Drink Machine Pressure Control for Accurate Water Dosing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing espresso coffee machines face challenges in accurately measuring low flow rates of water and maintaining constant pressure in the hydraulic circuit, leading to inaccurate dosing, frequent maintenance needs, and potential mechanical blockages due to salt deposits and algae formation in inline flow meters.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a pressure sensor and command and control unit that continuously measures and regulates water pressure, allowing for accurate calculation of instantaneous flow and volume, eliminating the need for mechanical flow meters and reducing maintenance, while maintaining constant pressure and eliminating the need for pressure limiting valves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If an inline flow meter with a turbine is used to measure water flow, then automatic water dosage control is achieved, but measurement precision deteriorates at low flow rates and mechanical blockages occur due to salt deposits and algae formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical turbine-based flow meter with an electronic flow measurement system that uses a flow sensor and electronic circuitry to measure water flow rate and total volume. This substitution eliminates moving mechanical parts that are susceptible to blockage by salt deposits and algae, while maintaining automatic dosage control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the turbine mechanism from the flow measurement system and replaces it with a non-mechanical sensing approach. By removing the problematic mechanical components, the system eliminates the source of blockages while preserving the essential function of measuring water flow for automatic dosage control.
2Reliability
If a pressure limitation valve is used to maintain constant water pressure, then coffee extraction quality is improved, but device complexity increases and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical pressure limitation valve with an electronic pressure control system that uses a pressure sensor and electronic circuitry to regulate water pressure. This substitution maintains constant pressure for reliable coffee extraction while eliminating the mechanical components that require maintenance and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic pressure control system automatically adjusts water pressure based on feedback from the pressure sensor, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and maintenance that mechanical pressure valves require. The system self-regulates to maintain optimal extraction conditions.
3Measurement precision
If a flow meter with moving mechanical members is used, then water flow measurement is achieved, but reliability deteriorates due to frequent blocking and performance deterioration over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical flow meter with an electronic flow sensing system that has no moving parts. This eliminates the reliability issues associated with mechanical blockage and performance deterioration, while maintaining accurate water flow measurement capability throughout the device's operational life.
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 enables precise and repeatable water dosing, reduced maintenance requirements, improved accuracy, and increased reliability and simplicity by using pressure sensors to control the pump's operation, ensuring consistent water pressure and flow rates, even at low flow rates, and eliminating the need for external sensors.
Implementation Method 1
pressure sensor means, which is able to detect at least a pressure value of the water in the hydraulic circuit
Implementation Method 2
the water is fed from said tank towards the extraction unit by pump means
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
A machine (10) for the production of water-based drinks comprises a tank (11) for the water, an extraction unit (20) for the extraction of aromas from a base component, like, for example, coffee, tea, chocolate, tisanes or creams, and a possible heating unit (13) for heating the water. The machine (10) also comprises a pump (12) to transfer the water at pressure along a hydraulic circuit (19a, 19b) from the tank (11) to the extraction unit (20), and a command and control unit (14) to regulate the flow and the pressure of the water at outlet from the pump (12) towards the extraction unit (20). The machine (10) further comprises at least a sensor (15) able to detect a pressure value of the water in the circuit (19a, 19) and to send the pressure value to the command and control unit (14), in order to at least partly condition at least one functioning factor of the pump (12).