Cup Fill Level Selection Using Finger Position Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current beverage preparation machines face challenges in user-friendliness and accuracy when selecting the level of fill in cups, particularly due to variability in limescale affecting flow meters, manual control inaccuracy, and lack of flexibility in volume selection, leading to potential overspills and confusion for users.
Innovation Solution
A device that uses a user interface to detect the position of a human finger or pointing instrument to select the desired fill level, allowing for adaptable fill levels without preprogramming, and includes features like light emitters and detectors to ensure accurate filling and prevent overflow, with optional feedback mechanisms like a touch screen for enhanced user guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If flow meter is used to control fill volume, then filling accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases and reliability deteriorates due to limescale buildup
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fill control function from the flow meter and relocates it to the cup level detection system. By using light emitters and detectors positioned around the cup to detect when the liquid reaches a target level, the system eliminates dependence on flow meter measurements, thereby resolving the reliability issue caused by limescale buildup while maintaining filling accuracy through direct level detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces light emitters and detectors as intermediary components between the pump and the cup. These optical sensors serve as mediators that detect the liquid level in the cup without being affected by limescale, providing a reliable feedback mechanism for fill control that bypasses the problematic flow meter.
2Productivity
If multiple buttons for different volumes are provided, then productivity is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to user confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the fill level selection dynamic and flexible by allowing users to choose from a continuous range of fill levels rather than being constrained to fixed pre-programmed volumes. The system adapts to user needs by accepting variable input (e.g., position of a slider or touch position on a screen) and adjusting the fill amount accordingly, thereby maintaining productivity while greatly improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a one-dimensional discrete button selection to a two-dimensional continuous selection interface. Instead of separate buttons for ristretto, espresso, and long coffee, the system uses a slider or touch interface where position along a continuum determines fill volume, adding a dimensional aspect that enables more intuitive and flexible user control.
3Ease of operation
If manual pump control is provided, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to user inaccuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements an automated feedback control system using light detectors that monitor the liquid level in the cup in real-time. When the liquid reaches the target level detected by the optical sensors, the system automatically stops the pump. This feedback mechanism maintains measurement precision while reducing the operational burden on the user, as they only need to initiate the process rather than continuously monitor and control it.
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
The solution significantly increases user-friendliness and accuracy by allowing intuitive selection of fill levels, preventing overspills, and accommodating various cup sizes, while ensuring accurate filling and user reassurance through feedback mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
a source of radiation which directs a light ray against the rim of the receptacle; which ray passes through the receptacle and is detected by a radiation detector
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A beverage preparation device (1) comprises means for filling via an outlet (8) a cup (18) located below the outlet and a user interface (30c, 30d) for allowing a user to select a desired level of fill (25) of beverage (24) in the cup. The interface comprises a means (30c, 30d) for detecting a position of a human finger (5) and/or a hand-held freely movable pointing instrument (5') adjacent to and pointing towards a side of the cup. The filling means are arranged to derive from the detected position of the finger and/or pointing instrument the user-selected level of fill (25) and to fill the cup up to this level.