DE102020131195A1 - Method for detecting the degree of roasting of a roasted item, control device, hot beverage machine and method for preparing a hot beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for detecting a degree of roasting of a roasted item (120) that can be used for a hot beverage to be produced in a hot beverage machine (100), the method having the following steps: - Reading in a roasting degree signal from an optical sensor (105) of the hot beverage machine (100), wherein the degree of roasting signal (125) represents an optical image of the item to be roasted (120); and- determining the degree of roasting using the degree of roasting signal (125) and an assignment specification which assigns a value of the degree of roasting signal (125) to a degree of roasting in order to identify the degree of roasting of the item to be toasted (120).

Description

The invention relates to a method for detecting the degree of roasting of an item to be roasted, a control device, a hot beverage dispenser and a method for preparing a hot beverage.

The grinding and brewing parameters in the factory setting, for example in a fully automatic coffee machine, usually represent a medium setting for a grain size of coffee as roasted material, which is not suitable for every degree of roasting and a corresponding preparation of coffee as a hot drink. Roasts with a light roast are often fruity and acidic, very strong, roasts with a dark roast tend to be more bitter. Roasted food with a light roast basically tastes more sour than dark roasted food, with under-extraction this taste impression is intensified. In order to use the possible taste range of a (coffee) bean as roasted material, the basic setting of the grinder should already be in a range for subsequent good extraction.

So far, NIR sensors have been used to detect roasting properties. information from e.g. B. NIR sensors cannot be used directly without a reference or a stored database or an evaluation algorithm and also require the provision of additional components in a hot beverage machine.

The object of the invention is to create an improved method for detecting the degree of roasting of a roasted item, an improved control device, an improved hot beverage dispenser and an improved method for preparing a hot beverage.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method for detecting a degree of roasting of a roasted item, a hot beverage machine and a method for preparing a hot beverage with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous refinements and developments of the invention result from the respective dependent claims.

The advantages that can be achieved with the invention are that the degree of roasting of an item to be roasted can be detected using technically simple and widely available sensors in order to use the degree of roasting for the design of the brewing parameter or parameters.

• - Einlesen eines Röstgradsignals von einem optischen Sensor des Heißgetränkeautomaten, wobei das Röstgradsignal ein optisches Abbild des Röstgutes darstellt; und
• - Ermitteln des Röstgrades unter Verwendung des Röstgradsignals und einer Zuordnungsvorschrift, die einem Röstgrad einen Wert des Röstgradsignals zuordnet, um den Röstgrad des Röstgutes zu erkennen.

A method for detecting a degree of roasting of a roasted item is presented, which can be used for a hot beverage to be produced in a hot beverage machine and comprises the following steps:

• - Reading in a roasting degree signal from an optical sensor of the hot beverage machine, the roasting degree signal representing an optical image of the roasted goods; and
• - Determining the degree of roasting using the degree of roasting signal and an assignment rule that assigns a value of the degree of roasting to a degree of roasting in order to identify the degree of roasting of the roasted goods.

A hot drinks machine can be understood, for example, as a fully automatic coffee machine in which the hot drink, here coffee for example, is prepared using the roasted goods. The fully automatic coffee machine is used to prepare hot drinks to be brewed and mixed drinks containing caffeine. The fully automatic coffee machine uses a toasted material to produce the desired beverage. Alternatively, ground toast can also be used. Caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee beans are used for roasting.

A roasted product can be, for example, roasted coffee beans, ground roasted product is also referred to as coffee powder. The roasted goods have different roasts or degrees of roast and include light and dark roasts or degrees of roast. An optical sensor can be a camera, for example, which uses a brightness sensor to detect the degree of roasting, that is to say whether the roasted food is darker or lighter. An assignment rule can be stored in a memory and show which degree of roasting corresponds to which color or intensity of the roasted goods in the optical image. With the help of this scaling, a degree of roasting signal can be output which represents the detected degree of roasting of a coffee bean and the coffee can then be prepared using this detected degree of roasting, for example. In this way, by automatically detecting the degree of roasting, a hot drink with a consistently predetermined taste can be achieved even with different degrees of roasting of the roasted goods, which increases the user comfort when using the hot drink machine and thus the acceptance of this hot drink machine by the user. The initial degree of roasting can also deviate within a quantity detected by the sensor when individual beans are observed, with a single degree of roasting being determined by means of a calculation or averaging, which is used for the subsequent brewing process.

