ES2925319B2 - CONTROL PROCEDURE FOR COFFEE GRINDERS - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Coffee grinder control procedure

TECHNIQUE SECTOR

The present invention refers to a monitoring and control procedure for coffee grinders, for main use in cafeterias, restaurants, etc. For example, it can be integrated into a cafeteria management and control system that ensures the highest quality coffee prepared at any facility, from grinding to final consumption by the customer. The system ensures the optimal state of the mills and the resulting processed product. It registers multiple variables that provide valuable information for decision-making regarding service parameters and allow offering a product of optimal quality.

STATE OF THE ART

Manufacturers of coffee machines and other associated machines (grinders, softeners...) for the HORECA sector (hotels, restaurants, catering), offer equipment maintenance services, focused on monitoring failures and maintenance alerts. To do this, each piece of equipment incorporates a series of sensors (water temperature, flow, pressure...) that offer pertinent information to the control unit of the equipment itself. This information can in turn be offered to other external equipment, through a communication protocol exclusive to each manufacturer.

These solutions do not consider that it is necessary to control other additional equipment such as coffee grinders (regular and decaffeinated) or other associated equipment (all of them usually supplied by different manufacturers) and even less to incorporate data from other external sources, in order to gather useful information. on the overall treatment given to the finished product.

However, coffee grinders are key to producing an ideal result in terms of coffee preparation. The granulometry, the mass. affect the result, in such a way that it varies over time due to the wear of the grinding wheels, to the environmental humidity.

The control systems for the weight of the dispensed dose usually implemented in grinders based on its weighing, carry a series of drawbacks and there is no known way to measure the granulometry of the ground coffee continuously. It is always necessary to extract a sample and sieve, which is not an applicable solution in the sector.

The applicant is not aware of any system with characteristics similar to the invention.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The invention consists of a procedure for monitoring and controlling coffee grinders according to the claims detailed below.

The procedure is intended for grinders of the type that comprise a main hopper or inlet cartridge, grinding wheels and one or more intermediate hoppers for the ground coffee, prior to dosing. The procedure includes the stages of:

- Measure the time of use of the grinding wheels, in each service and also the accumulated one.

The accumulated use is related to the wear of the grinding wheels, which is a parameter that is used during the procedure and also facilitates preventive maintenance.

- Measure the ambient temperature and humidity.

- Measure the height reached by the ground coffee stacked in the intermediate hoppers. - Calculate an estimate of the height that the coffee should reach in the intermediate hoppers based on the parameters previously described, for example, through machine learning, and compare it with the actual height reached.

- Offer a value for the modification of the activation time of the grinding wheels for each use and also for the adjustment between the two, in such a way that, after these adjustments, the weight of the dose served is closer to that of the programmed dose.

Preferably, the accumulated time of use of the grinding wheels is calculated by comparing the readings of a grinding motor activity sensor and a volumetric load sensor of the service intermediate hopper, so that the idle operating time of molars it is not considered.

The system is structured around a concentrator or hub that implements signal processing equipment, and that is configured in a Plug-and-Play way so that it can be They can connect, generally by cable, all the equipment involved, which includes a brewing bench (coffee makers, grinders...) equipped with its own sensors, additional sensors installed with the system and the electronics necessary to capture and coordinate all the signals.

Each establishment will have one or more signal processing equipment, which will control a specific processing bank, and which will in turn be connected to one or more external servers, which proceed to analyze the data collected in the cloud. The servers preferably use an open API to integrate with client platforms, accelerating the consumer experience, and presenting a personalized service according to the user profile.

The solution is a complete IoT system, including sensor hardware, signal processing from the bank of equipment and machines, their delivery to the cloud, and subsequent data processing.

The system interconnects information on consumption, product quality, status and useful life of cafeteria equipment to intelligently establish priorities, segment types of customers and invest assets where it is most profitable. In addition, thanks to the integration with external variables, it allows detecting possible fraud by controlling the difference between purchases and actual consumption.

The monitoring and control system of the invention comprises a whole hierarchy of components, operation methods and communication protocols that make it up, providing a high level of inventiveness and ideal results.

The cafeteria management system is based on at least one team made up of at least one coffee maker with a control unit and one or more team behavior sensors. Each coffee maker is connected to signal processing equipment that includes a connection interface with the coffee maker (which transforms the format and protocol of each sensor reading) integrated into a control unit. The signal processing equipment also comprises a communication system with one or more external servers. Generally, the equipment that sends the signals also includes coffee grinders.

The sensors that make up each team will be completed according to the parameters that each client can define and the level of knowledge of the process or quality that is required. For example, depending on the location of the installation, it will be convenient to monitor the state of the softener installed in the water connection of the coffee machine, by means of a pressure switch or a PH indicator.

