JP7474261B2 - Crushing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grinding device for grinding solid raw materials such as cocoa beans. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-143193, filed on August 2, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

One example of this type of grinding device is the electric mill disclosed in Patent Document 1. This electric mill is equipped with an input section having an opening into which the material to be ground is input and which sends it to the next stage, a coarse grinding section which coarsely grinds the material from the input adjustment section, a fine grinding section which further finely grinds the material ground in the coarse grinding section, and an adjustment section which adjusts the amount of material introduced into the fine grinding section.

JP 2018-69136 A

In Patent Document 1, the temperature of the introduction area of the material to be ground in the grinding area where the material is ground is set to be lower than the temperature at which the oil contained in the material is extracted, and the temperature of the discharge area is set to be higher than the temperature at which the oil contained in the material is extracted. This prevents the powder of the cocoa beans, which are the material to be ground, from sticking together.

However, generally, the cocoa beans to be ground are easier to grind if they are warmed to a certain degree. In particular, grinding can be optimized by warming the cocoa beans to the desired temperature (a temperature at which grinding can be performed efficiently) during the initial grinding stage in the grinding device.

However, as described above, in Patent Document 1, the crushing area is configured so that the temperature in the initial stage of crushing the material (introduction area) is lower than the temperature at which the oil contained in the material is extracted. As a result, it cannot be said that the material is heated to a temperature at which crushing can be performed efficiently. Therefore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the material cannot be crushed optimally.

In addition, optimal grinding can be achieved by warming the cocoa beans to the desired temperature (a temperature at which grinding can be performed efficiently) in the initial grinding stage of the grinding device (the introduction area of the material to be ground). However, if the cocoa beans flow back from the introduction area of the material to be ground and return to the cocoa bean supply section (hopper), the cocoa beans that have been warmed to the desired temperature in the introduction area will warm other cocoa beans in the hopper. In such a case, the cocoa beans will stick together in the hopper due to the seeping out oil, resulting in the problem that an appropriate amount of cocoa beans cannot be supplied from the hopper to the introduction area of the material to be ground.

One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a grinding device that can supply an appropriate amount of material to be ground by preventing the material to be ground, which has been heated to a temperature suitable for grinding, from flowing back, thereby suppressing the rise in temperature in the supply section of the material to be ground.

In order to solve the above problems, a grinding device according to one embodiment of the present invention has a grinding section having a lower mill and an upper mill, the grinding section having a conical mill consisting of an inner mill, which is a rotary mill that rotates in synchronization with the lower mill, and an outer mill, which is a fixed mill provided on the upper mill, and grinds a solid raw material containing oil that is fed into an inlet between the inner mill and the outer mill in the conical mill; an introduction section having an opening at a lower end, the diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer mill at the inlet, and which feeds the supplied solid raw material from the opening to the inlet of the conical mill; and an introduction member provided at the upper end of the inner mill for guiding the fixed raw material from the introduction section to the inlet, the introduction member including at least two introduction plates, each of which has an inclined surface that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and the heights from the center of the inclined surface of the at least two introduction plates to the horizontal plane at the introduction section are different from each other.

According to one aspect of the present invention, by preventing the backflow of the material to be ground that has been heated to a temperature suitable for grinding, the temperature rise in the supply section of the material to be ground is suppressed, and an appropriate amount of material to be ground can be supplied.

1 is a perspective view of a grinding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a grinding unit included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a front view of a vertical cross-sectional portion of a grinding unit included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower mill and an inner mill provided in the grinding unit shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is a top view of the lower mill and the inner mill shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 6 is a side view of the lower mill and the inner mill as viewed in the direction of arrow A in the top view of FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 is a side view of the lower mill and the inner mill as viewed in the direction of arrow B in the top view of FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the inclination angle of a first introduction plate provided in the upper part of the inner die shown in FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the inclination angle of a second introduction plate provided in the upper part of the inner die shown in FIG. 5 . FIG. 11 is a top view of a grinding unit included in a grinding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a front view of the vertical cross-sectional portion of the grinding unit shown in FIG. 10 .

