial configurations, without being limited to the spatial configurations depicted in fig. 2.

Each pump 160 is configured to apply pressure to the received fluid material to push the fluid material forward. In practice, each pump 160 may be implemented with a variety of suitable liquid pump devices capable of pushing fluid forward, such as peristaltic pumps (peristaltic pumps), diaphragm pumps (diaphragm pumps), rotary diaphragm pumps (rotary diaphragm pump), or the like.

In addition, a plurality of flow stabilizing devices (not shown in the drawing) and a plurality of flow meters (not shown in the drawing) may be disposed inside the fluid raw material discharging machine 100, and the flow stabilizing devices and the flow meters may be respectively connected to other components through various suitable raw material conveying pipelines and connectors, and may be disposed in the upper accommodating cavity 101, the lower accommodating cavity 103, and/or the neck accommodating cavity 107 in various suitable spatial configurations.

The aforementioned plurality of output connectors 110 may be respectively connected to other components through various suitable material conveying pipes and connectors, and may be disposed in the neck housing cavity 107 in various suitable spatial configurations, which are not limited to the spatial configurations shown in fig. 2.

The plurality of output connectors 110 may be removably mounted on a connecting plate (not shown) that is positioned below the neck receiving cavity 107 in any suitable manner. The output ends and the connection pads of the respective output connectors 110 may be exposed to the outside of the neck receiving cavity 107 for the convenience of the user to perform the relevant cleaning process.

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of material containers 130 may be positioned within the lower receiving cavity 103 of the fluid material discharge machine 100. Different feedstock containers 130 may be used to store different fluid feedstocks. Each of the material containers 130 is provided with a discharge check valve 140 as an output connector. In other words, a plurality of dual mode fluid connections 150 may be used in the fluid raw material discharge machine 100.

For example, the fluid materials may be water, bubble water (bubble water), black tea (black tea), green tea (green tea), soy milk (soy milk), milk (milk), milk-based liquids (milk-based liquids), coffee (coffee), nut paste (nut pumps), various concentrated fruit juices (fruit-based concentrates), various concentrated vegetable juices (vegetable-based concentrates), and other common beverage base materials.

For another example, the fluid material may be various syrups such as agave syrup (agave syrup), milk Jiao Tangjiang (dulce de leche), fructose (fructose), syrup (golden syrup), lemon syrup (lemonade syrups), malt syrup (maltose syrup), maple syrup (maple syrup), brown molasses (molasses), almond syrup (orgeat), and/or palm syrup (palm syrup).

For another example, the fluid material may be various alcoholic beverages (alcoholic beverages) such as beer (beer), cocktails (cocktails), sake (sake), and the like.

For another example, the fluid material may be various sauces (vacuum sauces) or fluid condiments (fluid condiments) such as apple sauce (apple sauce), sour and spicy sauce (chutneys), cranberry sauce (cranberry sauce), salad dressing (salad dressings), fruit shower sauce (fruit sauce), tomato sauce (ketchup, tomato sauce), mayonnaise (mayonnaise), meat sauce for seasoning (meta gravies), miso sauce (miso sauce), chickpea sauce (hummus), artificial soybean sauce (pasta sauce), spicy pickle (piccalilli), soy sauce (soy sauce), spice sauce (spice sauce), spicy sauce (spice sauce), and/or ginger sauce (ginger jam).

For another example, the fluid material may be various fluid materials such as fruit juice (fruit juices containing fruit fibers) containing pulp fibers, tea-based liquid containing small particles (e.g., pearls or round powders), honey (honey), edible oil (eating oil), vinegar (vinegar), jams (jams), fruit jam with broken fruit peel (marmalade), pressed fruit jam (pressed fruit paste), beer vinegar (beer vinegar), fresh cream (buttermilk), condensed milk (milk), and/or milk fat (stream).

As is apparent from the foregoing description, the fluid material that can be outputted from the fluid material discharging machine 100 may be a fluid having a higher viscosity (viscosity) than water or may be a fluid having a lower viscosity than water.

In practice, all or a portion of the material container 130 may be placed in the upper chamber 101, but is not limited to the spatial arrangement shown in fig. 2.

In the embodiment of fig. 2, a disinfectant container 172 is disposed within the cleaning tank 170, and the cleaning tank 170 is further coupled to a water filling connection 174. The disinfectant container 172 may be secured within the cleaning tank 170 or may be removably coupled within the cleaning tank 170. The drain tank 180 is connected to a drain pipe 182. The flow splitter 190 has a fluid input port and a plurality of fluid output ports. A switch 192 is coupled between the fluid input port of the diverter 190 and an outlet of the cleaning tank 170.

In addition, in the embodiment of fig. 2, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 further includes a plurality of check valves 194 respectively coupled to a plurality of liquid output ports of the flow divider 190. Each one-way valve 194 is coupled between one of the fluid output ports of the flow divider 190 and a corresponding one of the detergent delivery lines 154 for preventing backflow of fluid within the detergent delivery lines 154 into the flow divider 190.

The dual mode fluid connectors 150 may be removably connected to the discharge check valves 140 on different material containers 130. In addition, each bimodal fluid connection 150 may be coupled to a respective pump 160 or steady flow device by any suitable means (e.g., a combination of feed delivery line 152, a connector 162, and other associated lines), and may be coupled to a respective source of cleaning solution (e.g., cleaning tank 170 as described above) by any suitable means (e.g., a combination of cleaning agent delivery line 154, a check valve 194, diverter 190, and switch 192).

In the fluid feedstock discharge machine 100, various suitable feedstock delivery devices (e.g., a combination of feedstock delivery lines 152, connectors 162, and associated pumps 160, flow stabilizing devices, and/or flow meters) may be provided to deliver the fluid feedstock within the individual feedstock containers 130 to the outlet ends of the respective output connectors 110 via the respective bimodal fluid connectors 150. In addition, various suitable detergent delivery devices (e.g., combinations of the aforementioned cleaning tank 170, diverter 190, detergent delivery line 154, feedstock delivery line 152, and corresponding pumps 160) may also be provided in the fluid feedstock discharge 100 to deliver the cleaning solution (cleaning solution) and/or sanitizing solution (disinfectant solution) to the individual bimodal fluid connectors 150.

In practice, various suitable refrigeration devices may also be provided within the fluid material discharge machine 100 to extend the shelf life of various fluid materials within the material container 130 in the lower housing cavity 103. In addition, when the door panel 105 is kept in the closed state, the lower accommodating chamber 103 can be isolated from the external environment, which is beneficial to maintaining the low temperature state in the lower accommodating chamber 103, and can prevent the invasion of foreign matters such as insects or small animals into the lower accommodating chamber 103.

In order to avoid overcomplicating the drawing, other structures and devices such as flow stabilizing devices, flow meters, control circuits, electrical wires, signal lines, refrigeration equipment, power supply devices, portions of raw material delivery lines, portions of cleaner delivery lines, and related parts and frames for supporting or securing the foregoing elements within the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 are not shown in fig. 2.

In embodiments where the fluid ingredient discharge machine 100 is used as an automatic beverage preparation machine (automated beverage preparation apparatus), a user may place a target container 120 at a predetermined location on the table 102 (e.g., below the plurality of output connectors 110 described above) and operate on the control panel 109 to set one or more desired manufacturing parameters of the freshly prepared beverage, such as, for example, beverage item (beverage item), cup size (cup size), beverage volume (beverage volume), sweetness level, ice volume (ice level), and/or cup number (quality), among others.

The fluid material discharge machine 100 then automatically pumps fluid material from some of the material containers 130 using one or more pumps 160 according to user-set parameters, and delivers the pumped fluid material through respective delivery lines toward the corresponding output connectors 110. With continued actuation of the individual pumps, the fluid material in the output connector 110 is output through the corresponding output connector 110 to the target container 120.

The different fluid materials are mixed together in the target container 120 in a specific ratio or simply stirred to form an instant beverage of various flavors. In practice, the target vessel 120 may also be designed to support or provide agitation to enhance the speed and uniformity of mixing the fluid materials.

In embodiments where the fluid material discharge machine 100 is used as a sauce discharge machine (sauce dispensing apparatus), a user may place the target container 120 or other vessel at a predetermined location on the table 102 (e.g., below the plurality of output connectors 110 described above) and operate on the control panel 109 to set the type and output of sauce to be output.

Similarly, the fluid material discharge machine 100 automatically pumps fluid material from certain material containers 130 using one or more pumps 160 according to user-set parameters, and delivers the pumped fluid material through respective delivery lines toward the corresponding output connectors 110. With continued actuation of the individual pumps, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may output a specified quantity of one or more sauces to the target container 120 or other vessel via the corresponding output connector 110.

Note that the number of output connectors 110, raw material containers 130, dual mode fluid connectors 150, raw material delivery lines 152, cleaner delivery lines 154, pumps 160, and diverters 190 depicted in fig. 2 is merely an exemplary embodiment and is not limiting of the actual implementation of the present invention.

Please refer to fig. 3 and fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a simplified schematic diagram of the dual mode fluid connection 150 and the raw material container 130 separated from each other according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a simplified schematic diagram of the dual mode fluid connection 150 of fig. 3 and the raw material container 130 when connected to each other.

As shown in fig. 3, the discharge check valve 140 of the material container 130 includes a blocking member 242 and a protrusion 244 protruding outward from the outer surface of the discharge check valve 140. The dual mode fluid coupling 150 includes a hollow connector 310, a feed tube 322, a cleaning tube 324, a head 330, a rotatable portion 380, and a plug 390.

The blocking member 242 of the discharge check valve 140 may be implemented with a variety of suitable balls, plugs, or blocks. The protrusion 244 may be implemented as a single ring or as a plurality of separate protrusions. Typically, a spring (not shown in fig. 3 and 4) is disposed within discharge check valve 140 to apply pressure to blocking member 242 to urge blocking member 242 outwardly.

Before the discharge check valve 140 is not connected to the dual-mode fluid connection 150, the pressure applied to the blocking member 242 by the spring causes the blocking member 242 to block the outlet end of the discharge check valve 140, so that the outlet end of the discharge check valve 140 is maintained in a closed state (closed status) to avoid the fluid material in the material container 130 from leaking.

In the dual-mode fluid connection 150, the raw material pipe 322 and the cleaning pipe 324 are both disposed on the hollow connecting member 310, and the head 330 is disposed at one end of the hollow connecting member 310 and comprises a connection port 431, a first clamping member 433, and a second clamping member 435.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435 are respectively connected to opposite sides of the head 330. When the connection port 431 is detachably connected to the discharge check valve 140, the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435 are clamped on the protrusion 244 of the discharge check valve 140, so as to enhance the connection stability between the dual-mode fluid connector 150 and the discharge check valve 140.

The dual mode fluid coupling 150 has two modes of operation, a service mode and a cleaning mode, respectively, and a user (e.g., a cleaning person or an operator of the fluid material discharge machine 100) can easily switch the dual mode fluid coupling 150 between the service mode and the cleaning mode.

In one embodiment, when dual mode fluid coupling 150 is operating in the operational mode, dual mode fluid coupling 150 operates blocking member 242 of discharge check valve 140 such that the outlet end of discharge check valve 140 is maintained in an open state (open status). At the same time, the dual mode fluid coupling 150 also isolates (isolates) or blocks the transfer passage between the head 330 and the cleaning tube 324. Thus, in the operation mode, the fluid material in the material container 130 flows into the dual mode fluid connection 150 through the outlet check valve 140, but the fluid material received by the dual mode fluid connection 150 only flows into the material pipe 322 and the material conveying pipeline 152 connected to the material pipe 322 through the hollow connection 310, but cannot flow into the cleaning pipe 324 through the hollow connection 310.

On the other hand, when the dual mode fluid connection 150 is operated in the cleaning mode, the dual mode fluid connection 150 stops operating the blocking member 242 of the discharge check valve 140, so that the outlet end of the discharge check valve 140 is restored (resume) to the closed state. Thus, fluid feed in feed vessel 130 does not flow into bimodal fluid joint 150 via discharge check valve 140. At the same time, the dual mode fluid connection 150 also restores the transfer path between the head 330 and the cleaning tube 324. In the cleaning mode, the bimodal fluid joint 150 may receive the cleaning solution through the cleaning pipe 324 and the cleaning agent delivery line 154 connected to the cleaning pipe 324, and the cleaning solution may flow not only into the interior space of the bimodal fluid joint 150, but also into the raw material pipe 322 and the raw material delivery line 152 connected to the raw material pipe 322 via the hollow connection 310.

