WO2022239364A1

WO2022239364A1 - Grinding device

Info

Publication number: WO2022239364A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/007642
Authority: WO
Inventors: 幸治池田; 宏明頭司; 慶一吉野; 俊樹清水; 康彦太田; クリストファージョージフレックトナー
Original assignee: ＤａｒｉＫ株式会社
Priority date: 2021-05-12
Filing date: 2022-02-24
Publication date: 2022-11-17

Abstract

This grinding device comprises: a first transportation mechanism that receives cacao nib supply from a nib introduction tube and transports same to a subsequent mechanism; a coarsely grinding mechanism that coarsely grinds cacao nibs to produce coarsely ground nibs; a second transportation mechanism that transports the coarsely ground nibs to a subsequent mechanism; a rotary mill that further grinds the coarsely ground nibs to produce a cacao mass; a static mill that grinds the coarsely ground nibs in cooperation with the rotary mill to produce the cacao mass; and a motor provided with a driving axis for rotationally driving the first transportation mechanism, the second transportation mechanism, and the rotary mill.

Description

grinder

The present invention mainly relates to a grinding device that grinds cacao nibs obtained by roasting cacao beans and removing the skin.

Cocoa mass, which is a raw material for chocolate, is produced by grinding cacao nibs to a size of about 20 μm. Comparing cacao beans with coffee beans, coffee can be extracted by grinding coffee beans to coarse grains of about 0.5 to 1 mm, but cacao beans must be ground to a size of about 20 μm.
In addition, unlike coffee beans, cacao beans contain a large amount of cacao oils and fats, which are oil components, inside the beans. The melting point of cacao fats and oils is about 30° C. If the temperature of cacao beans drops below this melting point during grinding, the fats and oils do not melt out and become powder, not a paste with a particle size of 20 μm. Conversely, cacao fat loses its flavor if the temperature is too high.

In addition to the above, there are various problems as described later, so the technical barrier to grinding cacao nibs is extremely high. For this reason, the chocolate manufacturing process is mostly carried out only in large-scale factories, and the equipment is large and expensive. Grinding cacao nibs requires several to several tens of hours.
For the above reasons, a cocoa mass production apparatus capable of small-scale production in a short time has not been realized. Therefore, if an individual wanted to make cacao mass from cacao beans, they were forced to grind for at least several hours.

Patent Document 1 describes a technology related to cocoa mass processing that can grind cacao mass into fine and uniform particle sizes without causing deterioration of flavor, and can produce high-quality chocolate that is strong even in summer and has a good texture and mellow quality. is disclosed.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique related to a home-use chocolate manufacturing apparatus capable of producing compact chocolate in a short period of time and realizing low manufacturing costs.

US Pat. No. 5,300,000 discloses a refiner designed to defibrate lignocellulose-containing material with respect to the shape of the mortar.
Patent Literature 4 discloses a technique relating to the shape of the mortar, which is capable of suppressing variations in the particle size of powder caused by differences in the size of the crushed object that has been put into the mortar.

JP-A-5-184298 JP 2020-198854 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-527650 JP 2016-159234 A

The applicant is a manufacturer engaged in everything from the cultivation and procurement of cacao beans to the manufacture of chocolate.
The main raw material of chocolate is cocoa beans, and it is widely recognized as a fact that the quality of the raw cacao beans has a great influence on the flavor of the final product, chocolate.
In addition, in the existing chocolate manufacturing process, it takes several hours to several tens of hours to grind cacao nibs into a paste with a smooth texture. It is also known that while it becomes smoother, the aroma and unpleasant taste of the cocoa beans are reduced, and at the same time, the original flavor of the cocoa beans is diminished, resulting in chocolate with a uniform flavor.
Grinding in a short time is necessary to make the most of the unique characteristics of cacao beans due to the production area, variety, soil, weather, and post-harvest fermentation. There was a technically difficult problem in the production of cacao mass that it did not have a smooth texture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a grinding apparatus capable of grinding cocoa nibs to produce cocoa mass in an extremely short period of time while having a simple structure. .

