Pivoting Beverage Outlet for Safe In-Housing Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage preparation machines face challenges in efficiently and hygienically cleaning milk-containing beverage components, particularly the milk frothing and heating heads, which can lead to residue contamination and labor-intensive manual rinsing processes.
Innovation Solution
A beverage preparation machine with a pivoting duct system that allows for easy transition between operational and cleaning positions, enabling the circulation of beverages outside the housing for dispensing and the circulation of cleaning fluids inside the housing for safe evacuation into a waste liquid collector, reducing manual effort and ensuring hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual rinsing is used to clean milk residues, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but labor intensity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-cleaning by automatically circulating cleaning fluid through the milk outlet nozzle and mixing head without requiring manual intervention. The control unit manages the entire cleaning process, including activating the cleaning fluid circulation pump and controlling the duct positioning, allowing the device to clean itself after each beverage preparation cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical rinsing operations are replaced by an automated fluid circulation system. The cleaning fluid circulation pump and controlled fluid flow through the milk pathway substitute for manual pouring and rinsing actions, eliminating the need for human labor while maintaining thorough cleaning effectiveness.
2Ease of operation
If the duct outlet remains outside the housing during cleaning, then cleaning fluid access is improved, but user safety is compromised due to exposure to cleaning fluids
Solution Approach 1:
The duct outlet position is made dynamic rather than static, capable of moving between an extended position during beverage dispensing and a retracted position inside the housing during cleaning operations. This dynamic positioning allows the system to adapt to different operational modes, providing cleaning fluid access when needed while ensuring user safety when cleaning fluid is present.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure acts as an intermediary barrier that separates the user from the cleaning fluid during cleaning operations. By retracting the duct outlet inside the housing, the system uses the housing enclosure as a protective intermediary, preventing direct user exposure to cleaning fluids while still allowing the cleaning process to proceed effectively.
3Device complexity
If the duct is fixed in position, then structural simplicity is improved, but cleaning effectiveness and safety are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The duct is designed with movable capability, transitioning from a fixed structure to a dynamic component that can change position. This adds controlled complexity to the structure, enabling the duct to extend outside the housing during beverage dispensing for proper positioning and retract inside the housing during cleaning for safety and effective cleaning fluid circulation.
4Reliability
If cleaning is performed frequently, then hygiene standards are improved, but time loss for production increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning operation is implemented as a periodic automated action that occurs at predetermined intervals or after specific beverage preparation cycles. The control unit manages this periodic cleaning by automatically activating the cleaning fluid circulation pump and positioning the duct, allowing the system to maintain high hygiene standards through regular cleaning while minimizing disruption to production through automation and efficient timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated self-cleaning capability allows the system to perform maintenance functions without requiring operator time, enabling frequent cleaning cycles to be executed during or between production periods without proportionally increasing labor time loss, thereby maintaining high hygiene standards with minimal impact on productivity.
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 solution simplifies the cleaning process by allowing the duct to pivot between operational and cleaning positions, ensuring effective rinsing and hygiene without exposing users to cleaning fluids, thus reducing labor and preventing contamination.
Implementation Method 1
The duct (10) is pivotally assembled to the conduit (20) for pivoting the outlet (15) between an operative position and a cleaning position
Implementation Method 2
The thus generated water steam can be fed to a mixing head in which, e.g. by applying a Venturi effect, milk supplied from a milk supply and air from an air inlet is sucked into the water steam flow
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage preparation machine (1) has: a housing (5); a duct (10) with an outlet (15); a conduit (20) upstream the duct and connected thereto; and a waste liquid collector (30) arranged to collect waste liquid from the outlet. The duct has: an operative position for circulating beverage through the conduit and dispensing said beverage from the outlet outside the housing above a user-receptacle filling area (35); and a cleaning position for circulating cleaning fluid through the conduit and evacuating said cleaning fluid from the outlet inside the housing to the waste liquid collector. The duct is pivotally assembled about a pivoting axis (11) to the conduit for pivoting the outlet between the operative position and the cleaning position.