Beverage Dispenser Water Pulsing for Precise Drink Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage dispensers struggle to deliver water at a desired temperature for optimal beverage quality, as hot beverages often exceed the ideal temperature when powdered ingredients are added, and mixing with cold water does not adequately address this issue.
Innovation Solution
The method involves alternately supplying hot and cold water through separate intervals to achieve a well-mixed water temperature between the two, with the temperature of the mixed water determined by adjusting the length of these intervals, ensuring the quality of the beverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If hot water is supplied at high temperature for optimal coffee brewing, then coffee quality is improved, but the temperature is too high for adding powdered beverages
Solution Approach 1:
The system alternates between supplying hot water and cold water in periodic time intervals (t1 and t2) to achieve an average temperature suitable for powdered beverages. The controller switches between hot water valve and cold water valve periodically, creating a pulsed flow pattern that mixes temperatures over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the time intervals t1 and t2 based on the desired temperature T3. By varying the duration of hot water supply versus cold water supply, the system can adaptively control the mixed water temperature to match different beverage requirements.
2Temperature
If cold water is added to reduce temperature for powdered beverages, then temperature is reduced, but the mixing is insufficient and large temperature peaks occur
Solution Approach 1:
The alternating periodic supply of hot and cold water creates continuous mixing action. The rapid switching between hot and cold water flows prevents temperature stratification and ensures homogeneous mixing, eliminating large temperature peaks while maintaining stable average temperature T3.
3Temperature
If hot water and cold water are supplied simultaneously, then mixing occurs, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of simultaneously controlling multiple valves for hot and cold water, the system uses periodic alternating action where only one valve is open at a time. This simplifies the control logic to sequential switching based on time intervals t1 and t2, reducing control complexity while achieving the same mixing effect.
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
This approach allows for precise control of the water temperature exiting the system, preventing large temperature peaks and ensuring optimal beverage quality by maintaining a consistent temperature between the hot and cold water inputs.
Implementation Method 1
the hot water quantity is supplied alternately in first time intervals t2 and the cold water quantity in second time intervals t1
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The method involves supplying a hot water quantity at temperature over a hot water line (7). A cold water quantity at another temperature is supplied over a cold water line (4) so that outflowing water total quantity exhibits desired temperature. The hot water quantity in time interval and the cold water quantity in another time interval are supplied when the temperature of the outflowing total water quantity lies between the temperature of the hot water quantity and the temperature of the cold water quantity. A beverage is supplied to a beverage container.