WO2020030815A1 - Mill - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a mill (1000) for a granular organic material, comprising a first grinding body (273) and a second grinding body (261) which are arranged in a grinding chamber block (220), a grinding motor (271) for driving the first grinding body (273) and a distance adjustment element for adjusting a distance of the second grinding body (261) relative to the first grinding body (273). The distance adjustment element has: a movement thread (265) which is formed on the second grinding body (261) or is fixedly connected thereto, a supporting thread (292) which meshes with the movement thread (265) in order to move the second grinding body (261) axially relative to the first grinding body (273), an adjusting wheel (267) which is formed on the second grinding body (261) or is fixedly connected thereto, a pinion (284) which engages with the adjusting wheel (267) in order to drive the adjusting wheel (267), and an actuating motor (281) for driving the pinion (284). A mounting plate (210) on which the grinding motor (271) and a supporting thread carrier (291) comprising the supporting thread (292) are fixedly mounted independently of the grinding chamber block (220) is provided. The mill (1000) can further comprise an electronic control unit (410) for controlling the grinding motor (271) and the actuating motor (281) and can also comprise a user interface, preferably with a touch display (240). The controller can use a detected power of the grinding motor (271) and/or of the servo motor (281). The invention also relates to a method for controlling a mill.

Description

 Mill

The present invention relates to a mill for a granular organic regrind, in particular grain, coffee or the like, in household or small commercial use.

Grinding grain, coffee, legumes and also spices requires knowledge and experience in relation to the regrind and how to use the mill. In order to make it possible for a layperson to grind grain or the like in the household, a grain mill is required that has the knowledge and experience of the miller's profession stored in a system and implements it for the user at home.

The grinders currently available on the market for domestic use can only be adjusted manually to the degree of precision. When used improperly, this often leads to smearing of the grinding media. In this case, the end user is dependent on technical knowledge to clean the grinding media. “Home use” can also be understood to mean use in the small business sector, for example in catering or retail, where smaller quantities are milled at intervals, but in any case no permanent operation of the mill by trained technical personnel, such as in industrial or manual trades Müller companies is given.

There is therefore a need to develop a grinder and a controller for the household and small business sector which constantly monitors and adjusts the grinding process for each type of grain, so that temperature extremes and contamination / smearing of the grinding media can be minimized. Should the grinding media become smeared or overheated, the mill or the control should be able to detect such contamination or overheating, to counteract it and, if necessary, to inform the user. In the case of soiling / smearing in particular, it is desirable if a cleaning program can be run through in order to remedy this fault without having to dismantle the mill. It is also desirable if the mill or control system is able to recognize the signs of wear on the grinding media and, if necessary, to readjust the grinding gap in order to ensure a consistent quality of the end product. By controlling the speed of the grinding motor, the ground material can be ground more gently, the grinding temperature can be reduced and noise emissions can be achieved the. Dynamic grinding is possible because the grinder and speed adjust optimally to the grinding specifications of the respective grain.

AT 209153 is a grinder with a vertical shaft and an electric grinding motor for grinding coffee and the like. Known. In which an adjustment mechanism for mechanical adjustment of the degree of grinding is provided and in which a base containing the electric drive motor from a grinder upper part containing the grinder and the adjustment mechanism can be mechanically separated from one another and connected to one another by means of a plug-in coupling part. If this grinder requires repair or maintenance on the grinder or adjustment mechanism, only the upper part of the grinder has to be separated from the base and removed, while the base with the drive motor can remain in place. To adjust the degree of grinding, an upper grinding disc is firmly connected with a ring which is rotationally inhibited in the area of the upper part of the mill but is axially displaceable and has an internal thread. The internal thread meshes with an external thread of a bushing which is rotatable in the upper part of the mill but is axially fixed. The bushing in the upper part of the mill can be turned by means of a lever, which means that the ring and thus the upper grinding disc can be moved axially via the meshing threads. This allows the grinding gap and thus the degree of grinding to be set manually.

A coffee grinder is known from DE 10 2007 063 166 A1, with a motor for driving the grinder and with a motor control for controlling the motor, the motor control being designed such that the grinding time is dependent on the grinding degree set on the grinder, in order to optimally determine the amount of ground coffee based on the degree of grinding and to improve the quality of the coffee brewed with it.

A device for automatic grinding gap control in a mill is known from DT-AS 2 145 096, wherein a temperature of at least one grinding disk and / or the ground material, which is measured via at least one electrical temperature sensor, serves as a control variable. To adjust the grinding gap, an actuating gear can be used, which is connected to an actuating motor rotating at an essentially constant speed and controllable in both directions of rotation, and the controlled variable can be supplied to an electrical device which can be adjusted to a lower limit temperature. has its lower limit switch and an upper limit switch that can be set to an upper limit temperature, of which the lower limit switch is connected to a switching relay, via which the servomotor can be controlled in its direction of narrowing, and of which the upper limit switch with one Switching relay is connected via which the servomotor can be controlled in its gap-increasing direction of rotation in order to achieve independent and very precise control of the grinding gap width in robust grinding operation hold. However, such a control is only suitable for continuous industrial or manual operation, since it is only there that the temperature equilibrium required for continuous control operation can be established. Such a regulation is not suitable in the household and small-business sector, since the above-mentioned temperature equilibrium cannot occur due to the thermal inertia of the materials in the interval operation prevailing there.

In conventional mills, individual components of the grinding chamber, the grinder, the distance adjustment and the control are individually attached to a mill housing, which entails a complex assembly process that also has to be repeated again and again during maintenance. The assembly of the individual components on the housing must also be carried out extremely precisely in order to ensure precise alignment of the components to one another. With regard to the regulation of the grinding gap, the reproducibility of such an assembly is difficult to achieve. In addition, more and more emphasis is placed on the design and feel of the devices in the household sector, whereby a material mix of wood, plastics and metals is often used. If parts of the housing and / or the grinding chamber are made of wood, for example, it is hardly possible due to swelling and shrinkage in the wood to maintain the positional relationships of components attached to it permanently and reliably with high accuracy. A high accuracy of the positional relationships is particularly important with regard to the setting of the grinding gap.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of creating a mill, in particular for use in the household and small business sector, which can significantly improve previous mills with regard to accuracy, user-friendliness, operation and maintenance.

Partial aspects of the technical task also relate to an interpretation or suitability with regard to:

 - 350 to 500 watts of grinding motor power

 - Quiet operation

 - Small size

 - Easy grinding chamber cleaning (especially through self-cleaning)

 - Grinding performance about 100 grams / min

 - Flour fineness up to very fine

 - Coarse for shot

 - Easy to use

- Round design with a diameter of approximately 150 mm - Grinding body wear detection

 - Grinding media smear detection

 - Attractive design

 - longevity

 - Automatic adjustment of the grinding gap

 - Adjustment of the grinding gap during operation

The object of the invention is achieved at least in partial aspects by the features of the independent claims. Further embodiments and advantageous developments form the subject of the respective subclaims.

A mill according to the present invention has the features of claim 1 and can advantageously be developed by the features of the subclaims. A method according to the present invention has the features of at least one of the further independent claims. Furthermore, control / regulation processes that are carried out by an electronic control unit can also be understood as independent methods for controlling a mill.

The invention thus relates to a mill for a granular organic ground material, comprising a first grinding body and a second grinding body, which are received in a grinding chamber block, a grinding motor for driving the first grinding body and a distance adjustment for adjusting a distance between the second grinding body the first grinding body, the distance adjustment having:

 a movement thread which is formed on the second grinding body or is firmly connected to and surrounds the latter,

 a support thread which meshes with the movement thread in order to move the second grinding body axially relative to the first grinding body,

 an adjusting wheel which is formed on the second grinding body or is firmly connected to the latter,

 a pinion which is in engagement with the setting wheel in order to drive the setting wheel, and

a servomotor for driving the pinion,

 According to the invention, a mounting plate is provided, on which the grinding motor and a supporting thread carrier having the supporting thread are fixedly attached, preferably screwed, independently of the grinding chamber block.

For the purposes of the invention, granular organic regrind is, in particular, all millable foods such as cereals, coffee, legumes, spices, seeds, etc. In the sense of the invention, a grinding body can be understood to mean any component which is used to grind a granular, organic ground material is suitable and designed, in particular a grinding media. The first and the second grinding media can be complementary or a mirror image or can be profiled completely independently of one another, depending on the material to be ground, the grinding media can be profiled to a greater or lesser extent or one of the grinding media, preferably the non-driven second grinding media, may or may not be profiled at all. A grinding chamber block is a component that provides a closed space for grinding the ground material and can optionally have a grinding material access and a flour outlet. The grinding chamber block can form part of the mill housing. The mounting plate can fundamentally take any form which ensures a largely stable form in relation to all the forces introduced, at least when assembled with the components attached thereto, and can also be designed, for example, in block form or with a profile, beads, ribs or other stiffening. Movement thread and support thread are the parts of a movement thread pairing, the movement thread being defined as the part which is assigned to a movable component and the support thread being defined as the part which is assigned to a fixed component. The axial movement is a movement in the sense of an approximation or removal of the grinding media along their axis, ie an approximation or removal of their respective opposing grinding surfaces.

Since the movement thread surrounds the second grinding element, the movement thread can be rotated together with the second grinding element in order to adjust the distance between the two grinding elements. This results in a simple construction of the distance adjusting device or grinding gap adjusting device.

Since, according to the invention, the grinding motor and a supporting thread support having the supporting thread are fixedly attached, preferably screwed, independently of the grinding chamber block, and after the first grinding body is firmly connected to the grinding motor shaft and the second grinding body is fixed in its position via the pairing of the movement thread / support thread. sets and is movable only with respect to its longitudinal axis, there is a defined positional relationship between the grinding surfaces of the grinding media, which is independent of the grinding chamber block. The fastening means on a mounting plate, such as through and / or threaded holes, are all in one plane and can therefore be manufactured very precisely. The positional relationship of the grinding media can therefore be specified very precisely and is independent of fastening means on the grinding chamber block or a housing. The mounting plate also offers a fixed reference system for all parts relevant to axial runout. Therefore, it is also advantageous if the servomotor is also firmly attached, preferably screwed, to the mounting plate. Independence from the grinding chamber block is particularly evident when the grinding chamber block is made of wood and the mounting plate is made of metal, in particular steel. Wood can be used for the grinding chamber block for aesthetic reasons, but also because of certain food-friendly, for example anti-bacterial, properties. In contrast, metal, in particular steel, is particularly low in distortion and can also offer a fixed reference system if the wooden grinding chamber block "works" (swells or shrinks) due to moisture fluctuations. Independence from the grinding chamber block is also advantageous in other situations For example, if the grinding chamber block is made with comparatively little shape-retaining materials or a little stiff shape. The reference system for the parts relevant to axial runout is always stable. The production of the mounting plate from metal, especially steel, is in any case due to the mechanical Strength is an advantage.

