Coffee Bean Hopper Weight-Based Dosing to Eliminate Grinder Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated beverage machines, particularly fully automatic coffee machines, inefficiently dose raw ingredients like coffee beans, leading to significant waste and cumbersome maintenance tasks due to trapped beans in the grinder, and the possibility of unwanted ingredient mixing.
Innovation Solution
A beverage machine with a weight sensor-controlled dispenser and grinder that ensures precise dosing by weight, allowing complete grinding of beans without retention in the grinder, eliminating waste and the need for purging, and enabling automatic adjustment of grind size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional dosing methods are used in automated beverage machines, then the dosing process is simpler, but significant ingredient waste occurs and grinder purging is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the weight of coffee beans in the hopper and the weight of ground coffee in the grinder using weight sensors. This feedback loop allows the controller to precisely control the dosing process, stopping dispensing when the target weight is reached, thereby eliminating ingredient waste without requiring complex mechanical dosing mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical dosing mechanisms with an electronic control system that uses weight sensors and a controller to manage the dispensing and grinding processes. This substitution of mechanical dosing with electronic weight-based control achieves precise dosing while reducing ingredient waste
2Productivity
If coffee beans are dispensed into the grinder, then the grinding process can proceed, but trapped beans remain in the grinder requiring purging
Solution Approach 1:
The weight sensor continuously monitors the weight of material in the grinder during and after the grinding process. The controller uses this feedback to determine when grinding is complete and to initiate the purging process only when necessary, ensuring that trapped beans are minimized while maintaining grinding efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs a preliminary check of the grinder weight before and after grinding to identify trapped beans. When trapped beans are detected, the controller automatically initiates a purging operation to clear the grinder, preventing ingredient mixing in subsequent operations
3Ease of operation
If the grinder is not purged between different coffee types, then maintenance is reduced, but unwanted ingredient mixing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The weight sensor detects changes in material weight in the grinder, providing feedback to the controller about the presence of different coffee types. This enables the system to automatically determine when purging is necessary to prevent ingredient mixing, balancing maintenance simplicity with ingredient separation reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects when purging is needed and executes the purging operation without user intervention. The controller monitors grinder weight and autonomously manages the purging process, making the system self-sufficient in maintaining ingredient separation while minimizing manual maintenance
4Measurement precision
If weight sensor control is implemented for precise dosing, then ingredient dosing accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical dosing mechanisms with a simpler electronic system using weight sensors and a controller. The weight-based measurement and electronic control provide precise dosing accuracy while reducing mechanical complexity compared to traditional dosing mechanisms
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
Achieves precise control over ingredient dosing, reducing waste, eliminating the need for purging, and preventing ingredient mixing, while allowing easy swapping of bean hoppers and adjusting grind size.
Implementation Method 1
receiving, from a weight sensor configured to measure a total weight of the hopper and the coffee beans, data characterizing a weight of the hopper
Data Source
AI summary
A method can include dispensing a first portion of a supply of coffee beans from a hopper and into a grinder, and, as the first portion is dispensed into the grinder, grinding the first portion by the grinder, measuring, by a weight sensor, a total weight of the hopper and a second portion of the supply of coffee beans that is contained by the hopper and receiving, from the weight sensor, data characterizing the total weight, and determining, based on the received data, an amount of coffee beans in the first portion.