Coffee machine, in particular a fully automatic coffee maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coffee machines fail to accurately determine the filling level of the pomace container, leading to incomplete emptying and potential overfilling, as the pomace counter is reset to zero without accounting for residual pomace, resulting in unnoticed complete filling.
Innovation Solution
A coffee machine equipped with a laser device that determines the amount of pomace in the pomace container by measuring the distance and height profile during the adjustment from receiving to emptying positions, allowing for precise calculation of the pomace amount and preventing erroneous resetting of the pomace counter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the grounds counter is reset to zero after the grounds container is reinserted, then the control unit assumes the container is empty and can hold maximum grounds, but the container may not be completely emptied leading to inaccurate fill level detection
Solution Approach 1:
The laser device performs a preliminary measurement of the grounds container fill level before the container is reinserted into the receiving position. This preliminary action detects residual grounds that would otherwise be missed, allowing the system to determine whether a complete emptying occurred and adjust the counter reset accordingly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection and mechanical fill level indicators with an optical laser measurement system. The laser device non-contactively measures the distance to the grounds surface, providing precise digital data about fill level that substitutes for traditional mechanical or visual detection methods.
2Productivity
If users partially empty the grounds container or replace it entirely, then the counter reset does not reflect the actual empty state, but the brewing process continues without detection
Solution Approach 1:
The laser device provides continuous feedback about the actual grounds quantity in the container. When the container is reinserted, the system measures the fill level and compares it against expected values. If residual grounds are detected, the system generates feedback signals to alert operators and adjust the counter accordingly, ensuring reliable overfill detection despite partial emptying or container replacement.
3Device complexity
If no measurement system is used during container movement, then the system is simple, but the amount of grounds cannot be precisely determined
Solution Approach 1:
The laser device acts as an intermediary measurement tool that bridges the simple mechanical container movement system and the digital control system. It provides the necessary measurement data without requiring complex integration into the container mechanics itself, maintaining relative system simplicity while enabling precise grounds quantity determination.
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
Enables accurate determination of the pomace amount, ensuring timely emptying and preventing overfilling by accounting for residual pomace, thus improving the operational efficiency of the coffee machine.
Implementation Method 1
a laser device for detecting the grounds accumulated in the grounds container
Implementation Method 2
the laser radiation generated by the laser device and reflected by the pomace can be detected
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a coffee machine (1), in particular a fully automatic coffee machine, with a brewing chamber (2) for preparing a coffee product, with a pomace container (3) which is arranged in a receiving position for receiving the pomace produced in the brewing chamber (2) and for emptying the pomace container (3) from the receiving position into an emptying position, with a laser device (6) for detecting pomace (4) accumulated in the pomace container (3), the laser device (6) and the pomace container (3) being matched to one another in this way are that the laser device determines the amount of marc (4) accumulated in the marc container (3) during the adjustment of the marc container from the receiving position to the emptying position.