Beverage Machine Air Release Valve for Pre-Brew Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beverage preparation machines face challenges in efficiently mixing and dispensing beverages with varying ingredient types and quantities, particularly in handling solid flavoring ingredients and maintaining consistent temperature across multiple brewing cycles.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a mixing unit that includes a stationary support, a movable seat with a piston, and a closure part, capable of handling solid flavoring ingredients by crushing and mixing them with water, while utilizing a thermal conditioner to maintain consistent temperatures within the mixing chamber, ensuring precise control over beverage preparation and dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a brewing device tightly closes about the capsule and injects water for beverage production, then beverage preparation efficiency is improved, but air trapped in the brewing chamber causes incomplete extraction and requires multiple drainage cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful air factor from the brewing chamber by introducing a piercing element that creates a communication passage between the chamber and the external environment. This allows trapped air to be discharged during the brewing process, eliminating the need for multiple drainage cycles and ensuring complete extraction in a single brewing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The piercing element acts as an intermediary component between the sealed brewing chamber and the external atmosphere. It provides a controlled air discharge path without compromising the overall sealing of the brewing device, enabling air removal while maintaining the tight closure necessary for efficient beverage preparation.
2Power
If the brewing device is tightly closed about the capsule, then beverage extraction efficiency is improved, but air trapped in the chamber creates harmful effects requiring additional drainage operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful effect of trapped air into a beneficial outcome by using the air discharge function to improve overall brewing performance. The piercing element transforms the air trapping problem into an advantage by ensuring complete extraction and eliminating the need for additional drainage operations, thereby enhancing the extraction efficiency.
3Reliability
If multiple drainage operations are performed to remove air, then air removal is achieved, but beverage preparation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piercing element performs preliminary air removal action during the initial brewing phase, before the beverage extraction is complete. By creating the air discharge passage at the beginning of the brewing process, the system eliminates air trapping proactively, preventing the need for subsequent drainage operations and reducing total beverage preparation time.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the brewing device handles various ingredient types and quantities, then versatility is improved, but maintaining consistent temperature across multiple brewing cycles becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables parameter changes in the brewing chamber, specifically allowing the chamber to transition between sealed and vented states. This dynamic parameter adjustment facilitates handling of various ingredient types and quantities while maintaining consistent temperature across multiple brewing cycles by controlling air presence and thermal conditions in the chamber.
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 efficient preparation and dispensing of beverages with adjustable volumes and temperatures, ensuring consistent quality across multiple servings by thermally conditioning the mixing chamber independently of the water temperature, and effectively handling solid flavoring ingredients through controlled crushing and mixing processes.
Implementation Method 1
thermally conditioning the mixing chamber independently of the water temperature
Implementation Method 2
crushing and mixing them with water
Implementation Method 3
mixing and dispensing beverages with varying ingredient types and quantities
Data Source
AI summary
A machine (1) for serving a beverage (7) via a dispensing outlet (8) to a consumer receptacle (9) by mixing water (3) from a water source (3′) with a flavouring ingredient (2), has a mixing unit (10) that comprises: a stationary support (11); a seat (12) having an ingredient opening (120); a closure part (13) configured to close and open the ingredient opening (120); and a wall part (14) that is movable inside the seat (12). The seat (12), the closure part (13) and the wall part (14) are: mounted to the support (11); and relatively movable between a transfer configuration and a mixing chamber configuration in which the seat (12) and the closure part (13) and the wall part (14) form a mixing chamber (12′) fluidically connected with the water source (3′). The mixing chamber (12′) is in fluid communication with a valve (6) configured to release pressure from the mixing chamber (12′) when containing the flavouring ingredient (2) prior to driving the water (3) into the mixing chamber (12′) for mixing with the flavouring ingredient (2).