Helical Spindle Juice Extractor for Compact High-Throughput Juicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric juice extractors are difficult to miniaturize due to the requirement for high torque and large motor-gearbox systems to mimic human juicing, making them large and inefficient for compact designs while maintaining adequate food throughput.
Innovation Solution
A juice extractor design featuring a spindle with a helical cutting portion and a motor that rotates at higher speeds (at least 250 RPM) to shred food into small portions, reducing the need for high torque, allowing for a compact and miniaturized structure without compromising throughput, using a plastic spindle and optimizing spindle geometry for efficient food processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high torque is applied to the spindle to mimic human juicing process, then juice extraction efficiency is improved, but the size of the electromotor and gearbox increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the spindle system by reducing rotation speed from typical high speeds to a range of 5-20 RPM and adjusting torque accordingly. This parameter change allows for a smaller motor-gearbox system while maintaining effective juice extraction through the use of a larger diameter spindle (80-150mm) that processes food in a different manner, eliminating the need for high-torque compact motors
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using high speed and high torque as in conventional juicers, the patent inverts the approach by using very low speed (5-20 RPM) with moderate torque. The cutting blade diameter is increased rather than reduced, and the processing chamber is larger, fundamentally inverting the typical compact high-speed design philosophy to achieve a smaller overall device footprint
2Productivity
If a large spindle is used to produce desirable food throughput, then food processing capacity is improved, but the overall device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the speed parameter to very low values (5-20 RPM) which allows the use of a larger diameter spindle without proportionally increasing the motor size. The low speed operation compensates for the larger spindle volume, maintaining effective food throughput while enabling overall device miniaturization through reduced motor-gearbox requirements
3Speed
If the spindle rotates at high speed, then food processing efficiency is improved, but the torque requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional relationship between speed and torque by operating at very low speeds (5-20 RPM) rather than high speeds. This inversion reduces the torque requirement significantly, allowing for a smaller motor-gearbox system while maintaining effective food processing through the use of a larger diameter cutting blade that processes food more efficiently at low speeds
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
The solution enables the miniaturization of juice extractors while maintaining comparable food throughput to larger models, using lower torque and higher rotation speeds to efficiently process food, reducing the size of the drive train and facilitating easier manufacturing and cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a helical cutting portion in the food entry section... the food is shredded into relatively small portions
Implementation Method 2
a motor including a gear box coupled to said spindle and adapted to rotate the spindle at a rotation speed of at least 250 rotations per minute
Implementation Method 3
a food compression section extending between the food entry section and the food pulp outlet
Data Source
AI summary
A juice extractor includes a food processing chamber having a food inlet, a juice outlet and a pulp outlet. The food processing chamber includes a food entry section having the food inlet and the juice outlet, and a food compression section extending between the food entry section and the food pulp outlet. A spindle extends through the food processing chamber for transporting food from the food entry section through the food compression section. The spindle has a body and a helical member extending from the body by a height of no more than 10 mm. The helical member includes a helical cutting portion in the food entry section, and a motor having a gear box coupled to the spindle and configured to rotate the spindle at a rotation speed of at least 300 rotations per minute during operation of the juice extractor.