Note that when bimodal fluid joint 150 is operating in the cleaning mode, cleaning solution received by bimodal fluid joint 150 does not flow into raw material vessel 130 via outfeed check valve 140 because the outlet end of outfeed check valve 140 is in a closed state. In other words, even if the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is switched to the cleaning mode while the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is still connected to the discharge check valve 140, the cleaning solution is effectively prevented from flowing into the raw material container 130 to contaminate the fluid raw material. Accordingly, the user does not need to detach the bimodal fluid connection 150 from the discharge check valve 140 of the raw material container 130 before switching the bimodal fluid connection 150 to the cleaning mode.

The structure and function of the individual elements of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 are further described below in conjunction with fig. 5-22, and how the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is configured to operate in an operational mode.

Fig. 5 and 6 are simplified external views of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 in different viewing angles when operating in an operational mode. Fig. 7 is a schematic top view of dual mode fluid coupling 150 operating in an operational mode. Fig. 8 is a schematic side view of dual mode fluid coupling 150 operating in an operational mode. Fig. 9 is a simplified side view schematic of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 of fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 of fig. 7 taken along the direction A-A'. Fig. 11-12 are simplified exploded schematic views of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 from different perspectives. Fig. 13-18 are schematic views of an assembly process of dual mode fluid coupling 150 at different viewing angles.

As shown in fig. 5-18, the dual mode fluid coupling 150 further includes a tail 340, a spring 350, a push rod 360, and a flexural plate 370. The push rod 360, the flexural plate 370, and the rotatable portion 380 of the bimodal fluid coupling 150 have been omitted from the previous figures 9 and 10 for simplicity of illustration.

Fig. 19-20 are schematic views of an assembled rotatable portion 380 and a bending plate 370 according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 21 is an assembled schematic view of the rotatable portion 380 and the push rod 360 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 22 is a schematic rear view of a dual mode fluid coupling 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention operating in an operational mode. In order to simplify the drawing, elements other than the rotatable portion 380 and the bending plate 370 are omitted in fig. 19 and 20, and elements other than the rotatable portion 380 and the push rod 360 are omitted in fig. 21.

In this embodiment, the hollow connecting member 310 includes a cavity 411, a blocking member 415, a first limiting member 416, and a second limiting member 417. As shown in fig. 10, the cavity 411 is a hollow portion located inside the hollow connector 310 and penetrating the hollow connector 310. The blocking member 415 is a protruding structure located on the inner wall of the cavity 411, and the blocking member 415 can divide the inner space of the cavity 411 into a first space 412 and a second space 413.

In addition, fig. 10 also shows that the raw material pipe 322 and the cleaning pipe 324 on the hollow connecting member 310 are both connected to the cavity 411. In the present embodiment, the raw material pipe 322 is connected to the first space 412 in the cavity 411, and the cleaning pipe 324 is connected to the second space 413 in the cavity 411.

The barrier 415 itself does not isolate or block the transfer passage between the first space 412 and the second space 413. Therefore, when the transmission channel between the first space 412 and the second space 413 is not isolated or blocked by other objects, the first space 412 and the second space 413 may be in communication with each other, and at this time, the first space 412 and the cleaning tube 324 may also be in communication with each other through the second space 413. In practice, the blocking member 415 may be implemented as a single annular member or as a plurality of separate tab-like formations.

As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the first limiting member 416 and the second limiting member 417 respectively extend outwardly from the outer surface of the hollow connecting member 310 and are respectively located on two opposite sides of the cleaning tube 324. In the present embodiment, the first limiting member 416 and the second limiting member 417 also serve as reinforcing ribs (reinforced rib) located at two sides of the cleaning tube 324, which can improve the structural strength of the cleaning tube 324 and reduce the possibility of damage to the cleaning tube 324. Similarly, reinforcing ribs similar to the first and second stoppers 416 and 417 are provided on both sides of the raw material pipe 322 to improve the structural strength of the raw material pipe 322 and reduce the possibility of damage to the raw material pipe 322.

The head 330 further includes a first bump 437 and a second bump 439. As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the first bump 437 and the second bump 439 extend outwards from the outer surface of the head 330, respectively, wherein the first bump 437 is located near the tail of the first clamping member 433, and the second bump 439 is located near the tail of the second clamping member 435. Under normal conditions, the first bump 437 does not touch the first clamping member 433 and the second bump 439 does not touch the second clamping member 435.

When a user is to connect the dual mode fluid coupling 150 to the discharge check valve 140 on the raw material container 130, the user can press the tail of the first clamping member 433 and the tail of the second clamping member 435 to slightly spread the front ends of both the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435 and socket the head 330 of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 with the discharge check valve 140. In the present embodiment, the caliber of the connection port 431 of the head 330 is larger than the caliber of the outlet end of the discharge check valve 140, so that the discharge check valve 140 is inserted into the connection port 431 when the head 330 is sleeved with the discharge check valve 140. When the check valve 140 is inserted into the connection port 431 a proper distance, the first and second clamping members 433 and 435 are aligned with the protrusion 244 of the check valve 140. At this time, the user can stop pressing the tail of the first clamping member 433 and the tail of the second clamping member 435, so that the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435 are clamped on the protruding portion 244 of the discharge check valve 140, thereby improving the connection stability between the dual-mode fluid connector 150 and the discharge check valve 140.

The first bump 437 and the second bump 439 can be used to limit the deformation degree of the tail portions of the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435, so as to avoid the user from excessively pressing the tail portions of the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435. In this way, the likelihood of elastic fatigue or damage to the first and second clamping members 433, 435 is reduced.

As shown in fig. 9 to 12, the tail 340 is located at the other end of the hollow connector 310. In this embodiment, the tail 340 includes a through hole 441, a first helical track 443, a second helical track 445, a retaining wall 447, and one or more tail stoppers 449. The first and second helical rails 443, 445 are disposed on the outer surface of the tail 340 with the retaining wall 447 being located on one side of the end segment of the first helical rail 443. In practice, the retaining wall member 447 may be implemented with a structure that projects upwardly from the side edge of the end segment of the first helical track 443. In addition, the tail 340 in the present embodiment has two tail stoppers 449, which are respectively implemented by two protruding structures extending rearward from the distal end of the tail 340. In practice, the two tail stoppers 449 may be realized by a single protrusion structure. In other words, the tail 340 may have only one tail limiter 449.

The push rod 360 includes a rod head 461, a sealing portion 463, a flange 465, a flange 467, and a slot 469. As shown in fig. 11 to 18, the head 461 is located at the front end of the push rod 360, and the sealing portion 463 protrudes outward from the outer surface of the push rod 360. In practice, the sealing portion 463 may be implemented by an annular protrusion structure, and the push rod 360 or a portion of the sealing portion 463 may be made of a slightly elastic material, so as to improve the adhesion of the sealing portion 463 when it is abutted against other objects.

The flange 465 and the flange 467 are located near the tail of the push rod 360 and extend outwardly in opposite directions, respectively. The slots 469 may be implemented with a gap or groove structure (grooved structure) between the flange 465 and the flange 467. In this embodiment, the shape of the slot 469 may be matched to the shape of the plug 390 to enable the plug 390 to be inserted into the slot 469.

Spring 350 is located adjacent to perforation 441 of tail 340. As shown in fig. 13 to 15, the push rod 360 may be inserted into the cavity 411 of the hollow connector 310 via the through hole 441 of the tail 340. In some embodiments, after the push rod 360 is inserted into the cavity 411, the spring 350 is positioned between the tail 340 and the flange 465 and the flange 467 of the push rod 360. In this case, when the push rod 360 continues to advance a certain distance in the direction of the head 330, the flange 465 contacts the flange 467 and compresses the spring 350.

The bending plate 370 includes a first mark area 471 and a second mark area 473, wherein the first mark area 471 and the second mark area 473 are local areas respectively located at different positions on the outer surface of the bending plate 370. In the present embodiment, the curved plate 370 has a C-shape as viewed from the front side (front view) or the rear side (rear view) of the curved plate 370. When the bending plate 370 is sleeved on the tail 340, two sides of the bending plate 370 will abut against the outer sides of the tail limiting member 449 on the tail 340 to prevent the bending plate 370 from rotating. As shown in fig. 5, 8, and 11-18, the bent plate 370 is positioned between the rotatable portion 380 and the tail portion 340.

In practice, different indication colors (indication colors), different indication images (images), different indication text (indication text), and/or different indication symbols (indication symbol) may be respectively disposed on the first mark area 471 and the second mark area 473, so as to indicate different operation modes of the dual-mode fluid connector 150. For example, a first color (e.g., blue, green, purple, etc.) representing the operation mode may be filled in the first flag area 471, and a second color (e.g., yellow, orange, red, etc.) representing the cleaning mode may be filled in the second flag area 473. Note that the foregoing color combinations are only some examples and are not limiting to the actual implementation of the present invention.

For another example, a first pattern representing the operation mode may be provided in the first flag area 471, and a second pattern representing the cleaning mode may be provided in the second flag area 473.

For another example, a first letter or letter representing the operation mode may be disposed in the first flag area 471, and a second letter or letter representing the cleaning mode may be disposed in the second flag area 473.

The rotatable portion 380 includes a front opening 481, a rear opening 482, a first extension 483, a second extension 484, a first fin 485, a second fin 486, a first guide 487, a second guide 488, a blocking portion 489, a first region 581, a second region 582, a first window 781, and a second window 782.

As shown in fig. 5-8, and 11-12, when the rotatable portion 380 is sleeved onto the tail 340, the rotatable portion 380 is located outside the tail 340, covers the tail 340, and touches the push rod 360. The front opening 481 of the rotatable portion 380 may cover part or all of the tail 340, while the rear opening 482 may be penetrated by the plug 390.

After the rotatable portion 380 is coupled to the tail 340, the user can rotate the rotatable portion 380 clockwise or rotate the rotatable portion 380 counterclockwise by taking the tail 340 (or the push rod 360) as a rotation axis.

As shown in fig. 5-8, and 11-20, when the rotatable portion 380 is sleeved onto the tail portion 340, the bent plate 370 is positioned between the inner surface of the rotatable portion 380 and the outer surface of the tail portion 340.

The first extending portion 483 and the second extending portion 484 extend from the edge of the front opening 481 in the direction of the head 330. The first extension 483 has a length sufficient to allow the first limiting member 416 to block the side of the first extension 483 when the rotatable portion 380 is rotated to a certain angle. The second extension 484 is of a length sufficient to allow the aforementioned second limiting member 417 to block the side of the second extension 484 when the rotatable portion 380 is rotated to a certain angle. In practice, the length and shape of the first extension portion 483 and the second extension portion 484 may be designed in various other ways that can achieve the above-mentioned functions, and are not limited to the embodiments shown in fig. 5, 8, 19, and 20.

The first fin 485 and the second fin 486 are respectively located on opposite sides of the outer surface of the rotatable portion 380, which allows the user to rotate the rotatable portion 380 more conveniently. The function of the first fin 485 and the second fin 486 is to increase the leverage effect when the user rotates the rotatable portion 380. In practice, the first fin 485 and the second fin 486 may be positioned, shaped, and sized in a variety of other ways that assist the user in rotating the rotatable portion 380, and are not limited to the embodiments depicted in fig. 5, 7, and 11-22.

The first guide 487 and the second guide 488 are respectively located at different positions on the inner surface of the rotatable portion 380. In practice, the first guide 487 can be implemented with various projection structures configured to mate with the first helical track 443, and the second guide 488 can be implemented with various projection structures configured to mate with the second helical track 445. As shown in fig. 11 to 21, in the present embodiment, the first guide 487 and the second guide 488 are respectively located on opposite sides of the inner surface of the rotatable portion 380.

As previously described, after the rotatable portion 380 is coupled to the tail 340, the user may rotate the rotatable portion 380 about the tail 340 (or the push rod 360) as a rotational axis. In this case, the first guide 487 would touch the first helical track 443 and be movable along the first helical track 443, while the second guide 488 would touch the second helical track 445 and be movable along the second helical track 445. In the present embodiment, since the first spiral track 443 and the second spiral track 445 are both spiral, the rotatable portion 380 can be rotated and moved forward or rotated and moved backward when the rotatable portion 380 is rotated by the user in cooperation with the first guide 487, the second guide 488, the first spiral track 443, and the second spiral track 445.

