Membrane pump for beverage preparation module
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional piston pumps in beverage preparation machines are limited to specific flow and pressure settings, making them inflexible for preparing diverse beverages, and lack the ability to reduce flow rates without compromising pressure, which affects in-cup quality and requires additional components.
Innovation Solution
A membrane pump with a spring-type by-pass valve and a damper ring, allowing adjustable flow rates and pressures, and a flexible membrane to absorb vibrations, enabling precise control of fluid delivery up to 25 bars and 600 ml/min, with a by-pass valve that reduces flow rate above a threshold pressure and a damper ring that modifies flow and pressure behaviors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If a piston pump is used to deliver fluid at high pressure, then the pressure delivery capability is improved, but the flow rate control flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the pump system adjustable through variable stroke length and variable speed control of the piston. This allows the pump to dynamically adapt its flow rate while maintaining high pressure delivery capability, transforming a static pump into a dynamic, versatile system that can serve multiple beverage preparation needs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key operating parameters by allowing variable stroke length and variable speed control. By modifying these parameters, the pump can deliver different flow rates at high pressure, enabling versatility in preparing different beverages (espresso, cappuccino, filter coffee, chocolate) without sacrificing pressure delivery capability
2Ease of manufacture
If a piston pump is designed for fixed flow and pressure settings, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the adaptability to different beverage requirements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains manufacturing simplicity by using a basic piston pump structure while adding control mechanisms for variable stroke length and speed. This dynamic capability allows the same pump design to adapt to different beverage requirements (espresso, cappuccino, filter coffee, chocolate) without requiring multiple specialized pumps
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves universality by designing a single pump system that can perform multiple functions through variable stroke length and speed control. The same pump structure serves diverse beverage preparation needs, making the system multi-functional while keeping the manufacturing process relatively simple
3Reliability
If the flow rate is reduced to improve in-cup quality, then the beverage quality is improved, but the pressure delivery capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling independent control of flow rate and pressure through variable stroke length and speed adjustments. This allows the system to reduce flow rate for improved beverage quality while simultaneously maintaining the necessary pressure delivery capability, resolving the trade-off between these two parameters
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 membrane pump achieves high in-cup quality by adapting to different beverage requirements, maintaining pressure while reducing flow rates, enhancing the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of beverage preparation without additional parts or connectors, and ensuring consistent performance across various beverages.
Implementation Method 1
the by-pass valve is of the spring type and the spring characteristics are chosen so as to allow water flow only above a certain threshold pressure value (P1) by acting on the spring compression distance
Implementation Method 2
a flexible membrane to absorb vibrations
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a membrane pump (10) for a beverage preparation module delivering a fluid at a certain flow rate (F) and at a certain pressure (P) to the beverage preparation module: the pressure (P) and the flow rate (F) are chosen depending on the type of beverage to produce. The membrane pump (10) of the invention comprises an integrated by-pass valve (20) connecting a pump outlet (11) to a pump inlet (12) in order to reduce the flow rate (F) above a certain pressure (P1) value. The invention further relates to a beverage preparation module comprising a membrane pump (10) as the one described and configured to prepare a beverage from a beverage ingredient arranged in a container: the beverage preparation module comprises reading means configured to retrieve information from identification means in the container with the beverage preparation process parameters.