Automatic Tea Brewing Control for Energy-Saving Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tea preparation methods consume excessive electrical energy and involve complex handling, often resulting in inadequate brewing time and loss of taste, while existing tea machines require on-site operation and inefficient energy usage.
Innovation Solution
A fully automatic tea machine that minimizes electrical energy consumption and simplifies handling, allowing remote control via a smartphone app, with customizable brewing temperature and time settings, and a sophisticated heating system controlled by a programmable logic unit, ensuring high-quality tea preparation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a flow heater or heating element is kept at elevated temperature to heat water quickly, then the heating speed is improved, but the standby current and energy consumption increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element operates periodically rather than continuously. The control unit activates the heating element only when water needs to be heated, and deactivates it when the target temperature is reached or when no heating is required. This periodic operation maintains the ability to heat water quickly when needed while dramatically reducing standby current and energy consumption during non-heating periods.
2Loss of time
If tea is brewed for a short time to speed up preparation, then the preparation time is reduced, but the taste quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes brewing parameters including temperature, time, and water-to-tea ratio. The control unit precisely controls the brewing time to match the specific tea type selected, ensuring sufficient steeping time for optimal taste extraction. Different tea types have different programmed brewing parameters, allowing short preparation time overall while maintaining high taste quality through scientifically optimized brewing conditions.
3Ease of operation
If conventional manual tea preparation is used, then the handling process is simple, but the operation becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The machine performs all tea preparation operations automatically without requiring user intervention. The control unit manages water heating, brewing, and dispensing autonomously. Users simply select their desired tea type and the system completes the entire process automatically, combining the simplicity of one-button operation with rapid preparation time.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual operations are replaced with automated mechanical and electronic systems. The pump system automatically transfers water, the heating element is controlled electronically, and the brewing process is timed and monitored by the control unit. This substitution of manual mechanical operations with automated systems eliminates complex handling steps while reducing preparation time.
4Adaptability or versatility
If more water is heated than required for a single cup, then the machine can serve multiple cups, but the energy consumption increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the amount of water heated based on the number of cups required. The control unit receives input from the user about how many cups are needed and precisely heats only that amount of water. This dynamic adaptation allows the machine to serve multiple cups when needed while avoiding the energy waste of heating excessive water for single-cup preparations.
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 machine efficiently prepares high-quality tea with reduced energy usage and simplified operation, allowing remote control and customizable brewing parameters, resulting in a convenient and energy-efficient tea-making process.
Implementation Method 1
the supplied water can be heated by means of an electric heating device
Implementation Method 2
the supplied water can be heated by means of an electric heating device, and with a water supply by means of a pump from a removable water container
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a machine which contains a housing (14) having a placement surface for the beverage container (13), wherein a removable brewing container (8) having a drain stub (19) and having a drain valve (10) that can be electrically or electromagnetically opened and closed is arranged in the housing (14). The actual brewing process is automatically controlled by a control unit (11). The water is pumped by a vibrating armature pump (16) through a heating system (15) and through a water outlet in the cover (4) having an integrated temperature sensor (24) through the cover (5) into the brewing container (8). A pressure sensor (12) ensures that the water is not heated above the pressure-dependent current boiling point. The control unit (11) can be programmed by means of a control panel (7) on the housing, for at least the brewing temperature, the brewing duration, and the start of a brewing cycle. Furthermore, a radio interface and an associated antenna (9) are present, for the communication of the control unit (11) with a smartphone by means of an established communication standard such as WIFI or Bluetooth, or with a computer or laptop via the Internet, such that the machine can be remotely operated.