The blocking portion 489 is located inside the rotatable portion 380, and when the rotatable portion 380 is sleeved on the tail 340, the blocking portion 489 can contact the flange 465 and the flange 467 of the push rod 360, and can prevent the flange 465 and the flange 467 from penetrating out of the rear opening 482 of the rotatable portion 380. In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 21, when the rotatable portion 380 is assembled with the push rod 360, the flange 465 and the flange 467 near the tail of the push rod 360 are blocked by the blocking portion 489 of the rotatable portion 380, so that the push rod 360 is prevented from falling out of the rotatable portion 380 through the rear opening 482.

The blocking portion 489 also drives the flange 465 and the flange 467 to rotate together. Therefore, when the rotatable portion 380 is rotated by the user, the rotatable portion 380 not only rotates and moves forward or rotates and moves backward due to the cooperation of the first guide 487, the second guide 488, the first spiral track 443, and the second spiral track 445, but also drives the push rod 360 to rotate together and move forward or backward.

In addition, as shown in fig. 18, when the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is assembled, the plug 390 may be inserted through the rear opening 482 of the rotatable portion 380 and into the slot 469 between the flange 465 and the flange 467 of the push rod 360. In this case, the plug 390 presses the flange 465 and the flange 467 slightly to both sides, so that the flange 465 and the flange 467 are more abutted against the blocking portion 489. Thus, the plug 390 inserted into the slot 469 not only prevents the flange 465 and the flange 467 from being separated from the blocking portion 489, but also further increases the connection stability between the rotatable portion 380 and the push rod 360.

In some embodiments, after rotatable portion 380 is nested to tail portion 340, spring 350 may be positioned between tail portion 340 and blocking portion 489 inside rotatable portion 380. In this case, when the rotatable portion 380 advances a certain distance in the direction of the head 330, the blocking portion 489 contacts and compresses the spring 350.

The first region 581 and the second region 582 are located on opposite sides of the outer surface of the rotatable portion 380, respectively. In practice, different indication words, different indication symbols, different indication images, and/or different indication colors may be disposed on the first region 581 and the second region 582, respectively, to indicate different operation modes of the dual mode fluid joint 150.

In this embodiment, the first area 581 and the second area 582 are respectively located ON two opposite sides of the outer surface of the rotatable portion 380, the first area 581 is provided with the indicator words "ON" and "active" for representing the operation mode, and the second area 582 is provided with the indicator words "OFF" and "clear" for representing the cleaning mode. When rotatable portion 380 is rotated in a manner with first region 581 facing upward, it is representative of bimodal fluid joint 150 being switched to an operational mode at this time, and when rotatable portion 380 is rotated in a manner with second region 582 facing upward, it is representative of bimodal fluid joint 150 being switched to a cleaning mode at this time. Note that the above text combinations are only some examples and are not limiting to the practical embodiment of the present invention.

For example, a first symbol (or a first set of symbols) representing the operation mode may be provided in the first region 581, and a second symbol (or a second set of symbols) representing the cleaning mode may be provided in the second region 582.

For another example, a first color (e.g., blue, green, purple, etc.) representing the operational mode may be filled in a partial or full area of the first region 581, and a second color (e.g., yellow, orange, red, etc.) representing the cleaning mode may be filled in a partial or full area of the second region 582.

The first window 781 and the second window 782 are located at different positions on the rotatable portion 380. In practice, both the first window 781 and the second window 782 may be implemented with an opening (notch) or a notch (notch) of a suitable shape and size. For example, in the present embodiment, the first window 781 and the second window 782 are implemented with openings respectively located near the left and right sides of the first fin 485, as shown in fig. 8 and 21.

As previously described, when dual mode fluid coupling 150 is assembled, flexural plate 370 is positioned between the inner surface of rotatable portion 380 and the outer surface of tail portion 340. Thus, a portion of the outer surface of the curved plate 370 may be exposed from the first and/or second windows 781, 782 such that a user may view the portion of the outer surface of the curved plate 370 through the first and/or second windows 781, 782.

In addition, when the rotatable portion 380 rotates in a direction different from the rotation angle, the first window 781 and/or the second window 782 may expose different areas on the outer surface of the bent plate 370.

For example, in the present embodiment, when the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 in such a way that the first window 781 faces upward, the first marking area 471 of the bending plate 370 is exposed from the first window 781, and when the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 in such a way that the second window 782 faces upward, the second marking area 473 of the bending plate 370 is exposed from the second window 782.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, when the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is assembled, the spring 350 is positioned between the tail 340 and the flanges 465 and 467 of the push rod 360, the push rod 360 is captured on the rotatable portion 380, the curved plate 370 is positioned between the tail 340 and the rotatable portion 380, the rotatable portion 380 covers the tail 340 and the curved plate 370, and the plug 390 is inserted into the slot 469 of the push rod 360 and captured on the rear opening 482 of the rotatable portion 380.

In addition, the first window 781 and/or the second window 782 of the rotatable portion 380 may expose a portion of the area on the outer surface of the flexural plate 370. Furthermore, when the rotatable portion 380 is rotated by the user, the rotatable portion 380 drives the push rod 360 to rotate together and move forwards or backwards together.

The hollow connector 310, the raw material tube 322, the cleaning tube 324, the head 330, and the tail 340 collectively form a connector body (connector main body) of the dual mode fluid connector 150. In practice, the hollow connector 310, the raw pipe 322, the cleaning pipe 324, the head 330, and the tail 340 may be manufactured in an integrally formed manner to enhance the structural rigidity of the joint body of the bimodal fluid joint 150.

As previously described, the dual mode fluid coupling 150 has two modes of operation, an operational mode and a cleaning mode, respectively, and a user (e.g., a cleaning person or an operator of the fluid material discharge machine 100) can easily switch the dual mode fluid coupling 150 between the operational mode and the cleaning mode by rotating the rotatable portion 380.

When a user is to set the dual mode fluid coupling 150 to an operational mode, the user may rotate the rotatable portion 380 in a first predetermined direction (e.g., clockwise). In this case, the rotatable portion 380 rotates and advances together with the push rod 360, so that the sealing portion 463 of the push rod 360 abuts against the blocking member 415 in the cavity 411, and the rod head 461 pushes the blocking member 242 of the discharge check valve 140 inward. As previously described, during advancement of the push rod 360 or rotatable portion 380 in the direction of the head 330, the flange 465 and the flange 467 on the push rod 360 or the stop 489 on the inside of the rotatable portion 380 compress the spring 350.

In this embodiment, when the rotatable portion 380 rotates to the first area 581 upwards, the push rod 360 is driven by the rotatable portion 380 to advance a predetermined distance, so as to ensure that the cleaning tube 324 and the first space 412 in the cavity 411 are isolated by the sealing portion 463 and the blocking member 415 and cannot communicate with each other, and ensure that the rod head 461 of the push rod 360 pushes the blocking member 242 inwards a sufficient distance, so that the outlet end of the discharge check valve 140 is opened.

Referring to fig. 23, a simplified schematic diagram of the internal fluid flow direction of a dual mode fluid coupling 150 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown operating in an operational mode. In fig. 23, dashed lines are used to illustrate the possible flow of fluid material in bimodal fluid joint 150.

As shown in fig. 23, when the dual mode fluid connection 150 is operated in the working mode, the fluid material in the material container 130 is allowed to flow into the first space 412 of the hollow connection member 310 through the outlet check valve 140, but is prevented from flowing into the second space 413 of the hollow connection member 310 due to the blocking of the sealing portion 463 on the push rod 360. Accordingly, the fluid raw material received by the dual-mode fluid connector 150 only flows into the raw material pipe 322 and the raw material conveying pipeline 152 connected to the raw material pipe 322 through the hollow connecting piece 310, but cannot flow into the second space 413 in the cavity 411, the cleaning pipe 324, and the cleaning agent conveying pipeline 154 connected to the cleaning pipe 324 through the hollow connecting piece 310.

At this time, even if the residual cleaning solution exists in the cleaning pipe 324 and the cleaning agent delivery line 154, the residual cleaning solution does not contaminate the fluid raw material in the first space 412 of the hollow connector 310, and thus, the fluid raw material outputted from the raw material pipe 322 is not affected.

In addition, as previously described, the end section of the first helical track 443 on the tail 340 is provided with a retaining wall member 447. When the rotatable portion 380 drives the push rod 360 to advance so that the sealing portion 463 abuts against the blocking member 415, the first guiding member 487 on the rotatable portion 380 enters the end section of the first spiral track 443, so that the retaining wall member 447 catches the first guiding member 487. In practice, the end section of the first spiral track 443 may be designed as a straight track. In this case, the retaining wall member 447 at the end of the first helical track 443 will be planar. Since the retaining wall member 447 plays a role of blocking the first guide member 487, the elastic restoring force of the spring 350 at this time cannot push the push rod 360 rearward. Thus, the retaining wall 447 is provided to effectively prevent the seal 463 of the pushrod 360 from being impacted by the fluid material and from exiting the retaining member 415. In this way, when the dual-mode fluid connector 150 is operated in the working mode, the first space 412 and the second space 413 in the cavity 411 can be kept isolated, so as to avoid the fluid raw material from flowing into the cleaning tube 324 by mistake.

On the other hand, when the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 to a certain extent in the first predetermined direction, the first extending portion 483 of the rotatable portion 380 contacts the first limiting member 416 on the hollow connecting member 310 to prevent the rotatable portion 380 from continuing to rotate in the first predetermined direction. Such a design may prevent the rotatable portion 380 from being rotated excessively by the user, resulting in excessive forward movement of the push rod 360.

If the push rod 360 is moved forward excessively, the sealing portion 463 of the push rod 360 may be caught in the opening formed by the blocking member 415, even through the opening formed by the blocking member 415. Once the seal 463 on the pushrod 360 snaps into the opening formed by the barrier 415 or through the opening formed by the barrier 415, it may cause the bimodal fluid joint 150 to fail or damage the seal 463.

Therefore, by matching the first extending portion 483 with the first limiting member 416, the rotation angle of the rotatable portion 380 can be effectively limited, and the advancing distance of the push rod 360 can be further limited, so that an improper operation condition of excessively rotating the rotatable portion 380 by a user can be avoided, and the possibility of failure of the dual-mode fluid connector 150 or damage of the sealing portion 463 can be reduced.

Similar to conventional machines, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 also requires cleaning, sanitizing, and/or sterilizing procedures at appropriate points in time to avoid bacteria or toxins from developing in the components, lines, and/or joints of the fluid raw material discharge machine 100.

As previously mentioned, in cleaning conventional beverage making machines, cleaning personnel must first manually remove the plurality of connectors one by one from the different material containers and then manually or otherwise assist in cleaning the associated parts, the plurality of lines, and the plurality of connectors. After the cleaning is completed, the cleaning personnel must manually connect a plurality of connectors one by one between the corresponding source material container and the pipeline. The manual method for disassembling the connectors one by one and finally connecting the connectors one by one is a method for consuming a lot of manpower time, and is easy to pollute the surrounding environment in the process of disassembling the connectors, and the connectors are often scratched or even damaged.

To avoid the foregoing problems, the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is configured to allow a user to clean, sterilize, and/or disinfect the dual mode fluid coupling 150 and the fluid material discharge machine 100 without having to first detach the dual mode fluid coupling 150 from the material discharge check valve 140 of the material container 130.

The manner in which the bimodal fluid joint 150 is placed into a cleaning mode is further described below in conjunction with fig. 24-30. FIG. 24 is a schematic rear view of a bimodal fluid coupling 150 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention operating in a cleaning mode. Fig. 25 and 26 are simplified external views of a dual mode fluid coupling 150 operating in a cleaning mode according to an embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives. FIG. 27 is a schematic side view of a dual mode fluid coupling 150 according to one embodiment of the present invention operating in a cleaning mode. FIG. 28 is a schematic top view of a dual mode fluid coupling 150 according to one embodiment of the present invention operating in a cleaning mode.

