Coffee Machine User Recognition for Automatic Beverage Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Domestic coffee machines and vending machines often require users to manually adjust settings for beverage preparation, which can be time-consuming and fail to accommodate individual taste preferences, especially in multi-user environments where different family members or users have varying preferences.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a biometric recognition system with an electronic control unit in coffee machines to automatically or simplistically select beverage parameters based on recognized users, allowing for customized beverage preparation without additional user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustment of beverage parameters is implemented, then beverage quality can be customized, but user operation time increases and convenience decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-storing multiple user profiles with their preferred beverage parameters in the control unit. When a user approaches the machine, the system automatically retrieves and applies the appropriate profile without requiring manual adjustment, thus resolving the contradiction between customization and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The machine serves itself by automatically detecting user presence via biometric recognition and autonomously configuring beverage parameters based on stored profiles. This eliminates the need for users to manually adjust settings, maintaining high adaptability while minimizing operation time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple user profiles with different parameters are stored, then individual taste preferences can be satisfied, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple user profiles, biometric recognition, automatic parameter retrieval, and beverage preparation control within a single integrated system. This universal approach supports multi-user customization without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The biometric recognition system serves as an intermediary that automatically identifies users and links them to their stored profiles. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the interaction between multiple users and the complex control system, allowing the machine to manage multiple profiles without exposing users to the underlying complexity.
3Ease of operation
If biometric recognition system is integrated, then automatic user identification and parameter recall are enabled, but device complexity and initial setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The biometric recognition system is merged with the existing control unit and user profile storage system. By combining these functions into an integrated architecture, the patent enables automatic user identification and parameter recall while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity compared to separate independent systems.
4Manufacturing precision
If extensive parameter adjustment options are provided, then beverage quality can be optimized, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration by pre-storing optimized beverage parameters for each user in profiles. When preparing a beverage, the system automatically retrieves these pre-optimized parameters without requiring users to manually adjust multiple settings, thus maintaining high beverage preparation precision while significantly improving ease of operation.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~6
AI summary
The machine (1) comprises: at least one infusion unit (29) for preparing coffee, a user interface (9) and an electronic programmable control unit (15). The control unit is associated with a recognition system (11) for recognizing a user, and is programmed to actuate at least one function of the machine based upon the recognition of the user.