Beverage Preparation Communication with Multi-Directional Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage preparation systems face limitations in retrieving user information from water containers due to restricted reading signal range and blind spots, leading to incomplete information retrieval and potential inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a beverage preparation device with first and second short-range communication devices, each having multiple transceiver units with differently oriented coupling surfaces, enabling expanded transceiver coverage to facilitate wireless communication between the drinking container and the beverage preparation device without deliberate alignment, using protocols like NFC, Bluetooth, or IEEE 802.11 standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a single short-range communication device with a single transceiver unit is used, then the device complexity is low, but the reading signal range is restricted and blind spots are created
Solution Approach 1:
The communication device is segmented into multiple transceiver units (first transceiver unit and second transceiver unit), each responsible for a specific directional coverage area. This segmentation eliminates blind spots and expands the overall reading signal range without requiring a single complex omnidirectional device.
Solution Approach 2:
The transceiver units are arranged in different spatial dimensions and orientations, with coupling surfaces facing different directions. This dimensional arrangement expands the coverage area by utilizing spatial distribution rather than relying on a single point-source transceiver.
2Reliability
If multiple transceiver units with differently oriented coupling surfaces are used, then the transceiver coverage is expanded, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication device is divided into multiple transceiver units, each handling a specific directional sector. This segmentation ensures complete coverage and reliable information retrieval from the container regardless of its placement orientation, while keeping each individual transceiver unit relatively simple in structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple transceiver units are merged into a single integrated communication device structure. This merging provides coordinated multi-directional coverage, ensuring reliable information retrieval without requiring separate independent devices, thus balancing reliability improvement with controlled complexity.
3Ease of operation
If deliberate alignment between coupling surfaces is required, then the communication accuracy is high, but the ease of operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from requiring precise one-dimensional alignment to utilizing multi-dimensional spatial coverage through multiple transceiver units oriented in different directions. This allows the container to be placed conveniently without deliberate alignment while maintaining communication accuracy through redundant directional coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by accepting a broader range of container positions and orientations. Instead of requiring precise alignment parameters, the multiple transceiver units provide tolerance for positional variations while maintaining effective communication coupling.
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage preparation system comprises a beverage source, a beverage preparation device, a drinking container, a first short-range communication device, a second short-range communication device. The first short-range communication device is situated on the wall portion of the drinking container, which has a first coupling surface oriented outwardly. The second short-range communication device situated on an adjacent region of the beverage preparation device, which includes a first and a second transceiver unit. Each of the first and second transceiver units includes a second coupling surface adjacent to a pouring spot. The second coupling surfaces orient towards different directions to build an expanded transceiver coverage covering the pouring spot, which enables the coupling of at least one of the second coupling surfaces with the first coupling surface, in instances where the drinking container is within a surrounding region in proximity to the pouring spot without deliberate alignment.