KR20150015852A - Coffee roaster using a temperature sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

A coffee roaster comprises a roasting part, a temperature sensor, and a controller. The roasting part receives raw coffee beans supplied thereto, and roasts the supplied raw coffee beans. The temperature sensor senses the temperature of the raw coffee beans roasted in the roasting part. The controller controls the operation of the roasting part based on data with respect to the temperature of the raw coffee beans, which is sensed by the temperature sensor. Thus, the roasting is performed as much as is desired, thereby securing the uniformity and reliability of the coffee flavor.

Description

[0001] COFFEE ROASTER USING A TEMPERATURE SENSOR [0002]

The present invention relates to a coffee roaster, and more particularly, to a coffee roaster capable of easily grasping the degree of roasting of green beans.

Coffee roasters are roasted coffee beans and made into coffee beans. Recently, coffee roasters have been widely used to roast coffee beans directly at home or business. Generally, the coffee roaster is provided with a rotary drum, and after the green beans are injected into the rotary drum, roasting of the injected green beans is performed.

It is very important to grasp the degree of roasting of the coffee beans (hereinafter referred to as " roasting degree ") in order to make such coffee roasters as a coffee bean having a unique taste of coffee. In addition, since there is a great difference in flavor and aroma according to the roasting degree, it is very important to grasp the roasting degree in real time in performing roasting in order to obtain coffee suitable for the taste of the drinker.

In the case of a conventional coffee roaster, the grasping of the roasting degree has mainly been performed by the naked eye of the coffee roaster user, and has been dependent on subjective judgment and experience of the user. However, it is difficult for an experienced user to visually confirm the degree of roasting, and it is difficult to maintain the roasting degree constantly or to perform the roasting as many times as desired. There is a problem.

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coffee roaster which can ensure the consistency and reliability of coffee taste by performing roasting as desired.

A coffee roaster according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a roasting portion, a temperature sensor, and a control portion. The roasting unit roasts the green beans supplied with coffee beans. The temperature sensor senses the temperature of the raw soybean roasted in the roasting unit. The control unit controls the operation of the roasting unit based on the data of the temperature of the fresh beans sensed by the temperature sensor.

In one embodiment, the roasting unit may include a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans, and the temperature sensor may be disposed on the same axis as the rotational axis of the rotating drum. The coffee roaster may further include a sensor mounting unit disposed on the same axis as the rotation axis of the rotary drum and having the temperature sensor disposed at an end thereof. The sensor mounting unit is independent of the rotational motion of the rotary drum.

In one embodiment, the temperature sensor may sense at least one of a surface temperature and an internal temperature of the green bean.

In one embodiment, the control unit may calculate the degree of roasting by comparing the temperature data sensed by the temperature sensor and the reference data including the temperature data according to the stored roasting degree.

The coffee roaster may further include a display unit for displaying the roasting degree in real time.

The coffee roaster may further include a roasting setting section for setting a target roasting degree which is a roasting degree desired by the user. In this case, the control unit terminates the roasting of the roasting unit when the roasting degree reaches the target degree of roasting. The roasting setting unit may provide at least one of a taxonomy of an 8-step taxonomy, a specialty coffee association of America (SCAA) taxonomy, and a 6-step taxonomy as a setting option, Can be set to the target roasting road. The roasting setting unit may provide the type of the birthday as a setting option, and the type of the birthday can be set by the user.

In one embodiment, the roasting unit may include a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans, and the control unit calculates a rate of change of temperature from the temperature data, and based on the rate of change of the temperature, And a speed control unit for controlling the rotation speed.

In one embodiment, the temperature sensor may include an infrared ray absorbing unit for absorbing infrared rays generated from the green bean, and a resistance change sensing unit for sensing a change in resistance value according to infrared rays absorbed by the absorption unit.

