On the way home from work, Luftmy’s Xiao Le saw trending topics on Weibo like #LuckinCoffeeFaked2.2BillionTransactions# and #LuckinPlunges#, suddenly making the same expression as the famous “Old Man Looking at Phone” meme! Subsequently, Luckin stores were flooded with orders, and everyone in the Friends circle was drinking Luckin. Xiao Le also rushed to order a latte at noon, only to find the Luckin app had crashed??

Is Luckin going out of business? For many office workers, a cup of coffee is essential to refresh the brain when waking up or working overtime. When meeting clients, the comfortable and quiet environment of a cafe is also a top choice. Behind a seemingly ordinary cafe hides black technology — ubiquitous sensors. Various sensors are applied to different devices to bring a better user experience. Below, Xiao Le will reveal them one by one.

Pressure Sensor:

Generally, a coffee machine has a water storage device and a powder input device. Usually, you only need to add coffee powder and water and start the machine to continuously brew coffee. However, starting the machine without or with insufficient raw materials may cause malfunctions or other unexpected consequences. Therefore, it is usually necessary to detect the status of raw materials added to the coffee machine.

As shown in the figure, changes in the weight of raw materials in the coffee machine are used to detect their status. These changes cause the position of a linked magnet to shift, moving it away from or closer to the sensor. Consequently, the magnetic field strength at the sensor changes, and its output varies accordingly. Finally, a relationship between the weight of raw materials and the sensor output can be established to detect the raw material status. This realizes the monitoring of coffee volume, making the coffee output more stable. Of course, the whole process is also inseparable from the tacit cooperation of magnetic sensors and infrared sensors.

NTC Temperature Sensor:

An important component in the coffee machine switch is the heater, which is equipped with an NTC temperature sensor to measure temperature. When the power is turned on, the indicator light glows, and the heating tube begins to work. When there is no water in the tank, the temperature rises; once it reaches a certain temperature, the thermostat disconnects, and the NTC temperature sensor in the heating tube stops working. When the temperature begins to drop, the thermostat restores, and the heating tube continues working, achieving a heat preservation effect. The insulation plate at the bottom of the coffee carafe can keep the coffee at about 75°C. The characteristic of an NTC temperature sensor is that the resistance value decreases as the temperature rises. The heating tube in the coffee machine uses this characteristic to ensure the safety of use. Thermistors and NTC temperature sensors used in coffee machines generally adopt a bullet-shaped shell, which has a very fast response speed and waterproof functions.

Dust Sensor:

The quality of coffee and the environment are the two major choice factors for consumers. Cafes are much more numerous in first-tier cities than in small cities, but air quality in first-tier cities is poorer. Especially during hazy weather, it is extremely important to keep the cafe’s indoor environment unpolluted and provide a comfortable environment for consumers. Equipped with air purifiers or fresh air systems, the dust sensors within them quickly perceive changes in indoor air quality and output data in real-time. When the air quality index exceeds a certain value, the air purifier is reminded to work, maintaining good indoor air quality.

The laser dust sensor series developed by Luftmy can be applied not only to air purifiers and fresh air systems but also to air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, sweeping robots, and other equipment to achieve high-precision measurement. Its performance in anti-interference, anti-dust accumulation, and sensitivity is higher than other dust sensors on the market. If you want to obtain product specifications and solutions, please contact customer service!

These three types of sensors are indispensable in cafes. Beyond that, various sensors are hidden in our daily lives. Follow Luftmy’s news column to enter the world of sensors~