A system for multi-ingredient beverage preparation from various container types
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage preparation systems are complex, costly, and user-unfriendly, lacking flexibility in accommodating various ingredient container sizes and types, leading to suboptimal beverage quality and environmental inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A beverage preparation machine with separate container holders and fluid delivery interfaces tailored to different container types, allowing for independent fluid delivery and control, enabling simultaneous or sequential production of multi-component beverages with optimal mixing conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a beverage preparation system is designed to accommodate multiple container types and ingredients, then the versatility and adaptability of the system improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage preparation system is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate multiple container types including single-serve cartridges, reusable containers, and various cup sizes. The system integrates multiple functions (brewing, heating, frothing, dispensing) into a single platform that works with diverse ingredients and container formats, thereby improving versatility while managing complexity through integrated design
2Productivity
If the system integrates multiple beverage preparation functions (brewing, heating, frothing), then the productivity and ease of operation improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple beverage preparation functions (brewing, heating, frothing, dispensing) into a single integrated machine. Multiple container holders can be loaded simultaneously, and the system coordinates multiple operations to prepare complex multi-ingredient beverages in one cycle, improving productivity while consolidating complexity into a unified system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows users to pre-load multiple containers with different ingredients into separate holders before starting the beverage preparation cycle. This preliminary action enables the system to automatically retrieve and combine ingredients in the correct sequence, improving efficiency while reducing the complexity of real-time ingredient management
3Ease of operation
If the system uses multiple container holders for different ingredients, then the ease of operation and productivity improve, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the container storage into separate, modular holders that can be independently loaded and positioned. Each holder is designed as a discrete component that can be manufactured separately and then assembled into the system, easing manufacturing while providing users with convenient, organized access to multiple ingredients during operation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A
AI summary
The invention concerns a beverage preparation machine (1) comprising a fluid system comprising a fluid source (2), a pump (3), a heating element (4), at least two container holders (7a, 7b) adapted for receiving ingredient containers (11, 17), a control unit (8) for controlling the fluid system to prepare a beverage by mixing fluid with the beverage ingredient contained in the containers to produce a mixed beverage component in each of the containers, wherein the control unit is further arranged to dispense part or whole of the mixed components sequentially or simultaneously to produce the beverage, wherein the container holders (7a, 7b) differ from one another for holding containers of different sizes and/or types and, and wherein it further comprises separate fluid injection interfaces (9a, 9b) having different structural and kinematic configurations, and arranged for independently delivering fluid in one of the corresponding ingredient containers; each interface being connected to the fluid system and being adapted to a different container.