Spring-Mounted Beverage Pump Assembly for Vibration Damping

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Vibrations from reciprocating piston pumps in beverage preparation machines negatively affect the quality and operational feel of the devices and other components, as existing solutions like suspension with spaced apart suspenders or elastic supports do not adequately address the issue of vibration transmission.

Innovation Solution

A beverage preparation machine design that incorporates a helicoidal dampening spring to mount the pump, allowing friction-free movements and reducing vibration transmission, combined with a plain bearing to guide the pump's movements and an electric connection using vibration-barrier flexible cables to minimize vibration transfer.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a reciprocating piston pump is mounted directly in the housing, then the structure is simple and assembly is easy, but vibrations are transmitted to other machine parts affecting quality and operational feel

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidvibration transmission
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A dampener comprising a spring is introduced as an intermediary element between the pump and the housing. The spring absorbs and dampens vibrations generated by the reciprocating piston pump, preventing their transmission to other machine parts while maintaining structural simplicity and ease of assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The dampener is pre-installed on the housing before pump assembly. This beforehand cushioning approach ensures that vibration absorption capability is already in place, allowing the pump to be mounted without worrying about subsequent vibration issues, thus maintaining assembly simplicity while addressing vibration transmission.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If spaced apart suspenders or elastic supports are used to suspend the pump, then vibration transmission is reduced, but the mounting structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevibration transmissionVSAvoidmounting structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The dampener is integrated directly onto the housing structure, merging the vibration damping function with the mounting structure. This eliminates the need for separate suspenders or elastic supports, reducing mounting structure complexity while maintaining effective vibration transmission reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The dampener serves multiple functions: it acts as both a mounting support for the pump and a vibration damping element. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, simplifying the overall mounting structure while effectively addressing vibration transmission issues.

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

3Object-affected harmful factors

If friction-free movements are allowed for the pump, then vibration reduction is improved, but positioning precision and stability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevibration transmissionVSAvoidpump positioning stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The spring in the dampener acts as an intermediary that provides friction-free movement capability while simultaneously maintaining pump positioning stability. The spring's elastic properties allow the pump to move freely during operation for vibration reduction, while the spring force continuously maintains proper positioning, preventing excessive displacement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 reduces vibration transmission to other machine parts, improving the operational feel and quality of beverage preparation, simplifying assembly, and enhancing system reliability and cost-effectiveness by integrating components for automatic assembly.

Implementation Method 1

a dampener for preventing or reducing the transmission of vibrations from the pump to other machine parts. The dampener comprises a spring on which the pump is mounted in the housing, for example a helicoidal dampening spring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVibration damping: Damping

Implementation Method 2

The dampener comprises a spring on which the pump is mounted in the housing, for example a helicoidal dampening spring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2745751B1Pump mount in a beverage preparation machine
Publication Date: 2015.12.23 NESTEC SA
  • EP2745751B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2745751B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A beverage preparation machine comprises: a housing (1000); a pump (800) which vibrates during use and which is mounted in the housing; and a dampener for preventing or reducing the transmission of vibrations from the pump to other machine parts, characterised in that the dampener comprise a spring (850) on which the pump is mounted in the housing.