System, method and device for comprehensive control of craft brewery

Abstract

The present invention relates to novel systems, methods and devices that facilitate crafted brewers to dispense their products through kettles rather than stainless steel and carbon dioxide buckets using a compact, direct solution, where the kettles used are polymeric buckets containing internal plastic balloons. The balloon is used for filling beer, and during filling, the internal volume of the storage barrel is occupied, but is not fully occupied by the balloon filled with the beer. When the balloon is full, no carbon dioxide is used, but pressurized atmosphere is used, without filtration, since the internal plastic balloon makes the atmosphere not in contact with beer. Due to the fact that air is injected into the storage barrel filled with beer, the plastic balloon is evenly pressed in all directions. When the internal plastic balloon is emptied, the internal pressure must be recovered by using compressed air. Finally, only + / -2% of beer residues are left. In this way, the contents in the keg are almost completely delivered, thereby avoiding waste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a new system, method and device that facilitates craft breweries to adopt a compact and direct solution to distribute their products through kegs instead of stainless steel and CO2 barrels, wherein the keg used is a polymer barrel containing an internal plastic balloon. The balloon is used to fill the beer, and when filling is carried out, the internal volume of the barrel is occupied, but not completely occupied by the balloon containing beer. When the balloon is filled, CO2 is not used, but pressurized atmospheric air is used, and there is no need for filtering because the internal plastic balloon prevents the atmosphere from coming into contact with the beer. Since the barrel containing beer is filled with air, the plastic balloon is evenly compressed in all directions. When the internal plastic balloon is emptied, its internal pressure must be restored using compressed air. In the end, only ±2% of the total amount of beer remains. In this way, the contents of the keg are almost completely delivered, avoiding waste. Background Art

[0002] The system, method and device for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention are intended for general breweries, especially craft breweries, to improve asset control for the brewery by managing specific data at the cold chain end, such as temperature, capacity, consumption and customer identity. Summary of the invention

[0003] The main purpose of the system, method and device for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention is to provide the brewery with a compact, innovative, intelligent and efficient solution for managing specific data at the cold chain end, such as temperature, capacity, consumption and customer identity, and to deliver beer completely via kegs, avoiding waste.

[0004] Problem to be solved:

[0005] The solution proposed in this article stems from the need of breweries to sell their products in a mass market way and have full control over their sales. Today, craft breweries have a hard time handling their inventory due to the total cost of production. Small breweries are unable to spread the fixed costs in their production against large breweries, resulting in a high price per liter of product.

[0006] Craft beer tends to be more expensive to bottle, even more so when it is sold, with the price further increased by the company's own expenses. Alternatively, craft breweries can choose to use kegs, usually 18 to 40 liter stainless steel containers, from which the beer is extracted using carbon dioxide. In addition to being able to reduce the price per liter of product, these kegs also provide breweries with a larger input flow, thereby making their products more attractive to the end customer.

[0007] However, due to some difficulties in cold chain structure and monitoring, the sales volume of keg products generally accounts for 30% of the total sales volume. Due to the initial investment, restaurants and bars are usually not equipped with taps for supplying keg beer, because in addition to maintenance costs, only one tap requires an investment of about 20,000 reais. In addition, small breweries cannot track the cold chain end, that is, they do not have the equipment to verify how their products are supplied or how much they sell. Lack of verification can lead to a lack of information for suppliers, and in some cases, they may suffer losses. Therefore, the system and method proposed in this article enable breweries to better control their assets because they can manage specific data at the cold chain end, such as temperature, capacity, consumption, and customer identity. Background technology:

[0009] There are some patent documents describing systems and methods for supplying beer, which have different configurations and operations, but none of these documents presents the configuration and operation proposed in the present invention. Among them, the following documents are worthy of special attention.

[0010] Patent document BR112013031568-7 entitled "Container for storing liquid food and dispensing it under pressure" describes a container (1) for storing liquid food (4), which dispenses the liquid food under pressure from a consumer portion via a closable dispensing channel, characterized in that the container comprises a rigid outer container (2), a flexible inner container (3) for the food (4), and at least one intermediate container (5) surrounding the inner container (3), wherein on the one hand the intermediate container (5) and on the other hand a further intermediate container (5) or the inner container (3) located inside the intermediate container define a space (16), wherein the space (16) is provided with a pressure medium and / or the container (1) is equipped with a connector (23) connected to the space for a pressure medium source (24);

[0011] Patent document BR entitled "Keg connector for connecting a dispensing line and a gas line to a keg, a keg connector kit, and a method for connecting or disconnecting a keg with a leak valve" 112016021844-2, describes a barrel connector for connecting a distribution line (15) and a gas line (17) to a barrel (9), comprising a closure (10) provided with a sealed distribution opening (50) and a gas opening (70), the barrel connector comprising: (a) a single-piece integrated body, which includes a top plate structure (2) defined by a periphery and including an upper surface (2t) and a lower surface (2L), and is provided with a clamping system, the clamping system comprising: (i) two clamping legs (3), which extend from the lower surface (2L) of the top plate structure (2), (ii) two rods (4), which extend from the upper surface (2t) of the top plate structure (2), each of the rods having a coupling end (4c), which is integrally fixed at two opposite parts of the periphery of the top plate structure (2) identical to the hinge ends of the two legs, (b) a distribution pipe (5), which includes an upstream portion (5u);