(Overview of grinding solid raw materials)
Grinding of solids such as grains and beans is used for various foods because the uses of the solids are dramatically expanded by grinding them. However, it is well known that it is difficult to grind uniformly efficiently and prevent deterioration of flavor. If grinding efficiency is emphasized, the particles of the ground material will become coarse and uneven, and wheat flour, buckwheat flour, etc. will lose smoothness, and not only will the quality of udon and buckwheat decrease, but the flavor will easily deteriorate due to oxidation due to the excess heat applied during grinding. If excess frictional heat is applied to the ground material during grinding, the fresh flavor of tea will be lost, and soy milk will have a strong grassy smell. The old idea of grinding the ground material by slowly rotating the mortar is extremely reasonable in that it prevents the flavor of the ground material from deteriorating during processing because it suppresses the generation of frictional heat.

The grinding method, in which the particle size of the ground material is adjusted by the clearance between a rotating grindstone and a fixed grindstone, as in a millstone, remains the same even if the material changes from natural stone to ceramic or metal. This is true for both dry and wet grinding, with the typical examples being the dry grinding of buckwheat seeds in buckwheat production and the wet grinding of soybeans in tofu production. Millstone grinding is used in a variety of fields, but whether dry or wet, the clearance between the rotating grindstone and the fixed grindstone is adjusted so that the desired particle size is achieved in one grinding stage. Even in grinders made of metal such as stainless steel, the clearance between the rotating blade and the fixed blade is designed and implemented to achieve the desired size in one grinding stage.

For example, in the case of chocolate, the raw material used is coarsely ground roasted cocoa beans called cocoa nibs. When grinding in a store such as a chocolate factory, a millstone method may be used, and the clearance between the millstones is adjusted in stages. The grinding process must be repeated multiple times while gradually narrowing the clearance until the desired smooth chocolate is obtained. This is a disadvantage because the size of a single grain of cocoa, the raw material, is relatively large compared to the clearance. In other words, the cocoa is gradually ground finely, so it takes time to produce the desired particles.

Wet grinding is used to grind cacao, taking advantage of the fact that cacao has a melting point of around 35°C and turns into a liquid (paste) due to the heat of friction between the mortar and the cacao nibs when grinding. The temperature of the cacao and mortar during grinding is determined by the natural course of events and has not traditionally been controlled. If the temperature is low, the cacao cannot flow in the mortar and sticks to the grooves, making it impossible to grind and increasing the load on the motor. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, the cacao may burn, reducing the quality of the cacao.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a crushing device 1 equipped with a crushing unit 11 as a crusher of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the crushing unit 11 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of a vertical cross-sectional portion of the crushing unit 11 shown in Fig. 1. The crushing unit 11 is preferably made of a material having good thermal conductivity.

(Overview of the pulverizing device 1)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the grinding device 1 includes a grinding unit 11 , a thermal insulation container 12 , a hopper 13 , a motor 14 , and a cocoa mass removal lever 15 .

The grinding unit 11 is housed inside a thermal insulation container (temperature-controlled container) 12, and a hopper 13 is attached on top of the grinding unit 11. The hopper 13 houses a solid raw material. In this embodiment, the case where the solid raw material is cocoa nibs will be described. A motor 14 is provided at the bottom of the grinding device 1 and rotates the grinding section 26 of the grinding unit 11. A cocoa mass removal lever 15 is located on the side of the grinding device 1. By rotating the cocoa mass removal lever 15 downward, the cocoa mass (cocoa powder) of the cocoa nibs ground in the grinding unit 11 can be removed from the removal port 16.

In the grinding device 1, for cleaning, the grinding unit 11 is removably fitted to the thermal insulation container 12, and the hopper 13 is removably fitted to the grinding unit 11. In addition, the grinding unit 11 is provided with a handle (not shown), which is used to attach and detach the grinding unit 11.

