Automatic coffee machine having a grinder with a safety element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fully automatic coffee machines with grinders pose a risk of user injury during operation, and existing safety elements can be clogged by ground coffee particles, compromising their effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A safety element with a sieve-like structure, featuring metal ribs and openings, is integrated into the ground coffee outlet to prevent finger access while allowing coffee particles to pass through, ensuring user protection and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a solid safety element is used to prevent finger access, then user protection is improved, but coffee particle flow may be blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The safety element is designed with a porous structure comprising multiple openings that allow ground coffee particles to pass through while maintaining a barrier that prevents finger access. The pore size is specifically dimensioned to permit coffee flow while blocking human fingers, thus simultaneously achieving user protection and maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety element is segmented into multiple ribs and openings rather than being a solid barrier. This segmentation creates a structured pattern that allows selective passage - small coffee particles can move through the openings while larger fingers are blocked by the ribs, resolving the contradiction between protection and flow.
2Productivity
If a safety element with openings is used to allow coffee flow, then productivity is improved, but the risk of finger access increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety element exhibits local quality variations through its rib-and-opening structure. The ribs provide localized blocking regions that prevent finger access, while the openings provide localized passage regions for coffee particles. This spatial differentiation of function allows the single element to simultaneously achieve both protection and flow.
3Device complexity
If a simple safety barrier is used, then device complexity is reduced, but cleaning accessibility is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The safety element is designed as a separate, extractable component that can be removed from the coffee machine for cleaning purposes. This extraction capability allows users to easily access and clean the safety element without disassembling the entire machine, thus maintaining simple construction while improving cleaning accessibility.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
An automatic coffee machine having a grinder with a ground coffee outlet which is provided with a safety element whereby the safety element has side walls and a front wall comprising ribs and openings that form a sieve-kind structure. The present invention enables an automatic coffee machine having a grinder with a safety element of an improved construction which provides the protection of the coffee machine users against injury on the one hand and ensures the permeability of said element on the other hand. The safety element is a simple and durable element which can be easily mounted and demounted on the ground coffee outlet.