[0012] Patent document BR112020016472-0, entitled "Beverage dispensing system including a disposable collapsible bucket", describes a beverage dispensing system for dispensing a beverage stored in a disposable collapsible beverage container, the beverage dispensing system comprising a measuring device for at least obtaining information about the beverage and / or the disposable collapsible beverage container, and comprising an electronic sensor device for reading the information from the measuring device, thereby establishing digital data representing the information about the beverage and / or the collapsible beverage container;

[0013] Patent document BR 112021005652-1, entitled "Radio transmitter device for use in a method and system for monitoring, controlling and optimizing the flow of a product", describes a liquid product distribution network, including a barrel distribution monitoring and reporting device for operating in conjunction with a tap handle flow monitoring and reporting device. The barrel distribution monitoring and reporting device includes a radio transmitter device and a sensing circuit system for sensing and transmitting physical characteristics associated with the barrel. The tap handle flow monitoring and reporting device senses the flow of liquid through the tap, including a tap handle radio transmitter device for assembly in and protection by the tap handle, and a low-energy tap handle radio / processing module. A mobile communication device with a geographic location sensing device and / or the tap handle flow monitoring and reporting device passively and without user interaction within the barrel distribution network, without using a network uplink / gateway circuit device, senses and reports fluid storage, flow and financial operations related to the distribution of the liquid product throughout the liquid product distribution network;

[0014] Patent document BR 102016005061-8, entitled "Bottle with logo and its identification system", relates to the field of information technology, and in particular to a system for identifying bottles from the same group by means of a manual scanner, the purpose of which is to propose a solution to distinguish bottles manufactured specifically for breweries from their competitors' bottles, both when collected at the point of sale and during the industrialization process, regardless of their form or volume. The bottle with logo (G) comprises a bottle body (1), on the bottom or any part of which is equipped with an RFID chip (2), i.e. a radio frequency identification system. Optionally, an RFID tag (3) can be inserted into the tag (4) of the bottle (G). The bottle identification system comprises a bottle with logo (G), which is equipped with an RFID chip (2) or an RFID tag (3) for receiving electromagnetic waves from an RFID scanner (5), which electromagnetic waves power a circuit contained in the chip (2) or the tag (3), thereby responding to the scanner (5);

[0015] Patent document WO0017313A1, entitled "Brewery equipped with camera monitoring system", relates to a brewery for producing beer, comprising at least one substantially closed storage tank, a pipeline connecting various parts of the brewery, and a control room for controlling the brewery. At least one camera system is installed in the storage tank and / or the pipeline. The output signal from the camera system can be transmitted to the control room. The output data transmitted from the camera system can be used to monitor the process and / or state occurring in the container;

[0016] Patent document WO0044875A2 entitled "Brewery facility with sound monitoring" relates to a brewery facility for brewing, comprising different parts, one of which is designed for monitoring and / or controlling and / or regulating the brewery facility. In order to monitor, control or acoustically regulate the units and processes in the brewery facility, a sound detector (6) is directly or indirectly installed on and / or in at least one part (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) of the brewery facility. The output signal of the detector is transmitted to a process management unit;

[0017] Patent document ES2776031A1 entitled "Beer dispensing tap actuator" describes an actuator (1) for a beer dispensing tap (2), the tap (2) comprising a neck (20) and a handle (21), the actuator comprising: - a clamp (3) matching the fixing area of ​​the tap (2), fixed by clamping the fixing area, - a cam (4) supported on the clamp (3), - a drive motor (5) of the cam (4), and - control electronics (6) of the drive motor (5);

[0018] Patent document WO2019010723A1, entitled "A container structure for storing liquids", discloses a container structure for storing liquids, which includes a container body (1), which is provided with a valve body for loading or pressing out liquids; it also includes an internal barrier composite bag (2), an inner container body (3), a seal (4), a silicon oxide film layer (5) and a glass fiber layer (6); the internal barrier composite bag is connected to the valve body and has a chamber (20) for holding liquids; the inner container body is made of HDPE, and its outer wall is vacuum-coated with the silicon oxide film layer; the glass fiber layer is adhered to the outer surface of the silicon oxide film layer after being impregnated and mixed with epoxy resin; a closed space for loading gas is also defined between the internal barrier composite bag and the inner container body. The container has a simple structure, a reasonable design and is easy to implement. It not only achieves low-cost production, but also ensures the barrier of gas and improves the overall strength of the container, thereby extending the shelf life;

[0019] Patent document US2007194264A1, entitled "Faucet with floating seal", describes a liquid dispensing faucet, including a flow control lever engaged with a seal in the inner cavity of the faucet body. The seal is retained within the faucet body and is located in an oversized groove, and when the flow control lever is in the open position and liquid flows through the faucet body, the oversized groove allows liquid to flow around all sides of the seal. The faucet body has a removable nozzle mounted to the second end of the body. An air inlet is included in the liquid flow path downstream of the seal. When the flow control lever is in the closed position, the air inlet causes residual liquid to be removed from the flow path, and when the flow control lever is in the open position, the position of the air inlet does not allow liquid to flow out through the air inlet;

[0020] Patent document WO2017111724 entitled "Beer tap for automatic foam control" describes an intelligent beer tap (9) associated with an operating algorithm, which can be activated with an expected amount of beer and an expected number of beer heads previously injected through a filter, the intelligent beer tap comprising a tap flow regulating arm (5) and a tap opening / closing arm (4), the tap flow regulating arm being fixable in the tap (3), driven by a tap flow regulating arm motor (2), and allowing a variable flow to pass according to an amount of beer corresponding to a desired number of beer heads, the variable flow depending on tap temperature and ambient temperature values ​​and pressure values, so that beer can be poured into a glass in an optimal manner, the tap opening / closing arm being driven by a tap opening / closing arm motor (1); and