According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, in the step of a reading a greyscale signal as the roasting degree signal. A grayscale signal can be understood as a signal whose signal values have different color or

represent gray levels of the image captured by the optical sensor. This offers the advantage that little light is sufficient to obtain a corresponding greyscale signal and thereby to recognize the degree of roasting of the roasted goods, which are often present in a closed container into which little light can enter. Furthermore, by using a grayscale signal, a technically simple optical sensor can also be used, so that such an embodiment can be made available at low cost.

Furthermore, in the step of reading in, the degree of roasting signal can be read in by a camera, a photoresistor, a photodiode and/or a phototransistor as an optical sensor. This offers the advantage that only the light reflected by the coffee beans is measured using a brightness sensor. It is therefore not necessary to illuminate the hot drinks machine. A cost-effective implementation of the approach presented here can also be achieved with the technically simple and sophisticated sensor used here.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the degree of roasting can be determined in the step of determining using a comparison of a value of the degree of roasting signal with an assignment specification stored in a memory, in particular the assignment specification being stored as an assignment table of degrees of roasting to values of the roasting signal. This offers the advantage that the degree of roasting can be determined easily and automatically using the assignment rule. This offers the advantage that the degree of roasting information does not need to be entered manually or barcodes need to be read. The assignment rule can also be determined and tested extensively in a laboratory beforehand, so that a reliable assignment of different recognized degrees of roasting to the corresponding values of the degree of roasting signal can be implemented.

In an additional embodiment, the degree of roasting can be determined in the step of determining using a scaling function and/or a formula. This allows the value of the roasting degree signal to be assigned to a roasting degree quickly, in a technically simple manner and yet with sufficient accuracy.

Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the degree of roasting of a second item to be toasted can also be detected, with the second item to be toasted being arranged in another item to be toasted, wherein in the reading step a second degree of roasting signal is read in by the optical sensor of the hot beverage machine, the second degree of roasting signal being an optical image of the is arranged in the second roasted goods container, and wherein in the determination step the second degree of roasting is determined using the second degree of roasting signal and a second assignment rule, which assigns the value of the degree of roasting to the degree of roasting. This offers the advantage that only one optical sensor is required to detect the degree of roasting of the roasted goods in, for example, two roasted goods containers or bean containers. Several bean containers in a hot drinks machine offer the possibility of choosing between different roasted goods, for example different types of beans, when preparing the hot drink. For example, espresso beans can be used for an espresso and coffee beans for coffee, in which case the degree of roasting of the beans in the corresponding bean container or roasted goods container can be determined inexpensively and in a space-saving manner by a single sensor.

• - Erkennen eines Röstgrades eines Röstguts; und
• - Bereitstellen eines Steuersignals zum Durchführen eines

Furthermore, according to a further embodiment, a method for preparing a hot beverage can be provided, which comprises the following steps:

• - Recognizing a degree of roasting of a roasted item; and
• - Providing a control signal for performing a

Hot beverage preparation process using the detected degree of roast.

This offers the advantage that the degree of roasting of the roasted goods, for example the coffee beans, can be optimally recognized and the hot beverage can be prepared by the hot beverage dispenser according to the recognized degree of roasting of the roasted goods. For example, for the preparation of the hot drink, the temperature of the water used and the amount of water used are taken into account depending on the recognized degree of roasting of the roasted goods.

• - einen optischen Sensor zur Bereitstellung eines Röstgradsignals, wobei das Röstgradsignal ein optisches Abbild des Röstgutes darstellt; und
• - eine Steuereinrichtung, die ausgebildet ist,
• - einen Röstgrad unter Verwendung des Röstgradsignals und einer Zuordnungsvorschrift, die einem Röstgrad einen Wert des Röstgradsignals zuordnet, um den Röstgrad des Röstgutes zu erkennen und
• - ein Heißgetränk unter Zuhilfenahme des ermittelten Röstgrades herzustellen.