It might also be necessary to equip a coffee grinder with a sensor that monitors the temperature of the grinding wheels, to verify that the required limits for quality production are never exceeded.

Other variants will be discussed at other points in memory.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A series of figures is presented at the end of the memory to facilitate the understanding of the invention:

Figure 1: Diagram of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2: Sensors or signal capture locations in a coffee grinder

Figure 3: Sensors or signal capture locations in a coffee machine

Figure 4: Grind weight calculation diagram.

Figure 5: Second weight diagram

MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention is briefly described below, as an illustrative and non-limiting example thereof.

Figure 1 shows an example of an embodiment scheme, in which a set of coffee makers (1) and coffee grinders (2), as well as other associated equipment, are configured in benches. Each coffee maker (1) or mill (2) has a series of sensors (3) that measure the working conditions of the equipment (1, 2): temperatures, duration of each service, flow rates, current intensity... including its variations in time for detecting possible breakdowns or wear, the content in the tanks, use carried out since the last revision, granulometry of the ground coffee... It also allows to know if the product is produced with the necessary frequency to maintain its quality, and monitor traceability.

Figure 2 shows in detail the sensors that a coffee grinder could be equipped with and that are monitored. They are listed here, without prejudice to the fact that other functions not expressly contemplated could be sensorized: Delivery button (20), grinding motor activity detection (21), upper intermediate hopper opening sensor (22), opening sensor of the the lower intermediate hopper (23), volumetric sensor (26) of load of the upper intermediate hopper (laser, Doppler effect...), grinding wheel temperature sensor (24), equipment temperature sensor (25), equipment humidity sensor (25).

In figure 3 we see in detail the sensors that a coffee machine could be equipped with and that are monitored. They are listed below, without prejudice to the fact that other functions not contemplated here could be sensorized: Service dispensing pushbuttons (buttonpads) of each group (10), detection of opening and closing of stopcock valves of each group, dosing flowmeters of each unit, general water consumption flowmeter (15), boiler temperature sensor (11), infusion delivery button (12), detection of the opening and closing of the infusion service valve (13), detection of the opening and closing of the boiler load bypass valve (14).

Thus, the sensors (3) can probe the internal electrical signals of the equipment (1, 2) and offer them to the processor located in the switchboard (5). The software resident in the switchboard (5) interprets the operation of the equipment (1, 2) in such a way that it can appreciate deviations from the regular use of the equipment, and provide significant information on its use, whether global or of specific components. Through additional sensors, which are part of the invention and are not a constituent part of the equipment, other information unrelated to the functionality of the equipment can be collected, such as environmental parameters (temperature and humidity sensors), location of the equipment (sensors GPS positioning) ...

Each equipment (1, 2) is monitored by a signal processing device (4), and this in turn can monitor other equipment that, together, make up a processing bench, which is why this device is called a concentrator or hub. The signal processing equipment (4) includes one or more control units and a communication system, generally wireless. The control units comprise an interface capable of converting the signals from the sensors (3) of each piece of equipment (1,2) from their own format, to a common format.

The communication system can include a telephone line (SIM card or similar), a modem, or any other known electronic communication system: Wifi, LoRa, Bluetooth... to communicate with one or more central servers (6). The communication system may also include a cable for data transmission. The data will comprise an identification of the production equipment (1, 2) and of the signal processing equipment (4), a timestamp, the type of data sent (metadata) and the value of the data itself.

The connection of the signal processing equipment (4) to the equipment (1, 2) is made by connecting the signal conditioning electronics to the connection terminals of the sensors of each equipment (1, 2) available in its switchboard. . This intervention is considered non-invasive as it does not alter the function or structure of the original equipment.

Additional sensors installed expressly can also be connected to the signal processing equipment.

Once the signal processing equipment (4) is connected and configured, it begins to send the data captured to the cloud for processing. To do this, you can forward the information provided by the sensors (3), interrogate them to obtain specific data or parameters, or act on them to change their configuration. This sending of data can be synchronous or asynchronous (on demand or by issuing alerts), and any equipment (1, 2), sensor (3), control unit (5) or signal processing equipment (4) can be temporarily disconnected in maintenance case.

The variables captured by the sensors (3) are pre-processed in the communications switchboard (5) to be sent directly to the servers (6), equipped with additional information thanks to the interpretation made by the signal processing equipment (4). ) or the communications switchboard (5). The control unit knows through the software loaded in it the regular operation of the monitored equipment, and is capable of interpreting the signals collected by the sensors, endowing them with meaning. You can also contrast the instantaneous variables with threshold values, history, statistical records... in order to detect deviations in use, anomalies in operation, wear of components and spare parts, depletion of consumables.

This list is intended to be an example of the practical information that can be extracted, without being exclusive of other possibilities that are implemented.

