Self-cleaning beverage dispenser apparatus and method
AssigneeGrad ApS
InventorsAnders Bruus, Philip Sveningsson, Michael Skovbjerg, Max Lundberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus for controlling the temperature of a beverage container, for example, by either chilling the beverage container or maintaining the beverage container at a predetermined temperature, the apparatus having a generally cylindrical configuration with a receptacle in its upper portion and cooling components in the lower portion to establish a low center of gravity for the apparatus.
Claims22
A beverage cooling apparatus comprising:
- a thermoelectric cooling module having a hot side and cold side;
- a heat sink thermally coupled to the hot side;
- a bidirectional fan configured to cause a flow of air across the heat sink;
- and
- a fan controller adapted and configured to operate in a cooling mode in which the fan controller causes the fan to rotate in a first rotational direction and cause the flow of air across the heat sink to be in a first flow direction and to operate in a cleaning mode in which the fan controller causes the bidirectional fan to rotate in a second rotational direction and cause the flow of air across the heat sink to be in a second flow direction to remove contaminants such as accumulated dust from the heat sink.
A beverage dispensing apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a heat exchanger arranged within the housing for controlling a temperature of a beverage;
- at least one thermoelectric temperature control element in thermal communication with the heat exchanger;
- a heat sink thermally coupled to a hot side of the thermoelectric temperature control element;
- and
- a bidirectional fan arranged to move air across the heat exchanger,
- wherein the bidirectional fan is configured to periodically operate in a reverse airflow cycle in which a rotational direction of the bidirectional fan is reversed to generate a reverse airflow through the heat sink to dislodge accumulated dust or debris from the heat sink.
A method of controlling operation of a beverage cooling apparatus having a thermoelectric cooling module having a hot side and cold side, a heat sink thermally coupled to the hot side, and a bidirectional fan configured to cause a flow of air across the heat sink, the method comprising:
- operating in a cooling mode in which the bidirectional fan rotates in a first rotational direction to cause the flow of air across the heat sink to be in a first flow direction or
- operating in a cleaning mode in which the bidirectional fan rotates in a second rotational direction to cause the flow of air across the heat sink to be in a second flow direction to remove contaminants such as accumulated dust from the heat sink.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.