Brewing Chamber Filter Cleaning With a Spring-Loaded Scraper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee machine brewing devices often leave solid residues on the retention filter after cleaning, which can affect coffee taste and clog filter openings if not properly removed, leading to suboptimal brewing performance.
Innovation Solution
A coffee machine with a spring-loaded cleaning element that actively scrapes solid residues from the retention filter during its motion, ensuring thorough cleaning and preventing residue buildup, while a separate mechanism handles the cylinder bottom residues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a cleaning element rotates past the retention filter at a short distance, then the cleaning mechanism is simple, but solid brewing residues remain on the retention filter
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning element is made spring-loaded to dynamically adjust its position and apply varying pressure against the retention filter during rotation, ensuring consistent contact and effective residue removal while maintaining a simple mechanical structure
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded cleaning element is pre-positioned to contact the retention filter before the main cleaning rotation begins, ensuring that residues are removed from the outset throughout the entire cleaning cycle
2Reliability
If the cleaning element is spring-loaded to touch the retention filter, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded cleaning element automatically self-regulates its contact pressure with the retention filter through elastic deformation, eliminating the need for complex control mechanisms while ensuring consistent cleaning effectiveness throughout operation
3Productivity
If solid brewing residues are not removed from the retention filter, then the brewing chamber can be quickly reset, but filter openings become clogged and coffee taste is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded cleaning element maintains continuous contact with the retention filter throughout the entire rotation cycle, ensuring uninterrupted residue removal that prevents clogging and maintains coffee quality without extending the brewing cycle time
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 solution ensures improved cleaning of the retention filter and filter carrier, maintaining coffee quality and preventing filter clogging, thereby enhancing the overall brewing performance and longevity of the device.
Implementation Method 1
a spring force is effective between the cleaning element and the filter carrier or the retention filter, which ensures that the cleaning element during its relative motion toward the retention filter, in particular a metallic sieve body, touches the retention filter and/or the filter carrier, i.e. rubs or (mechanically) scrapes along it
Data Source
AI summary
A brewing device for a coffee machine, comprising a filter retainer (3), which holds a retention filter (6) for ground coffee beans and which is designed in particular as a filter carrier, a brewing cylinder (4), which can be moved relative to the filter retainer (3) between a loading position for ground coffee beans and a brewing position and which bounds a brewing chamber (13) together with the retention filter (6) of the filter retainer (3) in the brewing position, which brewing chamber has an inlet for pressurized brewing water, wherein a brewing chamber bottom can be moved within the brewing cylinder and the brewing cylinder can be moved into the loading position relative to a scraper in a movement step in order to scrape a cake of used grounds from the brewing chamber, and a cleaning element (7) for removing used coffee grounds adhering to the retention filter (6) after a brewing process during a cleaning motion.