US 11,918,140 B2
Machine to prepare coffee beverages and corresponding regulation method
Simone Rosetta, Treviso (IT); Claudia Ciman, Treviso (IT); and Antonio Panciera, Treviso (IT)
Assigned to DE' LONGHI APPLIANCES S.R.L. CON UNICO SOCIO, Treviso (IT)
Filed by DE' LONGHI APPLIANCES S.R.L. CON UNICO SOCIO, Treviso (IT)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/551,040.
Application 17/551,040 is a continuation of application No. PCT/IT2021/050093, filed on Apr. 2, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0313007 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. A47J 31/52 (2006.01); A23F 5/26 (2006.01); A47J 31/42 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 31/521 (2018.08) [A23F 5/26 (2013.01); A47J 31/42 (2013.01); A47J 31/5251 (2018.08); A47J 31/5253 (2018.08); A47J 31/5255 (2018.08)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Machine for preparing coffee beverages, comprising:
an infusion unit comprising an infusion chamber suitable to contain a coffee powder to be subjected to infusion;
a grinding unit configured to grind coffee beans and obtain the coffee powder with a desired granulometry;
a water tank connected to the infusion unit;
a water pump configured to feed water from the tank to the infusion unit;
a boiler configured to heat the water fed to the infusion unit;
a dispensing unit fluidically connected to the infusion unit and configured to dispense a beverage prepared into a receptacle;
a detection device configured to measure or detect an actual extraction parameter during the functioning of the machine;
a memory unit or database in which a plurality of sets of operative parameters are stored and/or made available, each of the sets of operative parameters associated with a type of coffee beans and suitable to obtain a coffee beverage with properties defined for the type of coffee beans, each of the sets of operative parameters comprising one or more setting parameters and an expected value of an extraction parameter correlated with the set of operative parameters, the type of coffee beans comprises a variety of the coffee beans and a roasting level of the coffee beans;
an interface configured to acquire the information on the selected type of coffee beans to be used to brew the beverage;
a controller communicating with the interface and configured to receive from the interface the information on the selected type of coffee beans, the controller further configured to perform a first approximate optimization of the machine by commanding a functioning of the machine on the basis of the one or more setting parameters of a selected set of operative parameters in the sets of operative parameters that is selected based upon the selected type of coffee beans, wherein the controller is also configured to carry out a second fine optimization of the machine on the basis of the actual functioning of the machine with the selected set of operative parameters, wherein the second fine optimization comprises determining, based upon a comparison between the actual extraction parameter measured or detected by the detection device and the expected extraction parameter correlated with the selected set of operative parameters, whether or not to modify the one or more setting parameters of the selected set of operative parameters stored or made available in the memory unit or database.