In order to solve the above problems, the grinding apparatus of the present invention comprises a nib introduction cylinder, a first transport mechanism for receiving cacao nibs supplied from the nib introduction cylinder and transporting the cacao nibs to a subsequent mechanism, and A crushing mechanism that coarsely grinds the transported cocoa nibs to produce crushed nibs, a second conveying mechanism that transports the crushed nibs produced by the crushing mechanism to a subsequent mechanism, and a supply from the second conveying mechanism. a rotary mortar for further grinding the crushed nibs to produce cocoa mass, a fixed mortar arranged opposite to the rotary mortar and cooperating with the rotary mortar for grinding the coarsely crushed nibs to produce cocoa mass; A motor provided with a drive shaft for rotationally driving the first transport mechanism, the second transport mechanism and the rotary die.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a grinding apparatus that has a simple structure and can grind cacao nibs to produce cocoa mass in an extremely short period of time.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

1 is a perspective view of a grinding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; A is a top view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 1, B is a front view of this grinding device, C is a side view of this grinding device, and D is a back view of this grinding device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view enlarging a part of the grinding device shown in Fig. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the grinding device shown in FIG. 1, mainly showing parts that come into direct contact with cocoa nibs and/or cocoa mass. FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; A is a perspective view of a screw provided in the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1, B is a front view of this screw, and C is a side view of this screw. 4A to 4D are schematic views of the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the upper surface of the hopper, showing how a screw housed in a case is rotationally driven by a motor; FIG. A is a side view of the screw and pre-plate at the 0° rotation position in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1, B is a side view of the screw and the pre-plate at the 90° rotation position, C is a side view of the screw and pre-plate at a 180° rotation position in this grinding device, and D is a side view of the screw and pre-plate at a 270° rotation position in this grinding device. FIG. 2 is a side view of a screw including a partial cross-section of a pre-plate when cacao nibs pass through windows of the pre-plate in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; A is a front view of a pre-plate provided in the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and B is a front view of a pre-plate and a propeller provided in this grinding apparatus. FIG. 2 is a front view of a fixed die included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a groove formed in a fixed die of the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing only two specific grooves of a fixed die in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a front view of a rotary mill included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a rotary mill included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a view of only two specific grooves of the rotary mill in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; 2A and 2B are partially enlarged views of grooves of a fixed die and a rotary die provided in the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. A is a partially enlarged view schematically showing the grooves on the outer periphery of the fixed die in the grinding device shown in FIG. Partial enlarged view (Part 1) schematically showing, C is a partial cross-sectional view (Part 1) schematically showing the first groove group of the fixed die and the outer peripheral groove of the rotary die in this grinding apparatus, D is a partially enlarged view schematically showing the first groove group of the fixed die and the grooves on the outer periphery of the rotary die in this grinding apparatus (Part 2), E is the first groove group of the fixed die in this grinding apparatus It is a partial cross-sectional view (2) which shows typically the groove|channel of the outer periphery of a rotary die. 2 is a perspective view of the grinding section of the grinding device shown in FIG. 1 with a unit cover removed from the grinding section; FIG. A is a front view of an inner disk support provided in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1, and B is a perspective view of the inner disk support provided in this grinding device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control unit included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing software functions of a control unit provided in the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of a control unit provided in the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a front view of a fixed die showing a modification of transverse grooves; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a grinding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 27 is a longitudinal sectional view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; A is a top view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 26, B is a front view of this grinding device, C is a side view of this grinding device, and D is a rear view of this grinding device. Fig. 27 is a longitudinal sectional view enlarging a part of the grinding device shown in Fig. 26; 27 is an exploded perspective view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; FIG. FIG. 27 is a side view of a screw included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; 27 is a view of the screw in the case seen through the nib introduction tube in the grinding device shown in FIG. 26. FIG. FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing a pre-plate and a discharge plate included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; A is a view of the arrangement of the screw, pre-plate, and discharge plate during the period of nib supply, viewed from the tip side of the screw, and B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the screw, pre-plate, and discharge plate during the period of nib supply. A is a view of the arrangement of the screw, pre-plate, and discharge plate during the nib supply interruption period as viewed from the tip side of the screw, and B is a longitudinal sectional view showing the arrangement of the screw, pre-plate, and discharge plate during the nib supply interruption period. be. FIG. 27 is a front view of an inner disk support included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an inner disk support included in the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; 27 is a flow chart showing a method of controlling a fan by a control unit provided in the grinding device shown in FIG. 26. FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of control configuration of a grinding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; A is a diagram showing the operation position of the dial knob when the user of the grinding device selects the manufacturing mode, B is a diagram showing the operation position of the dial knob in the neutral state, and C is a diagram showing the operation position of the dial knob when the user of the grinding device is in the storefront mode. It is a figure which shows the operation position of a dial knob at the time of selecting. FIG. 27 is a flow chart showing an example of control processing executed by a control unit provided in the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; FIG.

