Juicing system with variable pressing parameters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Typical juicers face challenges such as difficult cleanup due to food matter entrapment in machinery, complex operation, and the need for extensive preparation of ingredients, which can lead to food safety hazards and inefficient juice extraction.
Innovation Solution
A juicing system featuring a pressing chamber with displaceable surfaces and a drive mechanism that compresses juicer cartridges containing food matter, minimizing contact between the juicer and food/liquid, and allowing for easy loading and unloading of cartridges through a selectively openable door mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional juicers use complex mechanical components for juice extraction, then juice extraction capability is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of cleanup increase
Solution Approach 1:
The juicing system is divided into separate components: a reusable juicer unit and disposable juicer cartridges. The juicer cartridge contains all food contact elements and is discarded after use, while the juicer unit contains only the pressing mechanism. This segmentation eliminates complex mechanical components from the juicer unit and simplifies cleanup.
Solution Approach 2:
The juicer cartridge is designed as a disposable component that is loaded with food matter, pressed to extract juice, and then discarded. This eliminates the need for complex cleaning mechanisms and parts, as the entire food-contact assembly is replaced rather than cleaned.
2Productivity
If traditional juicers require extensive food preparation, then juice extraction efficiency is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Food matter is pre-loaded into the juicer cartridge before use, eliminating the need for users to perform extensive preparation steps. The cartridge is designed to accommodate pre-cut food pieces, and the system automatically handles the extraction process through automated pressing sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The juicer system performs automated pressing operations with multiple sequences at different speeds and pressures, eliminating the need for user intervention during the extraction process. The control system automatically manages the complex pressing sequences once the cartridge is loaded.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional juicers use fixed pressing parameters, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability to different food types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The juicer control system dynamically adjusts pressing parameters including speed, pressure, and sequence duration based on the specific juicer cartridge loaded. Different pressing sequences are automatically selected to optimize extraction for different food types while using the same basic pressing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple pressing parameters simultaneously including press speed (high and low speeds), pressure levels, and sequence timing to adapt to different food types. This allows a single pressing mechanism to handle various foods by simply changing operational parameters rather than mechanical components.
4Productivity
If traditional juicers have extensive food matter contact surfaces, then juice extraction completeness is improved, but contamination risk and cleanup difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The juicer cartridge is designed as a disposable component that contains all food contact surfaces. After extraction, the entire cartridge is discarded rather than cleaned, completely eliminating contamination risk from residual food matter on contact surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The food matter and all food contact elements are extracted from the reusable juicer unit and placed into the disposable cartridge. This separation removes the source of contamination from the permanent juicer components, requiring no cleaning of the juicer unit itself.
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 system simplifies operation and cleanup by allowing for the extraction of custom juice blends with minimal contact between the juicer and food/liquid, reducing contamination risks and improving ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
a juicer cartridge including a liquid impermeable compartment at least partially surrounding food matter and an information region associated with the liquid impermeable compartment
Data Source
AI summary
A juicer cartridge includes a liquid impermeable compartment at least partially surrounding food matter. An information region may be disposed on the liquid impermeable compartment, wherein the information region includes information for controlling at least one pressing parameter for pressing the juicer cartridge, such as a desired pressing speed, force profile, pressing temperature, total pressing stroke, number of pauses, number of press and/or retract cycles, and a distance of a press and/or retract cycle. The juicer cartridge may be used by placing it in the pressing chamber of a juicer that reads information from the information region and presses the juicer cartridge using the information.