An improved juicer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing juicers lack a simple and effective mechanism for adjusting pulp content in juice, resulting in either excessive pulp or an inability to produce clear juice, with complex designs and difficult cleaning processes.
Innovation Solution
A centrifugal juicer with a split sieve having different mesh hole sizes and an adjustable spoiler mechanism that redirects the pulp juice mixture to specific areas of the sieve, allowing easy adjustment between clear and cloudy juice settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single mesh sieve is used, then the structure is simple, but the pulp content in juice cannot be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The sieve is divided into two distinct portions: a first portion with smaller mesh holes for clear juice and a second portion with larger mesh holes for cloudy juice. This segmentation allows the juicer to produce different pulp content juices using a single sieve structure, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and adjustability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the mesh hole size is increased to allow more pulp passage, then cloudy juice with substantial texture is produced, but clear juice cannot be obtained
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the sieve have different mesh hole sizes tailored to specific juice types. The first portion has smaller holes optimized for clear juice production, while the second portion has larger holes optimized for cloudy juice. This local differentiation allows the single sieve to provide precise control for different juice requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a complex adjustment mechanism is used to control pulp flow, then pulp content can be adjusted, but the mechanism becomes difficult to operate and clean
Solution Approach 1:
The juicer employs a rotatable centrifugal bowl that can be positioned at different angular orientations to direct the pulp-juice mixture toward either the first or second portion of the sieve. This dynamic positioning mechanism is simpler than complex adjustable mesh systems, providing easy operation while maintaining precise pulp content control.
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
Enables precise control over pulp content, producing clear or cloudy juice with minimal fiber content, easy operation, and simplified cleaning, outperforming previous solutions by providing distinct pulp/fiber thresholds and reducing the number of adjustment steps.
Implementation Method 1
These shredded small pieces are accelerated and later centrifuged by the high rotation speed of the shredding element
Implementation Method 2
The sieve separates the pulp from the juice. The hole size of the sieve determines the pulp content in the juice
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2a
AI summary
A juicer (100) that allows an user to easily and precisely adjust the pulp content of the juice is disclosed. The disclosed juicer is provided with a centrifugal bowl (102) having a moveable and thereby height adjustable food shredding element (130) cooperating with a sieve (132). The sieve (132) is split into a first portion (160) having a plurality of mesh holes with a first hole size (160a) and a second portion (170) having a plurality of mesh holes with a second hole size (170a). A sieve coupler (140) associated with a spoiler (140b) coupled to the centrifugal bowl (102) is provided. An adjustment mechanism cooperating with the sieve coupler (140) is configured such that the height of the spoiler (140b) and the food shredding element (130) are adjustable relative to each other to direct the flow of the shredded food pulp to pass through the first portion (160) having a plurality of mesh holes with a first hole size (160a) or through the second portion (170) having a plurality of mesh holes with a second hole size (170a).