(Configuration of the grinding unit 11)
2 and 3, the grinding unit 11 has a mill case 21. Inside the mill case 21, from top to bottom, a mill case lid 22, an upper mill holder 24, a metal plate 41, a grinding section 26, a material receiving section 34, a conveying passage 35, and a drive transmission section 36 are provided.

The mill case lid 22 functions as a lid for the mill case 21, and has an introduction section 25 inside that functions as a hopper receiving section that receives the hopper 13 placed on the grinding unit 11. The introduction section 25 receives the cocoa nibs supplied from the hopper 13 and introduces them to the grinding section 26. The introduction section 25 has an opening 25a at its lower end.

The grinding section 26 has a conical mortar 27 in the center, and a flat mortar 28 around the conical mortar 27. The conical mortar 27 consists of an inner mortar 29, which is a rotating mortar, and an outer mortar 30, which is a fixed mortar. The outer mortar 30 has a cylindrical shape, and the inner mortar 29 is inserted into the outer mortar 30, and has a shape in which the outer diameter gradually decreases from the bottom to the top. The inside of the outer mortar 30 at the upper end of the conical mortar 27 serves as an inlet 33 for the cocoa nibs. The conical mortar 27 grinds the cocoa nibs introduced from the introduction section 25 to produce coarse cocoa mass.

The flat mill 28 consists of a lower mill 31, which is a rotary mill, and an upper mill 32, which is a fixed mill. The lower mill 31 is fixed to the outer periphery of the inner mill 29 and is integral with the inner mill 29. The upper mill 32 is fixed to the outer periphery of the outer mill 30 and is integral with the outer mill 30. A central shaft 37 is provided at the center of the inner mill 29 and the lower mill 31. The flat mill 28 grinds the coarse cocoa mass formed in the conical mill 27 into fine cocoa mass.

The material receiving section 34 directly receives the cocoa mass crushed by the crushing section 26. The conveying passage 35 conveys the cocoa mass received by the material receiving section 34 downward. The drive transmission section 36 transmits the driving force of the motor 14 to the central shaft 37 of the crushing section 26 placed on the material receiving section 34, thereby rotating the crushing section 26 (the inner mill 29 and the lower mill 31).

An introduction member 51 connected to the central shaft 37 is provided on the upper surface 29a of the inner mill 29. The introduction member 51 is composed of two introduction plates (a first introduction plate 51a and a second introduction plate 51b) and rotates together with the inner mill 29 within the opening 25a of the introduction section 25. This ensures that the cocoa beans supplied from the hopper 13 can be reliably introduced into the grinding area. Details of the introduction member 51 will be described later.

The metal plate 41 is a heat-conducting member that contacts the upper surface of the upper mill 32 and transfers the temperature of the upper mill 32. The metal plate 41 is made of SUS and is formed into a disk shape with a size that matches the size of the upper surface of the upper mill 32. Furthermore, the metal plate 41 has a temperature measuring part 41a that protrudes from the outer edge and is bent upward. The temperature measuring part 41a is preferably formed integrally with the metal plate 41, but may be attached to the metal plate 41 as a separate member.

The purpose of the metal plate 41 is to transmit the temperature of the upper mill 32, so as described above, it is preferable that the metal plate 41 is the same size as the upper surface of the upper mill 32. However, if the purpose is to transmit the temperature of the upper mill 32, the size of the metal plate 41 may be smaller than the size of the upper surface of the upper mill 32. In addition, SUS is used as the material for the metal plate 41 because of its thermal conductivity and elasticity, but any material that has thermal conductivity and elasticity may be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature measuring part 41a is formed to contact the measuring part 20a of the temperature sensor 20 when the crushing part 26 is stored in a predetermined position in the mill case 21. Here, the temperature measuring part 41a is formed to contact the measuring part 20a of the temperature sensor 20 against the biasing force by elastic force. In this way, by giving elasticity to the temperature measuring part 41a, when the crushing part 26 is stored in a predetermined position in the mill case 21, the temperature measuring part 41a of the metal plate 41 can be reliably brought into contact with the measuring part 20a of the temperature sensor 20.