As shown in fig. 24, when a user is to set the dual mode fluid coupling 150 to a cleaning mode, the user may rotate the rotatable portion 380 in a second predetermined direction (e.g., counter-clockwise). In this case, the rotatable portion 380 will rotate and retract, and will drive the push rod 360 to retract together, such that the head 461 of the push rod 360 moves away from the blocking piece 242 on the discharge check valve 140, and such that the sealing portion 463 on the push rod 360 moves away from the blocking piece 415 in the cavity 411.

After the stem head 461 leaves the blocking piece 242, a spring (not shown) in the discharge check valve 140 will restore the blocking piece 242, so that the outlet end of the discharge check valve 140 is restored to a closed state. In addition, after the sealing portion 463 is separated from the blocking member 415 by a predetermined distance, the first space 412 and the cleaning tube 324 in the cavity 411 can communicate with each other via the second space 413.

As shown in fig. 25 to 28, when the rotatable portion 380 rotates to have the second area 582 facing upwards, the push rod 360 is moved back by the rotatable portion 380 a predetermined distance to ensure that the rod head 461 of the push rod 360 is separated from the blocking member 242 and that the sealing portion 463 and the blocking member 415 are separated by a sufficient distance, so that the cleaning solution, the bactericide, the disinfectant solution, the water and other liquids can smoothly flow between the first space 412 and the second space 413 in the cavity 411.

Please refer to fig. 29 and 30. FIG. 29 is a simplified schematic illustration of the internal liquid flow direction of a bimodal fluid coupling 150 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention operating in a cleaning mode. FIG. 30 is a simplified schematic illustration of the internal liquid flow direction of a bimodal fluid coupling 150 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention operating in a cleaning mode. The push rod 360, the flexural plate 370, and the rotatable portion 380 of the bimodal fluid joint 150 are omitted from fig. 29 and 30 for simplicity of the drawing. In fig. 29 and 30, dashed lines are used to illustrate the possible flow of cleaning solution, sterilant, disinfectant solution, water, etc. in bimodal fluid connection 150.

In the embodiment of fig. 29, when bimodal fluid joint 150 is operating in a cleaning mode, a cleaning solution, sterilant, disinfectant solution, water, and the like, is allowed to flow into second space 413 of hollow connector 310 via cleaning tube 324. The cleaning solution, sterilizing agent, disinfecting solution, water, etc. flowing into the second space 413 may flow into the first space 412 through the opening formed by the blocking member 415, and then flow into the raw material pipe 322 and the raw material transfer line 152 connected to the raw material pipe 322 through the first space 412.

In the embodiment of fig. 30, when the bimodal fluid joint 150 is operated in a cleaning mode, a cleaning solution, a disinfectant, a sanitizing solution, water, etc. liquid is allowed to flow into the first space 412 of the hollow connector 310 via the feed tube 322. The cleaning solution, bactericide, sterilizing solution, water, etc. flowing into the first space 412 may flow into the second space 413 through the opening formed by the blocking member 415, and then flow into the cleaning pipe 324 and the cleaning agent delivery line 154 connected to the cleaning pipe 324 through the second space 413.

In other words, in the embodiment of fig. 29 and the embodiment of fig. 30, when the dual mode fluid connection 150 is switched to the cleaning mode, the raw material pipe 322, the raw material pipe 152, the cleaning pipe 324, the cleaning agent pipe 154, and the dual mode fluid connection 150 together form a cleaning circuit.

In this case, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may utilize internal components to convey and circulate the cleaning solution, sterilant, disinfectant solution, water, and other liquids in the aforementioned cleaning circuit to perform cleaning, sanitizing, and/or sterilizing procedures on the bimodal fluid connector 150 and the associated piping, components, and connectors within the fluid material discharge machine 100. After the foregoing cleaning, sanitizing, and/or disinfecting procedures have been completed, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may utilize appropriate piping to discharge the associated waste liquid. In this manner, an automatic cleaning process, an automatic sterilization process, and/or an automatic sterilization process may be performed for the dual-mode fluid coupling 150 and associated piping, components, and couplings within the fluid raw material discharge machine 100.

In practice, the operation of conveying and circulating the cleaning solution, the bactericide, the disinfecting solution, the water and the like in the cleaning circuit can be performed according to the liquid flow direction in fig. 29, according to the liquid flow direction in fig. 30, according to the liquid flow directions in fig. 29 and 30, or according to the liquid flow directions in fig. 29 and 30 alternately. The detailed manner in which the fluid material discharge machine 100 performs the auto-cleaning process, the auto-sanitizing process, and/or the auto-sanitizing process will be described in further detail in the following paragraphs.

If the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is replaced with a conventional one-way coupling, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may have difficulty performing the aforementioned auto-cleaning, auto-sterilization, and auto-sterilization procedures. It should be apparent that the dual mode fluid coupling 150 arrangement described above is highly advantageous in providing the fluid material discharge machine 100 with self-cleaning, self-sanitizing, and/or self-sanitizing functionality.

It should be noted that during the entire cleaning, sanitizing, and/or disinfecting process described above, the user does not need to detach the raw material tube 322 of the bimodal fluid connection 150 from the originally connected pipeline, detach the cleaning tube 324 of the bimodal fluid connection 150 from the originally connected pipeline, and detach the bimodal fluid connection 150 from the discharge check valve 140 of the raw material container 130.

Thus, the user does not naturally need to reconnect the feed tube 322 of the bimodal fluid connection 150 to the corresponding line, the cleaning tube 324 of the bimodal fluid connection 150 to the corresponding line, or the bimodal fluid connection 150 to the discharge check valve 140 of the corresponding feed container 130 until the cleaning, sanitizing, and/or sterilizing process is completed.

As can be seen from the foregoing, such a mechanism not only greatly reduces the burden on the user, but also avoids contaminating the surrounding environment and reduces the likelihood of scratching or even damaging the dual mode fluid coupling 150.

As previously described, the first region 581 has the indication words (e.g., "ON" and "SERVE"), indication symbols, indication images, and/or indication colors (e.g., blue, green, purple, etc.) thereon that are operable to represent the operational mode, while the second region 582 has the indication words (e.g., "OFF" and "CLEAN"), indication symbols, indication images, and/or indication colors (e.g., yellow, orange, red, etc.) thereon that are operable to represent the cleaning mode. As can be seen from the foregoing description, when the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 in such a way that the first region 581 faces upwards, the dual mode fluid connection 150 operates in the working mode, as shown in fig. 5 to 8. When the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 such that the second region 582 is facing upward, the bimodal fluid joint 150 will operate in a cleaning mode, as shown in fig. 25-28.

Thus, when the user sees rotatable portion 380 in a manner that presents first region 581 facing upward, the user can quickly understand that the current mode of operation of dual mode fluid coupling 150 is an operational mode. Likewise, when the user sees rotatable portion 380 in a manner that presents second region 582 facing upward, the user can quickly understand that the current mode of operation of bimodal fluid joint 150 is a cleaning mode.

On the other hand, as described above, the first mark area 471 of the bending board 370 is provided with an indication letter, an indication symbol, an indication image, and/or an indication color (e.g., blue, green, purple, etc.) that can be used to represent the operation mode, and the second mark area 473 is provided with an indication letter, an indication symbol, an indication image, and/or an indication color (e.g., yellow, orange, red, etc.) that can be used to represent the cleaning mode. When the rotatable portion 380 rotates in a direction different from the angle of rotation, the first window 781 and/or the second window 782 may expose different areas on the outer surface of the curved plate 370.

As shown in fig. 5, 7, and 8, when the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 to have the first window 781 facing upwards, the first marking area 471 is exposed from the first window 781, and the dual mode fluid coupling 150 operates in the working mode. As shown in fig. 25, 26, and 28, when the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 such that the second window 782 faces upward, the second marking area 473 is exposed from the second window 782 and the dual mode fluid connection 150 operates in the cleaning mode.

Thus, when the user sees the rotatable portion 380 in a manner that presents the first window 781 facing upward and the first flag area 471 is exposed from the first window 781, the user can quickly understand that the current mode of operation of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is an operational mode. Likewise, when the user sees the rotatable portion 380 in a manner that presents the second window 782 facing upward and the second marking area 473 is exposed from the second window 782, the user can quickly understand that the current mode of operation of the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is the cleaning mode.

In this embodiment, the spring 350 described above has another function. As previously described, when a user is to set the dual mode fluid coupling 150 to the cleaning mode, the user may rotate the rotatable portion 380 in the second predetermined direction as previously described. After the user rotates the rotatable portion 380 such that the first guide member 487 is out of the range of the retaining wall member 447, if the user releases the rotatable portion 380 without continuing to rotate the rotatable portion 380 in the aforementioned second predetermined direction, the elastic restoring force of the spring 350 automatically pushes the push rod 360 or the rotatable portion 380 to retract such that the rotatable portion 380 rotates while retracting until the second extending portion 484 touches the second stopper 417. Thus, after the first guide member 487 is moved out of the range of the retaining wall member 447, if the user does not continue to manipulate the rotatable portion 380, the elastic restoring force of the spring 350 automatically rotates the rotatable portion 380 in such a manner that the second region 582 is upward (or in such a manner that the second window 782 is upward and the second marking region 473 is exposed from the second window 782).

In other words, if the user does not continue to manipulate the rotatable portion 380 after the first guide member 487 is out of the range of the retaining wall member 447, the spring 350 in the present embodiment automatically switches the dual mode fluid joint 150 to the cleaning mode by its elastic restoring force. Such a mechanism may be effective to avoid gray zones where the dual mode fluid coupling 150 operates between the working mode and the cleaning mode due to the user not rotating the rotatable portion 380 to the proper angle.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 26 and 28, when the user or the spring 350 rotates the rotatable portion 380 to a certain extent in the aforementioned second predetermined direction, the second extending portion 484 of the rotatable portion 380 contacts the second limiting member 417 on the hollow connecting member 310, so as to prevent the rotatable portion 380 from continuing to rotate in the second predetermined direction. Such a design may prevent the rotatable portion 380 from being over rotated by the user or the spring 350, resulting in excessive rearward movement of the push rod 360.

If the push rod 360 is moved too far rearward, it may cause the rotatable portion 380 to disengage from the tail 340. Once the rotatable portion 380 is disengaged from the tail portion 340, liquid within the cavity 411 of the bimodal fluid joint 150 may be caused to flow out of the perforations 441 of the tail portion 340.

Therefore, by matching the second extending portion 484 and the second limiting member 417, the rotation angle of the rotatable portion 380 can be effectively limited, so as to avoid the rotatable portion 380 from being separated from the tail portion 340 unintentionally, and thus, the improper operation of the rotatable portion 380 caused by excessive rotation of the rotatable portion by a user can be avoided, and the problem that the liquid in the cavity 411 leaks out of the through hole 441 of the tail portion 340 unintentionally can be reduced.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, the dual mode fluid coupling 150 is designed to allow a user to easily switch the dual mode fluid coupling 150 between two different modes of operation by rotating the rotatable portion 380. Such a design is not only convenient to operate, but also very intuitive.

During cleaning, sanitizing, and/or disinfecting of bimodal fluid joint 150, the user does not need to detach raw material tube 322 of bimodal fluid joint 150 from the originally connected tubing, does not need to detach cleaning tube 324 of bimodal fluid joint 150 from the originally connected tubing, and does not need to detach bimodal fluid joint 150 from discharge check valve 140 of raw material container 130.

Thus, the user does not naturally need to reconnect the feed tube 322 to the corresponding line, the cleaning tube 324 to the corresponding line, and the dual mode fluid connection 150 to the discharge check valve 140 of the corresponding feed container 130 until the cleaning, sanitizing, and/or sterilization process is completed. Therefore, not only can a lot of manpower time be effectively saved, the surrounding environment is not easy to pollute, but also the problem of scratching or even damaging the joint can be effectively avoided.

In addition, when the dual mode fluid connection 150 is switched to the cleaning mode, the raw material pipe 322, the raw material pipe 152, the cleaning pipe 324, the cleaning agent pipe 154, and the dual mode fluid connection 150 together form a cleaning circuit. In this case, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may transport and circulate the cleaning solution, sterilant, disinfectant solution, water, etc. in the aforementioned cleaning circuit to perform cleaning, sterilizing, and/or disinfecting procedures on the bimodal fluid connector 150 and the associated piping, parts, and connectors inside the fluid material discharge machine 100. In this manner, an automatic cleaning process, an automatic sterilization process, and/or an automatic sterilization process may be performed for the dual-mode fluid coupling 150 and associated piping, components, and couplings within the fluid raw material discharge machine 100.