[0021] Patent document US4979641A, entitled "Computerized Beer Dispensing System", describes a computerized beverage dispensing system, which, according to a first embodiment, includes an accessory connected to a tap having a thermoelectric heat pump cooling nozzle and an electrically controlled valve (hereinafter referred to as "valve"). A computer controller is connected to the accessory and the tap. The accessory has a closed channel through which the beverage flows under pressure, and a pressure and temperature sensor measures the pressure difference through the closed channel and its temperature. The computer controller includes a pressure lookup table for looking up the operating time of the timing valve. If abnormal pressure or temperature occurs, the valve will be cut off unless the replacement circuit is activated. The front / rear screen displays a message set in the computer controller. The improved joint has a pitot tube for measuring the flow rate to the pressure sensor so that it can be used in time with the speed / time lookup table of the timing valve. According to a second embodiment, the counter first calculates the time required to dispense a certain volume of beverage; the volume change is later adjusted by increasing or decreasing the time required to dispense the initial volume of beverage. According to a third embodiment, the beverage dispensing volume is controlled using counting and regulation technology, and the system input is controlled by a code input corresponding to a stored code. Once entered, the Normal Key / Program (Erase) switch controls normal operation of the system in the Normal state and protects the system from all influences except the key carrier used for programming and / or erasing in the Program / Erase state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to better understand the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings referred to in this specification, wherein:

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention is shown, wherein all components and operating subsystems of the system are highlighted and a portion of its operation is shown;

[0024] Figure 2 A block diagram showing the hardware architecture of a system for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 A block diagram of a cloud platform of a system for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention is shown;

[0026] Figure 4 A flow chart showing the operations of selling and distributing beer at sales organizations and customers;

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing a tap-free beer supply device according to the present invention is shown;

[0028] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic diagram of a hydraulic manifold for receiving four different types of beer and outputting them through a single location. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The system, method and device for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention are capable of managing specific data at the cold chain end, such as temperature, capacity, consumption and customer identity, and distributing products through a polymer storage barrel (hereinafter referred to as a "keg") containing an internal plastic balloon arranged in a container, thereby helping the brewery improve its asset control. The balloon is used to fill beer, and during filling, the internal volume of the barrel is occupied, but not completely filled with the balloon filled with beer. When the balloon is full, carbon dioxide is not used, but pressurized atmosphere is used, and no filtration is required because the internal plastic balloon prevents the atmosphere from contacting the beer. Since the barrel filled with beer is filled with air, the plastic balloon is evenly pressurized in all directions. When the internal plastic balloon is emptied, compressed air must be used to restore its internal pressure. In the end, only ±2% of the total amount of beer remains.

[0030] To identify the type of beer in the keg, radio frequency technology is used. The radio frequency transmitting device varies depending on the product version and can be RFID or NFC.

[0031] The main difference between RFID and NFC is the type of tag used, as both technologies work in a similar way, through a transmitter (antenna) and a receiver (tag). With these devices, the system will be able to identify the type of beer in the keg, allowing breweries and end customers to know what the beer machine with a smart refrigerator (freezer) can offer them.

[0032] In a version using NFC tags, the system will be able to understand the relative position of the buckets within the freezer, reducing the need for manual identification by operators.

[0033] When using RFID, the system has internal cameras that can recognize fiducial patterns or landmarks through computer vision to help the system identify the location of the beer kegs. The system must know the location of each keg because when a beer is selected, each individual system for the corresponding keg must be triggered.

[0034] Each keg contains independent hydraulic and pneumatic systems, as well as an overall control system, arranged in a container that can hold multiple kegs, forming a smart beer machine. In this way, the system can be expanded and can contain multiple or one controlled keg, depending on the product version. The smart beer machine contains a total of seven subsystems, namely: pneumatic subsystem, hydraulic subsystem, keg control subsystem, inventory control subsystem, cloud subsystem, security subsystem and tap subsystem.

[0035] The pneumatic subsystem is used to fill the keg with air, thus providing enough pressure to extract beer from it. To apply air compression and aerate the keg, a 3 bar compression system is used, which contains a DC compressor, a pressure switch, a pneumatic valve and a filter. This assembly operates automatically and the compressor is electronically shut off when the system reaches the 3 bar pressure value controlled by the pressure switch.

[0036] However, it is worth noting that the system proposed in this paper does not use a maximum compressor pressure, because for each type of beer, a certain pressure range is used. This individual pressure control option depends on the beer supply speed, which may vary according to the flavor, carbonation level and supply temperature of the beer. The pressure is proportional to the volume flow rate of beer extracted from the keg, because the higher the pressure, the higher the flow rate and flow rate of the beer.

[0037] To control the unit pressure in each keg, a pressure transmitter (A1) is used, which acts directly on the pneumatic line connected to the beer keg. This pressure transmitter sends information to the smart freezer logic system, which enables individual keg pressure control. This type of control enables the identification of possible faults in the hydraulic line and flow control. In addition to the pressure transmitter, the pneumatic system also has pneumatic valves (A2) used to allow or prevent the flow of air into the keg. These valves allow the passage of air only when the internal pressure of the keg is lower than the pressure specified by the control software. The pneumatic system is also used to clean the hydraulic line between the hydraulic manifold (A3) and the tap (A4). This cleaning is necessary because the system supplies different beers, so in order to prevent the different beers from mixing, it is necessary to vent this part of the beer line. This cleaning function is performed regularly after the beer is supplied to prevent possible insects from accumulating near the tap.