The grinding chamber block can also be firmly attached, preferably screwed, to the mounting plate. The grinding chamber block can be elastically supported on the mounting plate by means of a shaped felt plate so that noises are minimized and changes in shape can be compensated for. In this case, the position of the grinding chamber in relation to the grinding media is basically predetermined. Nevertheless, the position and shape of the grinding chamber can change largely independently and with little tension due to internal or external forces within the limits of the material and shape properties of the grinding chamber block.

The support thread carrier can be fixed at a fixed distance from the mounting plate via at least one spacer, preferably a plurality of spacer sleeves. A stable but light structure of a frame on which the support thread is arranged can thus be realized. The spacer sleeves or the body determining the distance can be made of metal, preferably steel.

The movement thread can be formed on a preferably cup-shaped holder in which the second grinding body is received. The functions of grinding and threading can be separated by using a socket with the movement thread. As a result, if one or the other part wears, the second grinding body and the holder can be serviced or replaced independently of one another. The socket can preferably be made of plastic and the support thread carrier made of metal, in particular stainless steel. Such a pairing of materials provides good sliding properties. In particular, a fine thread can thus advantageously be used as a movement thread, which enables a particularly compact design. A fine thread can have a pitch of, for example, 0.5 to 3 mm, preferably 2 mm, per revolution. The setting wheel can be screwed to the second grinding body with a bottom of the cup-shaped mount in between. This enables a further separation of the functions of the setting wheel from the functions of grinding and moving and also enables a compact and reliable construction.

The pinion and the setting wheel can have a spur toothing. The translation ratio can be, for example, 5 to 10, in particular 7.5. More specifically, it is a reduction, since the pinion usually rotates faster than the wheel. The reduction can be used to achieve a fine adjustment of the angle of rotation of the setting wheel.

The servomotor can be a stepper motor, which preferably has a step size of 0.1 ° to 7.2 °, in particular 1.8 °. The servomotor can act as a dynamically active abutment if it is energized continuously during the grinding process. A step size of 1.5 to 2 ° is sufficiently fine to enable a distance adjustment in the order of thousandths of a millimeter in conjunction with the reduction of the pinion / wheel gear. A planetary gear can be used to increase the force.

A grinding motor shaft of the grinding motor and a servomotor shaft of the servomotor are preferably only supported radially in the grinding chamber block, so that no axial clamping stresses can occur even when the grinding chamber block is warped.

The support thread carrier can rest with a sealing element on a surface of the grinding chamber block, the sealing element sealing the grinding chamber of the grinding chamber block, in which the first grinding body and the second grinding body are arranged, from other areas of the grinding chamber block. The functional safety of the mill is guaranteed by the seal, since in particular flour dust can penetrate into the movement thread pairing and the wheel-pinion arrangement. The sealing element can preferably be made of felt and thus have elastic, sealing and sound-absorbing properties. Because of the spacers, the position of the support thread carrier with respect to the mounting plate and thus with respect to the first grinding body is fixed and is independent of a compression of the sealing element.

The mill can further comprise an electronic control unit for controlling the grinding motor and the servomotor, the electronic control unit preferably being designed as a microcontroller. An automatic control of the functions of the mill is possible on the basis of predetermined control programs. Using power electronics, the The grinding motor can be regulated in terms of power / speed via a phase control, for example.

The mill can further comprise a user interface, which preferably has a touch display, wherein the electronic control unit is designed to send data to the user interface for output to the user and to receive user inputs from the user interface. A user can influence the function and operation of the mill through the user interface.

The electronics of the mill can be controlled via an interface such as radio or network connection via an application and / or process. In this respect, the mill can be integrated into a production process unsupervised and can be remotely managed by a higher-level rule chain or the user himself using a smartphone app.

The electronic control unit can be designed to set a distance preset value for a distance between the first and second grinding media as a function of a predetermined grinding degree of the grinding stock and a stored zero distance position, in which the second grinding media is seated on the first grinding media, and by means of control of the servomotor, the distance default value preferably also being determined as a function of a predetermined type of the millbase, and the predetermined degree of grinding and optionally the predetermined type of millbase being selectable by a user via a user interface. By setting the distance default value and comparing it with the saved zero distance position, the grinding gap can be set to an optimal value at any time based on user requests. Optionally or alternatively, it can also be provided that the type of material to be ground is automatically recognized by means of suitable sensors (e.g. optical, acoustic, weighing, measuring).

The mill can further comprise at least one motor power detection device for detecting a current power of the grinding motor and / or the servomotor, wherein the electronic control unit is designed to control the power of the grinding motor and / or the servomotor, which is detected by the at least one motor power detection device to use. By recording the output, changes in the grinding effect can be recorded very quickly and reacted to very promptly. To detect the power, the motor power detection device can have a motor sensor for detecting a current consumption of the grinding motor or the servomotor, since the current consumed allows a direct conclusion to be drawn about the power of the motor. Hall sensors or Hall sensors, for example, are very suitable for this purpose of current detection. By means of, for example, phase control, the grinding motor speed can be regulated in order to enable the grinding process speed that is optimal for each material to be ground. This reduces the temperature development in the grinding media and difficult ground material can be processed.

The electronic control unit can be designed to determine a grinding resistance between the first grinding body and the second grinding body on the basis of the current power of the grinding motor detected by the at least one motor power detection device and the default value for the distance between the first grinding body and the second grinding body in Adjust depending on the determined grinding resistance. This also enables dynamic grinding, which produces a uniform grinding result based on user requests.

The electronic control unit can be designed to measure the idling current of the grinding motor with its starting and idling properties as a result of operating hours or contamination of the winding or capacitor, and to store it in the characteristic map, as required, preferably in each calibration process.

Since electrical windings or components can deteriorate after a few hours of operation due to constant heating and electrical stress, the lead resistance of the electrical conductors and the hysteresis effect can increase. This creates eddy currents that counteract the technical current direction. The capacitance of a capacitor can also decrease over time, since the dialectric can change and the insulation can decrease.

In order to rule out this impairment during a measurement, the electronic components can be checked for start-up and idling behavior. This can be done very easily with a Hall probe, which measures the magnetic field in the vicinity of the current supply to the servomotor and / or grinding motor and thus allows conclusions to be drawn about the current requirements of the respective motors. This also represents an indirect measurement of the power of the motors. The control system automatically records the actual values at an interval and overwrites the value table. The adjustment of the grinding fineness can thus work with a constant algorithm.

A camera, in particular a stereo camera, can be provided for a level measurement in the regrind hopper. This is arranged in such a way that it detects the level of the ground material in the funnel and reports this to the ECU. As a result, the ECU knows how much ground material is in the funnel. Is a level change related with the motor power measured with the Hall sensor mentioned above, a conclusion can be drawn about the grinding behavior. Because the trickle speed into the grinding chamber has an impact on the grinding performance.

The electronic control unit can also be designed to determine the need to clean the mill on the basis of the determined grinding resistance. It may be necessary to clean the mill if, for example, the grinding gap becomes clogged or smeared. Such a condition is typically accompanied by a change in the grinding resistance. If such a condition is recognized as in this embodiment, a grinding process can be stopped and / or the user can be informed about the detected condition via a user interface and / or a cleaning process can be initiated automatically.

The electronic control unit can also be designed to automatically recognize the end of a grinding cycle on the basis of the determined grinding resistance and to then switch off the grinding motor. This can also further improve the usability, the energy efficiency and the operational safety of the mill.

The electronic control unit can be designed to carry out a cleaning process, the cleaning process comprising:

a) actuating the servomotor in order to increase the distance between the first grinding element and the second grinding element by or to a predetermined value, b) conveying cleaning agent to clean the flour-carrying parts until idling current is reached, c) activating the grinding motor, in order to operate it for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined speed) switching off the grinding motor, e) actuating the servomotor in order to reduce the distance between the first grinding element and the second grinding element, f) detecting that the second grinding element has touched down pers on the first grinding body, preferably by evaluating a power of the servomotor detected by the at least one motor power detection device, g) storing a position of the servomotor when recognizing the touchdown as a new zero distance position, and h) controlling the servomotor by the distance between the first grinding element and the second grinding element at or to a predetermined value to enlarge

wherein the cleaning process is preferably carried out automatically after a predetermined number of grinding cycles or after a predetermined grinding duration or when the mill is switched off or on or when the need for cleaning is ascertained as described above. The position of the servomotor is given by its angular position or the number of steps scanned. In this way, a grinding result that is uniform over time can be ensured, since the grinding gap is automatically cleaned at regular or predictable intervals and the reference for the distance between the grinding elements is determined again and again. If this automatism is not sufficient, a deviation from a normal function is recognized on the basis of a grinding resistance that deviates from the expectation and a cleaning and recalibration is then also carried out. Optionally or alternatively, the grinding media can also be attached by actuation and monitoring.

A calibration process can be carried out similarly to the cleaning process, but only steps e) to h) have to be carried out. The detection of a placement of the second grinding element on the first grinding element can be determined both by detecting the power of the servomotor and by detecting the power of the grinding motor when it is driven. This power can be recorded, for example, using the Hall sensors described above for one of the motors.

If this motor is a stepper motor, its output can be set so low that a further rotary movement is no longer possible or strongly inhibited when the two grinding media touch. This can be detected with a conventional stepper motor card.

The electronic control unit can have a non-volatile memory device, which is designed to store a current zero distance position and control programs as well as characteristics and / or characteristic maps for controlling the grinding motor and / or the servomotor as functions or value tables.

The value table can contain parameters such as step size, degree of grinding, type of regrind, performance data, temperature properties, usage properties, zero distance, wear, operating hours etc. On the one hand, these values can be corrected by users themselves, on the other hand, these values can be made available to support for remote maintenance.

The electronic control unit can also be designed to carry out a semi-automatic operation. For this purpose, regrind is fed in, a performance value of at least one power acquisition device is displayed to the user. In order to keep this displayed power value during the grinding process, there is the possibility of correcting it by adjusting the servomotor depending on the recorded power value. The power value remains identical here, the servomotor controls until the value is reached. This works on a scale like a tare. The performance value is therefore directly proportional to the fineness of the flour.