In one embodiment, the roasting portion may be formed with an air inlet through which air is introduced, and the coffee roaster is disposed around the air inlet to measure an inflow temperature of the inflow air, And an internal air temperature meter for measuring an internal temperature of the air inside. At this time, based on the measured inflow air temperature, the internal air temperature, and the sensed temperature of the green bean, the control unit controls the flow rate of the inflow air so as to reach the target temperature corresponding to the roasting degree set from the outside At least one of the air temperature, the internal air temperature, and the heating time can be controlled. Also, the temperature sensor may sense the surface temperature of the fresh bean, and the control unit controls the internal temperature of the fresh bean based on the measured inflow air temperature, the internal air temperature, and the sensed temperature of the fresh bean, And to control at least one of the inflow temperature, the internal temperature, and the heating time so that the internal temperature of the fresh bean reaches the target temperature.

In one embodiment. The roasting unit may include a rotary drum for receiving and rotating the green bean supplied thereto and a sidewall for defining a roasting space inside the rotary drum on both sides of the rotary drum, And a reflectometer installed on a sidewall of the rotary drum and sensing the surface temperature of the green bean, wherein the reflector is disposed at a lower portion of the rotary drum, .

According to the present invention, the smell of green beans can be sensed by sensing the smell of green beans during roasting of green beans, and sensing the chemical composition of gas generated from roasted green beans. Accordingly, the coffee roasting degree can be more objectively and easily determined based on the sensed chemical component data, and the roasting can be performed as desired to ensure the consistency and reliability of the coffee taste.

In addition, it is possible to sense the color of green beans during roasting of green beans. Accordingly, it is possible to more objectively and easily determine the degree of coffee roasting based on the sensed color data, and it is possible to ensure the consistency and reliability of the coffee taste by performing the desired degree of roasting.

In addition, the temperature of the seed itself can be sensed during roasting of green beans. Accordingly, the coffee roasting degree can be more objectively and easily determined based on the sensed temperature data of the fresh coffee beans, and it is possible to ensure the consistency and reliability of the coffee taste by performing as much roasting as desired.

1 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprising" or "having ", and the like, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant art and are to be interpreted as ideal or overly formal in meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application Do not.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a coffee roaster 102 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a roasting portion 112, an odor sensor 122, and a control portion 132. [

The roasting unit 112 roasts the green beans supplied with coffee beans.

Roasting is a series of tasks that harmonize various components such as moisture, fat, fiber, carbohydrate, caffeine, organic acid, and tannin of the green bean by expanding the tissue as much as possible by applying heat to the leaves.

The roasting method of the roasting unit 112 may be variously adopted depending on the structure and method of heating. For example, a drum roasting method, a pan roasting method, a hot air roasting ) Method can be adopted.

As the roasting progresses, the smell changes. For example, the aroma changes from caramel to cinnamon. Therefore, in this embodiment, a method for sensing the smell at the time of performing the roasting is employed as a method for grasping the degree of roasting desired by the user.

The odor sensor 122 senses the odor generated during roasting of the green bean. To this end, the gas 10 discharged from the roasting unit 112 is received to sense the chemical component of the gas 10.

Aldehyde, ketone, etc., which are volatile amino acids and organic acids, are emitted from carbon dioxide (CO2), and accurate roasting is obtained by measuring the gas. The amount of carbon dioxide gas can be changed according to the amount of roasted green beans and the amount of air to be introduced and can be sensed and used as input data.

As described above, the content and the ratio of the various components vary depending on the progress of the roasting, and the change in the odor may be attributed to changes in the content and ratio of the components. Therefore, by sensing and analyzing the chemical composition of the gas 10 discharged from the roasting unit 112, the degree of roasting can be grasped.

In the case of carbon dioxide gas, the amount of air to be roasted varies depending on the degree of roasting. For example, when the amount of incoming air is constantly determined, 80,000 ppm for high roasting, 100,000 ppm for city roasting, It can be confirmed that it is changed to 150,000 ppm. Aldehyde can also be divided into 2,000 to 10,000 ppm depending on the degree of roasting. Accordingly, the sensed chemical components and their component ratios can be matched with the roasting degree.

The roasting unit 112 has an outlet 112a for discharging the gas generated during the roasting of the green bean and the odor sensor 122 detects the gas discharged from the outlet 112a of the roasting unit 112 10) to sense the chemical components of the gas.

In one embodiment, the odor sensor 122 may sense the type of chemical composition of the gas 10. Specifically, the chemical composition of the gas 10 may be sensed to determine the degree of roasting.

