Multi-Stage Comminutor and Juice Extractor for High Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing juice extraction methods face a trade-off between maximizing juice yield and minimizing extraction time, as over-maceration can lead to machine clogging and under-maceration results in lower juice extraction efficiency, with prior methods struggling to balance these parameters effectively.
Innovation Solution
The method involves successively reducing food mass pieces into smaller sizes using multiple comminutors and juice extractors, with each reduction step followed by a pressing phase, allowing for increased surface area exposure and efficient juice extraction while minimizing processing time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the food mass is macerated into smaller pieces prior to juice pressing, then the percentage of juice extracted increases, but the machine becomes clogged resulting in increased downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single maceration and pressing operation into multiple sequential stages. Food mass is macerated in progressive steps (coarse to fine) across multiple comminutors, with pressing operations interspersed between maceration stages. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high juice extraction (90% or more) while preventing clogging by managing particle size progression systematically rather than all at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary maceration in controlled stages before final pressing operations. Each comminutor stage prepares the food mass to an optimal size for the subsequent pressing operation, ensuring that by the time material reaches the pressing stage, it is properly sized for efficient juice extraction without causing clogging issues.
2Quantity of substance
If the food solids are made too small, then more juice can be extracted, but it becomes more difficult to separate the solids from the juice
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the maceration process into multiple controlled stages with pressing operations between them. This prevents the formation of excessively fine particles that would be difficult to separate, while still achieving high juice extraction by progressively breaking down cell structures across multiple pressing cycles rather than relying on extreme fine maceration.
3Reliability
If the food mass is not macerated sufficiently, then machine clogging is reduced, but less juice is extracted due to failure to break open plant cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multiple maceration stages with pressing operations between them. This ensures sufficient cell breakage for high juice extraction (90% or more) while maintaining reliable continuous operation by preventing clogging through controlled particle size progression across stages rather than excessive maceration in a single stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous productive operation by interspersing pressing operations between maceration stages. Rather than stopping for clogging issues, the system continuously progresses material through the multi-stage process, with each stage contributing to juice extraction while maintaining operational flow and preventing downtime.
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
This approach achieves a high juice yield of 90% or higher in approximately five minutes by progressively chopping and pressing the food mass, reducing the risk of machine clogging and ensuring efficient separation of juice from solids.
Implementation Method 1
The coarse food pieces are pressed with extracted juice falling into the collection tray
Implementation Method 2
The tray of first juice extractor is retracted allowing the pressed coarse chop food pieces to fall into the hopper of a second comminutor
Data Source
AI summary
Juice extraction using multiple pairs of juice extractors and comminutors which reduce the food pieces into successively smaller pieces with juice extraction occurring after each comminuting step. Coarse food pieces are pressed with extracted juice directed to a juice holding tank. The pressed coarse chop food pieces fall into the hopper of a second comminutor which performs a medium chop on the now pressed but still coarse chopped food pieces. The medium chopped food pieces are then fed from the second comminutor into the juice extraction chamber of a second juice extractor whereupon the medium chopped food pieces are pressed with extracted juice directed to a juice holding tank. Any number of comminutor and juice extraction pairs may be used in serial fashion to optimize the percentage of juice extracted in a minimum amount of time.