Movable Dosing Plate for High-Speed Flavoring Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flavoring dispensers are slow, complex, and costly, with high maintenance requirements, especially when trying to increase throughput for high-speed flavoring applications, as they often rely on weighers or volumetric methods that are inefficient and difficult to clean.
Innovation Solution
A flavoring dispenser with a movable dosing plate and wedging member that uses a guided aperture system to dispense predetermined doses of flavoring, allowing for controlled volumetric dispensing and easy replacement of dosing plates, reducing setup time and maintenance complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If weighers are used to weigh out a known amount of flavouring, then dosing precision is improved, but dispensing speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical weigher system with a volumetric dosing system using a dosing plate with apertures. The dosing plate defines a precise volume for flavouring dispensing without requiring weighing mechanisms, thereby eliminating the speed limitation inherent in weigher-based systems while maintaining consistent dosing through geometric volume definition.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the dosing function from the weighing mechanism by using a dedicated dosing plate that defines volume directly. The dosing plate with its apertures separates the dosing function from the bulk flavouring storage, allowing rapid volumetric measurement without the need for settling and weighing operations.
2Productivity
If volumetric flavouring dispensers are used, then dispensing speed is improved, but dosing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing plate is designed to be movable between a dosing position (where the aperture receives flavouring) and a dispensing position (where flavouring is dispensed). This dynamic positioning allows the system to rapidly switch between filling and dispensing operations, maintaining high speed while ensuring precise volumetric control through the fixed aperture geometry.
3Productivity
If multiple independent channels are provided for preparing doses, then throughput is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing plate can be rotated to present different apertures sequentially, allowing continuous dispensing operations. While one aperture is being filled, another can be dispensed, creating a continuous flow of dosing operations without requiring multiple independent channels, thus maintaining throughput while simplifying the system.
4Productivity
If specialised high speed flavouring dispensers are used, then dispensing speed is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing plate is designed as a separate, removable component that can be easily detached from the flavouring chamber. This segmentation allows the dosing plate to be quickly removed and replaced with different plates having different aperture configurations, greatly simplifying cleaning and changeover operations compared to integrated high-speed dispensing systems.
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 significantly reduces setup time for flavoring dispensing, increases throughput, and simplifies maintenance by allowing for quick changes in flavoring volumes and shapes the dispensed cloud of flavoring for optimal coating, while maintaining consistent dosing and reducing over-dispensing issues.
Implementation Method 1
a guiding member which vertically guides and compresses flavouring into the aperture of the dosing plate, wherein the guiding member is a wedging member having an inclined surface located over the aperture
Implementation Method 2
a separating surface located over the dispense opening and configured to separate an upper side of the aperture from the flavouring chamber
Implementation Method 3
the dosing plate is movable relative to the dispense opening between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the aperture communicates with the flavouring chamber for receiving a predetermined dose of flavouring, and wherein in the second position the aperture communicates with the dispense opening for dispensing the dose of flavouring
Data Source
Figure 1A~2
Figure 3A~3B
Figure 3C~3D
AI summary
A flavouring dispenser for dispensing doses of flavouring is provided. The flavouring dispenser comprises a flavouring chamber for containing flavouring; a dosing plate having an aperture therethrough; and a dispense opening. The dosing plate is movable relative to the dispense opening between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the aperture communicates with the flavouring chamber for receiving a predetermined dose of flavouring, and in the second position the aperture communicates with the dispense opening for dispensing the dose of flavouring.