Powder Dispensing Canister Geometry for Consistent Beverage Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beverage dispensers face issues with dose-to-dose variation and incomplete powder evacuation, leading to inconsistent product quality and increased maintenance needs, as traditional canisters struggle to deliver consistent metered quantities of powder and often leave residual powder.
Innovation Solution
The design features a reservoir with outwardly inclined walls and a U-shaped throat, a rotatable volumetric dosing mechanism without internal obstructions or agitating wheels, and a spring auger with a solid insert to improve dosing accuracy and complete evacuation, allowing the powder to cover the entire top surface of the dosing means and preventing parasitic powder flows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional canisters with internal obstructions or agitating wheels are used, then powder evacuation is enhanced, but dosing consistency deteriorates due to compressing and lightening powder density variations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes internal obstructions and agitating wheels from the canister, extracting the harmful elements that caused powder density variations. The canister walls are made smooth and outwardly inclined to enable complete evacuation without internal components that could compress or lighten the powder differently in various regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using internal obstructions to agitate and evacuate powder, the invention inverts the approach by using outwardly inclined walls that guide powder flow naturally from the bottom upward, allowing complete evacuation without mechanical agitation elements that compromise dosing consistency.
2Measurement precision
If pieces are installed in the powder to improve dosing, then dosing accuracy may improve, but powder quality deteriorates and volume is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the idea of adding pieces to the powder and instead focuses on optimizing the canister geometry itself. The outwardly inclined walls and smooth surfaces create ideal flow conditions without requiring any additional pieces or obstructions in the powder, preserving both powder quality and volume.
3Quantity of substance
If the canister is designed to evacuate powder completely, then powder utilization improves, but dosing consistency may worsen due to powder density variations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the canister walls, specifically making them outwardly inclined at controlled angles. This parameter change optimizes both powder evacuation and dosing consistency by creating uniform flow patterns that prevent density variations while enabling complete evacuation.
4Productivity
If outwardly inclined walls are used, then powder flow and evacuation improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding complex internal mechanisms to improve powder flow, the invention inverts the approach by simplifying the internal structure and using the external wall geometry (outwardly inclined walls) to guide powder flow naturally, reducing device complexity while improving 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
This configuration reduces dosing variations, increases the refill point, decreases standard deviation, and enhances the evacuation rate of the canister, ensuring a higher percentage of powder is dispensed while minimizing residual powder, resulting in improved product consistency and reduced operator intervention.
Implementation Method 1
a spring auger with a solid insert to improve dosing accuracy and complete evacuation
Implementation Method 2
allowing the powder to cover the entire top surface of the dosing means and preventing parasitic powder flows
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention concerns a dispensing canister comprising : - a reservoir (1) having a bottom in the form of a U shaped throat, two terminal walls (1c, 1d) and two side walls (1a, 1b) said side walls being attached to the upper extremities of the U shaped throat, - a rotatable volumetric dosing means (2) :. longitudinally extending through the bottom of the reservoir (1e), and. configured for displacing a volume of powder longitudinally through the bottom of the reservoir, and. lodged in the U shaped throat, the upper point of the U shaped throat extending at least up to the top of the rotatable volumetric dosing means, and wherein at least the portion of at least one of the reservoir side walls attached to the U shaped throat is straight outwardly inclined according to an angle of at most 25° with the vertical.