The invention further relates to a hot drinks machine, in particular a fully automatic coffee machine, which is designed to produce a hot drink, comprising

• - An optical sensor for providing a roasting degree signal, wherein the roasting degree signal represents an optical image of the roasted goods; and
• - a control device that is designed
• - a degree of roasting using the roasting degree signal and an assignment rule that assigns a value of the roasting degree signal to a roasting degree in order to identify the degree of roasting of the item to be roasted and
• - to prepare a hot drink with the help of the determined degree of roasting.

For this purpose, the hot drinks machine also includes all the actuators and fluid lines that are necessary for producing the brewed drink desired by the user. These are in particular a water source, a pump, a heater for heating the water, a brewing chamber into which the ground roasted food can be admitted so that the heated brewing water can flow through it, and at least one outlet nozzle for dispensing the brewed beverage into a drinking vessel. The actuators and possibly a valve arrangement for switching the flow paths are activated and deactivated by the control device according to a program sequence.

The control device can be designed to read in input signals and to determine and provide output signals using the input signals. An input signal can represent, for example, a sensor signal that can be read in via an input interface of the device. An output signal can represent a control signal or a data signal, which can be provided at an output interface of the control device. The control device can be designed to determine the output signals using a processing specification implemented in hardware or software. For example, the control device can include a logic circuit, an integrated circuit or a software module for this purpose and can be implemented as a discrete component, for example, or be comprised by a discrete component.

Furthermore, according to a further embodiment of the approach presented here, a control device is provided which is designed to carry out, execute and/or control the steps of a method as described above in corresponding units. The object on which the invention is based can also be achieved quickly and efficiently by this embodiment variant of the invention in the form of a device.

In an overall preferred embodiment, the optical sensor is a greyscale sensor. This has a particularly simple structure and compared to a color sensor, smaller amounts of data have to be transmitted from the sensor. It follows from this that the control device has to process smaller amounts of data.

A computer program product or computer program with program code, which can be stored on a machine-readable carrier or storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk memory or an optical memory, is also advantageous. If the program product or program is executed on a computer or a control device, then the program product or program can be used to carry out, implement and/or control the steps of the method according to one of the embodiments described above.

Even if the approach described is described using a household appliance, the method described here can be used accordingly in connection with a commercial or professional appliance, for example a catering appliance.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung eines Heißgetränkeautomaten gemäß einem Ausführungsbeispiel;
• 2 eine schematische Blockschaltbild-Darstellung eines Ausführungsbeispiels einer Steuereinrichtung eines Heißgetränkeautomaten;
• 3 eine Abbildung von Kaffeebohnen verschiedener Röstgraden in Graustufen;
• 4 ein Ablaufdiagramm eines Verfahrens zur Erkennung eines Röstgrades eines Röstguts gemäß einem Ausführungsbeispiel; und
• 5 ein Ablaufdiagramm eines Verfahrens zum Zubereiten eines Heißgetränkes gemäß einem Ausführungsbeispiel.

An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. Show it

• 1 a schematic representation of a hot drinks machine according to an embodiment;
• 2 a schematic block diagram representation of an embodiment of a control device of a hot beverage machine;
• 3 an image of coffee beans of different degrees of roasting in shades of gray;
• 4 a flow chart of a method for detecting a degree of roasting of a roasted item according to an embodiment; and
• 5 a flowchart of a method for preparing a hot beverage according to an embodiment.

1 shows a schematic representation of a hot drinks machine 100 according to an embodiment, which is equipped with a sensor 105 . The sensor 105 is located here, for example, below the control device 110, below the sensor 105 there is a schematically illustrated bean container as the roasted material container 115, in which, for example, roasted coffee beans are contained as the roasted material 120. The sensor 105 is designed as an optical sensor, for example as a camera, photoresistor, photodiode or phototransistor. The hot drinks machine 100 is designed to determine the degree of roasting of the roasted goods 120 using the sensor 105 and to produce a hot drink using the detected degree of roasting. A black-and-white camera that can capture different shades of gray is preferably used. This property also applies to another sensor 105 used.

