Elliptic Beverage Capsule Inlet for Reliable Perforation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Capsules made of plastic polymers are difficult to perforate using existing piercing means designed for aluminum, leading to incomplete water injection and irregular beverage quality, while solutions to enhance perforation increase material usage and environmental impact, and different brewing devices may not effectively perforate or reduce internal volume.
Innovation Solution
The capsule features an elliptic shape for the inlet wall, allowing for maximized internal volume and effective perforation by aligning with the brewing device's receptacle shape and movement, ensuring easy insertion and consistent beverage quality across various devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the capsule is designed with a circular inlet wall perpendicular to the central axis, then the manufacturing is simple, but the internal volume is not maximized and insertion into the brewing device is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet wall is designed with an elliptic curvature instead of a circular cross-section, allowing the capsule to conform to the inclined receptacle geometry while maximizing internal volume. The elliptic shape with major axis aligned to the inclined plane enables better space utilization without complicating the manufacturing process
2Volume of moving object
If the capsule inlet wall is designed to maximize internal volume, then more product can be contained, but the capsule cannot be easily inserted into the brewing device receptacle
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet wall is designed with an asymmetric elliptic shape where the major axis is inclined at angle α relative to the central axis. This asymmetric configuration allows the capsule to be inserted into the inclined receptacle while maintaining maximum internal volume, as the elliptic geometry conforms to the receptacle's inclined geometry
3Reliability
If piercing means are designed for aluminum capsules, then aluminum capsules can be effectively perforated, but plastic polymer capsules are difficult to perforate
Solution Approach 1:
The elliptic inlet wall design creates a standardized geometry that works effectively with both aluminum and plastic polymer capsules. The inclined elliptic shape provides consistent perforation characteristics across different materials, making the piercing means universally applicable to various capsule types without requiring material-specific design adjustments
4Ease of operation
If the capsule is designed with inclined inlet wall to match receptacle geometry, then insertion is facilitated, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet wall is designed with a specific inclination angle α that matches the receptacle geometry. By optimizing this angular parameter, the capsule achieves easy insertion while the elliptic cross-section provides manufacturing tolerance compensation, reducing the overall precision requirements compared to a non-elliptic inclined design
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
AI summary
Capsule, system and brewing device for the preparation of a beverage. The capsule comprises a circular or conical lateral wall (2), an inlet wall (3) and an outlet wall (4) forming a hollow body (5) where a brewing product is contained, said hollow body (5) of the capsule having a central axis (A). At least one portion of the inlet wall (3) extends along an ellipse curve (E) defined by the projection of a circumference (C), having a diameter substantially equal to the maximum diameter (Dmax) of the lateral wall (2) of the capsule, lying on a plane (Ρ') inclined of an angle (a) with respect to a plane (P) perpendicular to the central axis (A) of the capsule, said planes (P) and (Ρ') intersecting at an axis (z), on a plane that is perpendicular to plane (P) and that contains said intersection axis (z) or an axis parallel to it.