Level indicator for a beverage dispenser

Abstract

Beverage preparation appliance (10) for household purposes with a plurality of operating programs, with a storage container (12), with an optical or analog first display (14) of a fill level of the storage container (12), and with an analog second display (18) of a required fill level of the consumable depending on the selection of a program, spatially next to the first display (15), characterized by an arrangement of the first display (14) in the direction of the user's view in front of the second display (18) such that the first display (14) covers the second display (18) as long as the fill level of the storage container (12) is higher than or equal to the required fill level of the consumable.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a household appliance, in particular a beverage preparation appliance for household purposes, with a plurality of operating programs, a reservoir for a liquid consumable, and a first indicator or display device for the fill level of the reservoir. The "operating programs" of the preparation appliance are understood to mean, firstly, a plurality of beverage programs corresponding to different types of beverages, which in turn differ from one another in their recipes. The operating programs of a beverage preparation appliance also regularly include at least one service program, which is used in particular for cleaning the preparation components of the appliance. For water-fed preparation appliances, the cleaning programs regularly include a descaling program; for coffee machines, a further cleaning program for dissolving oily components may be added.The reservoir can therefore hold preparation water. Alternatively or additionally, a reservoir can be provided for, e.g., milk. Additionally, the reservoir can serve as a holding tank for a cleaning solution for use in a service program.

[0002] From EP 2 571 408 B1 a beverage preparation device with a water tank and a display device for the fill level of the water tank is known.

[0003] DE 10 2006 043 906 A1 describes a brewing beverage machine with a water tank, a sensor for detecting the fill level of the water tank and a display device for displaying a fill level detected by the sensor, wherein the fill level in the display is indicated as the remaining number of cups to be drawn from the available water.

[0004] DE 102 30 951 A1, on the other hand, relates to a level indicator for liquids in a container, comprising several optical display elements, each with a first electrical connection connected to one of the measuring electrodes and a second electrical connection connected to an electrical power supply. This allows the existing fill level to be displayed more clearly with minimal electronic effort.

[0005] The object of the invention is to provide a fill level indicator for a beverage preparation device that makes it easier for the customer to operate the preparation device.

[0006] This problem is solved in the aforementioned beverage preparation device according to the invention by a second display or display device for a required or target fill level of the consumable, which can be activated depending on the selection of a program. According to the invention, the beverage preparation device thus comprises two display devices, referred to below simply as "displays" for the sake of simplicity, whereby this term does not refer to the output of information, but to the display device itself. While the first display shows the current fill level, the second display is assigned to a required or target fill level. This level results from the user's selection of a program for the preparation device. Beverage preparation devices typically have input interfaces for selecting a specific program from a multitude of available programs.Depending on the selected program, such as beverage selection or cleaning cycle, the appliance requires a specific quantity of consumables. The quantity of consumables assigned to each program is stored in the appliance's memory. Since the appliance has multiple operating programs, it can only specify the required, minimum, or target quantity for the selected program after the user has chosen that program.

[0007] The user of the preparation device according to the invention can not only see whether the reservoir is sufficiently filled—as with known devices. Rather, thanks to the specific information in the second display, the user receives significantly more precise information, according to the invention, about the quantity of consumable required for the successful execution of the selected work program and, if necessary, which quantity needs to be added. The invention thus departs from simply detecting the current fill level of the consumable and deriving and communicating any information from it to the user. Instead, it follows the principle of indicating the required quantity depending on the selected work program. This allows the user to compare this target quantity with the current quantity in order to "match" the current quantity for successful execution of the work program by refilling the consumable up to the indicated amount.The invention thus allows the user to refill the container much more precisely. This advantage may be less significant with water. However, with more expensive cleaning solutions, and especially with milk, it is generally in the user's interest to add exactly the amount required for the cleaning cycle. Conventional display devices typically do not allow for this.

