Apparatus and method for blender system with mid-cycle inversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing systems face challenges in automatically blending heterogeneous materials and maintaining high-quality products without user intervention, particularly in processing solid or partially fluid foodstuffs into smooth, consumable forms.
Innovation Solution
An automated food processing system comprising a container platform, blade assembly, blade actuator, platform actuator, and processor that moves the blade platform between engagement and container positions to facilitate efficient blending, with features like blade recesses and seals to manage container orientation and fluid flow, ensuring consistent blending and cleaning cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If automated blending is implemented, then user intervention is reduced, but blending quality of heterogeneous materials deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system inverts the container mid-blend cycle, reversing the orientation of materials relative to the blade. This inversion disrupts clumping and heterogeneous distribution by physically repositioning materials that have settled or adhered to container walls, allowing the blade to access and re-integrate them into the blend. The inversion mechanism enables automated systems to achieve better blending quality by periodically reversing the blending geometry rather than relying solely on continuous rotation.
2Productivity
If continuous blending is performed, then productivity is improved, but material adhesion to container walls increases
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the container during the blend cycle, the system periodically reverses the direction of material flow and blade engagement. This inversion prevents materials from continuously adhering to the same container wall surfaces by changing which surfaces are in contact with the blade and materials. The periodic reversal disrupts adhesion patterns and allows materials that may have stuck to walls during one phase of rotation to be released and re-integrated during the inverted phase.
3Productivity
If blade platform remains in engagement position, then blending efficiency is improved, but cleaning accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blade platform is designed to be dynamically repositionable between an engagement position during blending and a retracted position during cleaning. This dynamic movement allows the system to optimize for blending efficiency when the blade is engaged with the container, then easily transition to a cleaning configuration where the blade and platform are retracted or positioned to allow access for cleaning operations. The dynamic repositioning capability enables the system to alternate between high-efficiency blending and easy cleaning without permanent structural compromise.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a container platform configured to receive a container, a blade assembly and a blade actuator for rotating blades of the blade assembly, a blade platform, and a platform actuator for moving the blade platform between a blade engagement position and a container engagement position. A processor is configured to cause the platform actuator to move the blade platform, prior to a first actuation of the blade actuator, from the container engagement position to the blade engagement position, to cause the first actuation, to cause the platform actuator to move the blade platform towards the container engagement position, to cause the blade platform to return to the blade engagement position, to cause a second actuation of the blade actuator, and to cause the platform actuator to return the blade platform to the container engagement position subsequent to the second actuation.