Beverage Dispensing System with Audio Video Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing beverage dispensing systems face challenges in accurately and efficiently dispensing beverages with different ingredient properties and proportions, requiring separate flavor chips and complex mapping processes, and struggle to accommodate customer preferences for adjusting ingredients like sugar content and carbonation levels.

Innovation Solution

A beverage dispensing system that uses a touch screen interface for user input, computer-readable instructions, and sensors to measure ingredient parameters, allowing for the dispensing of custom beverages without the need for separate flavor chips, and adjustable orifices to ensure precise mixing and measurement of ingredients, including carbonation levels.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If separate flavor chips and complex mapping processes are used to dispense different beverages, then beverage variety and customization are improved, but device complexity and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeverage variety and customizationVSAvoiddevice complexity and operational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses a single dispensing mechanism with adjustable parameters to handle multiple beverage types and formulations, eliminating the need for separate flavor chips. The controller can be programmed with different beverage formulas and parameters, allowing one device to perform multiple beverage dispensing functions through software configuration rather than hardware differentiation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If valves attempt to volumetrically measure and dispense ingredients simultaneously, then dispensing speed is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to problems with measuring and dispensing ingredients with different properties

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedispensing speedVSAvoidingredient measurement precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts dispensing parameters based on the specific ingredient properties being dispensed. The controller can modify flow rates, pressures, and timing for different ingredients to achieve accurate measurements while maintaining efficient dispensing speeds. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to handle ingredients with vastly different properties without sacrificing precision or speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If consumers want to adjust ingredients like sugar content and carbonation levels, then beverage customization is improved, but device complexity and measurement difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeverage customizationVSAvoidingredient parameter measurement difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates sensors and measurement devices that provide feedback on ingredient parameters such as carbonation levels and concentrations. This feedback mechanism allows the controller to automatically adjust dispensing parameters to achieve the desired customization levels, making it easier to handle complex measurement requirements without increasing operational difficulty.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2534090B1Beverage dispensing device having audio and video feedback
Publication Date: 2018.08.01 PEPSICO INC
  • EP2534090B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2534090B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2534090B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems and methods for dispensing beverages are provided. Aspects relate to providing audio and/or visual feedback to users during the dispensing of a selected beverage. Audio and video files are stored electronically within the dispenser. In response to the selection of a beverage, audio and video files corresponding to the beverage are selected and presented to a user during the dispensing of the beverage. The sound file may correspond to the type of beverage being dispensed and the video may show a fill state of a beverage container.