On the other hand, among the above-mentioned various chemical components, only the chemical component which generally discharges a large amount is selected and the composition ratio is sensed to grasp the degree of roasting. Accordingly, the odor sensor 122 can sense at least one component ratio of carbon dioxide (CO 2), organic acid, and water vapor, which occupy a relatively large amount in the chemical components of the gas 10.

On the other hand, the odor sensor 122 may employ various types of sensors capable of sensing chemical components. For example, the odor sensor 122 may employ various types of sensors such as a semiconductor type sensor, a contact combustion type sensor, a diaphragm galvanic type battery type sensor, a diaphragm type electrode type sensor, and a electrostatic type electrolytic type sensor.

In one embodiment, the odor sensor 122 includes an adsorption unit that heats the metal oxide semiconductor and adsorbs gas discharged from the discharge port, and an adsorption unit that adsorbs the gas discharged from the adsorption unit, based on the electrical conductivity of the metal oxide semiconductor, And a component sensing unit for sensing a chemical component of the gas.

The control unit 132 controls the operation of the roasting unit 112 based on the data of the chemical component sensed by the odor sensor 122.

In one embodiment, the control unit 132 compares the reference data including the data of the chemical component sensed by the odor sensor 122 and the chemical composition data according to the stored roasting diagram to calculate the degree of roasting .

Specifically, the reference data including the chemical composition data according to the degree of roasting may be obtained through experimentation in advance, and the obtained reference data may be stored in a storage unit such as a memory. The data of the chemical component sensed by the odor sensor 122 while the roasting is performed can be compared with the previously stored reference data to easily grasp the degree of roasting corresponding to the chemical component currently discharged.

The coffee roaster 102 may further include a display unit 140 for displaying the roasting diagram in real time. Accordingly, the user of the coffee roaster 102 can more easily check the current roasting degree.

The coffee roaster 102 may further include a roasting setting unit 150 that sets a target degree of roasting. The target degree of roasting means the degree of roasting desired by the user. In this case, the control unit 132 terminates the roasting of the roasting unit 112 when the roasting degree reaches the target degree of roasting.

The roasting setting unit 150 may provide setting options in a manner well known to general users of the coffee roaster. For example, the roasting setting unit 150 may provide at least one of the eight-level classification, the specialty coffee association of America (SCAA) classification, and the six-level classification as a setting option.

The above 8-step classification is a classification method mainly used in Korea and Japan. The roasting degree of coffee is classified into ① Light ② Cinnamon ③ Medium ④ High ⑤ City ⑥ Full City ⑦ French ⑧ Italian etc. The SCAA classification method is ① Extra-Light ② Very Light ③ Light ④ Medium Light ⑤ Medium ⑥ Medium Dark ⑦ Dark ⑧ Very Dark ⑨ Extra-Dark. The 6-step classification is a classification method used mainly in North America and Europe. ① Cinnamon Light ② Medium ③ American Light ④ High American Light ⑤ Full City ⑥ Espresso European.

The roasting setting unit 150 may set the target roaming to a specific step of any one of the taxonomies by the user.

In addition, the roasting setting unit 150 may provide the type of the birthday as a setting option, and the type of the birthday can be set by the user. The types of green beans may include seeds of green beans, origin, processing companies, and the like.

For example, when the user inputs the origin and the desired degree of roasting through the roasting setting unit 150, for example, a full-city of Columbia's country of origin and an eight-step classification, and starts roasting, The control unit 132 compares the data of the chemical component sensed by the odor sensor 122 during the roasting with the reference data corresponding to the stored Columbia origin and the full-city of the 8-step classification, The roasting operation of the roasting unit 112 may be controlled so as to terminate the roasting when the roasting degree corresponding to the currently discharged chemical component reaches the reference data. The user can easily grasp the progress of the roasting through the display unit 140 that displays the roasting degree in real time during the roasting process.

Meanwhile, the display unit 140 and the roasting setting unit 150 may be integrally formed, and a touch input method may be employed to receive the setting of the roasting degree. Thus, the convenience of the user can be greatly improved.

