Single serve beverage dispenser for an appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional single serve beverage dispensers in refrigerators face issues such as needle damage, improper sealing, and ejection of brew pod contents due to the exposure of needles and the orientation of the water supply holes, leading to clogging and inefficient brewing.
Innovation Solution
A beverage dispensing assembly with a sliding shutter door and vertically sliding upper and lower needles, where the shutter door moves to position the needles towards the brew pod, reducing exposure and improving the seal, and ensuring the lower needle pierces the brew pod before the upper needle, preventing content ejection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lid is open on a conventional brew model, then access to the brew chamber is provided, but the needles are exposed and vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The brewing body is segmented into an access chamber and a brew chamber separated by a shutter door. The shutter door can be opened to provide access to the brew chamber for pod insertion while keeping the needles protected within the brewing body. This segmentation allows the lid to remain closed while still enabling operational access.
Solution Approach 2:
A shutter door is introduced as an intermediary element between the access aperture and the brew chamber. This shutter door acts as a mediator that can be opened when access is needed and closed when protection is required, thus resolving the contradiction between accessibility and needle protection.
2Ease of operation
If the upper needle is stationary and moves on a circular path with small radius, then the brew pod is pierced, but a large oval hole is torn requiring larger sealing surface
Solution Approach 1:
Both the upper and lower needles are made movable rather than stationary. The upper needle is coupled to the shutter door and moves vertically along the delivery axis when the shutter door opens and closes. This dynamic design allows the needles to pierce the brew pod effectively while minimizing the sealing surface area required, as the needles move in a linear path rather than creating a large oval hole.
3Ease of operation
If the upper needle pierces the brew pod first, then the brew pod is opened, but contents are ejected into the upper needle and from the brew module
Solution Approach 1:
The lower needle pierces the brew pod bottom first as a preliminary action before the upper needle pierces the top. This sequence is achieved by coupling the lower needle to the shutter door mechanism that activates first during the closing motion. By creating the outlet path before opening the top, brewing contents are contained and can be safely dispensed without ejection.
4Ease of operation
If the lower needle is fixed at the bottom, then the brew pod is supported, but the needle orientation causes contents to be forced into water supply holes during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The lower needle is made movable and coupled to the shutter door, allowing it to move vertically along the delivery axis. This dynamic positioning ensures proper alignment and orientation during the piercing sequence, preventing brewing contents from being forced into the water supply holes. The lower needle can be positioned to create the outlet path without interfering with the water supply hole orientation.
Data Source
AI summary
An appliance single serve beverage dispenser, beverage dispensing assembly, and method of operation is provided. The beverage dispensing assembly may include a brewing body, a shutter door, a lower needle assembly, and an upper needle assembly. The brewing body may define an access aperture and a brew chamber. The brewing body may include a bottom plate defining an outlet into the brew chamber along a delivery axis. The shutter door may be slidably attached to the brewing body. The lower needle assembly may be operably attached to the shutter door and include a lower needle slidably disposed within the brewing body along the delivery axis to move between a retracted position and an extended position. The upper needle assembly may be operably attached to the shutter door and include an upper needle slidably disposed within the brewing body along the delivery axis to move between a retracted position and an extended position.