It should be noted that the number, shape, or position of the partial components in the dual-mode fluid connector 150 can be adjusted according to the practical needs, and is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings.

For example, the shape, width, and/or diameter of the hollow connector 310, the head 330, and the tail 340 may be adjusted according to the actual application. In some embodiments, the diameter or inner diameter of hollow connector 310 may be designed to be the same as the diameter or inner diameter of head 330 or to be greater than the diameter or inner diameter of head 330. In other embodiments, the diameter or inner diameter of hollow connector 310 may be designed to be greater than the diameter or inner diameter of tail 340 or to be less than the diameter or inner diameter of tail 340.

For another example, in some embodiments, the spring 350 may be omitted.

As another example, the push rod 360 may be directly integrated onto the rotatable portion 380 in a variety of suitable ways. In this case, the blocking portion 489 of the rotatable portion 380 may be omitted.

As another example, the plug 390 may be directly integrated onto the rotatable portion 380 in a variety of suitable ways. In this case, the rear opening 482 and the blocking portion 489 of the rotatable portion 380 may be omitted.

For another example, the first stop 416 and/or the second stop 417 on the hollow connector 310 may be omitted. In this case, the cleaning tube 324 may be utilized directly to act as the first stop 416 and/or the second stop 417.

For example, the shape, length, and/or width of the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435 can be adjusted according to the actual application.

For another example, the first and second clamping members 433 and 435 may be connected to the outer side of the hollow connecting member 310.

For another example, the first clamping member 433 or the second clamping member 435 described above may be omitted. In this case, the corresponding first bump 437 or second bump 439 may be omitted.

For another example, in some embodiments where the connection between the head 330 and the discharge check valve 140 is stable enough, the first clamping member 433 and the second clamping member 435 may be omitted. In this case, the corresponding first bump 437 and second bump 439 may be omitted.

For another example, the first bump 437 and/or the second bump 439 on the head 330 described above may be omitted. In this case, the tail of the corresponding first or second clamping member 433 or 435 may be shortened or omitted.

For another example, the first spiral track 443 of the tail 340 may be changed to a first linear track perpendicular to the retaining wall 447, the second spiral track 445 may be changed to a second linear track parallel to the first linear track, and the first linear track and the second linear track may be disposed on opposite sides of the outer surface of the tail 340. In this embodiment, when a user is to set the dual mode fluid coupling 150 to an operational mode, the user may push the rotatable portion 380 to move in the direction of the head 330. In this case, the first guide 487 and the second guide 488 on the rotatable portion 380 respectively move along the first linear track and the second linear track, and at the same time, the rotatable portion 380 drives the push rod 360 to move linearly together, such that the sealing portion 463 on the push rod 360 abuts against the blocking member 415 in the cavity 411, and the rod head 461 pushes the blocking member 242 on the discharge check valve 140 inward. During advancement of the push rod 360 or rotatable portion 380 in the direction of the head 330, the flange 465 on the push rod 360 and the flange 467, or the stop 489 inside the rotatable portion 380, compress the spring 350. When the first guide member 487 of the rotatable portion 380 reaches beside the retaining wall member 447, the user can rotate the rotatable portion 380 such that the retaining wall member 447 catches the first guide member 487. In this way, when the dual-mode fluid connector 150 is operated in the working mode, the first space 412 and the second space 413 in the cavity 411 can be kept isolated, so as to avoid the fluid raw material from flowing into the cleaning tube 324 by mistake.

For another example, the second helical track 445 and/or the second linear track on the tail 340 described above may be omitted. In this case, the second guide 488 of the rotatable portion 380 may be omitted.

For another example, flange 465 and/or flange 467 of the pushrod 360 described above may be omitted.

For another example, the slot 469 of the push rod 360 may be omitted. In this case, the shape of the plug 390 may be adaptively adjusted, or the rear side opening 482 of the rotatable portion 380 may be omitted.

For another example, the first extension 483 and/or the second extension 484 of the rotatable portion 380 may be omitted.

For another example, the first fin 485 and/or the second fin 486 of the rotatable portion 380 described above may be omitted.

For another example, the first region 581 and/or the second region 582 on the rotatable portion 380 described above may be omitted.

For another example, the first window 781 or the second window 782 on the rotatable portion 380 may be omitted. In this case, the first mark area 471 or the second mark area 473 on the bending plate 370 may be omitted.

For another example, both the first window 781 and the second window 782 on the rotatable portion 380 may be omitted. In this case, the first and second marking areas 471 and 473 on the bending plate 370 may be omitted, or the bending plate 370 may be omitted entirely.

As previously discussed, the fluid material discharge machine 100 described above may perform an automatic cleaning process, an automatic sterilization process, and/or an automatic sterilization process to prevent bacteria or toxins from developing in the components, lines, and/or joints of the fluid material discharge machine 100.

In performing the cleaning, sanitizing, and/or disinfecting process, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may perform the associated automatic cleaning, sanitizing, and/or disinfecting process simultaneously for all of the components, lines, and/or joints to which the output joint 110 is connected. Alternatively, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may perform an automatic cleaning, sanitizing, and/or sterilizing process upon selection by a user (e.g., a cleaner or an operator of the fluid material discharge machine 100) with respect to only the parts, lines, and/or connectors to which the portion of the output connectors 110 are connected.

In order to further highlight the aforementioned flexibility of use of the fluid material discharge machine 100, the following description will be made in terms of the application scenario in which the user wants the fluid material discharge machine 100 to perform an automatic cleaning, disinfection, and/or sterilization process only with respect to the parts, lines, and/or connectors to which the partial output connectors 110 are connected.

The user may switch the associated dual mode fluid connection 150 corresponding to the pipe to be cleaned to the cleaning mode and place a deflector 890 on a predetermined location on the table 102 (e.g., below the plurality of output connections 110 described above). In addition, a user may set which output connectors 110 or lines to clean on the control panel 109, place an appropriate or specified amount of cleaning agent (e.g., cleaning powder, cleaning tablet, cleaning capsule, concentrated cleaning liquid, or other similar items) in the cleaning tank 170, and place an appropriate or specified amount of disinfectant (e.g., sanitizing powder, sanitizing tablet, sanitizing capsule, concentrated sanitizing liquid, or other similar items) in the sanitizing agent container 172.

The fluid material discharge machine 100 then begins the auto-cleaning process, the auto-sterilization process, and the auto-sterilization process for the selected parts, lines, and/or connectors to which the output connector 110 is connected.

Please refer to fig. 31 to 35. Fig. 31 is a simplified perspective schematic rear perspective view of the fluid material discharge machine 100 during an automatic cleaning procedure. Fig. 32 to 35 are schematic views showing a simplified spatial arrangement of parts of the robot cleaning process at different viewing angles.

As shown in fig. 31 to 35, the flow guiding device 890 of the present embodiment includes a fluid inlet 891, a first fluid outlet 893, and a second fluid outlet 895. The fluid inlet 891 may be used to receive liquid output by one or more output connectors 110 above the flow diversion device 890. The first fluid output 893 faces the cleaning tank 170, and can drain the liquid in the flow guide device 890 to the cleaning tank 170. The second fluid output 895 faces the drain 180 and can drain the fluid in the flow guide 890 into the drain 180.

In operation, the flow guide 890 selectively directs a fluid output direction (fluid output direction) of the flow guide 890 to one of the cleaning tank 170 and the drain tank 180 under the control of the control panel 109 or control circuitry within the fluid material discharge machine 100.

For example, when the deflector 890 sets the first fluid output 893 to a conductive state (open state), the second fluid output 895 is set to a closed state (closed state) so that the liquid in the deflector 890 can be discharged to the cleaning tank 170 through the first fluid output 893, but not to the drain tank 180 through the second fluid output 895. In other words, the fluid output direction of the flow guide 890 is directed to the cleaning tank 170 instead of the drainage tank 180.

Conversely, when the flow guide device 890 sets the second fluid output 895 to a conducting state (open status), the first fluid output 893 is set to a closing state (closed status) so that the liquid in the flow guide device 890 can be discharged to the drain tank 180 through the second fluid output 895, but not to the cleaning tank 170 through the first fluid output 893. In other words, the fluid output direction of the flow guide 890 at this time is directed to the drain groove 180 instead of the cleaning groove 170.

In practice, various suitable elements may be provided within the flow-directing device 890 to achieve the above-described function of selectively switching the direction of fluid output. For example, an electric three-way valve (electric three-way valve) may be provided at the bottom of the flow guide 890 and connected to the first and second fluid outputs 893 and 895. For another example, two electrically operated valves (two electric valves), two switches (two switches), two electrically operated switches (two electric gates), or other similar functional elements may be disposed within the flow guide 890 corresponding to the first and second fluid outputs 893, 895, respectively.

The switching operation of the fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 may be controlled by a device other than the fluid raw material discharging machine 100.

For example, the switching operation of the fluid output direction of the flow guiding device 890 may be controlled by a wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet computer) operated by a user, or a remote control (remote control). In this case, the flow guiding device 890 is provided with a circuit capable of receiving the control signal generated by the aforementioned wireless communication device or remote controller.

For example, a control button, a control switch, a control interface, or an operation panel may be disposed on the flow guiding device 890, and the switching operation of the fluid output direction of the flow guiding device 890 may be controlled by the control button, the control switch, the control interface, or the operation panel. In this case, the user may operate the aforementioned control buttons, control switches, control interfaces, or operation panels to control the switching operation of the fluid output direction of the fluid guiding device 890.

As shown in fig. 33 and 34, the disinfectant container 172 includes a communication hole 178 for allowing the liquid in the disinfectant container 172 to flow into the cleaning tank 170 through the communication hole 178. In practice, the communication holes 178 may be provided in a sidewall or bottom of the disinfectant container 172.

The operation of the fluid material discharge machine 100 in performing the auto-cleaning process, the auto-sterilization process, and the auto-sterilization process will be further described with reference to fig. 36-39. Fig. 36-37 are simplified flow diagrams of an embodiment of an automatic cleaning method employed by the fluid material discharge machine 100. Fig. 38-39 are simplified flow diagrams of an embodiment of an automatic sterilization method employed by the fluid material discharge machine 100.

As previously described, after the user places the deflector 890 in a predetermined position on the table 102, places a cleaning fluid in the cleaning tank 170, places a disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 172, switches the phase Guan Shuangmo fluid connection 150 to a cleaning mode, and selects the output connection 110 or line to be cleaned and disinfected via the control panel 109, the fluid material discharge machine 100 begins an automatic cleaning process, an automatic disinfection process, and an automatic disinfection process for the parts, lines, and/or connections to which the selected output connection 110 is connected.

For convenience of description, the selected output joint 110 will be referred to hereinafter as the target output joint 110, the pump 160 to which the target output joint 110 corresponds will be referred to as the target pump 160, the raw material delivery line 152 to which the target pump 160 is coupled will be referred to as the target raw material delivery line 152, the bimodal fluid joint 150 to which the target raw material delivery line 152 is coupled will be referred to as the target bimodal fluid joint 150, the cleaner delivery line 154 to which the target bimodal fluid joint 150 is coupled will be referred to as the target cleaner delivery line 154, and the one-way valve 194 to which the target cleaner delivery line 154 is coupled will be referred to as the target one-way valve 194.

In this case, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 may be operated by using the automatic cleaning method of fig. 36 and 37.

In process 3602, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may direct the fluid output direction of the flow directing device 890 to the cleaning tank 170. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to place the first fluid output 893 in an on state and the second fluid output 895 in an off state.

In process 3604, the fluid raw discharger 100 may inject water into the cleaning tank 170 so that the cleaning agent in the cleaning tank 170 is mixed with the water to form a cleaning solution. In operation, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may be filled with water through one or more of the output connectors 110 into the flow guide 890 and the flow guide 890 may be utilized to direct water into the cleaning tank 170 such that the cleaning agent in the cleaning tank 170 is mixed with the water into a cleaning solution. If the user has not placed disinfectant in the disinfectant container 172 at that time, the fluid material delivery machine 100 may also be refilled with water via the water fill connection 174 into the disinfectant container 172 within the cleaning tank 170 in process 3604. In this case, water in the disinfectant container 172 flows into the cleaning tank 170 through the communication hole 178, so that the cleaning agent in the cleaning tank 170 is mixed with the water to form a cleaning solution.

