Liquid Sales Management Device for Accurate Beer Consumption Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current liquid supply systems, such as those used in beer dispensing, consume a significant amount of beer during cleaning and lead-in operations, making it difficult to accurately determine the actual amount of beer consumed for serving customers, as the water cleaning and carbon dioxide replacement processes result in beer being discharged.
Innovation Solution
A liquid sales management device is integrated into the liquid supply system, comprising a flow rate sensor to measure dispensed liquid, a cleaning mode detection unit to identify cleaning operations, and a consumption flow rate acquisition unit that calculates actual consumption by combining measured flow rates and cleaning mode data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If water cleaning operation is performed to maintain hygiene quality of beer, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but beer consumption increases due to discharge during cleaning and lead-in operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting cleaning mode in advance and automatically compensating for beer consumption before it occurs. The consumption calculation unit pre-calculates the expected beer loss during cleaning and lead-in operations, allowing the system to account for this consumption proactively rather than reactively.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring cleaning mode detection results and using this information to adjust consumption calculations. The consumption calculation unit receives feedback from the cleaning mode detection unit and dynamically updates the actual consumption values, creating a closed-loop system that continuously refines accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If cleaning mode detection and consumption calculation are implemented to track actual beer consumption, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The consumption calculation unit serves multiple functions: it calculates beer consumption during normal dispensing operations, compensates for consumption during cleaning and lead-in operations, and provides accurate actual consumption data. This multi-functional design avoids adding separate dedicated devices for each function, thereby limiting complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the cleaning mode detection unit and consumption calculation unit into an integrated consumption management system. By combining these functions into a unified system rather than separate independent devices, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a liquid sales management device (101) capable of being added to a liquid supply system (70), the liquid supply system supplying a liquid within a storage container (10) to a dispensing device (50) through a supply pipe (30) with the liquid pressurized in order to cool the liquid in the dispensing device, and dispensing the cooled liquid to a drinking container (40). The liquid sales management device includes an actual flow rate determining unit (110) that determines a actual measured flow rate of the liquid dispensed into the drinking container from the dispensing device, a cleaning mode detection unit (120) that detects a cleaning mode in the liquid supply system, and a consumption flow rate acquisition unit (130) that determines an actual consumption of the liquid with the number of times of the cleaning mode, a known liquid amount consumed with one operation of the cleaning mode in the liquid supply system, and the actual measured flow rate.