Coffee Brewing Chamber Ejector for Dense Grounds Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing brewing devices for coffee machines produce compact coffee powder cakes that result in large voids when deposited in the collection container, necessitating either a large container design or frequent emptying, which is undesirable, especially for restaurant machines where space is limited.
Innovation Solution
A dividing element, such as a blade, is positioned between the stripping element and the collection container to break up the coffee powder cake into smaller pieces before it reaches the container, minimizing voids and increasing the container's holding capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the collection container is designed with large volume to accommodate coffee powder cakes with voids, then the holding capacity is improved, but the overall height of the coffee machine increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coffee powder cake is segmented into smaller pieces by the dividing element (blade) positioned in the chute. This segmentation breaks the compact cake structure into fragmented pieces that can be densely packed in the collection container, increasing the quantity of substance stored without increasing the container volume or machine height.
2Length of stationary object
If the collection container is designed with small volume to maintain compact coffee machine, then the overall height is reduced, but the holding capacity decreases requiring frequent emptying
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the coffee powder cake into smaller pieces using the dividing element, the same small-volume container can accommodate a larger quantity of fragmented cake material. The segmentation increases the effective packing density, allowing the container to hold more material within the same volume constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The dividing element changes the physical state and size parameters of the coffee powder cake by breaking it into smaller fragments. This parameter change from whole cake to fragmented pieces fundamentally alters how the material occupies space, enabling higher density packing in the collection container.
3Reliability
If the coffee powder cake is kept compact for efficient brewing, then the brewing performance is improved, but large voids occur in the collection container requiring larger container design
Solution Approach 1:
The dividing element segments the compact coffee powder cake into smaller pieces after brewing. This segmentation eliminates the large voids that would otherwise require a larger collection container, while the brewing performance is maintained because the compact cake structure is preserved during the brewing process itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The dividing element performs the fragmentation action in advance, before the coffee powder cake enters the collection container. This preliminary action of breaking up the cake ensures that when the material is deposited, it occupies minimal volume, preventing the need for large container design.
Data Source
AI summary
A brewing device (1) for a coffee machine includes a brewing cylinder (6) with a cylindrical bore and two pistons (3 and 4), such that the brewing cylinder is able to be closed to form a brewing chamber. The brewing cylinder (6) and pistons (3 and 4) are held in a frame (2). Before the brewing operation, coffee powder is introduced into the brewing chamber. The coffee powder cake (17) ejected from the brewing chamber is stripped off into a collection container (20) via a stripping element (18). Disposed between the stripping element (18) and the collection container (20) is a subcomponent (22) that separates the coffee powder cake (17), stripped off by the stripping element (18), into pieces (17′, 17″) before the coffee powder cake reaches the collection container (20). The coffee powder cakes are stored in the container (20).