[0038] The hydraulic system (A5) is used to guide the beer extracted from the keg. It contains beer-specific pipes, hydraulic solenoid valves (A6), flow sensors (A7), manifolds (A3), temperature sensors (A8) and conductivity sensors (A25). The main purpose of the hydraulic solenoid valves (A6) is to prevent or allow beer to leave the keg when required. If the solenoid hydraulic valves were not present, the beer would flow due to the pressure difference between the keg (A9) and the hydraulic pipes. These valves are activated by software when the end user makes a purchase request.

[0039] The process works as follows: The end user uses the SIP application to identify the smart refrigerator and ultimately select the beer he wants to drink. After the end user purchases, the monitor located in the "cloud" sends information to the smart refrigerator (freezer). This information includes the desired beer, volume, and amount of foam. Based on the information received, the system directly acts on the hydraulic valve (A10) and other actuators to supply the beer. The hydraulic valve (A10) is built into a manifold connected to the tap outlet, which is designed to reduce the number of pipes to only one. The main purpose of the flow sensor (A7) is to identify the instantaneous flow of beer passing through it. Further, a conductivity sensor can be combined with the flow sensor. Each beer flavor has its own specific quality, and the quality can distinguish the beer flavor and its viscosity. In addition, the conductivity sensor can also tell which beer has a lower carbonation level (the amount of carbon dioxide in the beer) than normal, thus alerting the system that more carbon dioxide needs to be introduced into the beer line or directly into the keg. With this information, the system can measure the volume that must be supplied in addition to the total volume supplied by a given keg.

[0040] Flow sensors (A7) together with the internal scale system (A11) and the camera (A12) in the tap system provide the smart beer machine with enough information to understand the amount of beer being served. This information is used based on sensor fusion methods that provide higher reliability for the measurements of these sensors. In order to identify the temperature of each beer line, temperature sensors (A8) are used. Such sensors enable the system to recognize whether the beer is at the ideal drinking temperature. Since the keg is an insulated system, it is necessary to measure the temperature of the liquid, and the internal temperature of the ice chest is not necessarily the same as the temperature of the beer in the keg.

[0041] The tap system (A13) is the main device of the ice chest or smart beer machine as it is used to supply the product to the end customer. The end consumer (the person who buys the beer) does not have physical contact with the device. To order / buy beer, the user has to use the system application where he can select the beer, the amount of foam and the glass volume.

[0042] In one system configuration, the act of serving beer is done autonomously, with the customer only coming into contact with the glass. The system uses an AI algorithm that uses computer vision and sensor fusion to identify the relationship between the foam and the beer in the glass, with the primary goal of ensuring the customer is served the exact amount of beer they need.

[0043] The sensors used for this application include at least one RGB camera (A14), an infrared camera (A15), an ultrasonic sensor (A16), a laser sensor, and a laser radar (LIDAR). Using all the data from these sensors, the system algorithm detects and controls the amount of beer that the system needs to deliver.

[0044] For each type of beer, there are different serving parameters, depending on factors such as carbonation level, flavor and viscosity, and the generation of foam becomes unpredictable. Therefore, the AI ​​algorithm is trained on each type of beer before it is served to the end customer, ensuring that the foam percentage required by the user is fully met.

[0045] The foam control system is driven by a servo motor (A17) according to the keg pressure, temperature and the position of the hydraulic valve opening (A10). In another configuration of the system proposed in this article, a glass lifting and tilting mechanism can be included. This mechanism is intended to reduce the turbulence generated when serving beer. To this end, the glass is raised by a lifting system and when it approaches the beer tap, the glass is tilted. When the beer is served, the mechanism returns to the starting position and releases the glass for use.

[0046] To control the foam, the present invention does not rely on a mechanical tap, but on an actuation servo mechanism device that is activated when foam is needed. Here is how it works: the end customer requires a high head in beer, so the system analyzes the amount of beer and foam in the glass through computer vision, and if more foam needs to be added, the actuation servo mechanism is activated to create more turbulence, thereby generating foam. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The system for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention comprises an intelligent beer machine (1) with a keg (2) inside, wherein the keg is a polymer storage barrel containing an internal plastic bladder (hereinafter referred to as a "keg"), and each keg contains an independent hydraulic and pneumatic system and an overall control system. The intelligent beer machine comprises seven subsystems, namely: a pneumatic subsystem (3), a hydraulic subsystem (4), a keg control subsystem (5), an inventory and inventory control subsystem (6), a cloud subsystem (7), a security subsystem (8) and a tap subsystem (9), and also comprises the following components: at least one RGB camera (10), an infrared camera (11), a laser sensor (12), an ultrasonic sensor (13), a pneumatic solenoid valve (14), a hydraulic solenoid valve (15), a flow sensor (16), a pressure transmitter (17), a plastic keg (18), a DC compressor (19), a water pump motor (20), a refrigerator (21) (freezer), a hydraulic valve (21), a servo motor (22), a stepper motor (23), an electronic scale (24), an RFID antenna (25), an RFID tag (26), an NFC antenna (27) and an NFC tag (28).

[0049] The pneumatic subsystem (3) is used to clean the hydraulic lines between the hydraulic manifold (A3) and the tap (A4), as well as to fill the keg with air, thereby providing sufficient pressure to extract beer from the keg. In order to apply air compression and inflate the keg, a 3 bar compression system is used. The pneumatic system (3) includes a DC compressor (19), a pressure switch, a pneumatic valve with a filter (21), a pressure transmitter (17), and a pneumatic valve (A2) that allows or blocks the flow of air into the keg, thereby allowing air to pass only when the internal pressure of the keg is lower than the pressure specified by the control software.