As shown in Figure 3, the temperature sensor 20 has a measuring section 20a exposed to the inner surface of the mill case 21, and a main body disposed within a locking section 23 having an internal cavity formed on the outer surface of the mill case 21. The main body of the temperature sensor 20 is connected to a contact terminal 21a formed on the bottom 23a of the locking section 23. The contact terminal 21a is adapted to be connected to a control section within the thermal insulation container 12 when the grinding unit 11 is set in the thermal insulation container 12.

The locking portion 23 is formed on the outer surface of the mill case 21 so that the grinding unit 11 can be set correctly in a predetermined position in the thermal insulation container 12. In this embodiment, by arranging the temperature sensor 20 inside the locking portion 23, it is not necessary to provide a separate member for arranging the temperature sensor 20. However, a separate member for arranging the temperature sensor 20 may be provided.

(Introduction member 51)
5 to 7, the introduction member 51 is provided on the upper surface 29a of the inner mill 29. The introduction member 51 includes a first introduction plate 51a and a second introduction plate 51b. The first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b have an inclined surface 51c and an inclined surface 51d inclined with respect to the upper surface 29a of the inner mill 29, respectively.

The first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b may each be integrally formed by processing a single metal plate, or may be formed as separate components.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and the height of the first introduction plate 51a from the upper surface 29a of the inner mill 29 is higher than that of the second introduction plate 51b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the first introduction plate 51a has an inclined surface 51c inclined at an angle α with respect to the horizontal plane. Specifically, the inclined surface 51c is inclined at an angle α in the longitudinal direction toward the periphery of the opening 25a of the introduction section 25. As shown in FIG. 9, the second introduction plate 51b has an inclined surface 51d inclined at an angle β with respect to the horizontal plane. Specifically, the inclined surface 51c is inclined at an angle β in the longitudinal direction toward the periphery of the opening 25a of the introduction section 25. α may be equal to β, or may not be equal to β.

The height from the center x1 of the inclined surface 51c of the first introduction plate 51a to the horizontal plane y1 of the opening 25a of the introduction section 25 is defined as h1. The height from the center x2 of the inclined surface 51d of the second introduction plate 51b to the horizontal plane y1 of the opening 25a of the introduction section 25 is defined as h2. In this case, h1>h2. Note that h1 and h2 may be equal.

8, the first introduction plate 51a is formed so that the lower end of the inclined surface 51c of the first introduction plate 51a is higher than the horizontal surface of the opening 25a that communicates with the inlet 33 of the crushing section 26 of the introduction section 25. The lower end of the inclined surface 51c of the first introduction plate 51a may be at the same height as the horizontal surface of the opening 25a that communicates with the inlet 33 of the crushing section 26 of the introduction section 25.

9, the second introduction plate 51b is formed so that the lower end of the inclined surface 51d of the second introduction plate 51b is lower than the horizontal surface of the opening 25a that communicates with the inlet 33 of the crushing section 26 of the introduction section 25. The lower end of the inclined surface 51d of the second introduction plate 51b may be at the same height as the horizontal surface of the opening 25a that communicates with the inlet 33 of the crushing section 26 of the introduction section 25.

