Swiveling Coffee Brewer Funnel Locking for Cleaning Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing brewing devices for coffee machines have poor accessibility to the upper piston and sieve surface for cleaning, making it difficult to maintain and clean the brewing chamber effectively.
Innovation Solution
The pivotable funnel can be pivoted further into a fully pivoted position and locked using a cam and recess mechanism, allowing for enhanced accessibility during cleaning, and automatically unlocked before brewing through a lever and control cam interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pivotable funnel is kept in the pivoted away position during operation, then the brewing cylinder can be raised and lowered smoothly, but the accessibility to the upper piston and sieve surface for cleaning is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The funnel is automatically pivoted into the fully pivoted position beforehand using a control cam mechanism that activates during the brewing cycle, preparing the cleaning accessibility before the actual cleaning operation is needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages the funnel positioning through the control cam and spring mechanism, which self-activates based on the brewing cylinder position, eliminating the need for manual intervention to switch between operational and cleaning modes
2Ease of operation
If the pivotable funnel is swung out to improve cleaning accessibility, then the accessibility to upper piston is optimized, but the brewing cylinder cannot be raised due to space constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The funnel positioning is made dynamic rather than static, allowing it to pivot between the pivoted away position during brewing operations and the fully pivoted position during cleaning operations, adapting to different operational requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The funnel is positioned in a different spatial dimension (fully pivoted position) during cleaning operations, moving it out of the vertical space required for raising the brewing cylinder, thereby resolving the spatial conflict
3Ease of operation
If a locking mechanism is added to hold the funnel in fully pivoted position, then cleaning accessibility is optimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control cam acts as an intermediary element that automatically triggers the locking mechanism through its interaction with the brewing cylinder position, simplifying the control interface while maintaining the required functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The manual locking mechanism is replaced with an automatic cam-based system that uses the existing motion of the brewing cylinder to activate the locking and unlocking actions, reducing the need for separate manual controls
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 configuration optimizes the cleaning accessibility of the upper piston and sieve surface, ensuring effective maintenance and operation of the brewing device.
Implementation Method 1
the locking means are formed by a cam attached to the pivoting hopper which, in the fully pivoted-out position of the pivoting hopper, latches into a recess provided on the frame
Implementation Method 2
the pivoting funnel, which is pivotably mounted on the frame in the area of the upper piston, pivots into the free space between the upper piston and the brewing cylinder
Implementation Method 3
a driver part attached to the brewing cylinder, which is provided with a threaded part and linear guides attached along the spindle in the frame is displaceable
Data Source
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AI summary
The brewing device comprises an upper piston (3), a lower piston (4) and a brewing cylinder (6) with a cylindrical bore. A swiveling funnel (14) is rotated from a swiveling away position to a fully swung-out position. The swiveling funnel is locked in the fully swung out position by a locking medium (29) and unlocked over an unlocking medium (30).