The sensor 105 scans in a detection area 123 and correspondingly outputs a degree of roasting signal 125 to the control device 110 . The light reflected by the item to be toasted 120 is recorded and output as a signal 125 for the degree of toasting. The degree of roasting signal thus represents an optical image of the item 120 to be toasted. The degree of roasting signal 125 is output by the sensor 105 as a greyscale signal 125, for example. In the control device 110, this degree of roasting signal 125, for example the gray scale signal, is compared or processed with an assignment specification 132 stored in a memory 130, for example a scaling <grey scale to degree of roasting>, and controls a brewing parameter setting. For example, this brewing parameter setting can be used to determine a brewing parameter 135 for a brewing unit 140 and send it to this brewing unit 140, which represents a temperature or an amount of water to be taken from a water tank 145 with which to brew ground roasted food with the degree of roasting determined using sensor 105 is to prepare the hot drink.

The use of grayscale sensors is particularly advantageous in that these sensors are less complex in terms of evaluating or providing information and their signal 125 for evaluation in control device 110 does not require a database or only a unit with very little numerical or circuitry complexity. Since the degree of roasting can be scaled relatively roughly, this information from a gray scale signal is sufficient for preselecting the basic setting of the brewing parameter 135 . By installing sensor 105 in an area where light falls into toasted product container 115, for example in a visible area for the user of hot drinks machine 100, the lighting of the device is used, for example, since light from a device-specific lighting unit then also falls into toasted product container 115 and is sufficiently bright for Detection of the degree of roasting of the roasted goods. In addition, a sensor is not required for each bean container 115 .

The degree of roasting is determined using the degree of roasting signal 125 and an assignment rule 132 . The assignment specification 132 assigns a value of the degree of roasting signal 125 to a degree of roasting in order to identify the degree of roasting of the item 120 to be toasted. This assignment specification 132 can have been determined in a laboratory, for example, before the delivery of the hot beverage machine 110 and stored in the memory 130 . The value of the degree of roasting signal 125 is thus compared, for example, with the assignment rule 132 stored in the memory 130 . The assignment specification 132 is stored, for example, as an assignment table of degrees of roasting to values of the degree of roasting signal 125 .

A degree of toasting of a second item to be toasted 120 can also be detected, with the second item to be toasted being arranged in another item to be toasted, which is in 1 is not shown. The second degree of roasting signal is read in by the sensor 105 of the hot drinks machine 110 . The second degree of roasting signal represents an optical image of the second roasted material arranged in the second roasted material container. The second degree of roasting is determined using the second degree of roasting signal and the assignment specification 132 already mentioned above or a second degree of assignment, which assigns a value of the second degree of roasting to a second degree of roasting .

2 shows a block diagram representation of an embodiment of a control device 110 of a hot beverage machine 100g. For example, it can be the in 1 control device 110 described act. The control device 110 has a reading device 200, a determination device 205, the memory 130 and a provision device 215. The reading device 200 reads the roasting degree signal 125 from the sensor 105 from the 1 one, which can also be in the form of a grayscale signal. The degree of roasting signal 125 or the gray scale signal is detected by the sensor 105 and made available to the reading-in device 200 . The reading-in device 200 transmits the degree of roasting signal 125 to the determination device 205. The determination device 205 compares the degree of roasting signal 125 with the values stored in the memory 210 and determines a degree of roasting 220 therefrom. The values range from very light roasts to very dark roasts. The determined degree of roasting 220 is provided to the provision device 215 . The provision device 215 provides a control signal 225 using the detected degree of roasting 220 . The control signal 225 controls the implementation of a hot beverage preparation process using the detected degree of roasting, for example, the control signal 225 in the 1 include mentioned brewing parameters 135 and in the 1 illustrated brewing unit 140 are sent.

The sensor 105 can optionally also a second degree of roasting signal 230 of roasted goods from a second in the 1 roasted goods container, not shown, and provide it to the reading device 200 . The reading device 200 transmits the second degree of roasting signal 230 to the determination device 205. The determination device 205 compares the second degree of roasting signal 230 with the values stored in the memory 130 and determines from this a second degree of roasting 235. The determined second degree of roasting 235 is made available to the provision device 215. The provision device 215 provides a control signal 225 using the detected second degree of roasting 235 . The control signal 225 controls the dispensing of the hot beverage using the detected second degree of roasting 235.

3 shows an image of different degrees of roasting of coffee beans as roasted material 120 in different shades of gray. Top left is a roasted item 120 with a very light roast 300. The degrees of roasting decrease in brightness from left to right and from top to bottom until coffee beans are shown as roasted item 120 with a very dark roast 305 at the bottom right. A total of 21 different degrees of roasting are shown.

