Coffee Machine Dose Control Using Infusion Chamber Closing Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee machines face challenges in accurately and consistently dosing coffee powder due to factors like grinder adjustment, coffee bean type, power supply voltage, wear, and environmental conditions, leading to inconsistent beverage quality and potential machine malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses the current absorbed by the electric actuator to control the infusion chamber closing, adjusting the coffee powder dose based on detected electrical parameters to maintain a consistent quantity, allowing for automatic correction of errors and user-adjustable settings within predefined limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the quantity of coffee is determined by the number of revolutions of the grinder, then the measurement is simple and reliable with inexpensive sensors, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to influences from grinder adjustment, coffee bean type, voltage, wear, and environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a sensor to detect the actual quantity of coffee powder delivered and feeds this information back to the control unit. The control unit then adjusts the number of grinder revolutions in subsequent cycles to compensate for deviations, creating a closed-loop feedback system that maintains dosing precision despite variations in grinder settings, bean types, and environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically compensates for dosing errors without requiring manual intervention. The control unit continuously monitors the actual coffee quantity delivered and self-adjusts the grinder operation parameters to maintain the target dose, enabling the system to correct its own deviations autonomously across multiple infusion cycles.
2Measurement precision
If complex sensors and devices are used to determine coffee powder quantity, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces complex mechanical dosing and measurement mechanisms with a simpler system based on electrical sensors and electronic control. Instead of using complex mechanical devices to measure coffee quantity, the system uses electrical sensors to detect parameters (such as weight or volume) and processes this information electronically to control the grinder, achieving precise dosing with simpler overall system architecture.
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 approach ensures a more accurate and stable coffee powder dosage over time, preventing machine malfunctions and maintaining optimal beverage quality by adjusting the number of grinder revolutions based on real-time electrical parameters, thus improving the reliability and consistency of coffee preparation.
Implementation Method 1
The dose of coffee powder is determined by detecting the pressure exerted on a sensor by the coffee powder delivered from the grinding unit
Implementation Method 2
detecting at least one electric parameter of the electric actuator during at least a part of the step of closing the infusion chamber and compressing the coffee powder, wherein said electrical parameter is a function of the current absorbed by the electric actuator and said electrical parameter is indicative of the stress that is produced
Data Source
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AI summary
The method for adjusting the quantity of coffee comprises the steps of : dispensing a predetermined quantity of coffee powder into an infusion chamber (36); by means of an electric actuator (19), closing said infusion chamber compressing the coffee powder in the infusion chamber. The method also provides for detection of at least one parameter of the electric actuator during at least a part of the step to close the infusion chamber and compress the- coffee powder; and setting of the quantity of coffee powder dispensed in a subsequent dispensing cycle as a function of said parameter.