Gravity Dosing Device for Leaf Infusion Products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dosing devices for infusion products, such as leaf or granular forms, are unsuitable as they are either ineffective for high-quality products due to structural bulkiness and low dosing speed, or they compromise product quality by requiring slow and precise weighing, limiting production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A compact dosing device with a tower, tubular channels, and movable containers, equipped with weighing elements and a control unit, allows for precise and high-speed dosing by dividing the dosing process into multiple steps, enabling efficient handling of various product types without altering their consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a volumetric dosing device with rotating drum is used, then dosing speed is high and continuous working speed increases, but it is unsuitable for delicate or high quality leaf infusion products as it alters their consistency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical volumetric dosing system (rotating drum with pistons) with a gravity-based flow system using inclined tubular channels. The channels allow leaf or granular infusion products to flow by gravity alone, eliminating mechanical contact that would alter product consistency while maintaining high dosing speed through parallel multi-channel operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces air flow through the tubular channels to control product flow and dosing. Air acts as a fluid medium to transport and regulate the infusion product through the channels without mechanical contact, enabling precise dosing of delicate products while maintaining high speed through controlled air flow rates.
2Measurement precision
If a weighing-based dosing device with series channels is used for high quality products, then dosing precision is improved, but the device becomes structurally bulky and dosing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the dosing system into multiple parallel tubular channels operating simultaneously. Each channel handles one dose, allowing parallel processing of multiple products at once. This segmentation enables high dosing speed while maintaining precision through the gravity-based controlled flow in each individual channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from vertical series arrangement to horizontal parallel arrangement of dosing channels. Multiple channels are positioned side-by-side rather than in sequence, enabling simultaneous dosing operations. This dimensional change increases productivity without requiring additional vertical space or complex series operations.
3Measurement precision
If weighing-based dosing is used for leaf or large granular products, then dosing precision is achieved, but production efficiency is limited due to slow dosing speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes continuous gravity-driven flow through the tubular channels, eliminating the stop-start nature of weighing-based dosing. Products flow continuously through the channels at controlled rates, allowing dosing to proceed without interruption while maintaining precision through the inherent flow control of the inclined channel system.
Solution Approach 2:
Air flow is used to continuously transport and regulate product through the channels without mechanical interruption. The pneumatic control enables continuous dosing operation with precise flow rate control, eliminating the time-consuming weighing step while maintaining dosing accuracy through controlled air flow rates.
Data Source
AI summary
A dosing device for feeding an infusion product includes: a tower for containing product, tubular channels for feeding the product to the tower; each channel configured to pick up the product from the tower and release a quantity of product; a plurality of containers for receiving the product from the channels; a platform movable relative to the channels supporting the containers one after another. The platform is configured for carrying, in sequence, each container to a first position for feeding a quantity of product less than the weight of a programmed dose and, subsequently, to a second position for feeding a remaining quantity of product for reaching the weight of the programmed dose. A plurality of weighing elements control the weight of the product in each container and a control unit controls the quantity of product fed to each container and the relative movement of the platform.