JPH0316128B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fully automatic coffee brewing device, and more particularly to a fully automatic coffee brewing device that can fully automatically extract coffee from green beans using a single device.

Conventional technology As is well known, there are several known coffee extraction methods, such as the siphon method and the drip method, but recently, automatic coffee extraction devices (so-called automatic coffee makers) that automatically extract coffee for each method have been developed. Are known. Conventional automatic coffee brewing equipment is already available on the market for roasting (roasting)
The system was designed to automatically extract coffee by simply purchasing coffee beans, placing them in an automatic coffee brewing device, and operating the device.

However, in order to extract coffee with even better flavor, it is desirable to roast the green coffee beans and immediately grind them with a mill for extraction. Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-14086, the present applicant has fully automated
"Fully automatic coffee extraction equipment" that roasts green coffee beans, transfers them to the grinding section using the conveyance section, grinds the roasted coffee beans in the grinding section, and extracts them in the extraction section. proposed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the fully automatic coffee brewing device having the above configuration, the roasted coffee beans are subsequently ground, but the roasted coffee beans are at a high temperature and are immediately transferred to the conveying section and In order to send the coffee to the grinding section, the conveyance section and the grinding section must be made of heat-resistant material, which poses a problem in that the product cost of the fully automatic coffee extraction device increases. Additionally, if you try to naturally cool roasted coffee beans to a temperature that does not cause any inconvenience in the roasting section, not only will it take time to cool them down naturally, but the roasted coffee beans will self-heat due to the residual heat from roasting. There was a problem with carbonization.

The present invention was created in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic coffee brewing device that can extract coffee in a short time without imposing any restrictions on the materials of the conveying section and the grinding section. shall be.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a roasting section that roasts coffee beans by heating input green coffee beans with hot air generated by a heater and a blower. and a crushing section for crushing the coffee beans roasted in the roasting section, which is provided between the roasting section and the crushing section, and after roasting the coffee beans roasted in the roasting section, In a fully automatic coffee brewing device that is integrally configured with a conveying section that automatically transports coffee beans into the grinding section, and an extraction section that receives ground coffee beans from the grinding section and extracts coffee from the coffee beans, the heater is connected to a blower. After roasting the coffee beans, the heater is configured to stop operating and only blow air.

Function By configuring the fully automatic coffee extraction device as described above, after the coffee beans are roasted, compressed air is sent in by the blower to forcibly cool down the high-temperature coffee beans, so the coffee beans can be transported in a short time. It can be cooled to a temperature at which it is not inconvenient to send it to the milling section and the crushing section.

Embodiments Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view showing a fully automatic coffee brewing device 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the brewing device) which is an embodiment of the present invention. The extraction device 1 shown in the figure is a drip-type extraction device, and roughly speaking, it has a structure in which a roasting section 2, a crushing section 3, a conveying section 4, an extraction section 5, etc. are integrally provided in an extraction device main body 1a. has been done.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roasting section 2 is composed of a roasting section main body 6, a pillar section 7, an upper head section 8, a roasting container 9, a lower head section 10, and the like. Roasting part body 6
is provided on the back side of the extraction device main body 1a,
A blower 11, a heater 12, and a thin skin collection section 13 are provided inside. The blower 11 has a fan motor provided therein, and sends compressed air at a predetermined pressure to the heater 12 . The heater 12 is a nichrome coil heater, and heats the air sent from the blower 11 to a temperature suitable for roasting. The above blower 11
and the heater 12 are configured to be able to operate independently, and a control circuit 14 (not shown outside the extractor main body 1a in FIG. 2) collectively controls the electrical components provided in the extractor 1. However, it is actually connected to the extraction device main body 1a (located in the extractor main body 1a near the switch dial shown in FIG. 1). This control circuit 14 controls the blower 11 and heater 12.
When the blower 11 operates together, compressed hot air is sent, and when only the blower 11 operates, compressed air is sent.

Two pipes, a ventilation pipe 17 and a discharge pipe 18, are provided within the column portion 7. Each pipe 17, 18
Both have a heat-resistant structure, and the lower end of the blower pipe 17 is connected to the heater 12, and the lower end of the discharge pipe 18 is connected to the thin skin collecting section 13, respectively. On the other hand, the upper ends of each of the pipes 17 and 18 are connected to the upper head 8. Note that the thin skin collecting section 13 is provided with a filter 13a.

Here, FIG. 3 shows a view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2. An air outlet 19 is provided at the center of the upper head 8, and this air outlet 19 is equipped with a mesh filter 20 to prevent the thin skins of coffee beans, etc., from entering, which will be described later.
is provided. Further, the thin-skinned suction port 21 is formed on the outer periphery of the air outlet 19. This outlet 19 is connected to the above-mentioned blower pipe 17, while the suction port 21 is connected to the discharge pipe 18. Incidentally, what is shown in the interrupted plane is a roasting container 9, which is attached to the upper head 8 in an airtight and rotatable manner. Furthermore, as will be described later, the roasting container 9 is configured to be detachable from the upper head 8 when green coffee beans are placed in the roasting container 9.

