Stand Mixer Torque Filtering for Automated Mixing End Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stand mixers often require manual monitoring to prevent overworking of ingredients, which can lead to undesirable outcomes such as overwhipping or excessive kneading.
Innovation Solution
A stand mixer equipped with a controller that measures and filters motor torque data to determine a desired end time for mixing, thereby automating the mixing process and preventing overworking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a stand mixer is operated manually without automation, then the user can actively monitor the mixing process, but the user must be positioned close to the mixer continuously which is tedious and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The stand mixer monitors its own mixing process automatically using sensors to detect operating parameters such as torque, current, or power consumption. The controller evaluates these parameters to determine when the mixing is complete, allowing the mixer to serve itself without requiring continuous user presence or manual monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors operating parameters during mixing and uses this feedback to determine when to stop the mixing process. The controller receives real-time data from sensors and automatically adjusts or terminates the mixing operation based on detected conditions, eliminating the need for manual oversight.
2Ease of operation
If the user is not actively present to monitor the mixing process, then the user is freed from tedious monitoring tasks, but the mixing product can become undesirable due to overworking
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously receives feedback from sensors monitoring operating parameters such as torque, current, or power consumption. This real-time feedback enables the system to detect when the mixing reaches the desired state and automatically stop, ensuring reliable process control without user presence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection and physical intervention with electronic sensing and automated control systems. Sensors detect operating parameters and the controller processes this data to determine mixing completion, substituting the mechanical monitoring process with an automated electronic system that provides more consistent and reliable control.
3Device complexity
If the stand mixer uses raw measurements of operating parameters without filtering, then the measurement process is simple, but noise interference from motor operation can cause inaccurate determination of desired end time
Solution Approach 1:
The controller extracts the useful signal from the noisy measurement data by filtering out noise interference. The filtering process separates the meaningful operating parameter variations that indicate mixing progress from the background noise generated by motor operation, allowing for accurate determination of the desired end time.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtering process acts as an intermediary between the raw sensor measurements and the controller's decision-making. The filter processes the noisy data and produces a cleaned signal that more accurately reflects the true operating parameters, enabling more precise determination of when mixing should end.
Data Source
AI summary
A stand mixer includes a housing, a motor disposed in the housing, and a controller. The method includes operating the motor to mix food contents, receiving, at the controller, a measurement of an operating parameter of the motor of the stand mixer while operating the motor to mix the food contents, filtering, by the controller, a noise interference from the measurement of the operating parameter of the motor, determining, at the controller, a desired end time based on the filtered measurement of the operating parameter of the motor, and continuing to operate the motor to mix the food contents until reaching the desired end time, whereby the mixing operation is completed.