Coffee machine, in particular fully automatic coffee machine, and method for operating a coffee machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fully automatic coffee machines require frequent decalcification and cleaning, which often results in chemical active ingredients contaminating the water tank or not being fully dissolved, leading to deposits and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A dedicated chamber for chemical active ingredients is integrated into or can be connected to the coffee machine's water line system, allowing water from the tank to flow through it, ensuring complete dissolution and targeted application of decalcifying or cleaning agents without direct addition to the tank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If decalcifying tablets are dissolved in the water container, then the decalcifying process can be initiated, but undissolved decalcifying agent contaminates the water line system and causes deposits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the decalcifying agent from the water container and places it in a separate dissolution chamber. This separation prevents undissolved agent from entering the water line system while ensuring complete dissolution before the agent contacts the heating element. The chamber is specifically designed to hold and dissolve the agent without contaminating the water reservoir or piping.
Solution Approach 2:
The dissolution chamber acts as an intermediary between the decalcifying agent and the water line system. It provides a controlled environment for dissolution and serves as a buffer that prevents direct contact between undissolved agent and the water circulation system, thereby eliminating the source of deposits.
2Ease of manufacture
If cleaning tablets are added directly to the brewing chamber, then the brewing unit can be cleaned, but the chemical active ingredient contaminates the water tank
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cleaning agent application from the water tank and confines it to the dissolution chamber. The chamber is designed to dissolve the cleaning agent and apply it only to the brewing unit through controlled flow, preventing contamination of the water reservoir while maintaining effective cleaning of the brewing chamber.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If manual cleaning of the water tank is required after decalcification, then contamination can be prevented, but the operation becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The dissolution chamber is designed to automatically contain and manage the decalcifying and cleaning agents throughout the process. The system self-regulates the dissolution and application of chemical agents, eliminating the need for manual intervention to prevent contamination. Users simply add tablets to the chamber and start the program, and the system handles the rest autonomously.
4Productivity
If decalcifying agents are not completely dissolved, then the decalcifying process is inefficient, but undissolved agent causes deposits in the water line system
Solution Approach 1:
The dissolution chamber is designed with specific parameters (temperature, agitation, contact time) that optimize the dissolution of decalcifying agents. By controlling these parameters within the chamber, the system ensures complete dissolution of tablets before the solution enters the water line system, thereby maintaining high decalcifying efficiency while preventing deposits.
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 method prevents contamination, ensures complete dissolution of cleaning agents, and simplifies the decalcification and cleaning process, reducing the need for manual tank rinsing and allowing for multiple uses of the agents, while ensuring precise application to specific machine components.
Implementation Method 1
ensuring complete dissolution of cleaning agents
Implementation Method 2
water can be conveyed out of the water tank via the feed pump through the chamber and into the water line system
Data Source
AI summary
A coffee machine (10), in particular a fully automatic coffee machine, comprising a water tank (11), also a heating device (16) for heating up water, also a brewing unit (18) for subjecting ground coffee beans to extraction by means of the water heated by the heating device (16), also a water-line system (13) comprising at least one water line, and also a delivery pump (14) for delivering water out of the water tank (11) through the water-line system (13). According to the invention, it is provided that a chamber (25) is, or may be provided for a chemical active substance, in particular a decalcifying and/or cleaning agent, it being possible for this chamber to be connected and/or linked up to the water-line system (13), manually or automatically, such that water can be delivered out of the water tank (11), by means of the delivery pump (14), into the water-line system (13) through the chamber (25). The invention also concerns a method for operating a coffee machine (10).