Figure 4 exemplifies how in any service of a mill (2) the grammage of the coffee dose, its degree of grinding and the wear of the grinding wheels used can be determined. To do this, the signal for the activation and deactivation of the grinding motor (21) and the value of the volume obtained by the volumetric sensor (26) for the load of the intermediate hopper are used. All these data, together with other complementary data such as the temperature of the grinding wheels, humidity and temperature of the grain, are sent and pre-processed in the switchboard.

Through proper calibration and training of the algorithm housed in the communications switchboard (5), the desired information (weight, granularity and state of the grinding wheels) is obtained from the sensorized variables (time, volume, humidity).

The fundamentals on which said algorithm is based to obtain the data of interest are detailed below.

The volume of coffee beans (and therefore also the weight) of a dose prepared in a grinder is always directly proportional to the grinding time. This relationship can be approximated by a linear equation for the ranges used in typical coffee grinds.

Increased grinding wheel wear and/or coarser grinding settings mean that larger particles (greater mass) can pass through the gap between grinding wheels. This is why, during an identical grinding time interval, a heavier dose will be obtained if the grinding wheels are more worn or the grinding setting (distance between grinding wheels) is less fine.

A good approximation of grinding wheel wear can be obtained from empirical data and the cumulative time of use since the last grinding wheel change. For this, it is considered that the current time of use of the grinding wheels corresponds to the activation of the grinding motor (21). Only when that motor is activated without the presence of coffee does wear not occur. This absence of coffee, due to the exhausted cartridge, for example, can be detected thanks to a level sensor, or volumetric sensor (26), installed in an intermediate hopper (27) for internal coffee storage.

In general, coffee grinders serve the requested dose by discharging the content of ground coffee from one or two intermediate hoppers (27) that are located inside the appliance. Therefore, the weight of the delivered dose is related to the volume stored in any of these intermediate hoppers (27) and, therefore, with the height or level reached by the coffee stacked in them. A level sensor located in one of these intermediate hoppers (27) obtains the height of the deposit of accumulated ground coffee.

The height that the ground coffee reaches in the hopper will depend on several factors: grinding time, wear of the grinding wheels, adjustment of the degree of grinding, mode of operation of the grinder model and humidity of the coffee bean.

For example, it is known that the size of the ground coffee particles and their humidity determine the way in which they are stacked on top of each other forming a cone and the angle of this cone, and therefore influence the total height reached by stacking in the inner hopper (27). In addition, the type of coffee blend also has a certain influence, since different particle sizes are obtained without changing the rest of the parameters.

Through the analysis of data obtained in tests, the relationship between the grinding time and the expected average height in the intermediate hopper (27) is obtained, given a state of the grinding wheels (28) and a specific grinding degree adjustment.

In the same way, a relationship between the grinding time and the weight of the prepared dose is also obtained (for the same state of the grinding wheels and adjustment of the degree of grinding).

From the study of the different graphs obtained in this way, others are obtained that relate the height of the stacking observed in the coffee deposit of the intermediate hopper (27) or of service of the mill, with the adjustment of the degree of grinding, given a time of grinding and wear of the specific grinding wheels.

To estimate the weight of the prepared dose, the following procedure is used, shown in Figure 5:

- Knowing the state of wear of the grinding wheels, through the time of use of these, and the grinding time, the height that should be detected in the intermediate storage hopper (27) is estimated (also taking into account the mode of operation of the mill, and the humidity of the grain).

- This estimated height is contrasted with the height measured by the level sensor. The calculated difference between these two values (estimated and actual) determines the adjustment of the degree of grinding.

- A first approximation of the weight of the prepared dose is estimated based on the grinding time, the wear of the millstones and the humidity inside the mill.

- The previous approximation is corrected taking into account the height difference previously observed.

In addition, from the weight of the estimated dose and its humidity, the temperature of the grinders, their wear and also their adjustment, we can infer the quality of the grinding, based on the parameters of each blend and roaster.

Once the current weight of the ground coffee dose and its granulometry are known, the setting of the grinding time and/or the separation between the grinding wheels (28) can be readjusted.

For a given state of the grinding wheels and a specific granularity setting, a mathematical relationship is established (for example, by machine learning) between the time spent grinding and the grams of coffee obtained. The relationship between the data obtained from the time of use of the motor and the volume data in the intermediate hopper, offers information regarding the useful life of the grinding wheels, the value of grinding granularity and the quality of the resulting service, among others.

Through proper calibration and training of the algorithm housed in the control unit, the desired information (weight, granularity and state of the grinding wheels) is obtained from the sensorized variables (time, volume, humidity and temperature).

The control unit creates frames with all the data obtained from the sensors and with the new data resulting from the pre-processing itself. These specifically designed frames are sent to the servers so that all the data (the raw data from the sensors and the data from the pre-processing in the switchboard) are available for further processing and analysis.

