Soft Serve Ice Cream Diaphragm Pump for Overrun Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice cream machines struggle to deliver a consistent and adjustable mixture of liquid and gas to the freezing chamber, leading to inconsistent air content in soft serve ice cream, which affects taste and texture.
Innovation Solution
A diaphragm pump assembly with a flexible diaphragm dividing the chamber into gas and mixture receiving chambers, controlled by a central shaft and air pressure, ensures a consistent delivery of pressurized liquid and gas mixture to the freezing chamber, allowing adjustable overrun rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a pump is used to increase the volume of ice cream by adding air, then the output of the machine per hour increases, but the consistency of air content in the finished product becomes difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The pump chamber is segmented into distinct gas chamber and mixture receiving chamber by a diaphragm, allowing independent control of gas and liquid phases. This segmentation enables precise control over the air-to-mix ratio while maintaining high productivity through continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a pressure sensor that provides feedback on the pressure of the liquid mixture in the pressure chamber. This feedback is used by the controller to adjust the operation of the diaphragm pump, ensuring consistent air content in the finished product while maintaining optimal output levels.
2Manufacturing precision
If a pump delivers constant supply of liquid mix and gas in predetermined ratio, then the taste and texture are optimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas chamber and mixture receiving chamber are merged into a single integrated pump assembly with a shared diaphragm mechanism. This combining of functions reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall device while maintaining precise control over the air-to-liquid ratio through the unified pump action.
Solution Approach 2:
The diaphragm serves multiple functions simultaneously: it separates the gas and mixture chambers, transmits pneumatic power from the gas chamber to pressurize the mixture in the receiving chamber, and acts as a valve control mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces component count and simplifies the device structure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the pump delivers pressurized liquid mixture and gas to the freezing chamber, then the softness and creaminess of ice cream improves, but air pockets may form in the product
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid mixture is prepressurized in the sealed mixture receiving chamber before being delivered to the freezing chamber. This preliminary pressurization ensures that the mixture remains in a controlled liquid state during delivery, preventing premature air pocket formation while maintaining the smooth, creamy texture in the final product.
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 pump assembly provides a constant pressure and variable flow of mix to the freezer barrel, ensuring smooth ice cream dispensing with consistent overrun rates and reducing air pockets, while tolerating various mix ingredients and simplifying cleaning and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
A diaphragm pump assembly is provided including a pump chamber having a diaphragm dividing the pump chamber into a gas chamber and a mixture receiving chamber
Implementation Method 2
The pressure chamber has a pressure outlet configured to deliver a pressurized liquid mixture and gas to a freezing chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A pump assembly includes a diaphragm pump having a diaphragm extending across a chamber to define a gas chamber on a first side of the diaphragm and a mixture receiving chamber on a second, opposite side of the diaphragm. A shaft extends through the diaphragm and moves therewith between a default position and an extended position. The mixture receiving chamber is configured to receive liquid mixture via a mixture inlet and pass mixture to a pressure chamber via a mixture outlet. The gas chamber has an inlet port receiving gas of a desired pressure and an outlet port. The shaft seals between the inlet port and the outlet port until the diaphragm and shaft are in the extended position at which time gas in the gas chamber passes from the gas chamber to the pressure chamber. The pressure chamber has a pressure outlet configured to deliver a pressurized liquid mixture and gas to a freezing chamber. Each stroke of the diaphragm causes pressurized liquid mixture and gas to be passed into the pressure chamber and to the pressure outlet.