Automated brewing system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional brewing processes are labor-intensive, resource-heavy, and often result in high barriers to entry and reduced beverage quality, requiring multiple skilled personnel and large equipment.
Innovation Solution
An automated brewing system comprising various brewing components and a controller that manages operations, allowing for partial automation through a user device and brewing platform, enabling users to select and execute recipes with integrated sensors and actuators for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional brewing processes are used with large equipment and multiple skilled personnel, then brewing capability is achieved, but resource utilization increases and barriers to entry increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brewing system is divided into multiple independent modular components including mash tun, lautер, boil kettle, fermenters, and brewhouse that can be individually manufactured, assembled, and scaled. This segmentation allows smaller entry-scale systems while maintaining brewing capability, reducing both barriers to entry and resource requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates automated control systems with sensors and actuators that enable self-regulation of brewing parameters such as temperature, pressure, and flow rates. This automation reduces dependency on skilled personnel while maintaining brewing quality, thereby lowering barriers to entry and optimizing resource utilization.
2Ease of operation
If traditional brewing processes with multiple skilled personnel are used, then brewing operations are performed, but labor requirements and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brewing system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor brewing parameters such as temperature, pressure, and flow rates, with control systems that automatically adjust actuators to maintain optimal conditions. This closed-loop feedback mechanism simplifies operation by eliminating manual monitoring and adjustment, reducing labor requirements despite increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operations such as temperature control, pressure regulation, and fluid transfer are replaced with automated electromechanical systems including heated jackets, pressure relief valves, and pump systems. This substitution reduces operational complexity by eliminating skilled manual labor while maintaining precise control.
3Productivity
If large traditional brewing equipment is used, then brewing capacity is achieved, but resource utilization and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brewing system incorporates adjustable and scalable components that can be dynamically configured based on production requirements. The modular design allows the system to operate efficiently at various scales, optimizing energy consumption by activating only the necessary components for the current brewing batch size, thereby maintaining productivity while reducing energy usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables optimization of brewing parameters such as temperature profiles, pressure settings, and flow rates through automated control, improving brewing efficiency and energy utilization. By dynamically adjusting these parameters based on real-time sensor data, the system achieves high productivity while minimizing energy consumption compared to traditional fixed-parameter systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an automated brewing system. In examples, a brewing system includes a variety of brewing components (e.g., one or more tanks, pumps, heaters, chillers, and/or sensors) and an associated brewing controller that manages operation of the brewing components. The brewing system may include an operator device that is in communication with the brewing controller and obtains one or more recipes (e.g., from a brewing platform) to be performed by the brewing system, thereby at least partially automatically brewing liquid based on the recipe accordingly. A user device may enable a user to browse recipes of the brewing platform, view the status of the brewing system, and/or control the brewing system, among other examples.