Metering device for a machine for making a liquid preparation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025012622-A1
Application number	US-202218711124-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 30, 2022
Priority date	Dec 16, 2021
Publication date	Jan 9, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A metering device for a machine for making a liquid preparation includes a liquid reservoir for storing a fluid and for feeding, via an inlet line, at least one pump arranged to force the fluid to pass, in the liquid and/or vapour state, through at least one doser including at least one ingredient, in order to make the preparation, and to dispense the preparation to an outlet line. The metering device also includes means for continuously measuring the mass of the reservoir and of its contents, and control means interfaced with the continuous measurement means and arranged to monitor the total mass as a function of time, and to instantaneously calculate the mass of the preparation already dispensed, to adapt the duration of operation of the pump to ensure that the exact quantity of preparation required is dispensed, and/or to trigger the shutdown of the pump if it is found to be running dry.

First claim

1 . A metering device for a machine for making a liquid preparation, comprising:
a body, a liquid reservoir for storing a fluid and for feeding, via an inlet line, at least one pump arranged to force the fluid, in a liquid and/or vapour state, to pass through at least one doser designed to contain at least one ingredient, for making the preparation, and to dispense the preparation to at least one outlet line, wherein the metering device includes means for continuously measuring a total mass of the reservoir and its contents, and control means interfaced with the continuous measurement means and arranged to monitor the total mass as a function of time, and to calculate instantaneously a mass of the preparation already dispensed, to adapt a duration of operation of the pump to ensure that an exact quantity of preparation required is dispensed, and/or to trigger shutdown of the pump when it is detected that the pump is running dry, and the means for continuously measuring the total mass of the reservoir and its contents includes means for weighing the reservoir and its contents, and the weighing means is equipped with a sensor arranged between the body of the machine and the reservoir.

2 . The metering device according to claim 1 , wherein the means for weighing the reservoir and its contents is arranged to determine an initial mass of the reservoir and its contents, as soon as a production cycle for the preparation is started, and to calculate a mass of liquid to be dispensed upstream of the pump, depending on a nature of the liquid preparation, a density or aromatic density of the liquid preparation, the at least one ingredient of the fluid, and a quantity required at the start of the production cycle, and to activate the pump at the start of the production cycle, to continuously control the weighing of the instantaneous mass of the reservoir and of its contents, and to dispense the required quantity of the liquid preparation.

3 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the control means is arranged to be activated on starting the production cycle, either by a user action on a control panel interfaced with the control means, or by a command issued by an automated system interfaced with the control means.

4 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the control means is arranged to detect unexpected filling of the reservoir during operation of said pump.

5 . The metering device according to claim 4 , wherein the control means is arranged to stop the pump if an increase in the instantaneous mass of the reservoir and its contents, or solely of the contents of the reservoir, is detected.

6 . The metering device according to claim 5 , wherein the control means is arranged so as, in an event of an increase in the instantaneous mass of the reservoir and of its contents, or solely of the contents of the reservoir, to wait for the mass to stabilise, and restart a supply cycle of the pump until the required quantity of the preparation has been completely dispensed to the at least one outlet line, and stop the operation of the pump when a comparison indicates that the mass of liquid to be dispensed has been dispensed in its entirety to the pump.

7 . The metering device according to claim 5 , wherein the control means is arranged to measure a value of the initial mass of the reservoir and of its contents, or solely of the contents of the reservoir, at a time of starting the production cycle, and, in an event of the instantaneous mass of the reservoir and of its contents, or solely of the contents of the reservoir, being found to be constant or decreasing, to continuously compare the value of an initial mass of liquid to be dispensed with a value of a difference between the initial mass and the instantaneous mass and stop operation of the pump when a comparison indicates that the mass of liquid to be dispensed has been dispensed in its entirety to the pump.

8 . The metering device according to claim 4 , wherein the control means is arranged so as, in an event of an increase in the instantaneous mass of the reservoir and its contents, or solely of the contents of the reservoir, to record in memory means included in the control means, a first intermediate mass which is a value of the instantaneous mass of the reservoir and its contents, or solely of the contents of the reservoir, at a moment when the instantaneous mass increases, in order to follow the weighing means until it is established that the instantaneous mass has stabilised at a second intermediate mass, to calculate a deviation between the second intermediate mass and the first intermediate mass, and to calculate a new upstream mass which is a total of the initial mass and the deviation, and to restart the operation of said pump and continuously carry out a comparison between a value of the mass of liquid to be dispensed and a value of a difference between the upstream mass and the instantaneous mass, and to stop the operation of said pump when the comparison indicates that the mass of liquid to be dispensed has been dispensed in its entirety to the pump.

9 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the metering device includes shut-off means arranged to prevent the reservoir from being filled when the production cycle is started and until the mass of liquid to be dispensed has been dispensed in its entirety to said pump.

10 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the control means includes means for storing, in memory, for each type of liquid preparation based on a fluid-ingredient pair, a correlation between a quantity of said fluid to be supplied and a quantity of liquid preparation dispensed.

11 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the metering device includes, downstream of the at least one outlet line, at least one receptacle designed to receive at least one container configured to receive the liquid preparation, and includes secondary weighing means interfaced with the control means, and designed to measure a tare constituted by the at least one container, and to continuously monitor a quantity of liquid preparation dispensed.

12 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the metering device includes, at the inlet line, at least one inlet flowmeter interfaced with the control means and a clock included in the control means, for continuously monitoring the quantity of fluid dispensed to the pump.

13 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the metering device includes, at the at least one outlet line, at least one outlet flowmeter interfaced with the control means and a clock included in the control means, for continuously monitoring the quantity of the liquid preparation dispensed via the at least one outlet line.

14 . The metering device according to claim 1 , wherein the metering device includes, between the pump and the at least one doser, at least one boiler for heating and/or vaporising the fluid before it passes into the at least one doser.

15 . The metering device according to claim 2 , wherein the control means includes a control panel or is interfaced with a control panel, and includes a learning cycle arranged to allow a user to prepare a particular liquid preparation manually, and to select a quantity of the particular liquid preparation, and/or a nature of the particular liquid preparation, and/or a density or aromatic density of the particular liquid preparation, and/or a nature of the at least one ingredient, and/or a nature of the fluid, and to trigger automatic storage of operating parameters of the metering device for the particular liquid preparation, and a correlation bet

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Mosteiro Vazquez Yoann
• Erdemli François
• Dinh Jean-Bosco Thanh Khai
• Willemin Michel

Classifications

• G05D11/134

  by sensing the weight of the individual components · CPC title

• A47J31/58

  Safety devices · CPC title

• A47J31/54

  Water boiling vessels {in beverage making machines} · CPC title

• A47J31/468

  Pumping means · CPC title

• A47J31/5255

  of flow rate · CPC title