[0008] The mere, even precise, indication of a quantity of the consumable by the second display alone does not significantly facilitate the user's evaluation of this information. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the preparation device can therefore include a comparison device for comparing the displayed values ​​of the first and second displays. This makes it easier for the user to relate the reading of the second display to that of the first. The comparison device thus encompasses all those technical means that enable the user to establish a comprehensible relationship between the reading of the second display and the reading of the first display, and thereby supplement any missing quantity of the consumable without further consideration.If, for example, the first display consists solely of a viewing window showing the fill level of the reservoir, and the second display shows a numerical indication of a target fill level of, say, 150 ml, the user lacks a reference point between the absolute quantity displayed on the second screen and the actual volume shown by the first. In this example, a scale on the first display with ml increments could serve as a point of comparison. Alternatively, the first display could have a scale indicating partial fill levels relative to a full reservoir, such as ½, ¾, and full, if the second display shows the same relative increments as the target fill level. Generally, the more similar the information displayed on the first and second displays is, the easier it is to compare them.

[0009] According to the invention, the preparation device has an optical or analog first display and an analog second display located spatially adjacent to the first display. The comparison device is thus provided by the fact that, on the one hand, the manner of displaying the first and second displays largely corresponds to each other, namely, that both are analogous. For example, the first display can consist of the readable actual level of the consumable, and the second display can comprise a vertically movable marker. Given their spatial distance, it is difficult to relate the two readings to each other. Their spatial proximity, however, allows the user to compare the actual level with the marker on the second display and thus establish a relationship. By refilling the reservoir, the user can then bring the actual level up to the level of the marker on the second display.It is irrelevant whether the second display operates mechanically, hydraulically, or electronically. Its technology can be freely selected according to various criteria, such as the associated costs. In conjunction with a conventional, optically readable first display that indicates the actual level of the consumable, this can result in a particularly cost-effective and user-friendly embodiment of the invention.

[0010] According to the invention, a beverage preparation device with an optical or analog display of the actual fill level is further developed by arranging the first display in front of the second display, in the user's line of sight. The first and second displays can therefore again be positioned in close proximity and side by side. According to the invention, the arrangement of the first display in front of the second display causes the first display to obscure a pointer or similar element of the second display as long as the actual fill level is higher than or equal to the target fill level. This provides particularly good comparability and clarity of the displays. In particular, liquids that are not transparent or not completely transparent, unlike water, enhance the informative value of the comparison device and thus improve the comprehensibility of the fill level display according to the invention.If the consumable is milk, a sufficient or higher level of milk completely obscures the indicator, so that there can be no doubt about the informative value of the fill level indicator according to the invention for the user.

[0011] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first indicator can be formed on a storage container that is at least partially transparent or at least translucent, so that its actual fill level is immediately recognizable as a liquid level, i.e. without further technical equipment, e.g. through a viewing field.

[0012] The second display, mounted next to or behind the first, allows for a reliable comparison of both displays, enabling a remarkably simple design for the fill level indicator according to the invention. The second display is therefore typically located in the immediate vicinity of the storage container.

[0013] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first indicator can comprise mechanical and / or hydraulic indicators for displaying the current fill level remotely from the actual liquid level of the consumable. In the simplest case, mechanical indicators can comprise a float ball; in a more complex case, a float rod to clarify the level, particularly in the case of water. With a float ball, the actual level hardly differs from the displayed level, while with a float rod, a distance equal to the length of the rod can occur. This can improve readability, especially of a water level. Often, these indicators are combined with hydraulic indicators, for example, with a communicating tube, which can be arranged remotely from the reservoir. It can be positioned either for better clarity in unfavorable lighting conditions or when the reservoir is not visible.In any case, a first display, using a communicating tube, decouples itself from the location of the reservoir. This results in location independence for the first and therefore also the second display, which can offer design advantages, for example, in built-in fully automatic coffee machines.