The controller 132 may be an externally provided computer or may be connected to a computer provided externally. In this case, the computer includes a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a smart pad, and the like. Also, at least one of the display unit 140 and the roasting setting unit 150 may be formed integrally with the computer.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment, when the roasting unit 112 adopts the drum roasting method, the roasting unit 112 may include a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans.

In the case of employing the drum roasting method as described above, the green beans are scratched according to the rotation speed of the rotary drum, and thus the coffee may have a smell or taste. Specifically, when the rotary drum rotates rapidly, the green bean contacts the metal wall for a long time and burns due to conduction heat. When the rotary drum slowly rotates, the green bean slides along the round metal wall and is not exposed to hot air I can get burnt.

Therefore, the odor sensor 122 senses a chemical component generating the tundish and can control the rotational speed of the roasting unit 112 based on the sensed data of the chemical component. That is, the control unit 132 may include a speed control unit that controls the rotation speed of the rotary drum based on the component corresponding to the tan of the chemical component data.

According to the coffee roaster of the present invention, the smell of green beans can be sensed during the roasting of green beans, and the smell of the green beans can be sensed by sensing the chemical composition of the gas generated in the roasted green beans . Accordingly, the coffee roasting degree can be more objectively and easily determined based on the sensed chemical component data, and the roasting can be performed as desired to ensure the consistency and reliability of the coffee taste.

2 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.

2, a coffee roaster 104 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a roasting portion 114, a color sensor 124, and a control portion 134.

The roasting unit 114 roasts the green beans supplied with coffee beans.

Roasting is a series of tasks that harmonize various components such as moisture, fat, fiber, carbohydrate, caffeine, organic acid, and tannin of the green bean by expanding the tissue as much as possible by applying heat to the leaves.

1, the roasting method of the roasting unit 114 may be variously adopted depending on the structure and method of heating. For example, drum roasting, pan roasting, A hot air roasting method, or the like can be adopted.

The green color changes as the roasting proceeds, for example, from green to yellowish green, yellowish brown, brown, blackish brown, black, and the like. Therefore, in this embodiment, a method of sensing the color at the time of performing the roasting is adopted as a method for grasping the degree of roasting desired by the user.

The color sensor 124 senses the color of the raw beans roasted in the roasting unit 114. For this purpose, the color of the green bean present in the roasting unit 114 is sensed from outside or inside the roasting unit 114.

The content and proportion of the various components described above change with the progress of the roasting, accompanied by changes in taste and aroma, and externally cause a change in the color of the green beans. Therefore, by sensing and analyzing the color of green beans roasted in the roasting unit 114, the degree of roasting can be grasped.

In one embodiment, the color sensor 124 may sense the gray scale of the seed. Specifically, since the color of the background does not vary widely, it is possible to sense the degree of roasting by simply sensing the gray scale of the background.

In one embodiment, the color sensor 124 may sense the intensity of a particular color of the green bean. Specifically, when determining the change in color of the bean tree, for example, from the viewpoint of RGB, the color of the bean tree mainly changes in red (R) or green (G), so that by sensing the intensity of red or green The degree of roasting can be grasped. As another example, when judging from the viewpoint of CMY of the change in color of the green bean, the color of the green bean mainly changes in magenta (M) or yellow (Y), so that by sensing the intensity of magenta or yellow, .

For example, when the 8-bit RGB quantization value 255 is set to the maximum value, the color of the beans with high roasting corresponds to Red 68 to 70, Green 39 to 41, and Blue 10 to 12, Corresponds to Red 59 to 64, Green 31 to 35, and Blue 6 to 10, and the colors of green beans having roasted Full City correspond to Red 49 to 53, Green 28 to 31, and Blue 2 to 7. Accordingly, the intensity of the specific color of the sensed green bean can be matched with the roasting degree, and the intensity and roasting degree of two or more colors can be matched with each other.

Also, when the intensity of the colors according to the above roasting degree is converted into a percentage, the ratio of RGB of roots having high roasting is approximately 58: 33: 9, and the ratio of RGB of roasted City is approximately 60:32: 8, and the ratio of RGB of roast to full city is approximately 60: 35: 5. Accordingly, the ratio of the intensity of the colors of the sensed green beans and the degree of roasting can be matched with each other, and the ratio of the intensities of the two colors or the ratio of the intensities of the three colors and the degree of roasting can be matched with each other.