The roasting container 9 is made of cylindrical heat-resistant glass, and its lower end portion is rotatably attached to the lower head 10.

A motor 22 and an opening/closing mechanism 23 that constitutes a part of the conveying section 4 are provided inside the lower head 10 . The motor 22 rotationally drives the roasting container 9 rotatably attached to the lower head 10 as described above. This motor 22 is also connected to the control circuit 14. Further, the opening/closing mechanism 23 is a type of opening/closing valve mechanism, and is connected to the control circuit 14. This opening/closing mechanism 23
When the coffee beans are being roasted, the valve is closed to block the roasting container 9, and after the roasting is finished, the valve is opened to form an opening in the roasting container 9, and from this, the roasted coffee is poured. It is configured so that beans can be taken out of the roasting container 9.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 24 denotes a roasting container cover, which is provided to prevent accidental contact with the roasting container 9, which becomes extremely hot during roasting. This roasting container cover 24 is configured to be rotatable around a pin 24a. Further, 25 is a tank in which water used for brewing coffee is put, and at the bottom thereof there is a heater 26 for boiling the water in the tank 25.
is provided. The hot water boiled in the tank 25 is sent to the extraction unit 5 via a pipe 27 connected to the upper cover 1b of the extraction device 1.

Next, regarding the crushing section 3, see Figures 1 and 4 (see Figure 4).
The figure shows the state with the upper cover 1b removed). The crushing section 3 is generally called a mill, and roughly consists of a crushing section container 28 and a crushing cutter 29 provided in the crushing section container 28. Each part 2 constituting the crushing section 3
8 and 29 are not made of a heat-resistant material, but are made of a low-cost material. Roasted coffee beans are input into the grinding section 3, and the coffee beans are ground by rotating a grinding cutter 23 by a motor (not shown) (connected to a control circuit 14).

The crushing section 3 and the roasting section 2 are connected by a conveying section 4. The transport section 4 is the opening/closing mechanism 2 described above.
3 and a conveying pipe 30.
These component parts 23 and 30 are also not made of heat-resistant materials,
Made of low-cost materials. The conveying pipe 30 has one end connected to the opening/closing opportunity 23 and the other end opening to the upper part of the crushing section container 28. The coffee beans roasted in the roasting section 2 are conveyed into the crushing section 3 through the conveying section 4.

The extractor 5 is composed of a dripper 31 and a pot 32. A coffee extraction filter 33 (shown with a satin finish in FIG. 4) is provided on the bottom of the dripper 31, and the hot water in the tank 25 heated by the heater 12 is poured from the top of the dripper 31. It is structured as follows.

On the other hand, the crushing part 3 is arranged at a higher position than the extraction part 5, and the crushing part container 28 and a part of the dripper 31 are communicated with each other via a filter 34. This filter 34 is formed with a large number of holes having a predetermined size, and is configured so that only coffee beans that have been ground into a shape suitable for coffee extraction can pass through. Therefore, when the coffee beans are crushed to a predetermined particle size or less in the crushing section 3, the crushed coffee beans pass through the filter 34 due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the crushing cutter 29, and are sent to the dripper 31.
Accumulates inside. Therefore, the coffee beans are transported from the grinding section 3 to the extraction section 5 at the same time as the coffee beans are ground.

Next, the process by which coffee is extracted in the extraction device 1 having the above configuration will be explained in order.

First, green coffee beans are put into the roasting container 9 of the roasting section 2. To put green coffee beans into the roasting container 9, as shown in FIG. 5, raise the roasting container cover 24 and rotate the roasting container 9. (It is structured so that it can be rotated around the center) so that it stands upright. In this state, green coffee beans are added. At this time, since the roasting container 9 is upright, the coffee beans can be easily loaded into the roasting container 9.

Next, the roasting container 9 is set in the state shown in FIG. Next, the dials 15 and 16 are operated to select the coarseness of grinding the coffee beans and the strength of the coffee, and the brewing device 1 is started. When the extraction device 1 starts, the control circuit 14 starts the blower 11, heater 12,
The motor 22 and heater 26 are driven, and thereby the hot air generated by the blower 11 and heater 12 is blown into the roasting container 9 from the blower outlet 19 of the upper head 8 via the blower pipe 17. This hot air roasts green coffee beans. Also, the motor 22
This causes the roasting container 9 to rotate.

