A built-in espresso coffee machine is a machine used in the household. It is a higher-end kitchen appliance that is expected to offer the most advanced digital and automated solutions to make use and maintenance as simple as possible for the user. Thus, the requirement for an automatic adjustment of the coffee outlet to the optimal height for each selected beverage and cup was recognized. As part of the master's thesis, we implemented an automatic sliding system within the existing manual sliding system. The new system was separated into two subsystems: an outlet motion system and an object detection system. We started by analyzing the market for coffee machines with an automatic height adjustment of the coffee outlet and then defining the functional requirements of the new system. This was followed by idea generation through brainstorming. At this point, we turned our attention to the development process of the first subsystem only. First concepts were generated and evaluated. The three best ones were then prototyped, tested, and evaluated experientially. This resulted in the winning concept where the automatic movement of the coffee outlet is made possible by a combination of a rack and pinion driven by an electric motor. For this concept, we produced a detailed model that allows the model to be integrated into an existing coffee machine.
|
