Flow-Regulating Beverage Capsule for Uniform Coffee Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage production machines face challenges in ensuring homogeneous water distribution and controlling flow rate and pressure within capsules containing ground coffee, leading to inconsistent beverage quality, particularly with compacted ingredients and longer beverage extraction.
Innovation Solution
A capsule design featuring a centrally arranged insert with multiple tubular portions separated by a partitioning wall, along with a perforated disc member that regulates flow and ensures even water distribution across the ingredients, and a water injection system that dynamically adjusts pressure and flow characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If water is injected at a single opening, then the machine structure is simple, but water distribution across ingredients is heterogeneous
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule is divided into multiple compartments by partition walls, with each compartment receiving water through dedicated openings. This segmentation allows water to be distributed to different regions of ingredients separately, ensuring homogeneous wetting across the entire ingredient bed while maintaining a relatively simple injection mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the capsule are provided with different numbers and sizes of water openings according to the local distribution needs of ingredients. The insert structure provides localized water injection points that match the spatial distribution requirements of coffee grounds, achieving uniform water-ingredient contact without requiring complex system-wide modifications.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple openings are provided for water injection, then water distribution is homogeneous, but the required closure force becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule body is segmented into multiple compartments by partition walls, allowing water to be injected through multiple separate openings into different compartments. This segmentation enables homogeneous water distribution across ingredients while keeping each individual opening relatively small, thus reducing the closure force required compared to creating one large opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert structure acts as an intermediary element that facilitates water distribution. It provides a framework with multiple openings that guides water flow to different ingredient regions, achieving uniform wetting without requiring the capsule wall itself to have multiple large openings that would demand high closure forces.
3Productivity
If ground coffee is compacted to improve extraction efficiency, then ingredient density increases, but flow rate of water through the capsule becomes too slow
Solution Approach 1:
The compacted coffee bed is divided into multiple compartments by partition walls, creating separate flow channels. This segmentation prevents water from taking a single path of least resistance through compacted coffee, forcing water to distribute evenly across all compartments. The result is maintained high extraction efficiency from compacted coffee while achieving adequate flow rate through the multi-channel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different compartments can have different compactation levels or ingredient densities optimized for their specific position in the capsule. The insert structure provides localized flow control that matches the spatial variation in ingredient properties, ensuring efficient extraction from compacted regions while maintaining sufficient overall flow rate through the capsule.
4Quantity of substance
If more water is passed through ingredients to produce longer beverages, then beverage volume increases, but ingredient over-extraction and bitterness occur
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule is divided into multiple compartments that process different portions of water and ingredients separately. This segmentation allows precise control over the water-ingredient interaction in each compartment, ensuring complete extraction of compounds from compacted coffee without over-extraction. The segmented structure enables producing longer beverages by increasing water flow through additional compartments rather than forcing excessive water through a single over-extracted bed.
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 design achieves reliable and consistent beverage extraction by ensuring homogeneous water distribution and precise control over flow rate and pressure, enhancing the quality and reliability of the beverage production process.
Implementation Method 1
water is injected into the interior of the capsule... water injection under pressure in the capsule
Implementation Method 2
control the flow rate of the usually pressurized hot water through the interior of the capsule
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A capsule (1) containing ingredients (3) comprises a perforated flow-regulating disc member (15) is arranged inside the capsule (1) separating the space for the ingredients at least partially into several compartments (16, 17). The capsule (1) can comprise an insert (2) with tubular portions (6, 7) which are respectively open towards a front wall (8, 9) of the insert (2), wherein the insert (2) is centrally arranged inside the capsule (1), and wherein the ingredients (3) are entirely provided radially outside the insert (2). The insert extends from a first face (4) of the capsule (1) to an opposing face (4') of the capsule (1) throughout the thickness of the capsule (1).