[0050] The hydraulic subsystem (4) (A5) is used to guide the extraction of beer from the keg, including: a beer-specific pipeline, an electromagnetic hydraulic valve (A6), a flow sensor (A7), a manifold (A3), a temperature sensor (A8) and a conductivity sensor (A25), wherein the hydraulic valve (A6) prevents or allows the extraction of beer from the keg (2) when necessary, and is activated by software when the end user makes a purchase request.

[0051] The execution process of the electromagnetic hydraulic valve (A6) is as follows: it works when the end user uses an application to identify the smart beer machine (1) and finally selects the beer to be consumed; after the end user purchases, the monitor located in the "cloud" sends the information to the smart beer machine (1); then, the hydraulic valve (A10) opens the beer outlet. The hydraulic valve is built into the manifold connected to the tap outlet to supply beer, which is designed to reduce the number of pipes to only one.

[0052] This individual pressure control option depends on the beer delivery rate, which may vary depending on the beer's flavor, carbonation level and delivery temperature. The pressure is proportional to the volume flow of beer extracted from the keg, because the higher the pressure, the higher the beer flow and flow rate. The flow sensor (A7) together with the internal scale system (A11) and the camera (A12) in the tap system provide the smart beer machine with enough information to understand the amount of beer being delivered.

[0053] To control the unit pressure in each keg, a pressure transmitter (A1) is used, which acts directly on the pneumatic line connected to the beer keg.

[0054] The keg control subsystem (5) (B0) is divided into multiple modules to simplify detection and correction and detect possible faults. The subsystem includes: a first driver (B1) for driving two manifolds, one of which is used to supply four types of beer and the other is used to provide individual pressure for each keg (18); a second driver (B2) for driving a compressor for internal cooling of the smart beer machine (system); a pump for circulating refrigerant in the beer supply tower, activating the pressure pump in the pipeline supplying air to the keg, and opening or closing the front port of the beer machine; a third driver (B3) for supplying the type of beer head required by the end user; data input (B4) for monitoring the internal pressure of the keg (18); various sensor sets (B5) including: a beer supply flow sensor for detecting the presence of a glass for supplying beer, a current sensor for detecting whether the internal compressor of the brewer is running, a voltage sensor for detecting whether there is power in the system, and finally detecting whether the front port of the brewer is open or closed; a module (B6) for detecting the presence of a keg in the brewer and determining whether the keg is in the correct position to provide the registered type of beer to the corresponding brewer; and a computer (B7) for monitoring and communicating with the end user to provide services and monitor the system when it is available for service.

[0055] The method for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the invention is a computer vision method that, in addition to distinguishing between foam and beer, is also able to recognize the characteristics of the glass used. The glass recognition process is implemented by a camera located in the front of the beer tower, which captures the image of the glass, allowing an artificial intelligence algorithm to process the captured image, generate characteristic information such as the name, height, width of the glass, and then start the beer supply process. When beer is served, the algorithm observes the increase of liquid and uses the same principle for the foam. The total time for the system to recognize the object is less than 1 second, which proves its accuracy in recognizing the glass during use.

[0056] The use of AI is essential to delivering high-quality beer at the right temperature and foam based on learning and each customer’s choice, being able to inform customers of their favorite beers and even offer products that match the customer’s preferred flavors.

[0057] The method for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention is a cloud-based operating method implemented in a cloud-based platform (C1) for managing all data and events processed by the platform and recording these data and events in a big data structured database management system (C2) so that a variety of advanced analyses can be performed through the platform and a content management system (C4), which is actually a graphical interface through which users, breweries and employees can create new records, update and view existing records, and even delete data from the platform when necessary or when security rules allow. The method includes a central system, which is a RESTful application programming interface (API) (C3) that provides a set of interfaces and access points for all data processed by the system. The central system is divided into multiple modules, and its data repository is decentralized to improve the security of the information recorded within the system. The multiple modules include: a financial management module (C32), an enterprise management module (C34), a demographic data management module (C35) and a metadata module (C36).

[0058] The cloud platform (C1) is built on a central security management module (C31) that ensures the granularity of management of access rules for each access point or group of access points available in the system.

[0059] The Financial Management Module (C32) is used to process all information related to financial transactions recorded in the system, including: consumer data, orders placed in the system, recorded payments, properly encrypted stored cards for PCI compliance, payment gateway settings, and available payment methods in addition to payment fee sharing settings between sales participants. All transactions made through the platform pass through this module, which captures transactions made on the acquiring gateway (C33) configured in the system through integration and receives the status of the transaction asynchronously at the gateway to allow the payer to dispense the product after approval.

[0060] The enterprise management module (C34) is used to manage all breweries that have signed contracts with the platform, all sales products and their supply parameters, such as temperature, volume, foam percentage and product metadata such as international bitterness index ibu, alcohol volume fraction abv, color and origin. The module is also used to: activate the brewery that created its identifier and QR code, and associate it to the brewery and the place of use (commercial establishment); and register the keg on the platform, thereby preventing third-party kegs from running on the device, and providing an integrated interface for associating the keg to the product and brewery through the identifier of the keg's internal RFID tag.

[0061] The Demographics Management Module (C35) is used to manage the demographics of people (C35), whether they are consumers or employees who will work on the platform. This module integrates with third-party systems to confirm and validate “personal” data, ensuring that, for example, a Brazilian consumer is a person duly registered in the Brazilian ID system and is over 18 years old, thus ensuring compliance with local laws.

