Drinks preparation machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drinks preparation machines, such as coffee machines, often experience fluctuating brewing temperatures due to cooling of the brewing chamber when idle, leading to inconsistent drink quality, as existing solutions like temperature regulation and flow rate control do not effectively maintain a constant brewing temperature.
Innovation Solution
A drinks preparation machine with a temperature sensor to measure initial temperatures after startup and perform a rinsing procedure with hot water only when the temperature falls below a certain threshold, ensuring the brewing chamber is preheated before introducing the portion package, thereby maintaining consistent brewing and drink temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the brewing chamber is preheated continuously to maintain constant temperature, then the brewing temperature stability is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary temperature check after startup before initiating the brewing process. The control unit determines whether preheating is necessary based on the initial temperature measurement, thereby avoiding unnecessary continuous preheating and reducing energy consumption while maintaining brewing temperature stability when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a temperature sensor to continuously monitor the brewing chamber temperature and provides feedback to the control unit. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adjust preheating operations dynamically, preheating only when temperature drops below the threshold, thus maintaining temperature stability while minimizing energy consumption
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rinsing procedure is performed every time after startup to ensure proper temperature, then the brewing temperature stability is improved, but the operation time and user convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary temperature assessment after startup to determine whether a rinsing procedure is necessary. By checking the initial temperature before brewing, the system can skip the rinsing procedure when the temperature is already adequate, thereby reducing operation time while maintaining brewing temperature stability when required
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit receives temperature feedback from the sensor and decides whether to initiate a rinsing procedure based on the measured temperature. This conditional rinsing approach ensures temperature stability only when necessary, avoiding unnecessary time delays and improving user convenience
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
This approach ensures a consistent brewing and drink temperature, conserves energy, and enhances user convenience by avoiding unnecessary rinsing procedures, thus improving the quality and reliability of brewed drinks.
Implementation Method 1
a water heater (12) and a brewing chamber (16) for receiving the portion package (10), wherein the pump (11) is configured to deliver water over a fluid path from the water tank (7) into the brewing chamber (16) via the water heating means (12)
Implementation Method 2
at least one temperature sensor for measuring a temperature along the fluid path (at the location of the fluid heating means or a location arranged downstream of this)
Data Source
AI summary
A drinks preparation machine for preparing brewed drinks from a portion package with an extraction material includes a water tank, a pump, a water heater and a brewing chamber for receiving the portion package. The pump delivers water from the water tank into the brewing chamber via the water heater. A temperature sensor measures a temperature along the fluid path including an initial temperature at the location of the temperature sensor at least in one operating condition after a switching-on procedure or waking-up procedure and before a possible heating-up procedure of the water heater, and, after the water heater has reached an operating temperature, to carry out a rinsing procedure of the brewing chamber with water from the water heater, when and only when the measured initial temperature corresponds to a certain condition, and only subsequently to effect an introduction of the portion package into the brewing chamber.