A method of controlling a mill in accordance with one aspect of the invention includes:

 - Specifying a distance default value for a distance between a first and second grinding media as a function of a known zero distance position, in which the second grinding media is seated on the first, and depends on at least one default value, such as the type of grinding material and / or grinding degree ; and

 Setting a distance between the first and the second grinding media by controlling a servo motor, which acts on at least one of the two grinding media, to the specified distance value,

the predefined grinding degree and / or the predefined type of the grinding stock of a user can be selected via a user interface.

A method of controlling a mill in accordance with another aspect of the invention includes:

 - Detection of a current power of a grinding motor and / or the servomotor; and

 Using the detected power to control the grinding motor and / or the servomotor,

the power being recorded by recording a current consumption of the grinding motor and / or the positioning motor, in particular by means of a Hall sensor or stepper motor card.

By detecting the power of the grinding motor, the increase or decrease in the frictional resistance during grinding can be detected. An undesirable increase occurs when the grinding media are spaced too far apart or a material that is too hard is fed. A decrease in the frictional resistance occurs when smearing, for example due to moist or too long ground material. The output of the servomotor increases abruptly when the grinding media collide. It can therefore be expedient to monitor both the output of the grinding motor and the output of the servomotor or grinding motor at the same time.

A method of controlling a mill in yet another aspect of the invention includes:

 - Determining a grinding resistance between a first and a second grinding body on the basis of a detected current power of the grinding motor; and

- Adjusting a default value for the distance between the first grinding element and the second grinding element as a function of the determined grinding resistance. A method of controlling a mill in accordance with another aspect of the invention includes:

 Determining a grinding resistance between a first and a second grinding body on the basis of a detected current output of the grinding motor and servomotor; and

 - Adjusting a default value of the speed of the grinding motor and the distance between the first and second grinding elements as a function of the determined grinding resistance.

A method of controlling a mill in accordance with another aspect of the invention includes:

 - Determining a grinding resistance between a first grinding body and a second grinding body on the basis of a detected current power of the grinding motor; and

- Determining a need to clean the mill (1000) based on the determined grinding resistance.

A method of controlling a mill in yet another aspect of the invention includes:

 - Determine the starting and idling current of the grinding motor with regard to wear and contamination of components such as the capacitor, bearings and motor winding; and

- Store in the intended value table.

A method of controlling a mill in yet another aspect of the invention includes:

 - Determining a grinding resistance between a first grinding body and a second grinding body on the basis of a detected current power of the grinding motor;

- Detection of an end of a grinding cycle based on the determined grinding resistance; and

- Switch off the grinding motor after recognizing the end of the grinding cycle.

A method for controlling a mill according to a final aspect of the invention has a cleaning and calibration process, comprising the steps of:

 - Controlling a servomotor in order to increase a distance between a first grinding body and a second grinding body by or to a predetermined value;

- Controlling a grinding motor in order to operate it for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined speed; - Feeding of cleaning agent to clean the flour-carrying parts until idling current is reached, actuating the servomotor to reduce the distance between the first and second grinding media;

 - Switch off the grinding motor

 - Detection of a placement of the second grinding body on the first grinding body, preferably by evaluating a detected power of the servomotor;

 - Saving a position of the servomotor when recognizing the touchdown as a new zero distance position; and

 - Actuation of the servomotor in order to increase the distance between the first and the second grinding element by or to a predetermined value.

 The cleaning and calibration process can be carried out automatically after a predetermined number of grinding cycles or after a predetermined grinding time or when the mill is switched off or on or when the need for cleaning is determined in accordance with a previously described method.

The methods described above are not mutually exclusive, but rather can be combined with one another as desired. All of the methods described can be carried out using the mill system described above. In the methods described above, a current zero distance position and control programs as well as characteristic curves and / or characteristic diagrams for controlling the grinding motor and / or the servomotor can be stored as functions or value tables in a preferably non-volatile memory.

When developing the mill according to the invention, the focus was initially on the mechanical component of the grinder. It was also important to optimally integrate the automated adjustment of the grinder geometry, which requires smooth and reliable adjustability of the grinder. A bayonet spacing adjustment was originally considered, but this places high demands on the production. Ultimately, a thread adjustment with a movement thread and support thread was recognized as expedient, since this ensures that the grinding media run in parallel. In addition, a thread combination made of a stainless steel outer ring and a plastic socket turned out to be suitable in order to obtain optimal sliding properties. The grinder is adjusted by means of wheels and pinions, which are designed as gear wheels, in particular spur gears. In order to protect the engine compartment and the thread from dirt, a specially made felt ring seal was used, which prevents ground material and flour dust from escaping. Furthermore, the device was divided into assemblies, on the one hand to ensure easier manufacture and, on the other hand, ease of repair. The housing concept was initially based on three spot-welded sheets to which the base and grinding chamber block would be attached. However, this version of the housing posed the problem of high material expenditure, caused by the necessary milling depth. For the further development of the housing, the focus was also on designing the device as small as possible and as large as necessary. With the difficulty of the high requirements of the specification, the use of a strong grinding motor and long-lasting components, but very small external dimensions, arranging the components inside the device turned out to be a demanding task to include all relevant components, such as grinding motor, First and second grinding media, grinding chamber block with support thread carrier, grinding media socket with moving thread and adjusting wheel, felt seal, mounting plate, pinion and servomotor as well as other relevant components such as control panel and feet, to be placed and housed in a sensible manner. The grinding chamber block is made of wood for manufacturing and design reasons. Since wood swells and shrinks with changing air humidity, a mounting plate was used, to which all components relevant for guaranteed axial runout are screwed. Thus, the change in the wood does not affect the grinding accuracy of the device. Furthermore, the grinding chamber block with all components of the grinder can be completely pre-assembled as a module. In combination with an approximately tubular housing as a further module and another module with a filling funnel and lid, this is an easy-to-assemble design concept.

In order to offer the user the desired intuitive operability, the user interface was designed as a touch display, which has a clearly arranged menu.

The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. The drawings show schematically:

FIG. 1 shows a mill according to an exemplary embodiment in a perspective view,

Figure 2,

3 shows a funnel assembly of the mill of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment in a perspective exploded view,

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a grinder assembly of the mill of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment, FIG. 5 shows the grinder assembly from FIG. 3 in a perspective exploded view,

FIG. 6 shows a grinding chamber block of the mill of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment in a perspective view,

FIG. 7 shows an upper grinding element assembly of the mill from FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment in a perspective exploded view,

FIG. 8 shows an upper version of the grinding body of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment in a perspective view,

FIG. 9 shows a support thread carrier of the mill of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment in a perspective view,

FIG. 10 shows a lower grinding body of the mill from FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment in a perspective view,

11 shows a housing assembly of the mill of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment in a perspective exploded view,

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of a housing tube part of the housing assembly from FIG. 11 according to an exemplary embodiment,

FIG. 13 shows the housing assembly of the mill from FIG. 11 in a front view,

FIG. 14 shows the housing assembly of the mill from FIG. 11 in a top view,

FIG. 15 shows the housing assembly of the mill from FIG. 11 in a sectional illustration along a sectional plane XV-XV in FIG. 13,

FIG. 16 shows the grinder assembly from FIG. 4 in a top view,

FIG. 17 shows the grinder assembly of FIG. 4 in a partially perspective sectional view along a section plane XVII-XVII in FIG. 16, and

Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a mill according to the invention. FIG. 19 flow diagram of a possible grinding process.

FIG. 20 flow diagram of a possible referencing / cleaning process.

The invention is described below using a grain mill 1000 of a preferred exemplary embodiment with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18.

The grain mill 1000 has a hopper assembly 100, a grinder assembly 200, a housing assembly 300 and a control / regulation 400 (Fig. 1, 2, 18).

The funnel assembly 100 has a funnel part 110, a cover part 120, a locking pin 130 and two stud screws 140 (FIG. 3).

The funnel part 110 has a filler cone 112, a base 114 and an outlet nozzle 116, the filler cone 112 being seated circumferentially on the base 114 and the outlet nozzle 116 protruding centrally downward from the base 114. In the present exemplary embodiment, the funnel part 110 is made of stainless steel and has the following dimensions:

Diameter at the top of the filling cone 112 220 mm

 Fleas 80 mm

 Capacity approx. 1400 g

 Outlet spout diameter (inside) 17 mm.

Such a funnel part 110 is available, for example, from Schnitzer as a finished part.

The cover part 120 is a plate-shaped component with a circular arc edge 121 and a straight edge 122, which forms a secant of the circular arc edge 121. The cover part 120 has a central through hole 123, into which the outlet connection 116 of the funnel part 110 fits, so that the funnel part 110 can sit with its base 114 on top of the cover part 120. The cover part 120 also has a fitting hole 124, in which the locking pin 130 is inserted from below, and two screw holes (not shown in more detail), into which the locking pins 140 are screwed from below.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the cover part 120 is made from natural, steamed beech wood and closes off the grinder assembly 200 from above. The simple disassembly by lifting the funnel assembly 100 thus enables access to the grinding chamber or to the grinder. In this exemplary embodiment, the cover part 120 has the following dimensions:

Thickness of the lid part 120 10 mm

 Diameter of the circular arc edge 121 230 mm

 Distance of the straight edge 122 from the central axis 60 mm

 Central through hole diameter 123 20 mm

 Distance from the central axis of the cover part 120 21 mm

 Pass hole 124 (diameter and depth) 08 x 5 mm

 Locking pin 130 (diameter and length) 08 x 70 mm

 Screw-in holes (core diameter of the stud bolts 140) 02 mm

 Distance between the screw holes 190 mm

The stud bolts 140 have a spherical free end and are used for connection to the grinder assembly 200 by means of clamping with a catch 245 provided there (FIG. 16). Such studs are known, for example, with a wooden thread, ball end and slot as a screw drive in combination with a spring catch and are available, for example, from the Häfele company. The stud screw is made of bare brass, the catch housing is made of brassed steel and the clamping spring is made of bare steel. The dimensions are:

Case diameter of the Schnapper 245 14 mm

 Length of the catch 245 14 mm

 Thread of the stud screw 140 (wood thread) 2.8 x 10 mm

 Ball head diameter 5 mm.