When the amount of water injected into the cleaning tank 170 reaches a first predetermined amount or the water injection time reaches a first predetermined time, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 may proceed to a process 3606.

In the process 3606, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuit of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may set the fluid output direction of the flow guide 890 to guide the drain tank 180. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to switch the first fluid output 893 to an off state and to switch the second fluid output 895 to an on state.

In the process 3608, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuit of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 can control the switch 192 to conduct the cleaning tank 170 and the diverter 190, so that the cleaning solution in the cleaning tank 170 flows into the diverter 190 through the water outlet end of the cleaning tank 170 and the liquid input port of the diverter 190.

In flow 3610, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may actuate the target pump 160 corresponding to the target output connector 110 to push the residual fluid material in the corresponding target material conveying pipeline 152 forward, so that the residual fluid material is discharged into the flow guiding device 890 through the target output connector 110.

In flow 3612, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may create a negative pressure in a target detergent delivery line 154 corresponding to the target raw material delivery line 152 such that the cleaning solution in the diverter 190 is drawn into a corresponding target dual mode fluid junction 150 via the target detergent delivery line 154 and flows into the target raw material delivery line 152 via the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

As previously described, both the target raw material delivery line 152 and the corresponding target cleaner delivery line 154 are coupled to the target dual mode fluid coupling 150. Moreover, when the target dual mode fluid coupling 150 is switched to the cleaning mode, the target raw material delivery line 152 and the target cleaner delivery line 154 may communicate with each other through the target dual mode fluid coupling 150.

As the target pump 160 advances the residual fluid feed within the target feed delivery line 152, a negative pressure is established in conjunction with the target cleaner delivery line 154 such that the cleaning solution in the diverter 190 is drawn into the target dual mode fluid junction 150 via the target cleaner delivery line 154 and flows into the target feed delivery line 152 via the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

In other words, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 in this embodiment also performs the flow 3612 at the same time when performing the flow 3610.

Next, the fluid raw material discharger 100 proceeds to flow 3614.

In flow 3614, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the target pump 160 to continue to operate for a period of time such that residual fluid material and a portion of the cleaning solution in the corresponding target material delivery line 152 is discharged through the corresponding target output connector 110 to the deflector 890. The fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the drain tank 180, and thus, the fluid raw material and the cleaning solution discharged from the target output joint 110 are output to the drain tank 180 as waste liquid through the second fluid output end 895 of the flow guide device 890. The waste liquid is then discharged out of the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 through the drain pipe 182 of the drain tank 180.

Thus, by operating the target pump 160, residual fluid material in the target dual mode fluid connection 150 and the target material transfer line 152 is discharged to the diversion device 890 through the target output connection 110 and then directed to the drain tank 180 as waste.

Next, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may proceed to process 3702 in fig. 37.

In flow 3702, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may again direct the fluid output direction of the flow guide 890 to the cleaning tank 170. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to place the first fluid output 893 in an on state and the second fluid output 895 in an off state.

Since the operations of the above-described processes 3610 to 3614 consume a part of the cleaning solution in the cleaning tank 170, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 can then proceed to a process 3704.

In flow 3704, the fluid raw material discharger 100 may inject water into the cleaning tank 170 to supplement a liquid amount (liquid volume) of the cleaning solution in the cleaning tank 170. In operation, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may be filled with water through one or more of the output connectors 110 to the flow guide 890 and the flow guide 890 may be utilized to direct water into the cleaning tank 170 to replenish the amount of cleaning solution in the cleaning tank 170. If the user has not placed disinfectant in the disinfectant container 172 at the time, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may also be refilled with disinfectant through the fill connector 174 into the disinfectant container 172 within the cleaning tank 170 in process 3704. In this case, water in the disinfectant container 172 flows into the cleaning tank 170 through the communication hole 178, thereby replenishing the amount of the cleaning solution in the cleaning tank 170.

When the amount of water replenished into the cleaning tank 170 reaches a second predetermined amount, or the water filling time reaches a second predetermined time, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 may proceed to process 3706.

In flow 3706, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may actuate the target pumps 160 to push the cleaning solution forward within the respective target material delivery lines 152 such that the cleaning solution is discharged through the respective target output connectors 110 into the flow guide 890.

In flow 3708, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may create a negative pressure in the target detergent delivery line 154 corresponding to the target raw material delivery line 152 such that the cleaning solution in the diverter 190 is drawn into the corresponding target dual mode fluid junction 150 via the target detergent delivery line 154 and flows into the target raw material delivery line 152 via the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

As described above, when the target pump 160 pushes the cleaning solution in the target raw material delivery line 152 forward, a negative pressure is formed in the target cleaning agent delivery line 154 in conjunction therewith, so that the cleaning solution in the diverter 190 is sucked into the target dual mode fluid junction 150 through the target cleaning agent delivery line 154 and flows into the target raw material delivery line 152 through the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

In other words, when the flow 3706 is performed, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 in the present embodiment also performs the flow 3708.

On the other hand, the fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the cleaning tank 170, so that the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 can simultaneously perform the process 3710 to guide the cleaning solution discharged from the target output joint 110 back to the cleaning tank 170 by the flow guide device 890. In this embodiment, the cleaning solution discharged from the target output joint 110 is output to the cleaning tank 170 through the first fluid output end 893 of the flow guiding device 890, so that the cleaning solution discharged from the target output joint 110 can be reused.

In flow 3712, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the target pump 160 to continue to operate such that the cleaning solution in the cleaning tank 170 circulates through the above-described cleaning circuits (e.g., the cleaning tank 170, the flow divider 190, the target cleaning agent delivery line 154, the target dual mode fluid connection 150, the target material delivery line 152, the target pump 160, the target output connection 110) a plurality of times to perform a cleaning procedure for a predetermined length of time for the corresponding target dual mode fluid connection 150, the corresponding target material delivery line 152, and the corresponding target output connection 110.

In flow 3714, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may again switch the direction of fluid output from the flow guide 890 to the direction of the drain 180. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to place the first fluid output 893 in an off state and the second fluid output 895 in an on state.

In flow 3716, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the target pump 160 to continue to operate for a period of time such that the cleaning solution within the corresponding target material delivery line 152 is discharged through the corresponding target output connector 110 to the deflector 890. The fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the drain tank 180, and thus, the cleaning solution discharged from the target output joint 110 is output to the drain tank 180 as waste liquid through the second fluid output end 895 of the flow guide device 890. The waste liquid is then discharged out of the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 through the drain pipe 182 of the drain tank 180. In other words, in the flow 3716, the fluid material discharging machine 100 uses the flow guiding device 890 to guide the cleaning solution discharged from the target output joint 110 into the drain tank 180, but does not use the flow guiding device 890 to guide the cleaning solution discharged from the target output joint 110 back into the cleaning tank 170.

By operation of the target pump 160, a substantial portion of the cleaning solution in the target dual mode fluid connection 150, the target raw material delivery line 152, and the target cleaner delivery line 154 is discharged through the target output connection 110 into the deflector 890 and then directed to the drain tank 180 as waste.

Thus, the fluid material discharging machine 100 can complete the automatic cleaning process.

As described above, the check valves 194 of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 are respectively coupled to the liquid output ports of the flow divider 190, and each check valve 194 is coupled between one of the liquid output ports of the flow divider 190 and a corresponding detergent delivery line 154 for preventing the fluid in the detergent delivery line 154 from flowing back into the flow divider 190. From another perspective, the flow divider 190 is simultaneously coupled to the plurality of cleaning agent delivery lines 154, and the plurality of cleaning agent delivery lines 154 may be in communication with each other through the flow divider 190.

In performing the aforementioned automatic cleaning operations, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may perform the aforementioned automatic cleaning process only for a user selected portion of the output fitting 110 and associated components, piping, and/or fittings. As can be seen from the foregoing description, when the target pump 160 pushes the residual fluid material or cleaning solution in the target material delivery line 152 forward, a negative pressure is generated in the corresponding target dual mode fluid connector 150 and the target cleaning agent delivery line 154 to which the target dual mode fluid connector 150 is connected.

If the check valve 194 is not provided between the plurality of cleaning agent delivery lines 154 and the flow divider 190, then when the target pump 160 pushes the residual fluid material or cleaning solution in the target material delivery line 152 forward, a negative pressure may be formed in other cleaning agent delivery lines 154 (hereinafter referred to as non-selected cleaning agent delivery lines 154) and the associated bimodal fluid connectors 150 (hereinafter referred to as non-selected bimodal fluid connectors 150) that are not subjected to the cleaning process. In this case, operation of the target pump 160 may cause fluid material in the material container 130 to which the non-selected bimodal fluid joint 150 is connected to be drawn into the non-selected bimodal fluid joint 150 due to the negative pressure in the non-selected bimodal fluid joint 150 and flow into the diverter 190 through the non-selected cleaner delivery line 154. This can cause contamination of the cleaning solution used in the automated cleaning process by the fluid material flowing into the diverter 190, thereby greatly affecting the overall cleaning effect.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, the plurality of check valves 194 disposed between the flow divider 190 and the plurality of cleaning agent delivery lines 154 effectively prevent the cleaning solution used in the automatic cleaning process from being contaminated by the fluid materials in the other unrelated dual mode fluid connection 150. In other words, the plurality of check valves 194 can ensure that the automatic cleaning process of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 can be performed smoothly.

In addition, when the proper type of one-way valve 194 is selected, the cleaning solution in the diverter 190 is prevented from flowing into the non-selected cleaning agent delivery line 154, thereby preventing the fluid materials in the non-selected dual mode fluid coupling 150 from being affected by the cleaning solution.

Next, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 may use the automatic sterilization method of fig. 38 and 39 to perform an automatic sterilization process and an automatic sterilization process on the parts, pipes, and/or joints connected to the target output joint 110.

In process 3802, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may direct the fluid output direction of the flow guide 890 to the cleaning tank 170. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to place the first fluid output 893 in an on state and the second fluid output 895 in an off state.

In process 3804, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may inject water into the disinfectant container 172 within the cleaning tank 170 such that the disinfectant in the disinfectant container 172 mixes with the water to form a disinfectant solution. In this case, water in the disinfectant container 172 will flow into the cleaning tank 170 via the communication hole 178, so that the disinfectant in the disinfectant container 172 is mixed with water in the cleaning tank 170 to form a disinfectant solution.

When the amount of water injected into the cleaning tank 170 reaches a third predetermined amount or the water injection time reaches a third predetermined time, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 may proceed to process 3806.

In process 3806, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may direct the fluid output direction of the flow guide 890 to the drain chute 180. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to switch the first fluid output 893 to an off state and to switch the second fluid output 895 to an on state.

In the process 3808, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuit of the fluid material discharging machine 100 can control the switch 192 to conduct the cleaning tank 170 and the flow divider 190, so that the sterilizing solution in the cleaning tank 170 flows into the flow divider 190 through the water outlet end of the cleaning tank 170 and the liquid inlet port of the flow divider 190.

In process 3810, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may actuate the target pump 160 corresponding to the target output connector 110 to push the residual cleaning solution in the corresponding target material delivery line 152 forward, such that the residual cleaning solution is discharged into the diversion device 890 through the target output connector 110.

In process 3812, the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 may create a negative pressure in the target detergent delivery line 154 corresponding to the target raw material delivery line 152 such that the sanitizing solution in the diverter 190 is drawn into the corresponding target dual mode fluid junction 150 via the target detergent delivery line 154 and flows into the target raw material delivery line 152 via the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

As the target pump 160 advances the residual cleaning solution within the target raw material delivery line 152, a negative pressure is established in conjunction with the target cleaning agent delivery line 154 such that the sanitizing solution in the diverter 190 is drawn into the target dual mode fluid junction 150 via the target cleaning agent delivery line 154 and flows into the target raw material delivery line 152 via the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

In other words, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 in this embodiment also performs the process 3812 at the same time when performing the process 3810.

Next, the fluid raw material discharger 100 proceeds to a process 3814.