[0062] Finally, the metadata module (C36) is used to manage all existing data models on the platform as well as the settings of the content management system, making it possible to visualize all data and all their characteristics and relationships in a structured way.

[0063] The content management system (C4) is actually a graphical interface through which users, breweries and employees can create new records, update and view existing records, and even delete data from the platform when necessary or security rules allow. The system is self-generated based on the system metadata, so new metadata records allow the system to generate new graphical interfaces to interact with users. The data of all modules available to the RESTful application programming interface is managed by this system, which is part of the core package of the cloud platform system.

[0064] The end consumer (E1) can interact with and enjoy the services provided by the platform and can register on the cloud platform by integrating the created application (C5) with the available said RESTful application programming interface and store his demographic data and preferred credit card in the system to pay for the purchase. Once properly registered on the platform and close to the beer rack, the user of the application can scan the QR code (E2) on the device to view all the products sold on the device. This is made possible thanks to all the settings made in the merchant management module using the content management system. Once receiving the list of beverages that the device can provide, the consumer can select his favorite product and the desired volume from the volume configured by the brewery and finally pay for the purchased products by integrating with the financial management module. Once the operation is approved for payment by module (C32), the consumer is able to request the device to dispense the beverage by integrating the platform module (C34) with the system (B0), placing the glass at the indicated location as instructed by the system (B0) and waiting for the device to complete the serving of the beverage and the notification from the system (B0), at which point the application will remind the consumer that the beverage has been served through the notification received by module (C3).

[0065] After the consumer arrives at a beer sales point with a smart refrigerator, in order to be able to drink beer (E4), he needs to register in the system to verify that he is over 18 years old. After completing the registration, the consumer can use the mobile phone camera to scan the QR code on the refrigerator through the application to access all types of beer stored in the refrigerator. After confirmation, the consumer can order the beer he wants, the number of milliliters, and the type of head (high, medium or low) through the application.

[0066] The device for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention is a beer supply device (D1) driven by a servo mechanism (D2) which is actuated according to whether foam is required; the device comprises a main body (D3), a beer outlet (D4), a servo mechanism (D2) arranged on a counter support base (D5), and a spring mechanism (D6) for fixing a glass and placing it in the correct position for supplying beer, wherein when an end user requires beer with a high head, the servo mechanism (D2) is actuated according to the required foam, thereby enabling the system to analyze the amount of beer and foam in the glass through computer vision.

[0067] To control the foam, the system is equipped with an actuation servo mechanism instead of a mechanical tap. When the end customer requests a beer with a high head, the mechanism is actuated according to the required foam, so the system analyzes the amount of beer and foam in the glass through computer vision, and if more foam needs to be added, the actuation servo mechanism will be actuated to generate more turbulence, thereby generating foam.

[0068] Here’s how it works: the end customer requires beer with a high head (E4), so the system uses computer vision to analyze the amount of beer and foam in the glass, and if more foam is needed, the actuation servo (D2) is activated to create more turbulence, thereby producing foam.

[0069] In one configuration of the device (D1), the glass is raised and tilted 30° to minimize the turbulence generated. The configuration includes a spring mechanism (D6) for securing the glass and placing it in the correct position for serving beer.

[0070] Here's how it works: The end customer places the glass in the center of the cup holder, and under the influence of gravity, the system raises three rods to fix the glass in the center and prevent it from moving. Once the glass is raised, the system can tilt it up to 30°, depending on the type of beer. After filling the beer, the end customer lifts the glass upwards, and the clamping rods release, allowing the glass to be removed.

[0071] In another configuration of the device, a hydraulic manifold (A3) is provided beside the system, which is used to receive four different types of beer and discharge them from a single location. In other words, the main purpose of using this manifold is to provide only one tap, thereby reducing the complexity and number of components in the system.

[0072] The hydraulic manifold (A3) contains a self-cleaning system that ensures that the beer passing through the internal paths of the component is not mixed. After the system is supplied with beer, a cleaning cycle is triggered to ensure that there is no mixing of flavors, making it possible to store different flavors of beer in the same keg refrigerator.

[0073] The self-cleaning system consists of hydraulic and pneumatic solenoid valves, and the supply and cleaning procedures are initiated by the central system.

[0074] Therefore, the system, method and device for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention is a self-service device that does not require operation by bartenders and waiters; when a consumer wants to buy a glass of beer, he or she can use a mobile phone to scan the system's QR code through an application, thereby opening the system's intuitive menu interface, which contains information about the brewery and the types of beer that can be purchased, including costs, promotions, coupons and loyalty programs; after the consumer orders beer and payment is approved, the system will wait for the glass to be placed under the smart tap and serve the beer after measuring the size of the glass using a preset algorithm; therefore, the system will charge the consumer according to the amount of beer in the glass.