The safety pin 130 is used to actuate a safety button which only allows the grinder of the grain mill 1000 to be operated when the funnel assembly 100 is properly placed on it, so that accidental contact with moving parts inside the grain mill 1000 can be effectively prevented.

When designing the grinder assembly 200, the following points were in the foreground:

Function must exist

 The mill should be as quiet as possible

All materials used must be food safe The function of the mill was ensured by careful preparation and construction. With regard to the low-noise behavior, this was ensured by choosing a suitable flolz and a correspondingly large mass. The following materials were selected to meet the required food authenticity:

- natural steamed beech wood

 - stainless steel (X2CrNil8-9)

 - stainless steel 1.4301

 - Plastic PA66

 - bronze (CuSnß)

 - Felt

 - Corundum ceramics

The grinder assembly 200 has a mounting plate 210, a grinding chamber block 220, felt element 295, a display 240, two catches 245, an ejection tube 250, an upper grinding body unit 260, a grinding motor unit 270, a servomotor unit 280 and an actuating unit 290 (FIG. 4, 5).

The grinding chamber block 220 is a monolithic component that is made from a cylindrical blank. An end face is milled off eccentrically to form a flat support surface 221 and a straight stop edge 222 (FIG. 6). Two blind holes 223 and a blind bore 224 are formed in the bearing surface 221 (FIG. 6). The outside diameter of the grinding chamber block 220 and the geometry of the milling forming the bearing surface 221 and the stop edge 222 correspond to the shape of the cover part 120 of the funnel assembly 100 (FIG. 3), and the position of the blind holes 223 and the blind hole 224 corresponds to the position of the stud bolts 140 and the locking pin 130 of the funnel assembly 100. Thus, the outer circumference of the grinding chamber block 220 is aligned with the circular arc edge 121 of the cover part 120 and the blind holes 223 and the blind hole 224 are aligned with the stud screws 140 and the locking pin 130 when the funnel assembly 100 is placed on the grinding chamber block 220 in such a way that the straight edge 122 lies against the stop edge 222. The above-mentioned catch 245 is inserted into the blind holes 223, respectively. The spring mechanisms in the catches 245 are designed such that they interact with the stud screws 140 in such a way that the funnel assembly 100 is held on the grinding chamber block 220 in an operationally reliable manner and can nevertheless be detached from the grinding chamber block 220 with little effort. The blind hole 224 leads to the above-mentioned safety button, so that the safety pin 130, which projects into the blind hole 224 when the funnel assembly 100 is in place, actuates the safety button. Beyond the bearing surface 221, a bevel 225 is milled off from the end face of the grinding chamber block 220 (FIG. 6). In the bevel 225, a display window 226 for receiving the display 240 and within the display window 226 an electronics bay 227 for receiving an electronic control unit (410 in FIG. 18) are milled.

In the bearing surface 221, a cylindrical adjusting wheel chamber 228 and a likewise cylindrical pinion chamber 229, each with the same depth, axially parallel and diverging from one another are recessed. Furthermore, in the bottom of the pinion chamber 229, an axle bearing bore 230 coaxial therewith is formed continuously. In the bottom of the setting wheel chamber 228 there is formed a coaxial threaded ring chamber 231, in the bottom of which four through holes 232 (one hidden in the figure) are formed. In the bottom of the thread wheel chamber 231 there is also formed a coaxial grinding body chamber 233, in the bottom of which a further axle bearing bore 234 is formed coaxially. On the underside of the grinding chamber block 220, which is not visible in FIG. 6, an oblique bore 235 (FIG. 17) extending into the grinding body chamber 233 for receiving the ejection tube 250 is formed and four blind holes (not shown in more detail) for receiving fastening screws for fastening the Mounting plate 210 is formed. Furthermore, the grinding chamber block on the underside has a shoulder 236 (FIG. 17), which is used for mounting with the housing assembly 300, as will be described below, and for this purpose has four screw holes (not shown in more detail).

In the present exemplary embodiment, the milling chamber block 220 is made of hardwood, in particular steamed, rod-glued beechwood. All shaped elements are preferably made from the round material by milling / turning, the outer surfaces are brought to a mean roughness Ra 1.6 according to DIN EN ISO 4287: 2010. The essential dimensions in this exemplary embodiment are:

External dimensions of the grinding chamber block 220 0230 x 95 mm

 Outside diameter of the heel 236 0194 mm

 Center distance threaded wheel chamber 231, pinion chamber 229 85 ± 0.05 mm

 Axle bearing bore diameter 230 012 H7 mm

 Axle bearing bore diameter 232 012 mm

 Axle hole diameter 234 010 mm

The upper grinding element unit 260 has an upper grinding element 261, a holder 264, an adjusting wheel 267 and four screws 269 (FIG. 7). The upper grinding body 261 has a central through-hole 262 and in the periphery around it with equal angular spacing four threaded sleeves 263 inserted in respective blind holes. The socket 264 has a cylindrical see basic shape of a cup-like recess 266 (FIG. 8) for receiving the upper grinding body 261. On the cylindrical outer surface, the holder 264 has a thread rim with a movement thread 265, which is designed to mesh with a support thread (292, see below) arranged immovably on the milling chamber block 220 and to close the upper milling body unit 260 when rotating in the axial direction move. The movement thread 265 surrounds the upper grinding element 261, wherein the movement thread can be offset in the vertical direction to the upper grinding element 261. The felt ring 295 presses against the surface 266.1 (FIG. 8) and thus protects the intermeshing thread 292 against contamination by flour dust. A central bore aligned with the central through hole 262 of the upper grinding body 261 and four through bores aligned with the threaded sleeves 263 of the upper grinding body 261 are formed in the end faces of the holder 264. The adjusting wheel 267 is of a disk-shaped basic shape with an outer diameter which is considerably larger than an outer diameter of the socket 264 (FIG. 7). The setting wheel 267 has external teeth 268 on the circumference. A central bore aligned with the central through-hole 262 of the upper grinding element 261 and four countersunk holes aligned with the threaded sleeves 263 of the upper grinding element 261 are formed in the end faces of the adjusting wheel. In assembly, the adjusting wheel 267 is screwed to the upper grinding element 261 by means of the four screws 269, the screws 269 running through the countersunk bores of the adjusting wheel 267 and the through bores of the holder 264 and being seated in the threaded sleeves 263 of the upper grinding element 261.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the upper grinding body 261 is made from corundum ceramic. In the present exemplary embodiment, the holder 264 is made of plastic, namely PA 66, from the full round material 090x16 mm by turning and fine-thread cutting. The movement thread 265 is dimensioned as an external fine thread with M84xl mm. The number of teeth on the external toothing 268 is 75. In this exemplary embodiment, the screws 269 are designed as cylinder screws DIN 912 M3xl6.

The grinding unit 270 has a grinding motor 271, a shaft guide 272 and a lower grinding element 273 (FIG. 5). The grinding motor 271 has a motor housing with four threaded bores 278 and a motor shaft 279. The lower grinding body 273 is a cylindrical body with a profiling 274 of complex geometry and a central through hole, in which a threaded sleeve 275 is arranged.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the upper grinding element 261 and the lower grinding element 273 are grinding elements which are made of corundum ceramic and can preferably be procured as purchased parts. The grinding media 261, 273 have a cylindrical or disc shape and together form a disc grinder. The threaded sleeves 263, 275 can Manufacture of the grinding media can already be integrated or glued in afterwards. It should be noted that the lower grinding element 273 is a first grinding element in the sense of the invention and the upper grinding element 261 is a second grinding element in the sense of the invention. Even if the present exemplary embodiment relates to a mill with a vertical shaft and a drive below, the present invention is not restricted to such an arrangement.

The design of the grinder essentially concerned the necessary grinder motor output and speed, its suspension and generally the component designs that are installed in grain mills for household and small commercial use. Components that are connected with the automated grinder adjustment (grinding degree or fineness degree setting), which represent a new development in the grain mill sector, should not be disregarded. The main focus was on the dimensioning of the servomotor, which is designed as a stepper motor with planetary gear. Sufficient adjustment and holding torque of the servomotor is particularly important here, since otherwise a guaranteed result of the degree of flour fineness is not guaranteed. In all calculations, it was assumed that the grinder works at full power and that this power is 100 percent absorbed by the upper grinder and the servomotor. This assumption makes it possible to simplify the calculation process and to dimension all components to the maximum conceivable load. Experience has shown that this condition is rarely achieved in operation. The expected, necessary engine power in operation corresponds to about 50 percent of the nominal power at constant speed. As a result, the engine torque will be cut in half. In the present exemplary embodiment, a multi-pole (in particular 4-, 6- or 8-pole) asynchronous motor with 110-230 V, 50-60 Hz is used as the grinding motor 271, but the invention is not restricted to this. The exemplary Mahlmotor 271 has a power rating of 370 W and a rated speed of 1400 min ^1, from a rated torque yields of 2,524 Nm. For the screws 269, calculations with the maximum engine torque resulted in a security against screw breakage of approx. 40. This is clearly oversized, but the upper grinding element 261 is only available as a purchased part with prefabricated M3 threaded bushings.

The servomotor unit 280 has a servomotor 281, four fastening screws 282, a shaft guide 283 and a pinion 284. The servomotor 281 has a housing with four threaded bores 288 and a motor shaft 289.

In this exemplary embodiment, the pinion 284 has a number of teeth of 10. This results in a gear ratio of 7.5 with the setting wheel 267 a necessary holding torque of the servomotor 281 of 0.336 Nm. In the present exemplary embodiment, a stepping motor with a step width of 1.8 ° and a nominal holding torque of 1,765 Nm was selected as the servomotor 281, but the invention is not restricted to this. The design thus has a security against rotation of 5. The thread friction was neglected in the calculation because it goes to 0 with such low loads and a very small pitch of M84xl. The material pairing of stainless steel and plastic is also advantageous and has a friction-reducing effect. In any case, increased thread friction would further relieve the servomotor holding torque.

Countersunk screws M3x8 are provided as fastening screws 282 for the servomotor 281.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the shaft guide 272 is made of bronze (CuSn8) made of solid round material 014x60 mm inside 08 H7 and outside 012 r6.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the shaft guide 283 is made of stainless steel (1.4301) and is also turned from the full round material 014x20 mm to fit inside 08 H7 and outside 012 r6.

