Power connector for a heater for a beverage machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid food or beverage preparation machines face challenges in simplifying the incorporation of heating functions, leading to increased assembly complexity, costs, and reliability issues due to the need for multiple flexible connections between heating elements and other machine components.
Innovation Solution
An in-line heater with a rigid passage and integrated thick-film resistive heating means, where the heater body serves both to confine the heating chamber and form part of the brewing chamber, reducing the number of assembly operations and parts by eliminating flexible connections, and incorporating a thermal fuse for safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple flexible connections are used to connect heating elements to other machine components, then the machine can accommodate movement and assembly variations, but the assembly complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heating element, power connector, and fluid passage into a single integrated assembly. The heating element is directly mounted within the power connector housing that also contains the fluid passage, eliminating the need for separate flexible connections between these components. This merging reduces assembly complexity while maintaining the necessary adaptability through the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The power connector assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical power connection, contains the fluid passage for water flow, and houses the heating element. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components and flexible connections for each function, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining system adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate components are used for heating and fluid connections, then each component can be optimized independently, but the manufacturing costs and assembly operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the heating element, power connector, and fluid passage into a single manufactured assembly. This merging reduces the number of separate manufacturing operations and assembly steps required, thereby lowering manufacturing costs. The integrated design allows for streamlined production while maintaining the functional optimizations of each subsystem.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flexible connections are used between heating elements and machine components, then assembly variations can be accommodated, but reliability issues arise from multiple connection points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heating element, power connector, and fluid passage into a single integrated assembly with fewer connection points to the main machine body. This reduction in connection points eliminates potential failure modes associated with multiple flexible connections, thereby improving reliability while the integrated design maintains adaptability to assembly variations.
4Device complexity
If integrated heater design is used to reduce assembly complexity, then manufacturing costs decrease, but the ability to independently optimize components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated power connector assembly is designed to perform multiple functions (electrical connection, fluid passage, heating) in a unified structure. This multi-functionality allows the single integrated component to achieve the combined optimization of multiple separate components, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining the ability to optimize each functional aspect within the integrated design.
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 solution simplifies the assembly process, reduces manufacturing costs, and enhances the reliability of the machine by integrating electrical and fluid connections within a single component, while ensuring safe operation through automatic temperature regulation.
Implementation Method 1
a heating means, in particular a thick-film, cooperating with the body for supplying heat into this heating chamber
Implementation Method 2
The same idea is disclosed in DE 197 32 414 which concerns a heater having a water circulation passage extending between an outer shell and an inner tube
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6
Figure 7~10
AI summary
An integrated in-line heater (1,8,9) for a liquid food or beverage preparation machine, in which liquid is circulated through said heater and then guided into a brewing chamber (7) for brewing a food or beverage ingredient, for instance within a pod or capsule (7"), supplied into the brewing chamber. An upstream part of the brewing chamber may be formed by the heater. One or more electric components (5,60,70,75) may be incorporated into the heater and rigidly connected to a printed circuit board (50). The heater may have a tubular inner core (9) that is eccentric with respect to a tubular or prismatic outer member (8) which form together a helicoidal heating chamber (4) of variable cross-section (4',4").