4 shows a flow chart of a method 400 for detecting a degree of roasting of a roasted item 120 that can be used for a hot drink to be produced in a hot drink machine 100 . The method 400 comprises a step 405 of reading in a degree of roasting signal from an optical sensor 105 of the hot drinks machine 100, the degree of roasting signal representing an optical image of the roasted goods 120; and a step 410 of determining the degree of roasting using the degree of roasting signal and an assignment specification which assigns a value of the degree of roasting signal to a degree of roasting in order to identify the degree of roasting of the item 120 to be toasted.

5 shows a flow chart of a method 500 for preparing a hot beverage, according to an embodiment. The method 500 comprises a step 505 for detecting a degree of roasting of an item 120 to be toasted and a step 510 for providing a control signal for carrying out a hot beverage preparation process using the detected degree of roasting.

Claims (11)

Method (400) for detecting a degree of roasting (220) of a roasted item (120) that can be used for a hot beverage to be produced in a hot beverage machine (100), the method (400) having the following steps: - Reading in (405) a roasting degree signal (125) from an optical sensor (105) of the hot drinks machine (100), the roasting degree signal (125) representing an optical image of the roasted goods (120); and - Determining (410) the degree of roasting (220) using the degree of roasting signal (125, 230) and an assignment rule which assigns a value of the degree of roasting signal (125) to a degree of roasting (220) in order to assign the degree of roasting (220) of the roasted goods (120). recognize. Method (400) according to claim 1 , wherein in the step of reading (200) as the degree of roasting signal (125) a gray scale signal is read, which represents the optical image of the roasted goods (120) in different gray scales. Method (400) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the reading step (200) the roasting degree signal (125) is read in by a camera, a photoresistor, a photodiode and/or a phototransistor as an optical sensor (105). Method (400) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the step of determining (205) the degree of roasting (220) is determined using a comparison of a value of the degree of roasting signal (125) with an assignment specification stored in a memory (210), in particular wherein the Allocation specification is stored as an allocation table of degrees of roasting to values of the roasting signal (125). Method (400) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the step of determining (205) the degree of roasting is determined using a scaling function and/or a formula. Method (400) according to one of the preceding claims for detecting a second degree of roasting (235) of a second item to be toasted, wherein the second item to be toasted is arranged in a different item to be toasted container than the item to be toasted, wherein in the step (405) of reading in a second degree of roasting signal (230) is read in by the optical sensor (105) of the hot drinks machine (110), the second degree of roasting signal (230) representing an optical image of the roasted material arranged in the second roasted material container, and wherein in step (410) of determining the second degree of roasting (235) under Using the second degree of roasting signal (230) and a second assignment rule is determined, which assigns the value of the degree of roasting signal (125, 230) to the degree of roasting (220, 235). Method (500) for preparing a hot beverage, the method (500) having the following steps: - Recognizing (505) a degree of roasting (220, 235) of a roasted product (120) according to a method (400) according to one of Claims 1 until 6 ; and - providing (510) a control signal (225) for carrying out a hot beverage preparation process using the detected degree of roasting (220, 235). Hot drinks machine (100), in particular a fully automatic coffee machine, designed to produce a hot drink, comprising - an optical sensor (105) for providing a roasting degree signal, the roasting degree signal (125) representing an optical image of the roasted goods (120); and - a control device (110) which is designed - a degree of roasting (220) using the degree of roasting signal (125, 230) and an assignment specification which assigns a value of the degree of roasting signal (125) to a degree of roasting (220) in order to determine the degree of roasting ( 220) of the roasted goods (120) to recognize and - to produce a hot drink with the help of the determined degree of roasting. Hot drinks machine (100) after claim 8 , The control device (110) being designed to execute and/or control the steps of a method (400, 500) according to one of the preceding claims in corresponding units. Hot drinks machine (100) after claim 8 or 9 , wherein the optical sensor (105) is a greyscale sensor (105). Computer program product with program code for carrying out the method (400, 500) according to one of the preceding claims, if the computer program product with the control device (110) according to one of the claims claim 8 until 10 is performed.

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