The actuating unit 290 has a support thread carrier 291, a sealing element 295, four spacer sleeves 296 and four screws 297. The support thread carrier 291 is a cylindrical disk-shaped body with a central support thread 292 and four through bores 293 (FIG. 9). The central support thread 292 forms a pairing with the movement thread 265 of the holder 264 for the upper grinding body 261, and the hole pattern of the four through bores 293 and 210 matches that of the four threaded bores 278 of the grinding motor 271.

The support thread carrier 291 and the spacer sleeves 296 are made of stainless steel (X2CrNi l8-9 by turning the full round material d 120x10 or d 12x52, with the support thread 291 (M84xl mm corresponding to the movement thread 265 on the socket) in the support thread carrier 291 264) by means of fine thread cutting and four through holes with countersink for the screws 297. In the present exemplary embodiment, the sealing element 295 is a felt ring which consists of a felt plate from

1250x2500x3 mm is punched and also has four through holes, the hole pattern of which corresponds to that of the four holes in the support thread carrier 291. The sealing element 295 - by pressing it onto the sealing surface 266.1 - is effective on the one hand to seal the grinding chamber from the upper space of the grinding chamber block 220, thus protecting in particular the pairing of movement thread 265 / support thread 292 against the flour dust from the grinding chamber, and also serves Noise insulation and the fixation of the building le. In this exemplary embodiment, the screws 297 are designed as countersunk screws M8x70.

The mounting plate 210, like the cover part 120 of the funnel assembly 100, has a cylindrical disk-shaped basic shape with a circular arc edge and a straight edge, which forms a secant of the circular arc edge. In the straight edge of the housing part 320, a slot is worked in halfway, which points towards the center of the mounting plate 210. The mounting plate 210 also has a large number of bores, the hole pattern of which corresponds to the position of the threaded bores 278 and the motor shaft 279 of the grinding motor 271, the threaded bores 288 and the motor shaft 289 of the servomotor 281. The hole pattern of the four through bores 232 of the grinding chamber block 220 corresponds to the hole pattern of the through bores of the support thread carrier 291 and of the sealing element 295, which in turn is adapted in this exemplary embodiment to the hole pattern of the four through bores of 210, the four threaded bores 278 of the grinding motor 271.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the mounting plate 210 is produced from a stainless steel sheet (X2CrNi l8-9) with the dimensions 1000x2000x3 mm by laser cutting and thread cutting 4xM4 and its dimensions are adapted to the underside of the grinding chamber block 220 (FIG. 17). Between the mounting plate 210 and the grinding chamber block 220 is a shaped felt plate 295, which has an elastic effect and compensates for shape differences. The top and bottom of the mounting plate 210 were left untreated. The ejection tube 250 is made from a drawn stainless steel tube by cutting (cutting to length) and grinding on the outside.

In one embodiment, the assembly of the grinder assembly 200 can be carried out as described below.

First, the upper grinding unit 260 is assembled as follows:

 - Place the upper grinding element 261 on a flat surface and place the holder 264 on it, paying attention to the hole pattern

 - Put on the setting wheel 267, pay attention to the hole pattern

 - Position screws 269 and tighten hand-tight

 - Tighten screws 269 diagonally with a torque of 1 Nm

The grinding chamber block 220 is then assembled as follows:

- Press the shaft guide 283 into the milling chamber block 220 (axis bore 230). Make sure that the shaft guide 283 on the underside is level with the floor of the grinding chamber block 220, the shaft guide 283 protrudes 0.5-1 mm at the top

 - Slide the shaft guide 272 of the grinding motor 271 into the grinding chamber block 220 (axle bearing bore 234)

 - Press the catch 245 fully into the grinding chamber block 220 (blind holes 223)

The servomotor unit 280 is then assembled as follows:

 - Place mounting plate 210 on servomotor 281 and attach fastening screws 282

 - Tighten the fastening screws 282 diagonally to 10 Nm

 - Mounting plate 210 with actuator 281 on a flat surface e.g. Place the workbench down, make sure that the servomotor 281 projects downwards into the open and has an edge 287 on the workbench

The grinder assembly 200 is then preassembled as follows:

 - Place grinding chamber block 220 on mounting plate 210, pay attention to the hole pattern and alignment of grinding chamber block 220, and insert spacer sleeves 296

 - Place sealing element 295 and support thread carrier 291, pay attention to the hole pattern

- Insert screws 297

 - Set the grinding motor 271 on a flat surface and lift the mounting plate 210 using the servomotor 280, make sure that the screws 297 fall through the holes provided in the mounting plate 210

 - Place mounting plate 210 on grinding motor 271 and attach screws 297, approx. 3 threads

 - Tighten screws 297 diagonally to 30 Nm

(In one embodiment variant, separate threaded bores are provided in the mounting plate 210 for the screws 297, and the grinding motor 271 is fastened to the mounting plate 210 by means of separate screws. This embodiment variant simplifies installation since the grinding motor 271 can be installed in one operation with the servomotor 280 and when assembling the support thread carrier 291 and sealing element 295 with the spacer sleeves 296, fewer individual parts have to be positioned with one another by means of the screws 297. However, in this embodiment variant, four further through-bores have to be provided on the mounting plate 210 and four further screws have to be positioned and tightened The 3 mm thick mounting plate 210 may also allow a shorter screw-in length than the housing of the grinding motor 271. However, the screw-in depth of 3 mm should be sufficient for the tightening torque required here Positioning to the grinding motor housing if necessary on the Extend underside of the mounting plate 210 so that they fully engage in the mounting plate 210. To further stiffen the screw connection and to ensure a defined screw-in depth, instead of simple countersunk screws, fit screws M6 with a shaft diameter of 8mm and a defined stop - for example in accordance with ISO 7379 or based on it with an adapted thread length and head shape - can be used for the screws 297. )

Now the lower grinding element 273 is screwed onto the grinding motor shaft 279 by means of the threaded sleeve 275, care being taken that the profiling 274 of the grinding element 273 protrude upwards. When connecting the grinding motor 271 to the electrical system, make sure that the grinding motor has to work clockwise.

Then the upper grinding unit 260 is assembled as follows:

 - Screw the upper grinding element unit 260 as far as possible into the support thread 292 using the movement thread 265 and then turn it back a full turn.

 - Wet the inside of the pinion 284 on the side facing the servomotor 280 with Loctite 638 to about half. If drops form, remove these drops immediately with a dry cloth, and slide them onto the actuator shaft 289 at room temperature at the latest after approx. 2 min. If the pinion 284 slides down solely due to its own weight, this is not a problem, but it must not be pressed or pressed down under any circumstances. It is also important to ensure that the pinion 284 on the upper side is at least flush with the servomotor shaft 289. Ideally, the adhesive cures while the pinion 284 is between the top and bottom dead centers.

The calculations of the adhesive connection between pinion 284 and servomotor shaft 289, given the nominal torque of servomotor 281 (see above), provided security against loosening of the bond of approx. 90, that is, a permissible connection. It should be noted here that the gluing work may not be carried out under ideal conditions.

However, this is not considered to be problematic since the adhesive has sufficient security even with only a fraction of the specified holding force.

Finally, the final assembly of the grinder assembly 200 is as follows:

 - Bring the grinding chamber block 220 into a position in which the discharge tube 250 automatically remains in the intended position.

- Wet the ejection tube 250 on the flattened side with Loctite 638 approx. 15 mm in the longitudinal direction and into the slanted hole 235 (Fig. 17) provided for this purpose of the flat area at the bottom, push in as far as it will go, make sure that the flat area is also an anti-twist device and let the glue dry for 5 minutes.

 - Press the display 240 with sensitive pressure into the display window 226 (Fig. 6).

 The display 240 is designed to be self-locking.

The main requirements for the design of the housing were:

- Compact design

 - Use of materials that are also suitable for the food industry.

In order to meet these requirements, the choice of materials used fell on stainless steel - as is also used in the food industry (X2CrNil8-9) - and on natural, steamed beech wood. Since valuable designer objects are also finding their way into the household, a wood-metal combination was selected for the mill 1000 according to the invention. The brushed stainless steel housing, in conjunction with steamed beech wood and a funnel made of high-gloss stainless steel, stands out from existing products. The innovation and functionality of the fully automated household grain mill is underlined with the touch display 240, which also brings with it a particularly pleasant and self-explanatory interactivity. A simple and intuitive usability is required by the user these days, the user interface is therefore self-explanatory and clear. With its round shape, the device saves space and is therefore ideal for the household. Stability is achieved through optimal weight distribution of the components inside and the housing feet.

The housing assembly 300 has a base plate 310, a housing tube part 320, a front cover 330, a rear cover 340, an electrical connection unit 350, four device feet 360 and four fastening screws 361 (FIGS. 11, 13-15).

The base plate 310 has a circular disk-shaped basic shape and has a circumferential, upward-facing edge 311 (FIG. 15) and four through bores 312 for receiving the fastening screws 361. In this exemplary embodiment, the base plate 310 is made from beech wood from a rod-glued round material (milled) and has the following dimensions:

Outside diameter of base plate 310 320 mm

Total height of base plate 310 25 mm Inner diameter edge 311 200 mm height edge 311 10 mm

 Distance from the center 88 mm

The housing tube part 320 has the shape of a cylinder jacket which is bent from a sheet metal and laterally slotted, the abutting edges 321 of the slot being at a distance from one another (FIG. 12). At the lower end of the housing tube part 320, opposite the slot defined by the edges 321, a recess 322 with a rectangular shape is formed, the width of which corresponds to the distance between the edges 321. Furthermore, four inwardly bent fastening tabs 323, each with a bore 324, are formed at the lower end of the housing tube part 320. The bore 324 can be a threaded bore or a through bore, depending on the type of fastening screws 361 as metric or self-tapping screws. A moon rest 325 with four through holes 326 is arranged at a distance from the upper edge of the housing tube part 320. The moon rest 325 has its name from the shape reminiscent of a crescent moon, which can also be described as a disk segment of a fixed angular length. The hole pattern of the bores 326 corresponds to the hole pattern of the screw-in bores on the front side of the shoulder 236 of the grinding chamber block 220 (FIG. 17).

In the present exemplary embodiment, the housing tube part 320 and the moon rest 235 are made of stainless steel (for example 1.4401 or X5CrNiMol7-12-2 or 1.4404 or X2CrNiMol7-12-2 according to EN 10088-3). The shape of the housing tube part 320 is first cut from the raw sheet by laser cutting and then bent into shape.

