Infusion Module with Immersion Steeping for High-Quality Tea Beverages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fully automatic coffee machines struggle to produce high-quality tea-based beverages as they typically require tea to be powdered or finely ground, leading to poor beverage quality, and incorporating grinding devices increases machine size.
Innovation Solution
An infusion module with a hopper for raw materials, an infusion group with movable pistons to compress and soak materials in heated water, and a control system for optimized infusion cycles, allowing tea leaves to steep without pulverization, enhancing beverage quality without enlarging the machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If tea is supplied in the form of powder or finely ground leaves to allow water extraction, then the infusion process can be replicated in automatic machines, but the quality of the obtained beverage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of tea from powdered/ground form to whole or large-leaf form, while simultaneously changing the processing method parameter from forced flow-through to immersion soaking, thereby maintaining automation while improving beverage quality
2Extent of automation
If a grinding or crushing device is incorporated in the machine to process tea leaves, then tea can be processed in automatic machines, but the overall size of the machine increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the grinding/crushing device from the automatic machine system, instead supplying pre-prepared tea leaves or buds in whole or large-leaf form, thereby maintaining automatic processing capability while eliminating the space-consuming grinding mechanism
3Productivity
If heated water flows through tea to extract flavor in automatic machines, then the process can be automated, but it fails to replicate the traditional infusion process and produces poor quality beverages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional flow-through extraction method by implementing an immersion method where tea leaves are soaked in heated water that fills the infusion chamber, allowing the tea to infuse naturally from the inside out, thereby replicating traditional infusion processes while maintaining automation
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 infusion module enables high-quality tea-based beverages by allowing tea leaves to steep in heated water, improving flavor extraction and maintaining a compact machine design.
Implementation Method 1
an infusion group and conveying means for conveying raw material from the hopper or container to the infusion group
Implementation Method 2
a flow of heated water passes through the tea and the resulting beverage is supplied to a cup or similar container
Data Source
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AI summary
According to the invention, a coffee machine – preferably a fully automatic coffee machine – is provided which is equipped with an infusion module. Said infusion module (1) includes at least one hopper or container (5a, 5b) for storing raw material, an infusion group (13) and conveying means (7a, 7b, 9) for conveying the raw material from the hopper or container to the infusion group. According to the invention, in order to obtain an infusion from raw material, instead of making heated water simply flow through said raw material, heated water is provided to the infusion chamber (13a) of the infusion group (13) and successively remains in the infusion chamber for a predetermined infusion time. Thanks to the invention, the quality of the resulting beverage is highly improved.