Axially Movable Screw Extruder for Moisture-Safe Beverage Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dispensers for loose products like coffee grounds and cacao powder malfunction due to moisture absorption from hot water vapor, leading to inaccurate dosing and degradation of the products.
Innovation Solution
An extruder with a screw feeder and integrated sealing device that is both rotatable and axially movable, allowing for precise dosing and protection from moisture ingress, using a single drive shaft for rotation and translation, and featuring a sealing mechanism that prevents water vapor and air from reaching the loose product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional extruder with a fixed screw blade is used, then the structure is simple, but moisture from hot water vapor degrades the loose product causing lumping and oxidation
Solution Approach 1:
The screw blade is made axially movable between a first position (where the sealing device seals the bore) and a second position (where the sealing device does not seal the bore, allowing product extrusion). This dynamic positioning enables the extruder to adapt its sealing state based on operational requirements, protecting product quality while maintaining extrusion functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The extruder bore is divided into a sealed portion and an unsealed portion through the movable sealing device. This segmentation allows different sections of the bore to have different functional states - one protected from moisture and another open for product discharge
2Measurement precision
If the screw blade is fixed in position, then the device complexity is low, but dosing accuracy deteriorates due to product degradation and lumping
Solution Approach 1:
The axially movable screw blade enables precise control over the extrusion process. By positioning the blade at specific axial locations, the system can accurately meter and dispense predetermined doses of loose product, maintaining dosing precision even in moist environments where product degradation would otherwise occur
3Reliability
If a separate sealing device is added to protect the bore, then product protection from moisture improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing device is integrated with the axially movable screw blade, combining two functions - product extrusion and bore sealing - into a single unified mechanism. This integration eliminates the need for separate sealing components, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective moisture protection
Solution Approach 2:
The axially movable screw blade serves multiple functions: it extrudes loose product during dispensing operations and simultaneously acts as a sealing device to protect the bore from moisture ingress. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed in the system
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 extruder ensures accurate dosing and prevents degradation of loose products by maintaining a dry environment, enhancing the reliability and longevity of the dispenser while maintaining dosing accuracy even in moist conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a first sealing device that is configured to releasably fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade
Implementation Method 2
rotation of the screw blade (in an extrusion sense of rotation) may effect the continuous extrusion or discharge of loose product, supplied at the product inlet, from the product outlet
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
An extruder (100) for use in a dispenser (1) of a loose product (30) for the preparation of beverages, comprising: a housing (110), defining a product inlet (112), a product outlet (114), and a bore (116) that interconnects the product inlet and the product outlet; a screw feeder (120) including a screw blade (124) that is both rotatably and translatably received in the bore (116), such that it is axially movable along the longitudinal axis (/) between a first position and a second position; and a first sealing device (126b) that is configured to releasably fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore (116) interconnecting the product inlet (112) and the product outlet (114) in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade (124).