Beverage Capsule Flange Seal for Grooved Pressure Brewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage capsule sealing systems fail to maintain a reliable fluid seal at both low and high fluid pressures, particularly when the enclosing member has radially extending open grooves, leading to potential leakage issues during brewing.
Innovation Solution
The capsule features an annular projection with a trough design, where the projection's inner foot radially extends outside an inner sealing member portion and an outer foot radially inside an outer flange portion, creating a sealing member that is easy to manufacture and provides a satisfactory seal by increasing radial contact pressure through tilting and 'rolling off' of the projection, even with radially extending open grooves on the enclosing member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the enclosing member has radially extending open grooves to facilitate capsule removal, then ease of operation is improved, but sealing reliability deteriorates due to potential fluid leakage through the grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member acts as an intermediary element between the capsule flange and the enclosing member's free contact end. It bridges the gap created by the radially extending open grooves, providing a continuous sealing path that prevents fluid leakage while allowing the grooves to remain open for capsule removal facilitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing member is designed as a flexible component that can deform under fluid pressure to conform to the free contact end surface, including the areas with radially extending open grooves. This flexibility allows it to maintain sealing contact despite the presence of grooves, preventing fluid escape while enabling easy capsule removal when pressure is released.
2Reliability
If the sealing member is designed to maintain seal at high fluid pressures, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional structural requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to deform and adapt its shape in response to fluid pressure changes. At low pressure, it maintains a basic sealing contact, while at high pressure, it deforms to conform to the free contact end surface, automatically adjusting its sealing mechanism without requiring complex pre-configured structures for different pressure conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing member's physical state and contact characteristics change in response to fluid pressure parameters. As fluid pressure increases, the sealing member undergoes deformation changes that enhance its sealing effectiveness, allowing a single simple structure to provide reliable sealing across a wide range of pressure conditions from 0.1-4 bar during startup to 6-20 bar during brewing.
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 design achieves a fluid sealing contact with minimal leakage (0-6% of total fluid), ensuring a reliable seal at both low and high fluid pressures, making it suitable for use in beverage preparation devices with pressures up to 20 bar.
Implementation Method 1
The free contact end of the enclosing member is arranged to act on the sealing member to increase radial contact pressure between the capsule and the enclosing member
Data Source
AI summary
Capsule containing a substance for the preparation of a potable beverage, the capsule having an aluminum capsule body having a side wall and an outwardly extending flange and a sealing member at the outwardly extending flange for providing a fluid sealing contact with an enclosing member of a beverage preparation device. The beverage preparation device comprises an annular element having a free contact end which may be provided with a plurality of radially extending open grooves. The sealing member is integral with the outwardly extending flange and comprises a projection. An annular trough between the inner projection foot and the side wall has a bottom axially spaced from the outer projection foot towards the bottom of the capsule body.