The inclined surfaces 51c and 51d of the first and second introduction plates 51a and 51b are inclined in opposite directions. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the first introduction plate 51a is inclined from the upper end (right side of the figure) of the inclined surface 51c to the lower end (left side of the figure), and the second introduction plate 51b is inclined from the upper end (left side of the figure) of the inclined surface 51d to the lower end (right side of the figure). When the height from the upper surface 29a of the inner mill 29 of the first introduction plate 51a is higher than that of the second introduction plate 51b as described above, the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b can be said to have a discontinuous screw structure. Therefore, the introduction member 51 rotates clockwise as viewed from the upper surface side of the upper mill 32, so that the cocoa nibs are introduced into the grinding section 26. That is, when the inner mill 29 rotates clockwise as viewed from the top surface of the upper mill 32, the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b also rotate clockwise as viewed from the top surface of the upper mill 32. As a result, the cocoa nibs are transported from the upper end side to the lower end side of the inclined surface 51c of the first introduction plate 51a, and some of the cocoa nibs are introduced into the grinding section 26, while the remaining cocoa nibs are transported to the second introduction plate 51b side and introduced into the grinding section 26 by the second introduction plate 51b. The cocoa nibs that could not be introduced into the grinding section 26 by the second introduction plate 51b escape between the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b, and are then introduced into the grinding section 26 by the first introduction plate 51a.

The first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b are not limited to the shapes shown in Figures 8 and 9, as long as they are shaped to introduce the cocoa nibs into the grinding section 26 by rotating. In short, the introduction member 51 is not limited to having the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b, and may have any structure as long as it is structured to intermittently supply the cocoa nibs to the grinding section 26 by rotating.

In order to introduce the cocoa nibs intermittently and stably into the grinding section 26, it is preferable that the height of the upper end of the second introduction plate 51b is approximately the same as the height of the lower end of the first introduction plate 51a. However, the height of the upper end of the second introduction plate 51b may be higher than the height of the lower end of the first introduction plate 51a. In this case, it is necessary that the height of the upper end of the second introduction plate 51b is lower than the height of the upper end of the first introduction plate 51a. This is because the raw material, cocoa nibs, cannot be intermittently pushed into the grinding section 26.

In addition, if the inclination angle of the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b becomes too large, problems such as a decrease in supply capacity and backflow will occur. Therefore, it is preferable to set the inclination angle of the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b so that multiple cocoa nibs can be inserted. In other words, the inclination angle of the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b changes depending on the size of the raw material.

(effect)
As described above, the introduction member 51 provided on the upper surface 29a of the inner mortar 29 of the conical mortar 27 is composed of two introduction plates, the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b. The first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b are arranged at an incline so that the cocoa nibs are delivered successively from the top by rotating. This allows the cocoa nibs to be stably supplied to the inlet portion 33, which is the inlet of the conical mortar 27.

According to the above configuration, among the cocoa nibs introduced into the grinding section 26 by the first introduction plate 51a, the cocoa nibs that could not be introduced into the grinding section 26 are introduced by pushing them into the grinding section 26 by the second introduction plate 51b. Then, the cocoa nibs that could not be introduced into the grinding section 26 by the second introduction plate 51b escape into the space between the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b. In other words, in a configuration in which the cocoa nibs are continuously introduced into the grinding section 26 like a screw, the amount of cocoa nibs supplied to the grinding section 26 becomes excessive, causing a problem of the cocoa nibs clogging the area near the inlet 33 of the grinding section 26. However, if the cocoa nibs are intermittently introduced into the grinding section 26 using the first introduction plate 51a and the second introduction plate 51b as in the above configuration, the amount of cocoa nibs supplied to the grinding section 26 is always constant, and clogging of the cocoa nibs near the inlet 33 of the grinding section 26 does not occur.

In this way, in the grinding device 1 having the above configuration, clogging of the cocoa nibs does not occur near the inlet 33 of the grinding section 26, so that the cocoa nibs that are not fully introduced into the grinding section 26 do not overflow from the introduction section 25 and flow back into the hopper 13.

Normally, the vicinity of the grinding section 26 is heated to a temperature suitable for grinding the cocoa nibs, so even cocoa nibs that are not introduced into the grinding section 26 may be heated. For this reason, if the cocoa nibs near the grinding section 26 return to the hopper 13 via the introduction section 25, the hopper 13 will be warmed, and the cocoa nibs in the hopper 13 will be heated, causing the oil to seep out and solidify, resulting in a problem that the appropriate amount of cocoa nibs cannot be supplied from the hopper 13.