[0014] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the beverage preparation device can include a second mechanical display, for example, a vertically movable bar or pointer, or the like. This offers a technically simple design for the second display, which, together with an equally simple first display, allows for a particularly cost-effective implementation of the invention.

[0015] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the preparation device can include a second electrical display. This can be designed as a controllable, vertically increasing or decreasing light strip, for example, an LED strip, featuring a variable bar or moving dot as a marker, thus enabling readability, particularly in poor lighting conditions, but also, if necessary, through the storage container. The second electrical display offers advantages primarily in terms of its design flexibility, which can enhance the user's comprehensibility and / or convenience.

[0016] As mentioned above, communicating tubes of the first display can serve to indicate a liquid level in a reservoir that is not directly visible to the user. This situation can occur particularly in built-in fully automatic coffee machines. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the preparation device can comprise an electrical or digital first display, an electrical or digital second display, and an electrical display for the comparator. Designing the first and second displays and their comparator electronically offers the greatest design flexibility with regard to both the location of the display and its reproduction and, if necessary, processing. The design as an electrical first display also requires a detection device for the actual fill level, the information from which will also have to be processed electrically. The electrical comparator is, for example,The display can show both the first and second readings. The presentation of these two readings can range from a graphical representation of the respective fill levels, such as a bar or pie chart, to a numerical absolute representation of the fill levels, for example, as an absolute quantity in milliliters or a relative quantity, such as a percentage of the container volume, to a difference display showing only the difference between the actual and target fill levels. Furthermore, the electronic design of the displays and the comparison device allows the user to switch between the different display types, enabling them to select the most intuitive format.Any further information can be added, such as the specific instruction to the user to fill the reservoir with a quantity of 20 ml so that the selected work program can be carried out.

[0017] The principle of the invention will be explained in more detail below using a drawing as an example. The drawing shows: Fig. 1: A perspective partial view of a beverage preparation device and its storage container, Fig. 2, Fig. 3: Side views of the object according to Fig. 1.

[0018] A beverage preparation device 10 according to the invention is in Fig. Figure 1 is shown only in sections. Its cubic storage container 12, attached to an outer wall 17 of the preparation device 10, is fully visible. It is completely transparent, allowing a user to see the fill level of a consumable such as water from the outside of the storage container 12, which the container 12 requires during a preparation process or during a cleaning program (see, e.g., Figure 1). Fig. 2) In this respect, the storage container 12, due to its transparency, forms a first indication 14 of the fill level of the storage container 12.

[0019] On another outer wall 15 of the preparation device 10 facing the user ( Fig. 1) A selection knob (16) is provided, allowing the user to choose and activate a desired program from a variety of preparation programs. Depending on the selected preparation program or beverage, a specific amount of water is required, which varies from beverage to beverage. For example, preparing an espresso uses significantly less water than a latte macchiato. Each preparation program, as well as each service program for cleaning and / or descaling the machine, has a specific water requirement assigned to it by the machine itself.

[0020] On the outer wall 17 of the preparation device 10, which is concealed by the storage container 12, is a vertically oriented light strip 18 with a multitude of LEDs arranged one above the other. From the user's perspective, it is located behind the storage container 12, so that the light strip 18 can only be perceived through it. This arrangement of the display 14 and the light strip 18 in close proximity to each other allows the user to perceive both the display 14 and the light strip 18 with the same glance and to compare their information. This creates a comparison device between the display 14 and the light strip 18.

[0021] The light bar 18 constitutes a second indicator within the meaning of the invention. By illuminating a single LED or a continuous series of LEDs, starting with the lowest one, the light bar 18 can signal a fill level in the reservoir 12. It is to be understood as an indicator of a target fill level of the reservoir 12, which is reached by a liquid level at the height of the uppermost illuminated LED.

