Beverage Machine Voltage Detection for Water Temperature Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hot drink preparation devices, such as coffee machines, suffer from temperature fluctuations due to mains voltage variations, leading to overheating and quality issues like crema impairment and undesirable substance release in the beverage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a mains voltage detector within the control means to adjust the heating device's operation, using a microcontroller to compensate for voltage deviations and implementing a gradual pump activation to stabilize water flow, thereby minimizing temperature fluctuations and ensuring consistent quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If temperature control is implemented using only temperature detection and regulation of electrical heating, then the heating device can maintain a target temperature in steady state, but voltage peaks cause temporary overheating before temperature regulation can compensate
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit detects voltage peaks before they cause significant temperature changes and preemptively reduces heating power. This preliminary action prevents the thermal overshoot that would otherwise occur during voltage fluctuations, ensuring stable water temperature without waiting for temperature sensors to detect changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses voltage detection feedback to dynamically adjust heating power in real-time. When voltage peaks are detected, the control unit immediately responds by reducing heating output, creating a closed-loop control system that prevents temperature deviations before they affect beverage quality.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a thermal block heater is used for heating water, then heating efficiency is improved, but the system becomes sensitive to voltage fluctuations due to quadratic influence on heating output
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors voltage levels and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust heating power. This compensates for the quadratic sensitivity of the thermal block heater to voltage changes, maintaining stable temperature despite voltage fluctuations while preserving heating efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the heating power parameter in response to detected voltage fluctuations. By adjusting the electrical power input to the thermal block heater based on real-time voltage conditions, the system maintains optimal heating efficiency while compensating for voltage-induced performance variations.
3Manufacturing precision
If temperature-sensitive beverage raw material is used in the brewing unit, then beverage quality is enhanced, but overheating causes undesirable leaching of foreign substances
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit detects voltage peaks and preemptively reduces heating power before temperature-induced leaching can occur. This preliminary protective action ensures that temperature-sensitive beverage raw material is never exposed to harmful overheating conditions, preserving beverage quality and preventing foreign substance release.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts potentially harmful voltage peaks into beneficial protective action by using voltage detection to trigger immediate heating power reduction. This transforms the harmful voltage fluctuation into an opportunity for enhanced beverage quality control by preventing overheating before it can affect the beverage raw material.
4Device complexity
If standard temperature control without voltage detection is used, then device complexity is minimized, but crema quality is impaired due to temperature-related burning
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs multiple functions: standard temperature control, voltage detection, and dynamic heating power adjustment. By integrating voltage detection and compensation into the existing control system, the patent enhances crema quality without requiring a completely separate control mechanism, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 solution effectively stabilizes the temperature of the heated water, maintaining consistent quality of the hot beverage, particularly in preventing crema impairment and ensuring a flawless taste and appearance, while being cost-effective for large-scale production.
Implementation Method 1
the water is electrically heated during transport by a radiator, which is driven by a pump
Implementation Method 2
the temperature of the heating device is detected using a temperature-variable electrical resistance
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
This invention relates to a device for preparing a hot drink with an electrically operated heating device provided in a housing for water that is supplied from a fresh water connection of the housing or a water tank provided in the housing by means of electrically operated pump means and a brewing unit arranged downstream of the heating device, in which heated water is heated with a Beverage raw material can be brought together and discharged from the housing via outlet means, with the heating device being assigned control means for controlling a water contact area and/or a water temperature of the heated water to at least one temperature setpoint, with a mains voltage connection of the preparation device wired for the electrical operation of the heating device being assigned mains voltage detector means in this way are that in response to a detector signal that is dependent on a currently detected mains voltage, an electronic A control functionality of the control means can be influenced mechanically in the form of compensation for an electrical power contribution of a line voltage difference that deviates from a line voltage setpoint value to the heating device, with the pump means being assigned operating control means in such a way that the heating device is activated as a reaction to an activation of the heating device, which is preferably carried out via a manually operable control unit on the housing to produce a portion of the hot drink, the pump means are electrically actuated to activate them and until a subsequent target power pump operation with a control voltage and/or control power profile that is continuously increasing over a predetermined start-up period.