However, as in the grinding device 1 configured as above, if the cocoa nibs are prevented from clogging near the inlet of the grinding section 26, the above-mentioned problem caused by the cocoa nibs overflowing from the inlet section 25 and flowing back into the hopper 13 does not occur.

In this way, the cocoa nibs required for grinding in the grinding section 26 are introduced into the grinding section 26 in order, while the unnecessary cocoa nibs can wait at the top, ensuring stable grinding performance of the cocoa nibs. Here, grinding performance refers to the fineness of the ground material and the production speed.

Therefore, by simply replenishing the raw material, cacao nibs, it is possible to constantly supply an appropriate amount of cacao nibs to the grinding section 26 by rotating the introduction member 51, eliminating the need to adjust the amount of raw material input and the grinding performance as in the past. In addition, it also eliminates the need to input raw materials every time (opening and closing the shutter, etc.) in order to stabilize the amount of raw material supplied.

The vicinity of the opening 25a of the introduction section 25 is inclined. The first introduction plate 51a is installed at a position where this inclined section intersects with the first introduction plate 51a (in the height direction), so that the cocoa nibs are introduced into the opening 25a from the height from the center of the first introduction plate 51a to the opening 25a (height h1 in FIG. 8). In this case, it is preferable that the height h1 is larger than the size of one cocoa nib.

Moreover, the cocoa nibs that are not introduced into the opening 25a and are pushed out in the circumferential direction move up the inclined surface 51c of the first introduction plate 51a as the plate 51a rotates, deflecting the force applied to the cocoa nibs and causing vertical circulation. This causes the cocoa nibs to clog (bridge) the path from the opening 25a of the introduction section 25 to the grinding section 26, preventing the cocoa nibs from sticking in the path.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

In this embodiment, we describe a grinding device that can reduce clogging caused by accumulation of cocoa nibs in the introduction section 25.

Generally, when the introduction section 25 through which the material is introduced from the hopper 13 to the crushing section 26 is cylindrical, the raw material accumulates on the cylindrical surface, causing clogging. Therefore, in the crushing unit 111 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, an inclined surface is formed near the opening 25a of the introduction section 25 that slopes toward the inlet section 33, and a protrusion 52 is provided on the inclined surface that extends toward the inlet section 33.

By providing a protrusion 52 on the inclined surface of the introduction section 25, a small amount of cocoa nibs can be introduced from the introduction member 51 to the grinding section 26 starting from the protrusion 52 in the introduction section 25.

In this way, by supplying the cocoa nibs to the grinding section 26 in small amounts, clogging near the cocoa nib inlet 33 of the grinding section 26 can be reduced, so that the cocoa nibs do not accumulate in the introduction section 25 without being introduced into the grinding section 26. Therefore, clogging of the grinding section 26 due to the accumulation of cocoa nibs does not occur.

〔summary〕
The grinding device according to the first aspect of the present invention has a grinding section 26 having a lower mill 31 and an upper mill 32, and a conical mill 27 consisting of an inner mill 29 which is a rotary mill that rotates in synchronization with the lower mill 31, and an outer mill 30 which is a fixed mill provided on the upper mill 32. The grinding section 26 grinds a solid raw material having an oil content that is fed into an inlet portion 33 between the inner mill 29 and the outer mill 30 with the conical mill 27. An introduction section 25 has an opening 25a at a lower end, the diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer mill 30 at the inlet portion 33, and which feeds the supplied solid raw material (cocoa nibs) from the opening 25a into the inlet portion 33 of the conical mill 27. An introduction section 25 has an upper end ( and an introduction member 51 provided on the upper surface 29a) of the introduction section 25 for guiding the solid raw material (cocoa nibs) from the introduction section 25 to the inlet section 33, the introduction member 51 including at least two introduction plates (a first introduction plate 51a, a second introduction plate 51b), the at least two introduction plates (the first introduction plate 51a, the second introduction plate 51b) having inclined surfaces (inclined surfaces 51c, 51d) inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and the heights (h1, h2) from the centers of the inclined surfaces (inclined surfaces 51c, 51d) of the at least two introduction plates (the first introduction plate 51a, the second introduction plate 51b) to the horizontal plane in the introduction section 25 are different from each other.