In continuation of the lateral edges of the fastening tabs 323, the sheet metal has notches which are dimensioned such that the fastening tabs 323 are flat with the lower edge of the housing tube part after the bending. After the housing tube part 320 has been bent, the lunar support 325 is welded in the circumferential direction centrally above the rear recess 322, at a predetermined distance from the upper edge of the housing tube part 320. The dimensions on the housing tube part 320 are as follows in the present exemplary embodiment:

Before bending:

 Width of the housing tube part 320 529.99 mm

 Length x width of the tabs 323 14.21x26.34 mm

Distance of the rear tabs 323 from each other 150.45 mm

 Distance of the front tabs 323 from each other 465.02 mm

 Hole 324 (depending on the fastening screw 361) M3 to M5

or 02 ~ 3 mm Width x height of the rear recess 322 85.48x92 mm

 After bending:

 Dimensions of the housing tube part 320 0200x260 mm

 Angular distance of the edges 321 50 °

 Angular width of the rear recess 322 50 °

 Moon rest 325:

 Outer / inner diameter x thickness 0194 / 156x3 mm Angle length of the disc segment 215 °

 Through holes 326 04.2 mm

 Distance from the upper edge of the tubular housing part 320 23 mm

The front panel 330 and the rear panel 340 are each plate-shaped components, the front panel 330 being adapted to the slot of the housing tube part 320 defined by the edges 321 and the rear panel 340 being adapted to the rear recess 322 of the housing tube part 320 is. More specifically, the front panel 330 has a groove 331 formed on the side edges in each case, which is adapted to receive the edges 321 of the housing tube part 320, and the rear panel 340 has a groove 341 formed all around on the side edges and the top edge which is adapted to receive the edges of the rear recess 322 of the housing tube part 320. Furthermore, the front panel 330 is somewhat shorter (by the height of the edge 311 of the base plate 310) than the housing tube part 320 and somewhat wider (by the groove depth on both sides) than the slot of the housing tube part 320 defined by the edges 321 rear panel 340 is slightly wider (by the mutual groove depth) than the rear recess 322 of the housing tube part 320 and has a length which corresponds to the height of the rear recess 322 minus the height of the rim 311 and plus the groove depth. The outer flank of the groove 341 on the upper edge of the rear cover 340 follows a circle which corresponds to the outer diameter of the housing tube part 320, and the groove 341 sits on the outer edges of the rear cover 340 with an inclination with respect to the outer surface of the rear cover 340 continues, the said inclination approximately corresponding to the angle of a tangent to the upper groove at the lateral end of the rear panel 340. The grooves 331 of the front panel have the same inclination. (Ideally, the grooves 331, 341 would also follow the curved profile of the housing tube part 320 with curved groove flanks on the lateral edges of the diaphragms 330, 340, but this would be more complex and expensive in terms of production technology. Straight-sided groove flanks are considerably easier to produce with a groove cutter provide a sufficient approximation to the curved shape of the housing tube part 320. Optionally, the housing tube part 320 can also be flat in a narrow edge region following the edges which are received in the lateral grooves.) Furthermore, the front panel 330 has an elongated hole 332 for late ter receiving the outlet pipe 250 of the grinder unit 200 and the rear panel 340 has a recess 342 for receiving the electrical connection unit 350.

In this exemplary embodiment, the front panel 330 and the rear panel 340 are made of beech wood from a blank plate (milled) and have the following dimensions:

Length x width x thickness of front panel 330 250 x 90 x 25 mm slotted hole 332 (in relation to hole centers) R15 x 40 mm

 Distance slot 332 from upper edge 40 mm

 Width x depth of the grooves 331, 341 3x8 mm

 Radius outer flank groove 341 on top of R100

 Distance grooves 331, 341 from outer surface approx.15.7 mm

 Sloping lateral grooves 331, 341 22.5 ~ 25 °

To assemble the housing assembly 300, the front panel 330 and the rear panel 340 with the grooves 331, 341 milled into the side are pushed onto the housing tube part 320. To assemble the base plate 310, the housing tube part 310 is placed on the upper side and the base plate 310 is placed with the edge 311 downward on the lower edge of the housing tube part 320, the lower edge of the housing tube part 320 fitting against the inside of the edge 311 of the Bottom plate 310 nestles. When placing the base plate 310, it is also important to ensure that the hole patterns of the through holes 312 of the base plate 310 and the threaded holes 324 of the fastening tabs 323 match. To fasten the device feet 360, these are placed on the through holes 312 of the base plate 310, then the fastening screws 361 are guided through central bores of the device feet 360 and the through bores 312 of the base plate 310 and screwed into the threaded bores 342 of the fastening lugs 323.

The grinder assembly 200 is placed with the shoulder 236 (FIG. 17) on the lunar support 325, paying attention to the hole pattern, and screwed to the housing through fastening holes 326 in the lunar support 325. Due to the screw connection to the grinder assembly 200, the front panel 330 and the rear panel 340 in the housing tube part 320 are clamped to the base plate 310 and do not have to be glued separately.

The electrical connection unit 350 has a toggle main switch and an integrated glass fuse insert. Electromagnetic shielding is not required for the present application. The electrical connection unit 350 is advantageously selected for compactness and easy installation. Such an electrical connection unit can, for example, be a connector from the KM00 series, which is available from RS-Components and is designed for a mains voltage of 250 V ~, a maximum operating load of 10A, an operating temperature of -20 ° C to 70 ° C Has protection class I and combines an IEC connector, fuse link and toggle switch in a compact housing with snap connection (Snapfit). The KM01 series can also be used for a different mains voltage, which can be operated at a mains voltage of 125/250 V ~ with otherwise the same properties.

When selecting the device feet 360, noise-damping properties and flow on the base are important parameters. A suitable device base is available from the Rhode company under the designation 'GG type A' made of black PVC. With a load capacity of at least 200 N, this device base has an external dimension of 019 xl3 mm with a central through hole of 04 mm and a cylindrical countersink of 08.6x6 mm. This fits with DIN 912 M4x30 mm socket head screws as the fastening screws 361. If the fastening straps are provided with a through hole instead of the threaded hole 324 in one design variant, self-tapping screws can also be used as fastening screws. In this embodiment, the housing unit 300 thus has a total height of 288 mm in the assembled state.

A control system 400 of the mill 1000 has an electronic control unit (ECU) 410, a temperature sensor 412, an interface 411, a power supply unit (PWR) 420, a safety switch 450, a grinding motor sensor 470, a relay / control element for grinding motor 471 and an actuator sensor 480 (FIG. 18). The touch display (TD) 240 can also be functionally assigned to the control 400.

The power supply unit 420 is connected to the electrical connection unit 350 and converts the received mains voltage into any necessary operating voltages. In the present exemplary embodiment, the grinding motor 271 works with mains voltage, while the servomotor 281, the ECU 410 and the touch display (TD) 240, for example, require an operating voltage of 5 V = to 48 ° V =. If necessary, the sensors 470, 480 may require a different drive voltage, which can also be supplied by the power supply unit 420 or by the ECU 410. In the present exemplary embodiment, the grinder motor sensor 470 is designed as a flat probe and the servomotor sensor 480 as a stepper motor card, which are designed and arranged to measure a current consumption of the grinder motor 271 or the servomotor 281 and return it to the ECU 410. The grinding motor 271 and / or the servomotor 281 can already be equipped in the factory with corresponding sensors 470, 480. When assembling the grinder assembly 200, the ECU 410 inserted into the electronics bay 227 of the grinding chamber block 220 and the touch display 240 is inserted into the display window 226. The ECU 410 can optionally be attached to a rear side of the touch display 240 or be produced with it in one component. The power supply unit 420 can also be integrated with the ECU 410 and / or the touch display 240. The ECU 410 can be designed as a microcontroller.

In the grinding chamber block 220, the safety switch 450 is also arranged at the bottom of the safety hole 224 and tells the ECU whether the cover is open or closed. The safety switch 450 is preloaded in a separating manner and only closes when the safety pin 130 hits the safety switch 450 on the underside of the cover part 120 of the funnel assembly 100. According to the design, this is only the case if the cover part 120 rests completely on the bearing surface 221 of the grinding chamber block 220. If the funnel assembly 100 is lifted off the grinding chamber block 220, the safety pin 130 is released from the safety switch 450, so the ECU immediately disconnects the motors 271, 281 from the current.

In this project, attention was paid to the simplest possible structure and mechanical principles. Accordingly, the principle of operation is also kept very simple. The distance adjustment works via an M84xl fine thread 265, 292. Since the mill 1000 is in the operating state between min. 0.05 mm and max. 3 mm distance adjustment moves, the angle of rotation in the working process of the grinder is max. 1080 °. This is achieved by the servomotor 281 (stepper motor) with pinion 284, which has a step width of 1.8 °. The servomotor 281 receives the required angle of rotation from the ECU 410, which represents the electronic control unit of the mill 1000. This ECU 410 decides on the control chain and the corresponding algorithm as to whether adjustment must be made in the rough or fine direction. Since the ratio i = 7.5, the servomotor 281 must therefore rotate 22.5 times for this minimum or maximum value.

After switching on the flaup switch 353 of the electrical connection unit 350 on the rear of the device, the device starts the microcontroller 410 and the touch display 240 and, if necessary, runs through a calibration cycle. If calibration or cleaning is required, the user is informed about further steps on the touch display 240 under control of the ECU 410. Cleaning the grinder means that the servomotor 281 adjusts the grinder in the "rough" direction and increases the distance between the grinding elements 261, 273 to a predetermined value of, for example, 2 mm. After the confirmed request to place a suitable vessel, the lower grinding element begins 273 (connected to the grinding motor 271, soiling is ejected by the flour ejector 250. The cleaning cycle takes about 5 seconds, for example. Depending on the degree of soiling is indicated on the touch display 240 to fill a suitable cleaning agent in the funnel (filling cone 110). At the end of the cleaning cycle, the device is calibrated. For this purpose, the upper grinding body 261 is moved in the "fine" direction until the servo motor sensor 480 of the servo motor 281 sends a high current back to the microcontroller 410 and compares it with a threshold value in the control unit ECU 410. Detects the stepping motor edge 480 an increase in Current consumption, this position is stored in the ECU 410 and the grinding gap is set to zero. In this case, the grinding media 261,

273 together and the zero point is redefined. This position is stored in the non-volatile memory (e.g. EPROM memory) of the ECU 410 and used as a new zero distance position. A recalibration is provided, for example, every 10 grinding cycles in order to compensate for the wear on the grinding bodies 261, 273 and to achieve a guaranteed fineness of flour.

