Real-time quality monitoring of beverage batch production using densitometry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11347245-B2
Application number	US-202016791852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2020
Priority date	Oct 25, 2017
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure include a method for producing a batch according to a batch process that includes adding ingredients to water to form a batch, mixing the batch, measuring the drive gain of the batch in real time using an in-line density device, monitoring amplitude variation of the drive gain, comparing the amplitude variation of the drive gain to a predetermined threshold, and providing an indication based on the amplitude variation of the drive gain that the batch is homogeneously dispersed or fully dissolved. Other aspects of the disclosure relate to a method for detecting homogeneity of a mixture and a method of determining the degree of mixing of a batch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing a beverage according to a batch process, comprising:
adding a first ingredient to water to form a batch;
mixing the batch;
measuring a drive gain of the batch using an in-line density device;
monitoring amplitude variation of the drive gain;
comparing the amplitude variation of the drive gain to a predetermined threshold; and
providing an indication that the batch is either homogeneously dispersed or fully dissolved based on the comparison of the amplitude variation of the drive gain to the predetermined threshold,
wherein the mixing continues until the indication is provided.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adding a second ingredient to the batch;
adding a third ingredient to the batch; and
repeating the mixing, measuring, monitoring, comparing, and providing steps after addition of each of the second and third ingredients.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing step further comprises:
determining whether the amplitude variation of the drive gain is greater than or less than the predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the indication is provided when the amplitude variation of the drive gain is less than the predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the amplitude variation of the drive gain is less than a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the indication indicates that the batch is fully dissolved, and wherein the method further comprises:
adding a second ingredient to the batch after the indication is provided.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amplitude variation of the drive gain is measured continuously.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring step, monitoring step, and comparing step are performed by software in communication with the in-line density device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the software provides an automatic alert if the comparing step determines that the variation in drive gain amplitude is less than the predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising
adding a second ingredient to the batch after the software provides the automatic alert; and
repeating the mixing step.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined threshold is within 10% of a target variation in drive gain amplitude.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drive is measured in real time.

13. A method for detecting homogeneity or dissolution of ingredients of a mixture, comprising:
measuring a drive gain amplitude of a mixture using an in-line density device, the mixture comprising a liquid and at least one additional ingredient;
monitoring amplitude variation of the drive gain;
comparing the amplitude variation of the drive gain to a predetermined threshold; and
determining, whether the mixture is fully dissolved or is homogeneously dispersed based on the comparison of the amplitude variation of the drive gain to the predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one additional ingredient comprises at least two additional ingredients, and
wherein the method further comprises mixing the mixture comprising the at least two additional ingredients while measuring the drive gain amplitude.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
adding at least one second additional ingredient after the determining step; and
repeating the measuring, monitoring, comparing, and determining steps after adding the at least one second additional ingredient.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the measuring is performed continuously.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing an indication when the determining step determines that the mixture is fully dissolved.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising mixing the batch continuously until the indication indicates that the mixture is fully dissolved.

19. A method for detecting degree of dissolution of a mixture, comprising:
adding a first ingredient to water to form a batch;
mixing the batch;
measuring a drive gain amplitude of the batch in real time using an in-line density device;
monitoring amplitude variation of the drive gain;
comparing the amplitude variation to a first standard reference and a second standard reference, wherein the first standard reference corresponds to a homogeneously dispersed mixture, and wherein the second standard reference corresponds to a fully dissolved mixture; and
providing an indication of the degree of mixing based on the comparing step.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the indication is provided when the amplitude variation is within 10% of the first standard reference.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising providing a second indication of the degree of mixing when the amplitude variation is within 10% of the second standard reference.

22. The method of claim 19 , further comprising adding a second ingredient to the batch when the indication indicates that the batch is fully dissolved.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising repeating the mixing, measuring, monitoring, and comparing, and providing steps after the second ingredient is added.

Assignees

• Pepsico Inc

Inventors

• Choubak Saman
• Ahtchi-Ali Badreddine

Classifications

• G05D11/137 Primary

  by sensing the density of the mixture · CPC title

• G05D11/132

  by controlling the flow of the individual components (G05D11/133 takes precedence) · CPC title