[0022] Fig. 2 and Fig. Figure 3 illustrates this with an example: A liquid level 20 is present in the reservoir 12, visible through the reservoir 12 and thus as the first indicator 14. The liquid level 20 may have accumulated, for example, after the reservoir 12 was initially completely full, through repeated use of the beverage preparation device 10. The user has now selected a specific preparation program using the selector knob 16. The preparation device 10 then indicates the corresponding amount of water on the light bar 18 by illuminating the bottom four LEDs. By looking at the reservoir 12 and through it at the light bar 18, the user can see, according to... Fig. 2 immediately, that the top LED is still below the liquid level 20 and therefore there is enough preparation water available to carry out the selected program.

[0023] The situation is different according to Fig. 3: The program selected on the rotary knob 16 requires a larger quantity of preparation water. Therefore, the bottom nine LEDs of the light bar 18 illuminate. Again, the user can see the liquid level 20 in the reservoir 12 on the one hand, and the level displayed by the light bar 18 on the other. The higher level of the light bar 18 indicates to the user that the liquid level 20 in the reservoir 12 is sufficient. Fig. 3 is insufficient for activating the selected preparation program. Furthermore, the user is also informed how much water needs to be added to the reservoir 12 to ensure sufficient preparation water for the selected program. By comparing the liquid level 20 and the relative height of the uppermost illuminated LED, the user can estimate the required amount of water or remember the target level when removing the reservoir 12 from the preparation unit 10 for filling. If the reservoir 12 remains in its position during filling according to Fig. 3. The light bar 18 provides an immediate indication of the required water level. The user simply needs to add enough water until the level 20 reaches the top LED of the light bar 18.

[0024] With milk as a consumable to be stored in the storage container 12, the user gains an even clearer impression or better understanding of the comparison between the first display 14 and the light bar 18 as the second display: In the case of the Fig. 2. The illuminated LEDs of the light bar 18 are completely covered by the milk. Since milk – unlike water – is not transparent, the user does not see the illuminated LEDs of the light bar 18. This indicates to him that there is enough milk in the reservoir 12.

[0025] In Fig.In contrast, two LEDs of the light bar 18 shine above the liquid level 20, so that the user can recognize the need for action based on the illuminated LEDs, especially when the LEDs are red. The light bar 18 thus indicates not only that milk needs to be added, but also how much, to initiate the desired preparation process. Especially with milk, a highly perishable food, the user appreciates that the required quantity is indicated very precisely, ensuring that no significant amount of milk remains in the reservoir 12 when the preparation process is complete.

[0026] Since the fill level indicator described in detail above is an exemplary embodiment, it can be modified extensively by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the specific design of the second indicator can differ from the electrical one described here. Likewise, the reservoir and its first indicator can be designed differently if necessary for reasons of space or design. Furthermore, the use of the indefinite articles "a" or "an" does not preclude the possibility that the relevant features may be present multiple times. Reference symbol list 10 beverage preparation devices 12 storage containers 14 first ad 15 Exterior wall 16 Selector knob 17 Exterior wall 18 Light bar (second display) 20 liquid levels

Claims

[1] Beverage preparation appliance (10) for household purposes with a plurality of operating programs, with a storage container (12), with an optical or analog first display (14) of a fill level of the storage container (12), and with an analog second display (18) of a required fill level of the consumable depending on the selection of a program, spatially next to the first display (15), characterized by an arrangement of the first display (14) in the direction of the user's view in front of the second display (18) such that the first display (14) covers the second display (18) as long as the fill level of the reservoir (12) is higher than or equal to the required fill level of the consumable. [2] Beverage preparation device according to claim 1, characterized by a comparison device for comparing the displayed values ​​of the first display (14) and the second display (18). [3] Beverage preparation device according to any of the above claims, characterized by, that the first display (14) is formed on a storage container (12) that is at least partially transparent. [4] Beverage preparation device according to any of the above claims, characterized by , that the first indicator (14) comprises indicator means for indicating the fill level remote from the actual liquid level of the reservoir (12). [5] Beverage preparation device according to any of the above claims, characterized by a mechanical second display (18). [6] Beverage preparation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by an electrical second display (18).

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