 Via the touch display 240, the user can select the desired type of grain and the degree of flour fineness and put the device into operation. When the input has been made, the servomotor 281 automatically moves the upper grinding body 261 into the required position with the request to fill the grinding material into the funnel 110. After confirmation via the touch display 240, the grinding motor 271 is started and the grinding process begins. The microcontroller 410 automatically recognizes the end of the grinding process and switches off the grinding motor 271. The user can now start another grinding cycle or switch off the device. Before switching off, the device cleans itself. The user is again informed of the need to store a suitable vessel. After the cleaning cycle has been completed and the appliance has been switched off, the device is in standby mode, which can be ended by touching the touch display 240. The device can be switched off completely at any time using the main switch (350) to save electricity and thus costs.

Among other things, provisions of the low voltage directive 2014/35 / EU are decisive for the reliable design of the mill according to the invention. This directive contains all the templates for placing low-voltage devices on the market within the EU. The following aspects are particularly relevant:

Isolation of live elements

 Risk of injury from moving parts

 risk of explosion

Ease of use also falls within operational safety, since subsequent handling of sharp objects, for example to clean smeared grinding media, can increase the risk of injury. For example, a cable with the specification “YMM, H05W-F 'can be used to connect the mill 1000 according to the invention to a power supply network. The 1.5 meter long cable is assembled at one end with a Schuko plug and at the other end with a cold device connector and thus fits both the cold device built-in connector of the electrical connection unit 350 and the power supply sockets common in Austria and Germany , This enables the mill 1000 to be supplied with operating current (240 V ~) safely. By exchanging the cable, it can be easily adapted to other network connections in other countries. The cable has the following properties:

- High mechanical strength

 - 300V - 500V

 - Fine wire (flexible)

 - Temperature resistant up to 70 °

 - Reinforced insulation of the conductors

 - PVC sheathing

According to DIN VDE 0281, these properties ensure safe use for household appliances and also provide sufficient operational safety in relation to the sharp objects that are often present in the household, such as knives or table edges.

According to ÖVE / ÖNORM IEC 60884-1, the electrical connection unit 350 in the form of an IEC built-in appliance connector with a fuse insert for glass fuses and an illuminated toggle switch is suitable for the present application. The simple insertion device with retaining clips makes mounting on the rear panel 340 very easy.

The touch display 240 is supplied with 5 V = and is therefore not included in the risk assessment.

All openings that lead into the interior of the mill 1000 according to the invention are designed in such a way that it is not possible to intervene in moving parts during normal operation. The EN 349 standard, among other things, is the basis for the constructive design. The ejection tube 250 has a length of 180 mm. The length of the standard finger is exceeded many times over, so the flour ejection is considered safe. The funnel opening through which the ground material enters the interior of the device also exceeds the minimum length and is therefore permissible.

According to the standard for explosion risk "ATEX Product Directive 2014/34 / EU", the critical dust concentration and the associated causal properties such as temperature ture and open fire in the mill 1000 according to the invention not reached. The critical temperature is 120 °, which is not exceeded. The highest flour temperature in the interior is max. 75 °, the flour temperature when leaving the device is max. 70 ° and is therefore not relevant. During the grinding operation, the dust concentration inside the grinding chamber as well as when leaving due to the flour ejection is too high to ignite. Dust formation outside the device, caused by the device itself, cannot occur, since the rotating air inside the grinding chamber block 220 is braked by the material to be ground. The operating manual warns of an externally caused risk of explosion by the user.

In order to successfully ensure the improvement of the grain mills for domestic use currently sold on the market, several devices were tested for their functions. The inventor's empirical values were also included in the development. This quickly gave rise to some potential for improvement. Obvious risks and their causes could be filtered out of these possible improvements. This procedure now serves as the basis for product planning with regard to the execution of the design and also for the control.

A risk relates to the overloading of the grinding motor 271 by foreign bodies in the ground material or also by the above-mentioned smearing of the grinding bodies 261, 273. This overloading could result in a motor fire. In the mill 1000 according to the invention, the grinding process is regulated in a defined manner by means of the servomotor 281 and associated control technology 400. The map, which is stored on the microcontroller 410 and is an important part of the grinding degree adjustment, serves as a setpoint table for the microcontroller 410. This data is recorded by the grinding motor sensor 470 and compared with values in the setpoint table. The servomotor 281 corrects the degree of flour fineness by constantly readjusting the target and actual values. This prevents smearing of the grinding media 261, 273, which could otherwise lead to the grinding process coming to a standstill. If there is a blockage of the grinding media 261, 273 (smearing or foreign matter in the material to be ground), the ECU 410 issues an error message and notifies the user via the touch display 240 of a defined cleaning sequence using suitable cleaning agents. With this type of grinder regulation, possible user intervention in the interior of the device is not necessary and the risk of injury is minimized.

To ensure an optimal grinding process, the starting and idling current of the grinding motor 270 must be measured regularly and stored as a new reference value in the value table of the ECU 410. As for the wear of the grinding media 261, 273, a wear of the grinding media of 0.03 mm per 100 applications could be determined by test as a guideline value. Of course, this also depends on the hardness of the regrind and the handling of the Mill 1000. However, this has a significant influence on the degree of flour fineness when used continuously. In order to prevent a motor fire of the grinding motor 271 by overloading the system, a grinding motor 271 with an overload protection is installed in the mill 1000 according to the invention.

Since wear of the grinding media 261, 273 would reduce the degree of flour fineness with frequent use of the device, the device calibrates itself at certain time intervals. This ensures that the distance between the grinding media 261, 273 is maintained and readjusted by the No user.

In the case of cleaning or maintenance work by the end user, it is often necessary to intervene in the grinder in conventional grain mills, since the filling funnel can be removed to expose the grinding media. This is a risk that can lead to personal injury. This risk is excluded in the mill 1000 according to the invention by the safety switch and the safety pin 130.

The invention relates to a grain mill for use in particular in the household. A special feature of this grain mill is that it automatically adjusts to different types of grain, which can be selected in a menu using the touch display 240. There is a special mechanism for adjusting the spacing of the grinding bodies 273, 261, which comprises the servomotor 281 and a gear with a large setting wheel 269, which can be rotated with the servomotor 281 via the pinion 284.

The distance adjustment mechanism 260, 290 has a special spindle drive 265, 292 with a specific pitch, which on the one hand has a high self-locking and on the other hand causes little wear. This adjustment mechanism even allows the distance to be readjusted during operation.

The operator can select or set a type of grain and / or the degree of grinding in certain, discrete gradations on the touch display 240. The servomotor 281 now moves the grinding bodies 273, 261 apart or together as far as the selected program and the corresponding previously stored position in the ECU 410 provide. It should be mentioned here in particular that the servomotor 281 during the grinding process is always supplied with current, ie it acts like a dynamically active abutment (torque balance).

Dynamic grinding can be made possible by adapting the speed to the respective regrind. The temperature development on the grinding media is reduced and noise emissions are made possible. This enables problematic regrind to be processed.

Another special feature of the mill is that it adjusts itself automatically during the grinding process by turning the servomotor 281 in order to ensure a constant flour fineness. The increase in power of the drive motor 271 of the lower grinding body 273 is detected via the grinding motor sensors 470 and 480 and compared with the table of values in the ECU 410. An increase in output will cause the grinding elements 273 and 261 to merge, whereas a decrease in output will result in the grinding elements 273 and 261 being separated. However, if an abrupt drop in power of the drive motor 271 were detected by the grinding motor sensors 470 and 480 after the grinding bodies 273, 261 were brought together and the power consumption of the drive motor 271 was changed slightly, this would result in smearing of 261 and 273 in the area 277. After the grinding bodies 261 and 273 have been brought apart again minimally, rough smearing can be counteracted independently and prematurely. The user would not notice a readjustment of this type. If, on the other hand, smearing of the grinding media 273 and 261 cannot be avoided, the grinding operation is interrupted by the ECU 410 and the user is asked to carry out cleaning.

The grinding gap is finely adjusted during the grinding process as described above using the grinding resistance (torque requirement of the grinding motor 271, which specifies the power consumption of the asynchronous motor via the known torque characteristic, which is now determined by the grinding motor sensor 470 (Hall sensor) and via the stepper motor card 480 via The measured actual power consumption is compared with the previously stored values in the control, and according to the selected program, the height of the grinding gap is now tracked by the control algorithm. The operating time of the grinder is also continuously over the functional life of the Hall sensor recorded and stored in the EPROM memory of the ECU 410 and leads to the indication of a maintenance process in accordance with previously defined maintenance intervals which are dependent on an operating time and determination of the wear on the grinding media es grinder light and user-friendly without additional Effort can be adjusted. And the operator does not need to correct the degree of flour fineness during operation.

The invention is suitable for all types of grinders in the household and small business sector, in particular for grain mills, coffee grinders and the like. Other grinding materials can be ground using the same principle by adapting the grinding media, the grinding gap width and the motor power of the grinding motor.

In embodiment variants, some of the elements described above can be changed, adapted, omitted or combined, or other elements can be added.

All of the materials and dimensions mentioned relate to preferred exemplary embodiments and do not limit the invention in any way, but are purely exemplary to illustrate a possible specific embodiment.

The exemplary embodiments explained above relate to mills with the following dimensions and properties:

 - 350 to 500 watts of grinding motor power

 - Quiet operation

 - Small size

 - Easy grinding chamber cleaning (especially through self-cleaning)

 - Grinding performance about 100 grams / min

 - Flour fineness up to very fine

 - Coarse for shot

 - Easy to use

 - Round design with a diameter of approximately 150 mm

 - Grinding body wear detection

 - Grinding media smear detection

 - Attractive design

 - longevity

 - Automatic adjustment of the grinding gap

 - Adjustment of the grinding gap during operation

 - Change in speed of the grinding motor

Within the scope of the invention the mills can of course also be dimensioned differently. The grinding motor output can be up to 1000 watts and even up to 2000 watts grinding motor output in small-scale mills. The invention can also be used with large commercial mills are used in which the grinding motor output is correspondingly higher.

