JUICING SYSTEM MOTOR CONTROL
Embodiments related to juicing systems including juicers for extracting juice from food matter contained within juicer cartridges are described.
1 . A juicer comprising:
a pressing chamber shaped and sized to accept one or more corresponding juicer cartridges;
a displaceable pressing surface positioned in the pressing chamber; and
a motor drivingly connected to the displaceable pressing surface, wherein a force applied by the displaceable pressing surface is maintained below a force threshold by maintaining a current provided to the motor below a current threshold.
2 . The juicer of claim 1 , wherein the current provided to the motor is controlled using pulse width modulation.
3 . The juicer of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor that monitors a current provided to the motor.
4 . The juicer of claim 1 , wherein the motor is drivingly connected to the displaceable pressing surface through a drivetrain.
5 . The juicer of claim 4 , wherein the drivetrain includes a rotatable drive nut drivingly coupled to the motor, wherein the rotatable drive nut is engaged with a threaded shaft that is displaced axially towards or away from the displaceable pressing surface when the drive nut is rotated.
6 . The juicer of claim 1 , wherein during a pressing operation the force applied to the displaceable pressing surface is controlled by changing the associated force and current thresholds from a first force threshold and first current threshold to a second force threshold and second current threshold.
7 . A method comprising:
placing a juicer cartridge in a pressing chamber shaped and sized to accept the juicer cartridge;
displacing a displaceable pressing surface positioned in the pressing chamber towards the juicer cartridge with a motor drivingly connected to the displaceable pressing surface; and
limiting a current provided to the motor below a current threshold to maintain a force applied to the juicer cartridge by the displaceable pressing surface below a force threshold.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising controlling the current provided to the motor using pulse width modulation.
9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising changing the associated force and current thresholds from a first force threshold and first current threshold to a second force threshold and second current threshold.