Juicer Pulp Chute with Segmented Check Valve for Clog Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household juicing devices often require pre-processing of foods, struggle with processing whole foods due to small feed chutes and lack of torque, and experience overload issues and clogging problems with pulp chutes, making them inefficient and difficult to clean.
Innovation Solution
A high-performance juicing system with a pulp chute featuring a rigid upper and lower portion and a check valve with a hinge, allowing for adjustable positions to accommodate whole foods and prevent overload, along with a flexible check valve for easy cleaning and clog removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the feed chute size is reduced to process whole foods, then the ability to process whole foods is improved, but the risk of clogging and overload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pulp chute is divided into multiple sections: an upper removable section and a lower fixed section, allowing the upper section to be detached for cleaning and maintenance. This segmentation enables easy removal of clogs without disassembling the entire juicer, thereby maintaining reliability while processing whole foods.
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve is extracted as a separate, removable component from the pulp chute assembly. This allows the check valve to be easily taken out for cleaning and maintenance, preventing clogging issues while maintaining the ability to process whole foods through the compact feed chute.
2Reliability
If the pulp chute is sealed to prevent leakage, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pulp chute is segmented into an upper removable portion and a lower fixed portion connected by a threaded connection. This segmentation allows the upper portion to be easily removed for cleaning while the lower portion remains in place to maintain the sealed connection and prevent leakage during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pulp chute design incorporates dynamic accessibility - during operation the chute is sealed and fixed, but during cleaning the upper portion can be easily removed. The threaded connection allows quick assembly and disassembly, providing dynamic transition between sealed operation mode and open cleaning mode.
3Productivity
If the juicer is designed for high performance with larger feed chute, then the productivity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pulp chute is segmented into modular sections that can be easily assembled and disassembled. This modular design maintains high performance capabilities while reducing overall device complexity through standardized, interchangeable components that simplify manufacturing and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed chute and pulp chute assembly is designed to handle multiple food types and processing requirements through a single unified structure. The removable upper portion and check valve design provide multi-functionality, allowing the same structure to process various whole foods without requiring multiple specialized components.
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
Enables efficient processing of whole foods without pre-cutting and reduces the risk of overload and clogging, improving the juicing system's efficiency and ease of maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
A check valve is positioned between the upper chute portion and the lower chute portion. The check valve has a proximal portion and a distal portion with a hinge therebetween. The hinge permits the distal portion of the check valve to rotate with respect to the proximal portion.
Implementation Method 2
a rigid lower chute portion slidingly engaged with the rigid upper chute portion, wherein the lower chute portion is slidingly positionable with respect to the upper chute portion in a first position wherein the pulp chute is open and a second position wherein the pulp chute is sealed
Data Source
AI summary
A juicing system with a drive mechanism and a juicer assembly, where the juicer assembly includes a main housing defining a cavity. An auger having a top portion and a bottom portion is within the cavity. The auger is operably connected at one of the top portion or the bottom portion to the drive mechanism to rotate the auger. A rotatable cutting blade is disposed at the top portion of the auger to cut food inserted into the cavity. A juicing basket is disposed within the cavity, radially outwardly from the auger. The juicing basket has at least one screen with apertures therethrough of varying sizes. Food is pressed by the auger against the juicing basket to squeeze juice and pulp through the apertures. The pulp exits through a pulp chute, having a upper portion, lower portion, and check valve therebetween which is easily removable for cleaning and clog removal.