In process 3814, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the target pump 160 to continue to operate for a period of time such that the residual cleaning solution and a portion of the sanitizing solution within the respective target material delivery line 152 is discharged through the respective target output connector 110 to the diversion device 890. The fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the drain tank 180, and thus, the cleaning solution and the sterilizing solution discharged from the target output joint 110 are output to the drain tank 180 as waste liquid through the second fluid output end 895 of the flow guide device 890. The waste liquid is then discharged out of the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 through the drain pipe 182 of the drain tank 180.

Thus, by operation of the target pump 160, residual cleaning solution in the target dual mode fluid connection 150 and the target feedstock delivery line 152 is discharged through the target output connection 110 into the diversion device 890 and then directed to the drain tank 180 as waste.

Next, the fluid raw material discharger 100 may proceed to a flow 3902 in fig. 39.

In flow 3902, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may again direct the fluid output direction of the flow guide 890 to the cleaning tank 170. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to place the first fluid output 893 in an on state and the second fluid output 895 in an off state.

Since the operations 3810 to 3814 consume a portion of the sterilizing solution in the cleaning tank 170, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 may then proceed to the process 3904.

In flow 3904, the fluid raw material dispenser 100 may inject water into the cleaning tank 170 to replenish the amount of disinfectant solution (liquid volume) in the cleaning tank 170. In operation, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may be filled with water through one or more of the output connectors 110 to the flow guide 890 and the flow guide 890 may be utilized to direct water into the cleaning tank 170 to replenish the amount of disinfectant solution in the cleaning tank 170.

Alternatively, the fluid material delivery machine 100 may be filled into the disinfectant container 172 within the cleaning tank 170 via a fill connection 174. In this case, water in the disinfectant container 172 flows into the cleaning tank 170 through the communication hole 178, thereby replenishing the amount of the disinfectant solution in the cleaning tank 170.

When the amount of water replenished into the cleaning tank 170 reaches a fourth predetermined amount, or the water filling time reaches a fourth predetermined time, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 may proceed to flow 3906.

In flow 3906, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may actuate the target pumps 160 to push the sanitizing solution forward within the respective target material delivery lines 152 such that the sanitizing solution is discharged through the respective target output connectors 110 into the diversion device 890.

In flow 3908, the fluid raw material dispenser 100 may create a negative pressure in the target detergent delivery line 154 corresponding to the target raw material delivery line 152 such that the sanitizing solution in the diverter 190 is drawn into the corresponding target dual mode fluid junction 150 via the target detergent delivery line 154 and flows into the target raw material delivery line 152 via the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

As previously described, when the target pump 160 pushes the sanitizing solution in the target stock delivery line 152 forward, a negative pressure is formed in the target detergent delivery line 154 in conjunction therewith, such that the sanitizing solution in the diverter 190 is drawn into the target dual mode fluid junction 150 via the target detergent delivery line 154 and then flows into the target stock delivery line 152 via the target dual mode fluid junction 150.

In other words, when the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 in the present embodiment performs the process 3906, the process 3908 is also performed simultaneously.

On the other hand, the fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the cleaning tank 170, so that the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 can simultaneously perform the flow 3910 to guide the sterilizing solution discharged from the target output joint 110 back to the cleaning tank 170 by the flow guide device 890. In this embodiment, the disinfectant solution discharged from the target delivery head 110 is delivered to the cleaning tank 170 through the first fluid outlet 893 of the flow guiding device 890, so that the disinfectant solution discharged from the target delivery head 110 can be reused. 109

In flow 3912, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material delivery machine 100 may control the target pump 160 to continue to operate such that the sanitizing solution in the sanitizing tank 170 circulates multiple times in the aforementioned sanitizing circuit (e.g., the sanitizing tank 170, the diverter 190, the target sanitizer delivery line 154, the target dual mode fluid connector 150, the target material delivery line 152, the target pump 160, the target output connector 110) to sanitize the respective target dual mode fluid connector 150, the respective target material delivery line 152, and the respective target output connector 110 for a target length of time.

In flow 3914, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may again switch the direction of fluid output from the flow guide 890 to the flow guide drain 180. As previously described, the control panel 109 or the internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the flow diversion device 890 to place the first fluid output 893 in an off state and the second fluid output 895 in an on state.

In flow 3916, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material delivery machine 100 may control the target pump 160 to continue to operate for a period of time to cause the sterilizing solution within the corresponding target material delivery line 152 to be discharged through the corresponding output connector 110 to the flow guide 890. The fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the drain tank 180, and thus the sterilizing solution discharged from the target output joint 110 is outputted to the drain tank 180 as waste liquid through the second fluid output end 895 of the flow guide device 890. The waste liquid is then discharged out of the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 through the drain pipe 182 of the drain tank 180. In other words, in flow 3916, the fluid material delivery machine 100 directs the sanitizing solution exiting the target delivery head 110 to the drain tank 180 using the deflector 890, but does not direct the sanitizing solution exiting the target delivery head 110 back to the cleaning tank 170 using the deflector 890.

By operation of the target pump 160, a substantial portion of the sanitizing solution in the target dual mode fluid coupling 150, the target raw material delivery line 152, and the target cleaner delivery line 154 is discharged through the target output coupling 110 to the deflector 890 and then directed to the drain tank 180 as waste.

Thus, the fluid material discharging machine 100 can complete the automatic sterilization process.

In practice, if the selected disinfectant has a sterilizing function at the same time, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 performs the aforementioned automatic sterilizing operation at the same time. Thus, when the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 completes the automatic sterilization process, the automatic sterilization process is completed at the same time.

As previously described, in performing the aforementioned automatic sterilization operations, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may perform the aforementioned automatic sterilization process only for a user selected portion of the output fitting 110 and associated components, piping, and/or fittings. As can be seen from the foregoing description, when the target pump 160 pushes the residual cleaning solution or sterilizing solution in the target raw material delivery line 152 forward, a negative pressure is formed in the corresponding target dual mode fluid connector 150 and the target cleaning agent delivery line 154 to which the target dual mode fluid connector 150 is connected.

If the check valve 194 is not provided between the plurality of detergent delivery lines 154 and the flow divider 190, then when the target pump 160 pushes the residual cleaning solution or sterilizing solution in the target raw material delivery line 152 forward, a negative pressure may be formed in other detergent delivery lines 154 (hereinafter referred to as non-selected detergent delivery lines 154) and the associated bimodal fluid connectors 150 (hereinafter referred to as non-selected bimodal fluid connectors 150) where no sterilizing process is performed. In this case, operation of the target pump 160 may cause fluid material in the material container 130 to which the non-selected bimodal fluid joint 150 is connected to be drawn into the non-selected bimodal fluid joint 150 due to the negative pressure in the non-selected bimodal fluid joint 150 and flow into the diverter 190 through the non-selected cleaner delivery line 154. This can cause contamination of the sanitizing solution used in the automated sanitizing process by the fluid material flowing into the diverter 190, thereby greatly affecting the overall sanitizing effect.

As can be seen from the foregoing, the plurality of check valves 194 disposed between the flow divider 190 and the plurality of detergent delivery lines 154 effectively prevent the sanitizing solution used in the automatic sanitizing process from being contaminated by the fluid materials in the other, unrelated dual mode fluid connector 150. In other words, the plurality of check valves 194 ensure that the automatic sterilization process of the fluid material discharge machine 100 is performed smoothly.

In addition, when the proper type of one-way valve 194 is selected, the sterilizing solution in the diverter 190 is prevented from flowing into the non-selected cleaner delivery line 154, thereby preventing the fluid materials in the non-selected dual mode fluid coupling 150 from being affected by the sterilizing solution.

As can be appreciated from the foregoing, when the fluid material discharge machine 100 completes the aforementioned automatic disinfection/sterilization process, some components of the associated cleaning circuit (e.g., the diverter 190, the target cleaner delivery line 154, the target dual mode fluid connection 150, the target material delivery line 152, the target pump 160, and/or the target output connection 110) may have a small amount of disinfectant solution remaining therein.

In practical application, the disinfectant is realized by selecting a food-grade disinfectant. Therefore, even if some sterilizing solution remains in some of the components in the cleaning circuit after the automatic sterilization process, it does not adversely affect the safety of the fluid material that is subsequently delivered from the fluid material delivery machine 100.

In some embodiments, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may continue the recovery process (resuming procedure) of the associated piping after the automatic sterilization process described above, to further reduce or eliminate the effects of residual sterilization solution in the associated components.

Referring to fig. 40, a simplified flow chart of an embodiment of a pipeline restoration method used in the fluid material discharge machine 100 according to the present invention is shown.

The fluid material discharge machine 100 may employ the line restoration method of fig. 40 to further reduce or eliminate the effects of residual sterilizing solution within the associated components.

In process 4002, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may utilize the control panel 109 or other suitable device to generate an associated alert message to alert the user to switch the target dual mode fluid connector 150 to the cleaning mode to the operational mode for the automatic cleaning/sanitizing process. The aforementioned message may be implemented using content in various suitable formats, for example, the message may be implemented using a specific color, a specific light, an indicative text, an indicative pattern, a specific image, a specific sound, or a mixture of the aforementioned formats.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, when the target dual mode fluid coupling 150 is switched to the operation mode, the target raw material delivery line 152 and the target cleaner delivery line 154 cannot communicate with each other through the target dual mode fluid coupling 150.

In process 4004, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may require a user to perform a particular operation (e.g., pressing a particular button, clicking a particular graphical option, inputting a particular command, and/or inputting a particular voice, etc.) via the control panel 109 or other suitable device (e.g., a microphone, indicator light, buzzer, etc.) to confirm that the associated dual mode fluid coupling 150 has been switched to an operational mode.

After the fluid feedstock discharge machine 100 confirms that the associated bimodal fluid coupling 150 has been switched to an operational mode, the fluid feedstock discharge machine 100 may proceed to process 4006 in fig. 40.

In flow 4006, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may actuate the target pump 160 to push the residual sanitizing solution in the respective target material delivery line 152 forward such that the residual sanitizing solution is discharged through the respective target output connector 110 into the diversion device 890. The fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the drain tank 180, and thus the sterilizing solution discharged from the target output joint 110 is outputted to the drain tank 180 as waste liquid through the second fluid output end 895 of the flow guide device 890. The waste liquid is then discharged out of the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 through the drain pipe 182 of the drain tank 180.

In flow 4008, the fluid feedstock discharge machine 100 may create a negative pressure in the target feedstock delivery line 152 to draw fluid feedstock in the feedstock container 130 to which the target bimodal fluid coupling 150 is connected into the target bimodal fluid coupling 150 and then into the target feedstock delivery line 152 via the target bimodal fluid coupling 150.

As the target pump 160 advances the residual sanitizing solution within the target raw material delivery line 152, a negative pressure is created in the target raw material delivery line 152 and the target dual mode fluid coupling 150. In this case, the fluid material in the material container 130 to which the target bimodal fluid joint 150 is connected may be drawn into the target bimodal fluid joint 150 due to the negative pressure in the target bimodal fluid joint 150 and flow into the target material delivery conduit 152.

In other words, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 in this embodiment also performs the flow 4008 at the same time when performing the flow 4006.

Next, the fluid raw material discharger 100 may proceed to a process 4010.

In flow 4010, the control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of the fluid material discharge machine 100 may control the target pump 160 to continue to operate for a period of time such that residual sanitizing solution and a portion of the fluid material within the target material delivery line 152 is discharged to the diversion device 890 through the corresponding target output connector 110. The fluid output direction of the flow guide device 890 is set to be directed to the drain tank 180, and thus the sterilizing solution and the fluid raw material discharged from the target output joint 110 are output to the drain tank 180 as waste liquid through the second fluid output end 895 of the flow guide device 890. The waste liquid is then discharged out of the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 through the drain pipe 182 of the drain tank 180.

By operation of the target pump 160, residual sterilizing solution in the target dual mode fluid connector 150 and the target raw material delivery line 152 may be completely drained, thereby further reducing or eliminating the effects of residual sterilizing solution in the associated components.

In flow 4012, control panel 109 or internal control circuitry of fluid material discharge machine 100 may control target pump 160 to deactivate to avoid continued discharge of fluid material by target output connector 110.

In flow 4014, fluid material discharge machine 100 may utilize control panel 109 or other suitable device to generate a related alert message to alert the user to remove deflector 890. Similarly, the aforementioned prompts may be implemented in various suitable formats, for example, the prompts may be implemented in specific colors, specific lights, indicative text, indicative patterns, specific images, specific sounds, or a mixture of the aforementioned formats.