[0075] The system, method and device for comprehensive control of a craft brewery according to the present invention provide a solution for a brewery, wherein the system is connected to the cloud via Wi-Fi or cellular data to achieve all-round management. The internal / external status of the system can be monitored and the following information can be provided: beer inventory; internal kegs (storage barrels); ambient temperature; humidity; beer line pressure; sales quantity and revenue; device location located by GPS; alarms when beer is exhausted and waiting to be replenished; information about when and by whom the system ports are opened or closed; alarms when the system requires technical support and cleaning; monitoring consumers who purchase products to understand their habits and behaviors in order to formulate future advertising campaigns; improve business profitability and can be expanded to other sales forms, such as promotions; new product activation; and all selected operations performed by the application before completing the beer supply. The system will be operated by the end consumer, who can create an account, register a payment method (credit card); access a map to find a beer machine; view consumption history; and access the online store of the registered institution. The keg is made of polymer and fiberglass. The bladder is a bag made of recycled materials for storing beer. The system structure is complete, the keg is located in the freezer, and the beer tower (tap) is located on the top. It has 4 20-liter storage barrels, controlled by an RFID system, and has multiple sensors to control the quality and operation of the machine. The software AICloud provides an intelligent system that stores all the technical information of the system, including supply chain control information; humidity; temperature; internal quality and operation of the machine; storage status and inventory quantity; sales and consumer behavior related data, etc. Artificial intelligence evaluates consumer data and needs by sending this information to the brewery. It uses a fan-shaped stereoscopic display to provide high-quality holographic images. The device is designed to display products at the customer's point of sale.

[0076] Beneficial Effects

[0077] The system, method and device for comprehensive control of craft breweries according to the present invention can provide the latest technology, logistics, sales and experience solutions for craft breweries around the world. It focuses on enhancing the strength of breweries through industrial 4.0 technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data, RFID, learning machines, computer vision and cloud computing to earn more revenue. The beverage market, especially breweries, has undergone revolutionary changes. The new experience / solution provided by the present invention will provide a unique alternative for the sale and consumption of craft beer.

[0078] The advanced artificial intelligence built into the system and cloud platform can provide the end customer with beer that fully meets their needs. The invention has the following advantages: monitoring all process parameters from sales to delivery to consumers; controlling the beer machine self-service through an application that provides standard guarantees; using artificial intelligence technology, each glass of beer is served according to a new learning experience, and the system becomes more and more accurate with each new operation; the keg (storage barrel) is lightweight, made of plastic and fiberglass, and does not require carbon dioxide to operate; the system is operated through an application that can be accessed by the end consumer's smartphone and / or tablet, and because it is controlled through a mobile application, it will be able to meet the needs of the end consumer and enable the brewery to understand user profiles and achieve user stratification; all orders are authorized by the customer through the cloud, requiring age verification and the ability to choose a payment method; in addition, three-dimensional holographic technology can be provided, which can be used for brewery advertising activities and raw material (beer) promotion.

[0079] Therefore, thanks to the above-mentioned configuration and operating characteristics, it can be clearly seen that, in terms of the prior art, the present invention is a novel system, method and device for comprehensive control of craft breweries, which is innovative, creative and has unprecedented industrialization conditions, and meets the qualifications for the grant of invention patent rights.

Claims

1. A system for comprehensive control of a craft brewery, characterized in that: include: A smart beer machine (1) with a keg (2) inside, wherein the keg is composed of a polymer storage barrel containing an internal plastic balloon (hereinafter referred to as "keg"), each of which comprises an independent hydraulic and pneumatic system and an overall control system; the smart beer machine (1) comprises a total of 7 subsystems, namely: a pneumatic subsystem (3), a hydraulic subsystem (4), a keg control subsystem (5), an inventory and inventory control subsystem (6), a cloud subsystem (7), a security subsystem (8) and a tap subsystem (9), and further comprises the following components: at least one RGB camera ( 10), infrared camera (11), laser sensor (12), ultrasonic sensor (13), pneumatic solenoid valve (14), hydraulic solenoid valve (15), flow sensor (16), pressure transmitter (17), plastic bucket (18), DC compressor (19), water pump motor (20), refrigerator (21) (freezer), hydraulic valve (21), servo motor (22), stepper motor (23), electronic scale (24), RFID antenna (25), RFID tag (26), NFC antenna (27) and NFC tag (28).

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The pneumatic subsystem (3) is used to clean the hydraulic pipeline between the hydraulic manifold (A3) and the faucet (A4), and use a pressure transmitter (A1) to control the unit pressure in each of the kegs. The pressure transmitter directly acts on the pneumatic pipeline connected to the kegs, and fills the kegs with air; the pneumatic system (3) includes the DC compressor (19), a pressure switch, a pneumatic valve (21) with a filter, the pressure transmitter (17), and a pneumatic valve (A2), which allows or prevents air from flowing into the keg, thereby allowing air to pass only when the internal pressure of the keg is lower than the pressure specified by the control software.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The hydraulic subsystem (4) (A5) is used to guide the beer extracted from the keg, and includes: a beer-specific pipeline, a hydraulic solenoid valve (A6), a flow sensor (A7), a manifold (A3), a temperature sensor (A8) and a conductivity sensor (A25), wherein the hydraulic valve (A6) prevents or allows the extraction of beer from the keg (2) when necessary, and when the end user makes a purchase request, the hydraulic valve (A6) is activated by software.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that The hydraulic solenoid valve (A6) is activated when the end user uses an application to identify the smart beer machine (1) and selects the beer to be consumed; after the end user purchases, a monitor located in the "cloud" sends information to the smart beer machine (1); then, the hydraulic valve (A10) opens the beer outlet, and the hydraulic valve is built into a manifold connected to the tap outlet to supply beer.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The keg control subsystem (5) (B0) is divided into multiple modules, including: a first driver (B1) for driving two manifolds, one of which is used to supply four types of beer and the other is used to provide a separate pressure for each keg (18); a second driver (B2) for driving the compressor to internally cool the smart beer machine (1); a pump for circulating the refrigerant liquid in the tower to supply beer, activating the pressure pump in the pipeline supplying air to the keg, and opening or closing the front port of the beer machine; a third driver (B3) for supplying the type of beer head required by the end user; a data input (B4) for monitoring the keg (18 )'s internal pressure; various sensor sets (B5), including: a beer flow sensor when beer is supplied, a sensor for detecting whether a cup is present to hold beer, a current sensor for detecting the operation of a compressor inside the brewing machine, a voltage sensor for detecting system power and energy, and finally a sensor for detecting whether a port at the front of the brewing machine is open or closed; a module (B6) for detecting whether the keg is present in the brewing machine and determining whether the keg is in the correct position to provide the registered type of beer to the corresponding brewing machine; and a computer (B7) for monitoring and communicating with the terminal user to provide services and monitor when the system is available for service.