On the other hand, the color sensor 124 may employ various types of sensors capable of sensing color. In one embodiment, the color sensor 124 may include an image sensing unit for sensing an image of the green mark and a color sensing unit for sensing the color of the green mark from the image of the green mark taken.

The control unit 134 controls the operation of the roasting unit 114 based on the color data sensed by the color sensor 124.

In one embodiment, the control unit 134 may compute the degree of roasting by comparing the color data sensed by the color sensor 124 and the reference data including color data according to the stored roasting degree .

Specifically, the reference data including the color data according to the degree of roasting may be obtained in advance through experimentation, and the obtained reference data may be stored in a storage unit such as a memory. The data of the color sensed by the color sensor 124 while the roasting is performed can be compared with the previously stored reference data to easily grasp the degree of roasting corresponding to the current color.

The coffee roaster 104 may further include a display unit 140 for displaying the roasting degree in real time and a roasting setting unit 150 for setting a target degree of roasting. The display unit 140 and the roasting setting unit 150 are substantially the same as those of the display unit 140 and the roasting setting unit 150 described in FIG. 1, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

For example, when the user inputs the origin and the desired degree of roasting through the roasting setting unit 150, for example, a full-city of Columbia's country of origin and an eight-step classification, and starts roasting, The control unit 134 compares the data of the color sensed by the color sensor 124 while the roasting is performed with the reference data corresponding to the Columbia-country of origin and the full-city of the 8-step classification, The roasting operation of the roasting unit 114 may be controlled so as to terminate the roasting when the roasting degree corresponding to the color reaches the reference data. The user can easily grasp the progress of the roasting through the display unit 140 that displays the roasting degree in real time during the roasting process.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment, when the roasting unit 114 employs a drum roasting method, the roasting unit 114 may include a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans.

In the case of employing the drum roasting method as described above, the green beans are scratched according to the rotation speed of the rotary drum, and thus the coffee may have a smell or taste. Specifically, when the rotary drum rotates rapidly, the green bean contacts the metal wall for a long time and burns due to conduction heat. When the rotary drum slowly rotates, the green bean slides along the round metal wall and is not exposed to hot air I can get burnt.

Therefore, the color sensor 124 can sense the color corresponding to the inside of the bullet, and can control the rotational speed of the roasting unit 114 based on the sensed color data. That is, the control unit 134 may include a speed control unit that controls the rotation speed of the rotary drum based on the color corresponding to the tan of the color data.

According to the coffee roaster of the embodiment of the present invention, the color of the green beans can be sensed during roasting of green beans. Accordingly, it is possible to more objectively and easily determine the degree of coffee roasting based on the sensed color data, and it is possible to ensure the consistency and reliability of the coffee taste by performing the desired degree of roasting.

3 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3, a coffee roaster 106 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a roasting portion 116, a temperature sensor 126, and a control portion 136. [

The roasting unit 116 roasts the green beans supplied with coffee beans.

Roasting is a series of tasks that harmonize various components such as moisture, fat, fiber, carbohydrate, caffeine, organic acid, and tannin of the green bean by expanding the tissue as much as possible by applying heat to the leaves.

1, the roasting method of the roasting unit 116 may be variously adopted depending on the structure and method of heating. For example, a drum roasting method, a pan roasting method, A hot air roasting method, or the like can be adopted.

As the roasting progresses, the temperature changes. In the early stage of roasting, an endothermic reaction occurs, and the temperature of the raw bean gradually increases. When the temperature of the raw bean reaches about 190 ° C., an exothermic reaction occurs and the temperature of the raw bean rises sharply . Therefore, in this embodiment, as a method for grasping the degree of roasting desired by the user, a method of sensing the temperature of the raw meat at the time of performing the roasting is employed.

The temperature sensor 126 senses the temperature of the green beans roasted in the roasting unit 116.

The content and ratio of the various ingredients are changed according to progress of the roasting, and the taste and flavor of the coffee are determined by the physicochemical change according to the temperature change of the green bean. Accordingly, by sensing and analyzing the temperature of the green beans roasted in the roasting unit 116, the degree of roasting can be grasped.