The grinding capacity and size can vary accordingly.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100 funnel assembly 261 upper grinding element 110 funnel part (second grinding element) 112 filling cone 262 through hole 114 plate 263 threaded sleeve 116 outlet connection 264 socket

 120 cover part 265 movement thread

121 circular edge 266 recess

 122 straight edge 266.1 sealing surface

 123 through hole 267 setting wheel

 124 pass hole 268 external teeth

130 Locking pin 269 screw

140 locking pin 270 grinder motor unit 200 grinder assembly 271 grinder motor

210 mounting plate 272 shaft guide

220 milling chamber block 273 lower milling body

221 contact surface (first grinding body)

222 stop edge 274 profiling

 223 blind hole 275 threaded sleeve

224 securing hole 276 wiper

 225 bevel 277 grinding surface

 226 Display window 278 threaded hole

227 Electronics bay 279 Motor shaft

 228 adjusting wheel chamber 280 servomotor unit

229 pinion chamber 281 servomotor

 230 axle bearing bore 1 282 fixing screw

231 threaded wheel chamber 283 shaft guide

232 bore 284 pinion

 233 grinding chamber 287 edge

 234 axle bearing bore 2 288 threaded bore

235 Oblique hole 289 Motor shaft

 236 Paragraph 290 Actuator

240 Display 291 support thread carrier 245 catch 292 support thread 250 ejection tube 293 through hole

260 upper grinding unit 295 sealing element

296 spacer sleeve 297 screw 350 electrical connection unit

 300 housing assembly 351 plug insert

 310 base plate 352 fuse link

 311 edge 353 main switch

 312 through hole 360 device base

 320 housing tube part 361 fastening screw

 321 edge 400 control technology

322 rear recess 410 microcontroller

 323 mounting bracket (electronic control unit ECU)

324 threaded hole 411 interface

 325 moon rest 412 temperature sensor

 326 through hole 420 power supply

 330 front panel 430 safety switch

 331 slot 470 grinder motor sensor

 332 slot 471 relay / control

 340 rear panel 480 servomotor sensor

 341 Nut 1000 grain mill

 342 recess

The above list is an integral part of the description.

Claims

claims

1. Mill (1000) for a granular organic ground material, comprising a first grinding body (273) and a second grinding body (261), which are received in a grinding chamber block (220), a grinding motor (271) for driving the first grinding body ( 273) and a distance adjustment for setting a distance between the second grinding element (261) and the first grinding element (273), the distance adjustment having the following:

 a movement thread (265) which is formed on the second grinding body (261) or is fixedly connected to it and surrounds it

 a support thread (292) which meshes with the movement thread (265) in order to move the second grinding body (261) axially relative to the first grinding body (273),

- An adjusting wheel (267) which is formed on the second grinding body (261) or is firmly connected to the latter,

 - A pinion (284) which is engaged with the adjusting wheel (267) to drive the adjusting wheel (267), and

 a servomotor (281) for driving the pinion (284),

 characterized in that a mounting plate (210) is provided on which the grinding motor (271) and a supporting thread carrier (292) having the supporting thread (292) are fixedly attached, preferably screwed, independently of the grinding chamber block (220).

2. Mill (1000) according to claim 1, wherein the grinding chamber block (220) is made of wood, and wherein the mounting plate (210) is preferably made of metal, in particular steel.

3. Mill (1000) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the grinding chamber block (220) on the mounting plate (210) is firmly attached, preferably screwed.

4. Mill (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the support thread carrier (291) is fixed at least at one spacer, preferably a plurality of spacer sleeves (296), at a fixed distance from the mounting plate (210).

5. Mill (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement thread (265) is formed on a preferably cup-shaped holder (261), the second grinding body (261) being accommodated in the holder (261) and preferably the holder ( 261) made of plastic and the support thread carrier (291) made of metal, in particular stainless steel.

6. Mill (1000) according to claim 5, wherein the adjusting wheel (267) is screwed to the second grinding body (261) with a bottom of the cup-shaped holder (264) in between.

7. Mill (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the pinion (284) and the adjusting wheel (267) have a spur toothing and preferably a gear ratio of 5 to 10, in particular 7.5 to one another.

8. Mill (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the servomotor (281) is a stepper motor, which preferably has a step size of 1.5 to 2 °, in particular 1.8 °.

9. Mill (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a grinding motor shaft (279) of the grinding motor (271) and a servomotor shaft (289) of the servomotor (281) in the grinding chamber block (220) are mounted exclusively radially.

10. Mill (1000) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support thread carrier (291) with an elastic, sealing and sound-absorbing sealing element (295) rests on a surface of the grinding chamber block (220), the sealing element (295) being a grinding chamber of the grinding chamber block ( 220), in which the first grinding element (273) and the second grinding element (261) are arranged, seals off other areas of the grinding chamber block (220), the sealing element (295) preferably being made of felt.

11. Mill (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising an electronic control unit (410) for controlling the grinding motor (271) and the servomotor (281), wherein the electronic control unit (410) is preferably designed as a microcontroller.

12. The mill (1000) according to claim 11, further comprising a user interface, which preferably has a touch display (240), the electronic control unit (410) being designed to send data to the user interface for output to the user. to receive the and input from the user from the user interface.

13. Mill (1000) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the electronic control unit (410) is designed to set a distance preset value for a distance between the first grinding element (273) and the second grinding element (261) as a function of a predetermined given degree of grinding of the grinding stock and a stored zero distance position, in which the second grinding element (261) sits on the first grinding element (273), and set by means of actuation of the servomotor (281), the distance specification preferably also depending on a predetermined value Type of millbase is determined, and the predetermined degree of grinding and optionally the predetermined type of millbase can be selected by a user via a user interface.

14. Mill (1000) according to one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising at least one motor power detection device for detecting a current power of the grinding motor (271) and / or the servomotor (281), the electronic control unit (410) being designed, to use the power detected by the at least one motor power detection device to control the grinding motor (271) and / or the servomotor (281), the motor power detection device preferably comprising a motor sensor (470, 480) for detecting a current consumption of the grinding motors (271) or the servomotor (281), the motor sensor (470, 480) in particular having a Hall sensor.

15. The mill (1000) according to claim 14, wherein the electronic control unit (410) is designed to provide a grinding resistance between the first grinding body (273) and the second grinding body (261) based on the current power detected by the at least one motor power detection device of the grinding motor (271) and to adjust the default value for the distance between the first grinding element (273) and the second grinding element (261) as a function of the determined grinding resistance.

16. The mill (1000) according to claim 15, wherein the electronic control unit (410) is designed to determine the need to clean the mill (1000) on the basis of the determined grinding resistance.

17. Mill (1000) according to one of claims 15 or 16, wherein the electronic control unit (410) is designed to automatically recognize the end of a grinding cycle on the basis of the determined grinding resistance and to then switch off the grinding motor (271).

18. Mill (1000), in particular according to one of claims 14 to 17, wherein an electronic control unit (410) is provided for carrying out a calibration process, this calibration process comprising:

Controlling a servomotor (281) in order to reduce the distance between a first grinding element (273) and a second grinding element (261),

 Detection of a placement of the second grinding body (261) on the first grinding body (273), preferably by evaluating a power of the servomotor (281) detected by the at least one motor power detection device,

 - Saving a position of the servomotor (281) when recognizing the touchdown as a new zero distance position, and

 - controlling the servomotor (281) in order to increase the distance between the first grinding element (273) and the second grinding element (261) by or to a predetermined value,

 wherein the calibration process is preferably carried out automatically after a predetermined number of grinding cycles or after a predetermined grinding period or when the mill (1000) is switched off or on or when the need for calibration is determined.

19. Mill (1000), in particular according to one of the claims from 14 to 18, wherein an electronic control unit (410) is provided for carrying out a cleaning process, said process comprising:

 Controlling a servomotor (281) in order to increase the distance between a first grinding element (273) and a second grinding element (261) by or to a predetermined value,

- if necessary, issuing a request for placing a suitable vessel under the flour ejection (250) via the touch display (240), - Controlling the grinding motor (271) in order to rotate it for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined speed, it being possible for the calibration process to be carried out after this cleaning process has ended.

20. Mill (1000) according to one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the electronic control unit (410) has a non-volatile memory device, which is designed to present a current zero distance position and control programs as well as characteristic curves and / or characteristic diagrams for controlling the grinding motor (271) and / or the servomotor (282) as functions or value tables.

21. A method for controlling a mill, which is preferably designed according to one of the preceding claims, comprising:

 - Specifying a distance default value for a distance between a first grinding element (273) and a second grinding element (261) as a function of a known zero distance position, in which the second grinding element (261) is seated on the first grinding element (273), and at least one of a predetermined degree of grinding and a type of ground material; and

 - Setting a distance between the first grinding element (273) and the second grinding element (261) by means of actuating a servomotor (281), which acts on at least one of the first grinding element (273) and the second grinding element (261), to the specified distance value .

 the predefined grinding degree and / or the predefined type of the grinding stock can be selected by a user via a user interface.

22. A method for controlling a mill, in particular according to claim 21, wherein the mill (1000) is preferably designed according to one of claims 1-20, the method comprising:

 - detecting a current output of a grinding motor (271) and / or the servomotor (281); and

 Using the detected power to control the grinding motor (271) and / or the servomotor (281),

the power being detected by detecting a current consumption of the grinding motor (271) or the servomotor (281), in particular by means of a Hall sensor.

23. A method for controlling a mill, in particular according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the mill (1000) is preferably designed according to one of claims 1-20, the method comprising:

 - Determining a grinding resistance between a first grinding element (273) and a second grinding element (261) on the basis of a detected current output of the grinding motor (271); and

 - Adjusting a default value for the distance between the first grinding element (273) and the second grinding element (261) as a function of the determined grinding resistance.

24. A method for controlling a mill, in particular according to one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the mill (1000) is preferably designed according to one of claims Ibis 20, the method comprising:

 - Determining a grinding resistance between a first grinding element (273) and a second grinding element (261) on the basis of a detected current output of the grinding motor (271); and

 - Determining whether the mill (1000) needs to be cleaned on the basis of the determined grinding resistance or a defined time interval or taking into account the operating times or cycles.

25. A method for controlling a mill, in particular according to one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the mill (1000) is preferably designed according to one of claims 1 to 20, the method comprising:

 - Determining a grinding resistance between a first grinding element (273) and a second grinding element (261) on the basis of a detected current output of the grinding motor (271);

 - Detection of an end of a grinding cycle based on the determined grinding resistance; and

- Switching off the grinding motor (271) after recognizing the end of the grinding cycle.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein a current zero distance position and control programs as well as characteristics and / or maps for controlling the grinding motor (271) and / or the servomotor (282) are stored as functions or tables of values in a preferably non-volatile memory become.