6. A method for comprehensive control of a craft brewery, characterized in that: The method is a computer vision method using artificial intelligence, which is used to control the entire system of an intelligent beer machine (1). In addition to distinguishing between foam and beer, it can also identify the characteristics of the glass used, wherein the object recognition process is implemented by a camera located in front of the beer tower, and the camera captures the image of the object, thereby allowing the artificial intelligence algorithm to process the captured image and generate characteristic information such as the name, height, width, etc. of the glass, thereby starting the beer supply process, so that when beer is supplied, the algorithm observes the increase of liquid, and uses the same principle for foam. The total time for the system to recognize the object is less than 1 second.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method is a cloud-based operation method implemented in a cloud-based platform (C1) for managing all data and events processed by the platform and recording the data and events in a big data structured database management system (C2) so as to perform a variety of advanced analyses through the platform and a content management system (C4), wherein the content management system is actually a graphical interface through which users, breweries and employees can create new records, update and view existing records or delete data from the platform; the method includes a central system, which is a RESTful application programming interface (API) (C3), wherein the API provides a set of interfaces and access points for all data processed by the system, wherein the central system is divided into multiple modules, and its data repository is decentralized, including: a financial management module (C32), an enterprise management module (C34), a demographic data management module (C35) and a metadata module (C36).

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The cloud platform (C1) is built on the basis of a central security management module (C31), which ensures the management granularity of access rules for each access point or each group of access points available in the system.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The content management system (C4) is actually a graphical interface through which users, breweries and employees can create new records, update and view existing records, and even delete data from the platform when necessary or security rules allow; The system is self-generated based on the metadata of the smart beer machine system (1), wherein the data of all modules available to the RESTful application programming interface are managed by the system, and the system is part of the core program package of the cloud platform system (C1).

10. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The financial management module (C32) is used to process all information related to financial transactions recorded in the system, including: consumer data, orders placed in the system, recorded payments, properly encrypted storage cards to ensure PCI compliance, payment gateway settings, and payment methods that can be used in addition to payment sharing settings between sales participants, wherein all transactions conducted through the platform will pass through the module, which captures transactions conducted on the acquiring gateway (C33) configured in the system through integration and asynchronously receives the status of the transaction at the gateway to allow the payer to allocate the product after approval.

11. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The enterprise management module (C34) is used to: manage all breweries that have signed contracts with the platform, all sales products and their supply parameters, such as temperature, volume, foam percentage and product metadata such as international bitterness index ibu, alcohol volume fraction abv, color and origin; activate the brewery that creates its identifier and QR code, and associate it to the brewery and the place of use (commercial establishment); and allow the keg to be registered on the platform, and provide an integration interface, which is used to associate the keg with the product and the brewery through the identifier of the keg's internal RFID tag.

12. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The demographic data management module (C35) is used to manage the demographic data of people (C35), whether they are consumers or employees working on the platform; the module integrates with third-party systems to confirm and verify "personal" data, ensuring, for example, that Brazilian consumers are persons officially registered in the Brazilian ID card system and are over 18 years old, thereby ensuring compliance with local laws.

13. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The metadata module (C36) is used to manage all existing data models on the platform and the settings of the content management system, so that all data and all its characteristics and relationships can be visualized in a structured manner.

14. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method comprises an application (C5) whereby an end consumer (E1) is able to register on the cloud platform by integrating the application with the available RESTful application programming interface and store his demographic data and preferred credit card in the system in order to pay for purchases, interact and enjoy the services provided by the platform, wherein the user of the application views all the products sold on the device by scanning a QR code (E2) on the device and can select his favorite product and desired capacity from the volumes configured by the brewery and finally pays for the purchased products by integrating with the financial management module, and once approved by the module (C32), the user is able to request the device to dispense a beverage by integrating the module (C34) of the platform with the system (B0), placing the glass at the indicated location as instructed by the system (B0) and waiting for the device to complete the serving of the beverage and the system (B0) to issue a notification, at which point the application will remind the user that the beverage has been served through the notification received by the module (C3).

15. A device for comprehensive control of a craft beer factory, characterized in that: The device is a beer supply device (D1) driven by a servo mechanism (D2), and the servo mechanism is actuated according to whether foam is required; the device comprises a main body (D3), a beer outlet (D4), the servo mechanism (D2) arranged on a counter support base (D5), and a spring mechanism (D6) for fixing a glass and placing it in the correct position for supplying beer, wherein when an end user requires beer with a high head, the servo mechanism (D2) is actuated according to the required foam, thereby enabling the system to analyze the amount of beer and foam in the glass through computer vision.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that In a preferred configuration of the device (D1), the glass is elevated and tilted by 30° to minimize the turbulence generated.

17. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that In another preferred configuration of the device, a hydraulic manifold (A3) is provided alongside the system, which receives beer for four different types and discharges it from a single location.

18. The device according to claim 17, characterized in that The hydraulic manifold (A3) comprises a self-cleaning system of the device (D1), which is automatically activated after the system is supplied with beer.

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