On the other hand, since the lower head 10 side of the roasting container 9 is closed, the hot air blown out from the air outlet 19 flows inside the roasting container 9 as shown in FIG. 2. Green coffee beans have a thin skin on their surface, and it is known that if roasted coffee beans are extracted with this skin still attached, the flavor will deteriorate. However, when hot air is used as a means of roasting as in the present invention, the thin skin attached to the surface of the coffee beans is cleanly peeled off from the coffee beans. This peeled thin skin is light and floats in the flow of hot air. Also, at this time, unnecessary materials such as cores, grounds, and small pieces of beans that come out of the coffee beans during roasting are also floated together with the skin by the hot air.

As mentioned above, the upper head 8 is provided with a discharge port 21, and this discharge port 21 is connected to the thin film collecting section 13 via a discharge pipe 18. The hot air enters the discharge port 21 according to the flow, and is discharged into the atmosphere via the discharge pipe 18 and the thin film collecting section 13. At this time, the thin film and unnecessary materials that have entered the exhaust port 21 together with the hot air are collected in the thin film collecting section 13 by the filter 13a. At this time, the filter 2 is installed at the air outlet 19.
Since 0 is arranged, thin skin and unnecessary substances will not enter into this.

When the roasting section 2 blows hot air for a predetermined period of time to finish roasting the coffee beans, only the heater 12 is stopped by the timer of the control circuit 14. As a result, only air is blown into the roasting container 9 by the blower 11. The roasted coffee beans are cooled by this ventilation. That is, the roasting container 9 also functions as a cooling unit that cools the coffee beans.

When the coffee beans are cooled to such an extent that no inconvenience occurs even when they are transported to the grinding section 3, the control circuit 14 gives a signal to the opening/closing mechanism 23 to open the roasting container 9. At this time, the coffee beans are forcibly cooled by the air blown by the blower 11, so the temperature reaches a temperature that does not cause the above-mentioned inconveniences in a short period of time. It is possible to prevent the coffee beans from heating each other and carbonizing the coffee beans.

Since the conveying pipe 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) of the conveying section 4 is inclined from the roasting section 2 to the crushing section 3, the roasted coffee beans are put into the crushing section container 28. go.

When all the roasted coffee beans are put into the grinding unit container 28, the grinding cutter 29 is rotated by the control circuit 14 to grind the coffee beans. The coffee beans ground to a predetermined size as described above are conveyed into the dripper 31 through the filter 33 by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the grinding cutter 29.
When all of the coffee beans have been conveyed into the crushed dripper 31, the control circuit 14 opens a valve (not shown) disposed in the pipe 27, and the tank 25 is heated by the heater 26. The hot water inside the pot is dripped from the top of the dripper 31, and thus extracted coffee is produced in the pot 32.

In this way, in the extraction device 1, coffee beans in the green state are roasted, forcibly cooled, and immediately crushed and extracted in the grinding section, so that coffee with high flavor can be made in a short time.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the highly heated coffee beans that have finished roasting are forcibly cooled down by the air that is sent in when the heater is stopped and only the blower is activated, so that the coffee beans can be cooled down in a short time. It can be cooled to a temperature that allows it to be sent to the conveying section and crushing section,
Therefore, the coffee extraction time can be shortened, carbonization caused by coffee beans heating each other can be prevented, and there is no need to use heat-resistant materials for the conveying section and the grinding section, making it possible to use fully automatic coffee extraction equipment. It has features such as being able to keep product costs low.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an extraction device which is an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram for explaining the roasting section,
Figure 3 is a view taken along arrow A-A in Figure 2 to explain the upper part of the head, Figure 4 is a plan view of the brewing device with the top cover removed, and Figure 5 is coffee in the form of green beans. It is a diagram showing the extraction device in a state where beans are put into a roasting container. 1...Extraction device, 1a...Extraction device main body, 2...
...Roasting section, 3...Crushing section, 4...Transporting section, 5...
Extraction part, 6... Roasting part body, 8... Upper head, 9...
...Roasting container, 10...Lower head, 11...Blower,
12... Heater, 13... Thin skin collection section, 14...
Control circuit, 19...Blowout port, 21...Discharge port, 2
2...Motor, 23...Opening/closing mechanism, 28...Crushing unit container, 29...Crushing cutter, 30...Transportation pipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A roasting section that roasts input green coffee beans by heating them with hot air generated by a heater and a blower; A pulverizing section for pulverizing coffee beans, and a conveyor provided between the roasting section and the pulverizing section and automatically transporting the coffee beans roasted in the roasting section into the pulverizing section after roasting. A fully automatic coffee brewing device integrally comprising a part and an extraction part for receiving ground coffee beans from the grinding part and extracting coffee from the coffee beans, the heater being operated independently of the blower. A fully automatic coffee brewing device having a structure in which the heater is stopped and only air is blown after the coffee beans are roasted.