Coffee Grinder Layout for Direct Axial Powder Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee machines with grinders face issues of powder deposits and blockages due to complex powder guides and static charges, and require significant space, limiting the compactness and flexibility of the grinder-motor arrangement.
Innovation Solution
A coffee machine design where the grinding ring is driven by an electric motor with its shaft positioned vertically and radially relative to the grinding cone, allowing axial discharge of coffee powder directly into the brewing chamber, eliminating the need for lateral guides and enabling a compact, variable arrangement of the grinder and motor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the grinding ring is driven by a vertically arranged motor with the motor shaft running parallel to the axis of rotation, then the grinding mechanism can be implemented, but the space requirement in the vertical direction increases and placement variants are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement by positioning the motor shaft perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the grinding ring, rather than parallel. This dimensional change allows the motor to be arranged in a different orientation (horizontally relative to the grinding ring's rotation axis), significantly reducing the vertical space requirement and enabling more flexible placement variants within the coffee machine housing.
2Ease of manufacture
If a complex powder guide is used to transport ground coffee, then the grinding mechanism can function, but powder deposits and blockages occur and static charge leads to adhesions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex powder guide component from the system. By designing the grinder outlet to discharge ground coffee directly into the brewing chamber without intermediate transport guides, the patent removes the source of powder deposits, blockages, and static charge adhesion problems that plague traditional designs with extended powder transport paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a direct discharge path where ground coffee skips the intermediate transport stage entirely and falls directly from the grinder outlet into the brewing chamber. This rushing through of the powder from grinding to brewing without intermediate handling eliminates the opportunities for deposits and blockages to form.
3Ease of manufacture
If the grinder outlet is positioned away from the brewing chamber, then the motor and grinder can be arranged, but the path of freshly ground coffee is long causing residues from previous grinding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the intermediate transport path from the coffee powder flow. By positioning the grinder outlet directly above the brewing chamber, the patent eliminates the extended transport path that allows residues from previous grinding to contaminate fresh coffee, ensuring each grinding cycle uses only fresh powder.
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 minimizes the powder path, reduces space requirements, and allows for flexible placement, ensuring freshly ground coffee is used without residues and optimizing coffee machine design for compactness and ease of assembly.
Implementation Method 1
a coffee machine with a grinder, in which an external grinding ring (8) can be driven by an electric motor (1) relative to a stationary grinding cone (7)
Implementation Method 2
the coffee powder produced by grinding coffee beans by means of the coffee grinder can be discharged axially from the grinder into the brewing chamber due to gravity
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3b
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a coffee machine comprising a coffee machine housing, having a coffee mill (2) comprising a grinder (6) for grinding coffee beans (32) to coffee grounds (33) and having a brewing device (35) having a brewing chamber (34) which is adjustable between a filling position and a brewing position for subjecting the coffee grounds (33) to extraction with hot water to produce a coffee drink, wherein associated with the coffee mill (2) is an electric motor (1) by means of which a grinding ring (8) of the grinder (6) can be driven rotatably about an axis of rotation (13) relative to a grinding cone (7) disposed radially within the grinding ring (8) by means of a shaft (14) spaced apart from the axis of rotation (13), in order to grind the coffee beans (32) between the grinding ring (8) and the grinding cone (7). According to the invention the shaft (14) is disposed such that said shaft extends perpendicular to the axis of rotation (13), and in the filling position the brewing chamber (34) is disposed axially below the grinder outlet (31), in such a way that the axis of rotation (13) passes through the grinder outlet (31) and the brewing chamber (34), preferably centrally, such that under the effect of gravity ground coffee powder can be discharged axially from the grinder (6) into the brewing chamber (34), in particular can fall axially into the latter.