For example, when the temperature of green beans is in the range of 208 to 210 degrees, it corresponds to High (or Light Medium), 210 to 212 degrees corresponds to City (or American Medium) and 212 to 214 corresponds to Full City (or Medium Dark) The temperature and the degree of roasting can be matched with each other.

The temperature sensor 126 senses the temperature of the raw meat itself, rather than sensing the temperature inside the roasting unit 116. Therefore, it may be preferable to directly sense the temperature of the fresh beans present in the roasting unit 116 from inside the roasting unit 116.

In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 126 may sense at least one of the surface temperature of the green bean and the internal temperature of the green bean.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment, when the roasting unit 116 employs a drum roasting method, the roasting unit 116 may include a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans.

In the case of adopting the drum roasting method, when the temperature sensor is installed in the rotary drum, the rotary drum can be rotated in accordance with the rotation of the rotary drum. Accordingly, the temperature sensor 126 may be disposed on the same axis as the rotation axis of the rotary drum. 3, the coffee roaster 106 is installed on the same axis 126a as the rotation axis RX of the rotary drum, and has a sensor (not shown) And may further include a mounting unit 126b. The sensor mounting unit 126b may be installed to be independent of the rotational motion of the rotary drum.

On the other hand, the temperature sensor 126 may employ various types of sensors capable of sensing the temperature. In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 126 may include an infrared absorbing unit for absorbing infrared rays generated from the green beak, and a resistance change sensing unit for sensing a change in resistance value according to the infrared ray absorbed in the absorption unit.

The control unit 136 controls the operation of the roasting unit 116 based on the temperature data sensed by the temperature sensor 126.

In one embodiment, the control unit 136 may compute the degree of roasting by comparing the temperature data sensed by the temperature sensor 126 with reference data including temperature data according to the stored roasting degree .

Specifically, the reference data including the temperature data according to the degree of roasting may be obtained in advance through experimentation, and the obtained reference data may be stored in a storage unit such as a memory. The data of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 126 during the roasting is compared with the previously stored reference data to easily grasp the degree of roasting corresponding to the present temperature. At this time, not only the data of the temperature but also the data of the rate of change of the temperature can be utilized.

The coffee roaster 106 may further include a display unit 140 for displaying the roasting degree in real time and a roasting setting unit 150 for setting a target degree of roasting. The display unit 140 and the roasting setting unit 150 are substantially the same as those of the display unit 140 and the roasting setting unit 150 described in FIG. 1, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

For example, when the user inputs the origin and the desired degree of roasting through the roasting setting unit 150, for example, a full-city of Columbia's country of origin and an eight-step classification, and starts roasting, The control unit 136 compares the data of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 126 during the roasting with the reference data corresponding to the stored Columbia origin and the full-city of the 8-step classification, The roasting operation of the roasting unit 116 may be controlled so as to terminate the roasting when the roasting degree corresponding to the temperature reaches the reference data. The user can easily grasp the progress of the roasting through the display unit 140 that displays the roasting degree in real time during the roasting process.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment, when the roasting unit 116 employs a drum roasting method, the roasting unit 116 may include a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans.

In the case of employing the drum roasting method as described above, the green beans are scratched according to the rotation speed of the rotary drum, and thus the coffee may have a smell or taste. Specifically, when the rotary drum rotates rapidly, the green bean contacts the metal wall for a long time and burns due to conduction heat. When the rotary drum slowly rotates, the green bean slides along the round metal wall and is not exposed to hot air I can get burnt.

In this case, the change rate of the temperature of the fresh bean changes abnormally. Therefore, the temperature sensor 126 senses the temperature of the green bean, calculates the rate of change of temperature based on the sensed temperature data, and controls the rotation speed of the roasting unit 116 based on the rate of change of the temperature can do. That is, the control unit 136 may include a speed control unit that calculates a rate of temperature change from the temperature data and controls the rotation speed of the rotating drum based on the rate of change of the temperature.

According to the coffee roaster of the embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the green bean itself can be sensed during roasting of green beans. Accordingly, the coffee roasting degree can be more objectively and easily determined based on the sensed temperature data of the fresh coffee beans, and it is possible to ensure the consistency and reliability of the coffee taste by performing as much roasting as desired.

