Method for making and dispensing coffee-based beverages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee machines for professional use require continuous pressure control and modification, leading to increased complexity and cost, and fail to maintain consistent organoleptic characteristics in the beverage, making it difficult to achieve repeatable and optimal infusion.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a preheating boiler, hydraulic pump, dispensing assembly with temperature and pressure control, a filter basket with a balance for weighing coffee, and a centralized logic unit to manage water dispensing in three steps: pre-infusion, infusion, and post-infusion, ensuring constant pressure and volume to achieve a preset brew ratio, enhancing aroma and organoleptic qualities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If continuous pressure control and modification is implemented, then the organoleptic characteristics can be adjusted, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brewing process is divided into three distinct phases (pre-infusion, infusion, post-infusion), each with specific pressure parameters. This segmentation allows the system to achieve versatile organoleptic control through discrete pressure stages rather than continuous complex modulation, simplifying the overall control architecture while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-determines the optimal brewing parameters including pressure profiles for each phase before the actual brewing process. The centralized logic unit stores and executes pre-programmed pressure sequences, eliminating the need for real-time complex pressure calculations and reducing operational complexity while maintaining consistent organoleptic quality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If continuous pressure control and modification is implemented, then the organoleptic characteristics can be adjusted, but the overall cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic pump is designed to perform multiple functions: it generates pressure for all three brewing phases, maintains constant pressure during infusion, and enables both pre-infusion and post-infusion operations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate pressure control mechanisms for each phase, reducing component count and manufacturing cost while maintaining organoleptic versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a centralized logic unit that automatically manages the entire brewing process including pressure regulation, phase transitions, and parameter adjustments. The microprocessor-controlled system self-regulates pressure based on pre-programmed sequences without requiring external complex control hardware, thereby reducing overall system cost while maintaining adaptability.
3Ease of operation
If operator discretion on pressure is allowed, then flexibility is maintained, but the result in the cup becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates pressure sensors that continuously monitor actual pressure during brewing and provide feedback to the centralized logic unit. The microprocessor compares real-time pressure readings against target pressure profiles and automatically adjusts the hydraulic pump to maintain precise pressure control, ensuring consistent brewing results while allowing the system to adapt to actual conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the operator's simple input (selecting beverage type and desired volume) into precise control of multiple parameters (pressure, flow rate, timing) through pre-programmed sequences. The centralized logic unit automatically adjusts pressure parameters for each brewing phase based on the selected profile, maintaining result consistency while preserving ease of operation through user-friendly interfaces.
4Ease of operation
If simple weighing of coffee is performed, then the process is simplified, but the infusion optimization is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex manual brewing expertise with a microprocessor-based control system that uses simple weight input from a load cell to automatically determine optimal brewing parameters. The centralized logic unit calculates and executes the appropriate pressure profile, timing, and phase durations based on the measured coffee weight, achieving precise infusion optimization through electronic control rather than mechanical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The load cell serves as an intermediary between the simple act of placing coffee in the filter and the complex brewing parameters. It converts the physical weight of coffee into an electrical signal that the centralized logic unit uses to automatically determine and execute the optimal brewing profile, bridging the gap between operational simplicity and brewing precision.
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
The method allows for consistent and repeatable coffee brewing with constant organoleptic characteristics over time, simplifying the process for operators and maintaining a consistent result in the cup by controlling water pressure and volume through a programmable and user-adjustable brew ratio.
Implementation Method 1
a preheating boiler with temperature control
Implementation Method 2
a hydraulic pump, programmable according to a quantity required to dispense a cup of espresso coffee in a set time
Implementation Method 3
a dispensing assembly... to achieve a selected and preset brew ratio, constant pressure being maintained during the dispensing of water
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A method for making and dispensing coffee-based beverages in machines comprising a preheating boiler (1) with temperature control, at least one hydraulic pump (2), a dispensing assembly (3) provided with systems for further heating and temperature control of the water, and manual or electronic means for controlling both the thermal power delivered within the preheating boiler (1) and the thermal power delivered by the assembly (3), as well as means adapted to weigh the ground coffee in the filter basket holder (5) and the weight of the dispensed product, the method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: – increasing the temperature of the water, inside the boiler (1) and inside the assembly (3), in order to achieve a preheating thereof with reading of the associated temperature in order to adjust the delivered thermal power; – a first dispensing step of preheated water at a selected temperature in order to achieve a pre-infusion in a preset time or for a preset volume of water in the absence of pressure in the hydraulic pump, wherein the coffee powder is only wet; – a second dispensing step in order to achieve an infusion of the coffee powder into which, by means of the use of a logic unit that manages the volume of dispensed water by means of a volumetric meter and at a preset and constant pressure as a function of the weight of the ground coffee and of the dispensed product, an amount by volume of water is dispensed which is calculated to achieve a selected and preset brew ratio; – a third dispensing step to achieve a post-infusion in which the hydraulic pump (2) is deactivated again for a time needed to reach by weight the programmed dose of dispensed product.