According to the above configuration, clogging of the raw material does not occur near the inlet of the grinding section, so that the raw material that cannot be introduced into the grinding section does not overflow from the inlet and flow back into the supply section, and the temperature rise in the raw material supply section is suppressed, allowing an appropriate amount of material to be ground to be supplied.

A crushing device according to aspect 2 of the present invention may be configured in the above-mentioned aspect 1 such that the at least two introduction plates include a first introduction plate 51a and a second introduction plate 51b having a lower height than the first introduction plate 51a, the first introduction plate 51a being formed such that the lower end of the inclined surface 51c of the first introduction plate 51a is at the same height as or higher than the horizontal plane of the inlet portion 33, and the second introduction plate 51b being formed such that the lower end of the inclined surface 51d of the second introduction plate 51b is at the same height as or lower than the horizontal plane of the inlet portion 33.

According to the above configuration, solid raw materials can be supplied to the grinding section without clogging.

In the crushing device of aspect 3 of the present invention, in aspect 2 above, the height of the upper end of the inclined surface 51d of the second introduction plate 51b may be the same as or higher than the height of the lower end of the inclined surface 51d of the first introduction plate 51a.

According to the above configuration, solid raw materials can be stably supplied to the grinding section.

The crushing device according to aspect 4 of the present invention is any one of aspects 1 to 3 above, in which the introduction section 25 has an inclined surface that slopes toward the inlet section 33, and a protrusion section 52 extending toward the inlet section 33 may be formed on the inclined surface.

According to the above configuration, by providing a protrusion on the inclined surface of the introduction section, a small amount of fixed raw material can be introduced from the introduction member to the grinding section starting from the protrusion in the introduction section.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments.

Claims (4)

A grinding unit having a lower mill and an upper mill, the grinding unit having a conical mill consisting of an inner mill, which is a rotary mill that rotates in synchronization with the lower mill, and an outer mill, which is a fixed mill provided on the upper mill, grinding a solid raw material containing oil, which is put into an inlet between the inner mill and the outer mill, in the conical mill;
an introduction section having an opening at a lower end, the diameter of the opening being smaller than the inner diameter of the outer die of the inlet section, and introducing the supplied solid raw material from the opening into the inlet section of the conical die;
An introduction member provided at an upper end of the inner die and guiding the solid raw material from the introduction portion to the inlet portion,
The introduction member includes at least two introduction plates,
Each of the at least two guide plates has a convex portion that protrudes upward from a reference plane that is a predetermined horizontal plane, and an inclined surface that is provided above the convex portion and is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane,
The heights from the centers of the inclined surfaces to the horizontal plane of the inlet portion of the at least two introduction plates are different from each other ,
The at least two guide plates are
a first introduction plate including a first protrusion and a first inclined surface;
a second introduction plate including a second protrusion and a second inclined surface, protruding in the same direction as the first protrusion of the first introduction plate and having a lower height than the first introduction plate;
Including,
A crushing device , wherein the first inclined surface of the first introduction plate and the second inclined surface of the second introduction plate are inclined in opposite directions . The first introduction plate is formed so that a lower end of the inclined surface of the first introduction plate is at the same height as or higher than the horizontal plane of the inlet portion,
The crushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second introduction plate is formed so that a lower end of the inclined surface of the second introduction plate is at the same height as or lower than the horizontal surface of the inlet portion. The crushing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the height of the upper end of the inclined surface of the second introduction plate is the same as or higher than the height of the lower end of the inclined surface of the first introduction plate. The introduction portion has an inclined surface that is inclined toward the inlet portion,
4. The crushing device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is formed with a protrusion extending toward the inlet portion.

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