Another embodiment of the coffee roaster using the temperature sensor as described above will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

4 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4, a coffee roaster 108 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a roasting portion, a temperature sensor,

The roasting unit roasts the green beans supplied with coffee beans.

In one embodiment. The roasting portion may include a rotating drum 118a and a sidewall, which may include a first sidewall 118b and a second sidewall 118c, as shown in FIG.

The rotary drum 118a receives and rotates the green bean supplied thereto, and may have a cylindrical shape, for example.

The first and second sidewalls 118b and 118c define a roasting space within the rotary drum 118a at both sides of the rotary drum 118a.

Although not shown, the rotary drum 118a and the first and second sidewalls 118b and 118c are provided independently of each other, so that even if the rotary drum 118a rotates, the first and second sidewalls 118b , 118c may not rotate. At this time, a slight separation distance is formed between the rotary drum 118a and the first and second sidewalls 118b and 118c, but the separation distance is formed to be smaller than the size of the green seed so that the green seed does not pass through . Also, since the second sidewalls 118b and 118c do not rotate, a temperature sensor and an internal air temperature meter 128c installed in the second sidewalls 118b and 118c, which will be described later, .

In an exemplary embodiment, the roasting unit may include an air inlet 118b-1 through which the air is introduced, and the air inlet 118b-1 is installed in the first side wall 118b in FIG. Although only one air inlet 118b-1 is shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of air inlets 118b-1 may be formed.

Except for the structure as described above, the roasting unit is substantially the same as the roasting unit 116 shown in FIG. 3, so that redundant detailed description is omitted.

The temperature sensor senses the temperature of the raw soybean roasted in the roasting unit.

The temperature sensor may include a temperature measuring unit 128a disposed at a lower portion of the sidewall to measure a surface temperature of the green bean positioned below the rotating drum 118a. For example, the temperature gauge 128a may employ a thermocouple. 4, in one embodiment, the temperature gauge 128a is installed at the bottom of the second sidewall 118c to measure the surface temperature of the green bean by making direct contact with the roasted green bean, have.

The coffee roaster includes an inlet air temperature meter 128b disposed around the air inlet 118b-1 to measure an inflow temperature of the inflow air, and an internal air temperature meter (128c).

The controller 138 controls the intake air temperature, the internal air temperature, and the intake air temperature so that the temperature reaches the target temperature, based on the measured intake air temperature, the internal air temperature, And the heating time can be controlled. The target temperature may correspond to a roasting degree set from the outside.

For example, when the roasting degree set from the outside is Full City, the target temperature may be set to 213 degrees. Also, immediately after the primary popping of the roasted green beans, when the inflow air temperature is in the range of 235 to 240 degrees and the inside air temperature is in the range of 200 to 220 degrees, And the internal air temperature are maintained to be maintained, and the heating time can be set to 3 minutes.

In one embodiment, when the temperature sensor senses the surface temperature of the fresh bean, the control unit 138 determines, based on the measured inflow air temperature, the internal air temperature, and the sensed temperature of the fresh bean The internal temperature of the fresh bean can be predicted. At this time, the controller 138 may control at least one of the inflow temperature, the internal temperature, and the heating time so that the predicted internal temperature of the fresh bean reaches the target temperature.

The temperature sensor may include a reflectometer 128d installed on a sidewall of the rotary drum 118a to sense a surface temperature of the green bean. In Fig. 4, the reflectometer 128d is installed on top of the first side wall 118b. In one embodiment, when measuring the temperature of the reflectometer 128d, the rotary drum 118a may be temporarily stopped for accurate measurement. The reflectometer 128d may be of a noncontact type, unlike the contact type thermometer 128a, and an infrared thermometer may be employed instead of the reflectometer 128d.

The temperature sensor may employ the reflectometer 128d instead of the temperature sensor 128a and may employ both the temperature sensor 128a and the reflectometer 128d.

5 is a conceptual view showing a coffee roaster according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a coffee roaster 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a roasting unit 110, a sensor unit 120, and a control unit 130.

Since the coffee roaster 100 shown in FIG. 5 is a combination of the coffee roasters 102, 104, and 106 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows a case where the coffee roasters 102, 104 and 106 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are combined, but the coffee roasters 102 and 104 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 , 108) may be combined.

