A device and a method of sensing characteristics of a food material and a machine and a method of brewing coffee
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumer-level coffee brewing machines lack flexibility in adjusting brewing routines to accommodate varying roasting degrees and grind fineness of coffee powder, leading to inconsistent coffee taste, and existing NIR spectrometer systems are costly and complex for home use.
Innovation Solution
A device using a wave source emitting waves in the visible and near-infrared bands to detect the roasting degree and grind fineness of coffee powder, employing a filter wheel with lenses for subband detection and a silicon-based sensor, allowing for low-cost, accurate characterization of coffee powder characteristics for adaptable brewing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a routine brewing machine is used with pre-stored brewing routines, then the brewing process is simple and easy to operate, but the coffee taste becomes inconsistent when coffee powder characteristics vary
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of coffee powder characteristics (roasting degree, grind fineness) before brewing, and pre-adjusts brewing parameters based on detected characteristics, ensuring consistent coffee taste while maintaining simple operation for users
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by detecting coffee powder characteristics and automatically adjusting brewing parameters based on the detected information, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains taste consistency across different coffee powders
2Measurement precision
If an NIR spectrometer system with InGaAs array is used for detecting roasting degree, then the detection accuracy is high, but the device cost and maintenance complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, complex InGaAs array sensors with cheaper, simpler silicon-based sensors that can achieve sufficient detection accuracy for home use, sacrificing some measurement precision to dramatically reduce device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the detection wavelength parameters to match the capabilities of silicon-based sensors, optimizing the detection approach for the selected sensor type rather than using a sensor type that requires complex and expensive hardware
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and cost-effective detection of coffee powder characteristics, ensuring consistent coffee taste by adjusting brewing parameters based on roasting degree and grind fineness, suitable for home/office use and meeting accuracy requirements for home appliances.
Implementation Method 1
a wave source (20) configured for emitting waves to said coffee powder, the wavelength range of said waves comprising at least part of visible band and a selected near infrared band neighboring the visible band
Implementation Method 2
a detector (26) configured for detecting intensities of the waves reflected from said coffee powder
Implementation Method 3
a filter configured for filtering the waves reflected from said coffee powder and obtaining a subset of waves in predetermined subbands
Data Source
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AI summary
A device and a method of sensing characteristics of a food material and a machine and a method of brewing coffee. The device comprises: a wave source (20) configured for emitting waves to said food material (22), with the wavelength range of said waves comprising a selected near infrared band neighboring a visible band; a detector (26), configured for detecting intensities of the waves reflected by said food material; and an analysis module (28), configured for determining said characteristics according to the detected intensity of the reflected waves. Preferably, the food material comprises coffee powder, and the characteristics comprise at least any one of: color of the coffee powder (corresponding to the roasting degree of coffee powder); and grind fineness of the coffee powder.