In a coffee maker, the signal for the opening of the service solenoid valve of a certain group, together with a signal for the detection of the water flow of that same group and the pressure reached, makes it possible to determine the grammage of the coffee dose. used to prepare this service, and its granularity (if the coffee is very finely ground and tightly packed, the pressure loss is greater and higher pressures are reached).

Through the capture of the activation and deactivation of the service solenoid valve of a group, the service time is obtained, given a flow of water used and the pressure reached to produce that service, a mathematical relationship can be established between the time used and the weight of coffee used, as well as the granularity of its grinding. Through proper calibration and training of the algorithm, it can obtain the desired information (weight and granularity) from the sensor variables (time, volume and pressure).

The equipment (1, 2) also have sensors for monitoring environmental or mechanical variables, such as sound, temperature, vibration... Their measurements are monitored, recorded, interpreted and transformed in such a way that information is obtained that it could not be inferred from the variables themselves captured through the sensors. For example, when comparing with a library of records or patterns identifying its functions (created by training), it allows to corroborate the assumptions made based on the signals captured by other sensors, and to detect deviations from normal use.

The servers (6) execute the data processing in the cloud (raw data and pre-processed data in the switchboard). They can record and post-process the data from tens of thousands of coffee makers (1) and mills (2) to make any report, statistic or management dashboard that allows adapting the management strategy and making appropriate decisions. The servers (6) can be connected to other sources of information, such as weather records, holiday calendars...

Regarding the messages handled by the servers, these are classified according to the nature of the information they carry (content data/variables or alerts/sudden events). They can also be classified according to their origin or for whom they may be directed.

The servers (6) create and maintain the active publication service and allow the establishment of links between the generation of data from the sensors (3) and other servers and client applications that wish to access the data. The system also offers an API to facilitate the integration of the display and the management of the processed data, with the application or user interface.

To do this, the user with sufficient authorization will connect to the servers (6) from a computer, tablet or device, using an appropriate application. The user will have a quality control tool that allows studying the expansion of each location (franchise, branch, store.) It makes it easier to study the data to prepare budget items for the delegations. Provides knowledge to the procurement department to carry out replacements of components competitively. All these options can be accessed from the application, for example, grouped into "Consumption and quality", "Business" and "Technical assistance", and configurable in terms of time range, geography, relevant dates (holidays, weather.)

For example, in the "Consumption and quality" group, the quality of each cup can be analyzed, according to the parameters measured by the sensors (3), consumption trends and patterns. In "Technical Assistance" or "SAT" you can measure the remaining days until periodic maintenance, alerts for possible breakdown, and even calculate routes for maintenance teams if each team (1, 2) is associated with a geolocation. Finally, "Business" allows obtaining the expected useful life of the equipment, its amortization, the deviation between consumption and purchases, etc.

The information generated in the system from the monitored variables is likely to be displayed and subsequently analyzed by these different profiles. For each line of the list, the different profiles that may be interested in this information are identified with colors.

The connection to the cloud data and its processing can be done from the user's own platforms or from their clients, such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) or other IoT platforms.

Each of the devices that make up the system is susceptible to modifying its behavior by establishing certain configuration parameters, transmitted from the application to the servers (6). For this, the API provides methods for accessing and modifying them. The servers (6) keep a record of the configuration of the devices that allows to check if the errors could come from wrong configurations.

Likewise, it is possible to act directly on the switchboard (5) or the signal processing equipment (4), in which case a notification of the modification is sent to the servers, directly or through technical service tools.

Claims (1)

1- Control procedure for coffee grinders, of the type that comprises a main hopper or inlet cartridge, grinding wheels (28) and one or more intermediate hoppers (27) for ground coffee, characterized in that it comprises: - measure the time of use of the grinding wheels (28), in each use and accumulated; - measure the ambient temperature and humidity; - measure the height reached by the ground coffee stacked in the intermediate hoppers (27); - Calculate an estimate of the height that the coffee should reach in the intermediate hoppers (27) based on the previously specified parameters of time of use of the grinding wheels, in each use and accumulated, temperature and environmental humidity and compare it with the real height reached; - offer a value for the modification of the activation time of the grinding wheels (28) for each use and also for the adjustment between the grinding wheels (28) to correct the deviations caused by the wear of these and other parameters, in such a way that, after these modifications, the weight of the dose served is closer to the weight of the programmed dose, and where the accumulated time of use of the grinding wheels is calculated by contrasting the readings of a grinding motor activity capture sensor (21) and a volumetric load sensor (26) of an intermediate ground coffee hopper, so that the time that the grinders work in vacuum is not considered. 2- Coffee grinder control procedure, according to claim 1, characterized in that the estimation of the height reached is carried out by means of a statistical study based on empirical data or machine learning. 3- Control method for coffee grinders, according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment between the grinding wheels (28) corresponds to the adjustment of their separation.