Food processing apparatus and method

The patent uses periodic action to limit cavitation by interrupting high-speed blending with pause phases. During pulse phases, the blade rotates at high speed to chop ingredients efficiently. During pause phases, the blade stops allowing cavitation bubbles to collapse safely and ingredients to settle. This periodic interruption prevents continuous high-speed operation that would generate excessive cavitation, while still achieving high-speed processing during active phases.

The patent applies preliminary action by using initial pulse phases to start breaking down ingredients before continuous high-speed blending. The first few pulse phases at high speed chop larger pieces into smaller fragments, preparing the material for subsequent blending phases. This preliminary chopping reduces the likelihood of severe cavitation during later phases by creating more uniform, smaller particles that blend more evenly.

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the blending process into distinct pulse phases and pause phases, each with specific functions. Pulse phases perform chopping and blending tasks, while pause phases allow settling and cavitation dissipation. This segmentation of the processing sequence enables the system to handle difficult-to-process ingredients like fibrous foods and ice by providing multiple opportunities for different physical processes to occur, without requiring complex additional hardware.

The patent implements dynamics by making the blending sequence adaptive and variable. The controller can adjust the number of pulse phases, duration of each phase, and interval between phases based on the specific ingredients being processed. This dynamic sequencing allows the same basic apparatus to effectively process various difficult ingredients by optimizing the pulse-pause cycle parameters, enhancing versatility without increasing mechanical complexity.