Beverage Machine Ingredient Preconditioning for Consistent Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beverage preparation machines face challenges in efficiently handling and mixing flavoring ingredients, particularly solid portions, to produce consistent beverage servings, as existing machines often require pre-conditioned ingredients and lack efficient mechanisms for crushing and mixing without compromising flavor or quality.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a mixing unit that includes a stationary support, a movable seat with a piston, and a control unit to manage the compression and mixing of solid flavoring ingredients, allowing for adjustable compression forces and precise control over the mixing process, enabling the preparation of various beverages by mixing water with ground coffee, tea, or chocolate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If solid flavoring ingredients are directly mixed with water without pre-conditioning, then the preparation process is simplified, but the mixing efficiency and beverage consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-compressing flavoring ingredients into compacted portions before they are stored and dispensed. This pre-compression facilitates efficient handling and consistent dosing during the mixing process, resolving the contradiction between simplifying the preparation process and maintaining mixing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary compaction step where flavoring ingredients are compressed into dense portions that serve as an intermediate form between raw materials and final beverage. This intermediary state improves handling efficiency and mixing consistency without requiring complex pre-conditioning equipment at the beverage preparation stage.
2Productivity
If compression force is increased to improve ingredient breakdown, then the mixing efficiency improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary compression to flavoring ingredients to create densely packed portions before storage. This pre-compression eliminates the need for high-energy compression during the mixing process, as the ingredients are already in an optimized state for efficient mixing with water, thus improving mixing efficiency while controlling energy consumption.
3Volume of moving object
If the mixing chamber volume is reduced for compactness, then the machine size is reduced, but the serving volume flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the mixing chamber to adapt its effective volume during operation. The system can dynamically adjust the amount of water added and the number of compaction cycles performed, enabling flexible serving volumes even within a compact physical footprint, thus resolving the contradiction between machine compactness and serving flexibility.
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
The machine effectively crushes and mixes flavoring ingredients with water to produce consistent beverage servings, offering adjustable serving volumes and temperatures, enhancing the versatility and quality of beverages prepared, such as espressos, lungos, and cappuccinos.
Implementation Method 1
a piston (14') that is movable inside the seat (12) between a first configuration in which the piston (14') is spaced apart from the closure part (13) so as to define a mixing chamber (12') between the piston (14') and the closure part (13) and a second configuration in which the piston (14') abuts against the closure part (13), wherein the control unit (C) is configured to control a preconditioning of the flavoring ingredient (2) by: a portion break-up relative movement of the seat (12) and the closure part (13) and the piston (14'), such that the closure part (13) and the piston (14') are exercised thereby a compression force onto the solid portion (2) between the closure and piston parts to break-up the solid portion (2)
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 machine (1) has a control unit (C) that is configured to control a preconditioning of the flavouring ingredient after an introduction into the seat's ingredient opening (120). The preconditioning of the flavouring ingredient comprises a portion loosening supply of water (3) from the water source (3′) into the mixing chamber (12′).