According to the coffee roaster of the present invention as described above, the smell of green beans can be sensed during roasting of green beans, and the smell of green beans can be sensed by sensing the chemical composition of gas generated in roasted green beans , It is possible to sense the color of the green beans and the temperature of green beans during roasting of green beans. Accordingly, it is possible to more objectively and easily determine the degree of coffee roasting based on the sensed chemical component data, the color data, and the temperature data. By performing the desired degree of roasting, it is possible to secure the uniformity and reliability of the coffee taste have.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical and exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting of the present invention.

100, 102, 104, 106: Coffee roaster
110, 112, 114, 116: roasting section
120: sensing unit 122: odor sensor
124: color sensor 126: temperature sensor
130, 132, 134, 136:
140: roasting setting unit 150: display unit

Claims (14)

A roasting unit for roasting the fresh beans fed with fresh beans of coffee;
A temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the green beans roasted in the roasting unit; And
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the roasting unit based on data of the temperature of the fresh beans sensed by the temperature sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the roasting unit includes a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans,
Wherein the temperature sensor is disposed on the same axis as the rotation axis of the rotary drum. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a sensor mounting unit provided on the same axis as the rotating shaft of the rotary drum and having the temperature sensor disposed at an end thereof,
Wherein the sensor mounting unit is independent of the rotational movement of the rotary drum. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the temperature sensor senses at least one of a surface temperature of the green bean and an internal temperature of the green bean. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
Wherein the roasting degree is calculated by comparing data of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and reference data including temperature data according to a stored roasting degree. 6. The method of claim 5,
And a display unit for displaying the roasting degree in real time. 6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising a roasting setting section for setting a target roasting degree which is a roasting degree desired by the user,
Wherein the control unit terminates the roasting of the roasting unit when the roasting degree reaches the target degree of roasting. 8. The method of claim 7,
The roasting setting unit
At least one of the eight-level classification, the specialty coffee association of America (SCAA) classification, and the six-level classification is provided as a setting option,
And a specific step of any of the classifications is set by the user to the target roasting road. 8. The method of claim 7,
The roasting setting unit
Wherein the type of the fresh bean is provided as a setting option and the type of the fresh bean is set by the user. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the roasting unit includes a rotating drum that receives and rotates the supplied green beans,
Wherein the controller includes a rate controller for calculating a rate of change of temperature from the temperature data and controlling the rate of rotation of the rotating drum based on the rate of change of the temperature. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the temperature sensor comprises:
An infrared absorbing unit for absorbing infrared rays generated from the green bean; And
And a resistance change sensing unit for sensing a change in resistance value in accordance with infrared rays absorbed in the absorption unit. The method according to claim 1,
The roasting unit is provided with an air inlet through which air flows,
An inflow air temperature meter disposed around the air inlet to measure an inflow temperature of the inflow air; And
Further comprising an internal air temperature meter for measuring an internal temperature of air inside the roasting unit,
The control unit controls the flow rate of the inflow air to be supplied to the inflow air temperature control unit based on the measured inflow air temperature and the information on the internal air temperature and the sensed temperature of the raw bean so that the temperature reaches a target temperature corresponding to the roasting degree set from the outside, , The internal air temperature, and the heating time of the coffee roaster. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the temperature sensor senses a surface temperature of the green bean,
Wherein the control unit predicts the internal temperature of the fresh bean based on the measured inflow air temperature, the internal air temperature, and the sensed temperature of the fresh bean, so that the internal temperature of the fresh bean reaches the target temperature, And controlling at least one of the inflow temperature, the internal temperature, and the heating time. The method according to claim 1,
The roasting unit,
A rotary drum which receives and rotates the supplied fresh beans; And
And sidewalls defining roasting spaces within the rotary drum at opposite sides of the rotary drum,
The temperature sensor includes a temperature measuring device installed at a lower portion of the side wall to measure a surface temperature of the green bean positioned at a lower portion of the rotary drum and a reflector meter installed at a side wall of the rotary drum for sensing a surface temperature of the green bean and a reflectometer. < Desc / Clms Page number 19 >

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