The fluid material discharge machine 100 is then ready for normal operation.

Note that, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 is not limited to the operation of the flow guiding device 890 when the pipeline of fig. 40 is restored. For example, in some embodiments, the flow directors 890 used in the aforementioned flow 4006, flow 4010, and flow 4014 may be replaced with the aforementioned target container 120 or other container.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, the fluid material discharge machine 100 is capable of performing the aforementioned automatic cleaning, automatic sanitizing, and automatic sanitizing processes with very few actions required by the user (e.g., placing the deflector 890 in a predetermined position on the table 102, placing a cleaning agent in the cleaning tank 170, placing a sanitizing agent in the sanitizing agent reservoir 172, switching the phase Guan Shuangmo fluid connector 150 to a sanitizing mode, selecting the output connector 110 or line to be sanitized or sanitized via the control panel 109), helping to avoid bacterial growth or toxins in the machine's internal components, lines, and connectors.

The user does not need to detach the raw material tube 322 of the bimodal fluid coupling 150 from the originally connected raw material delivery line 152, detach the cleaning tube 324 from the originally connected cleaner delivery line 154, and detach the bimodal fluid coupling 150 from the raw material container 130 prior to an automated cleaning and/or sanitizing procedure utilizing the fluid raw material discharge machine 100.

On the other hand, the user does not need to reconnect the raw material tube 322 of the dual mode fluid connection 150 to the corresponding raw material delivery line 152, the cleaning tube 324 to the corresponding cleaner delivery line 154, and the dual mode fluid connection 150 to the corresponding raw material container 130 until after the fluid raw material discharge machine 100 has completed the automatic cleaning and/or sanitizing procedure.

Obviously, the adoption of the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 and the automatic cleaning method/the automatic sterilizing method can greatly save a lot of manpower time, is not easy to pollute the surrounding environment, and can more effectively avoid the problems of scratching and even damage of the dual-mode fluid connector 150.

In addition, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 can perform an automatic sterilization process using a sterilization solution, so that the possibility of bacteria or toxins being generated by parts, pipes, and joints inside the machine can be effectively reduced. This greatly reduces the frequency with which the fluid material discharge machine 100 needs to be cleaned and sterilized, and may even allow the fluid material discharge machine 100 to perform a cleaning/sterilizing process every other week or more.

Note that the number, shape, or position of the partial elements in the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 can be adjusted according to the practical needs, and is not limited to the embodiment described in the foregoing.

For example, in some embodiments, the dual mode fluid coupling 150 described above may instead be implemented with a dual mode coupling having similar functionality, but configured differently, or may even be implemented with an electrically powered dual mode coupling having similar functionality.

In addition, in the foregoing embodiment, the cleaning tank 170 and the drain tank 180 are disposed on the same table 102, but this is merely an exemplary embodiment and not a limitation of the actual implementation of the present invention. For example, in some embodiments, the fluid feedstock discharge machine 100 may include multiple stations, and the cleaning tank 170 and the drain tank 180 may be disposed on different stations, respectively.

In other embodiments, the cleaning tank 170 and/or the drain tank 180 may be provided outside the body of the fluid feedstock discharge machine 100 instead. In other words, the cleaning tank 170 and/or the drain tank 180 may be modified to an external device.

For another example, in some embodiments, the second fluid output 895 of the flow diversion device 890 may be coupled to a drain. In this case, the foregoing drain groove 180 may be omitted.

For another example, in some embodiments, the user may dispense cleaning and sanitizing agents into the cleaning tank 170 at different points in time, as directed by the fluid material discharge machine 100, or as specified by a given standard workflow. In this case, the disinfectant container 172 described above may be omitted.

For another example, in certain embodiments, the aforementioned cleaning tank 170 and/or disinfectant container 172 may be integrated with the flow guide 890.

For another example, in some embodiments where the fluid material discharge machine 100 does not require a sterilization process, the aforementioned disinfectant container 172 may be omitted.

In addition, the implementation manner and the implementation order of the processes in the flowcharts are merely exemplary embodiments, and are not limited to the practical implementation manner of the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment in which the fluid output direction of the flow guiding device 890 is manually adjusted by the user, the flow chart 3602, the flow chart 3606, the flow chart 3702, the flow chart 3714, the flow chart 3802, the flow chart 3806, the flow chart 3902, and the flow chart 3914 described above may be omitted.

For another example, in embodiments where the water needed to create the cleaning solution is manually injected by the user, the foregoing process 3604 and process 3704 may be omitted.

For another example, in embodiments where the water needed to create the sanitizing solution is manually injected by the user, the foregoing process 3804 and process 3904 may be omitted.

For another example, in the embodiment in which the second fluid output end 895 of the flow guiding device 890 is coupled to a drain pipe, the aforementioned processes 3606, 3714, and 3914 may be omitted.

For another example, in embodiments where the aforementioned sanitizing agents are implemented using food grade sanitizing agents, the aforementioned flow 4002 through flow 4014 may be omitted.

In addition, in the foregoing embodiment, the automatic cleaning operation of fig. 36 to 37 is performed by the fluid raw material discharging machine 100, and then the automatic sterilizing operation of fig. 38 to 39 is performed, but this is merely an exemplary embodiment and is not a limitation to the actual implementation of the present invention.

For example, in certain embodiments where the fluid material discharge machine 100 does not require a sterilization process, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may omit the process described above with respect to fig. 38-39. In other embodiments, the fluid material discharging machine 100 may be used to perform the cleaning process (e.g., the manual cleaning process may be performed by the user or a different automatic cleaning process may be used) before performing the automatic sterilization process of fig. 38-39, and is not limited to performing the automatic cleaning process of fig. 36-37.

For another example, in some embodiments, when a particular disinfectant or amount of disinfectant solution is selected to be sufficient, the fluid material discharge machine 100 may skip the auto-cleaning operations of fig. 36-37, and proceed directly to the process of fig. 38-39. In this case, the object to be pushed forward by the target pump 160 in the process 3810 and the process 3814 is changed to the residual fluid material in the target material conveying line 152. In this manner, the fluid raw material discharging machine 100 performs an alternative automatic cleaning process for the selected target output joint 110 and the associated target dual mode fluid joint 150, target raw material delivery line 152, target cleaner delivery line 154, and target pump 160, as described above with respect to the process of the processes 3810, 3812, and 3814 of fig. 38.

Certain terms are used throughout the description and claims to refer to particular elements, and different terms may be used by one skilled in the art to refer to the same elements. The present specification and claims do not take the difference in name as a way of distinguishing elements, but rather take the difference in function of elements as a basis for distinguishing. In the description and claims, the terms "comprise" and "comprise" are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "include, but not limited to. In addition, the term "coupled" as used herein includes any direct or indirect connection. Thus, if a first element couples to a second element, that connection may be through an electrical or wireless transmission, optical transmission, etc., directly to the second element, or through other elements or coupling means indirectly to the second element.

As used in this specification, the term "and/or" includes any combination of one or more of the listed items. In addition, any singular reference is intended to encompass the plural reference unless the specification expressly states otherwise.

The term "element" as used in the specification and claims includes a component, layer, or region.

The dimensions and relative dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated or the shape of some of the elements may be simplified to help to improve understanding of the embodiments. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated by the applicant, the shapes, dimensions, relative sizes, relative positions, etc. of the elements in the drawings are merely for convenience of description and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

For purposes of illustration, the description may use descriptions of relative positions in space to describe the function of an element in the drawings or the relative spatial relationship of the element to other elements. For example, "above …," "above …," "below …," "below …," "above …," "below …," "up," "down," and the like. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these statements as to the relative position in space encompass not only the orientation of the depicted elements in the figures, but also the various orientations of the depicted elements in use, operation, or assembly. For example, if the drawing is turned upside down, elements previously described as "on …" would then be turned "under …". Thus, the description of the "on …" as used in the specification is interpreted to include two different pointing relationships "at …" and "at …". Similarly, the term "upward" as used herein is intended to be interpreted to encompass both an upward and a downward orientation.

In the description and claims, if a first element is referred to as being on, over, connected, joined, coupled to, or connected to a second element, it can be directly on, connected, joined, coupled or connected to the second element or other elements can be present between the first element and the second element. In contrast, if a first element is directly on, directly connected to, directly joined to, directly coupled to, or directly connected to a second element, then no other element is present between the first element and the second element.

The foregoing is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. A fluid raw material discharging machine (100), characterized in that it is used to output the fluid raw materials stored in a plurality of raw material containers (130) and perform automatic sterilization operations. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) includes have:

Output connector(110);

The fluid joint (150) is connected to the target raw material container (130) among the plurality of raw material containers (130), and has a raw material pipe (322) and a cleaning pipe (324);

A raw material delivery pipeline (152) is coupled between the raw material pipe (322) and the output joint (110);

A cleaning agent delivery pipeline (154) coupled to the cleaning pipe (324);

A pump (160) coupled between the raw material delivery pipeline (152) and the output connector (110); and

A diverter (190) has a liquid input port and a plurality of liquid output ports, and a target output port among the plurality of liquid output ports is coupled to the detergent delivery pipeline (154);

Among them, the automatic cleaning operation includes:

Direct the cleaning solution into the diverter (190);

Actuating the pump (160) to push the residual fluid material in the material delivery line (152) forward so that the residual fluid material is discharged through the output joint (110); and

The operation of the pump (160) is used to form a negative pressure in the cleaning agent delivery pipeline (154), so that the cleaning solution in the diverter (190) passes through the cleaning agent delivery pipeline (154) and The cleaning pipe (324) is sucked into the fluid connector (150), and then flows into the raw material transport pipeline (152) through the raw material pipe (322) of the fluid connector (150).

2. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the automatic cleaning operation further includes:

The pump (160) is controlled to continue operating for a period of time, so that the residual fluid raw material and part of the cleaning solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) are discharged through the output joint (110).

3. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the automatic cleaning operation further includes:

The pump (160) is actuated to push the cleaning solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) forward, so that the cleaning solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) is discharged through the output joint (110) .

4. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 3, wherein the automatic cleaning operation further includes:

The pump (160) is controlled to continue operating to perform a cleaning process on the fluid connector (150), the raw material delivery pipeline (152), and the output connector (110) for a predetermined length of time.

5. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that the automatic cleaning operation further includes:

After performing the cleaning procedure for the predetermined length of time, the pump (160) is controlled to continue operating, so that the cleaning solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) is discharged through the output joint (110).

6. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the fluid raw material discharging machine (100) further includes:

A one-way valve (194) is coupled between the target output port of the diverter (190) and the detergent delivery pipeline (154) to prevent the detergent delivery pipeline (154) from entering the The fluid flows back into the diverter (190).

7. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 2, wherein the fluid raw material discharging machine (100) continues to perform automatic disinfection operation after completing the automatic cleaning operation;

Among them, the automatic disinfection operation includes:

Introduce the disinfectant solution into the diverter (190);

Actuating the pump (160) to push the residual cleaning solution in the raw material delivery line (152) forward so that the residual cleaning solution is discharged through the output joint (110); and

The operation of the pump (160) is used to form a negative pressure in the detergent delivery pipeline (154), so that the disinfectant solution in the diverter (190) passes through the detergent delivery pipeline (154) and The cleaning pipe (324) is sucked into the fluid connector (150), and then flows into the raw material transport pipeline (152) through the raw material pipe (322) of the fluid connector (150).

8. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that the automatic disinfection operation further includes:

The pump (160) is controlled to continue operating for a period of time, so that the residual cleaning solution and part of the disinfecting solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) are discharged through the output joint (110).

9. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that the automatic disinfection operation further includes:

The pump (160) is actuated to push the sterilizing solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) forward, so that the sterilizing solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) is discharged through the output joint (110) .

10. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that the automatic disinfection operation further includes:

The pump (160) is controlled to continue operating to perform a sterilization process on the fluid connector (150), the raw material delivery pipeline (152), and the output connector (110) for a predetermined length of time.

11. The fluid raw material discharging machine (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that the automatic disinfection operation further includes:

After performing the sterilization procedure for the predetermined length of time, the pump (160) is controlled to continue operating, so that the sterilization solution in the raw material delivery pipeline (152) is discharged through the output joint (110).