<First Embodiment>
[Grinding device 101: overall configuration]
Hereinafter, the overall configuration and functions of the grinding device 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a grinding device 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped driving section 102 and a cylindrical grinding section 103. As shown in FIGS. Inside the drive unit 102, as shown in FIG. 2, a motor 201 and a control unit 202 are housed.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the motor 201 is supported inside the driving section 102 by a device frame 417 so that the drive shaft 201a is oriented horizontally. In the grinding device 101 shown in FIG. 1, a pot 105 for receiving cocoa mass discharged from the grinding section 103 is placed on a table 106 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, many of the major components of grinding device 101 are housed in grinding section 103 .
The grinding unit 103 has an opening 104a in the vertical direction, a hopper 104 for accumulating cocoa nibs, and a screw that constitutes a first transport mechanism that receives cocoa nibs supplied from the hopper 104 and transports the cocoa nibs to a subsequent mechanism. 401. The entire surface of the grinding section 103 is covered with a unit cover 107 .

Next, the grinding section 103 has a pre-plate 402 which constitutes a coarse grinding mechanism together with the screw 401 for coarsely grinding cacao nibs transported from the screw 401 to produce coarsely ground nibs.
The grinding section 103 has a propeller 405 that constitutes a second transport mechanism that transports the coarsely ground nibs produced by the screw 401 and the preplate 402 to the following rotary die 403 and stationary die 404 .
Further, the grinding unit 103 is arranged to face a rotary mortar 403 that grinds the coarsely crushed nibs supplied from the propeller 405 to produce cacao mass, and is arranged to face the rotary mortar 403, and coarsely grinds in cooperation with the rotary mortar 403. It has a fixed mortar 404 that grinds the nibs to produce cocoa mass.

Since the screw 401, the propeller 405, and the rotary die 403 are fitted on the drive shaft 201a of the motor 201, they are integrally rotated by the drive shaft 201a. Motor 201 is a common power source for screw 401 , propeller 405 , and rotary die 403 . Motor 201 directly rotates screw 401, propeller 405, and rotary die 403 through drive shaft 201a. The drive shaft 201a is installed horizontally, and the rotary mill 403 and fixed mill 404 are installed vertically.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the grinding device 101 of this embodiment, the grinding section 103 is constructed to be extremely compact.

Next, the constituent parts of the grinding section 103 will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 4, the grinding section 103 has a case 406 fixed to the device frame 417 . The case 406 has a brim-shaped support plate 406a screwed to the device frame 417, a horizontally extending screw housing cylinder 406b, and a nib introduction cylinder 406c provided substantially perpendicular to the screw housing cylinder 406b. have.

A screw housing cylinder 406b formed in a hollow cylindrical shape houses the screw 401 therein.
The nib introduction tube 406c is also formed in a hollow cylindrical shape like the screw storage tube 406b. An upper end opening of the nib introduction tube 406c is connected to the hopper 104 . An opening portion at the lower end of the nib introduction tube 406c is connected to the screw storage tube 406b.

The nib introduction cylinder 406c has the role of supporting the hopper 104 and introducing the cacao nibs stored in the hopper 104 from the opening 104a of the hopper 104 into the screw storage cylinder 406b. Therefore, when looking into the opening 104a of the hopper 104, it can be seen that part of the screw 401 is exposed to the opening 104a through the nib introduction tube 406c.

Also, the fixed die 404 is supported by an inner disk support 407 supported by a case 406 , and the rotary die 403 is supported by an outer disk support 408 . Although details will be described later, an inner adapter 413 made of resin is interposed between the inner disk support 407 and the case 406 . This inner adapter 413 is provided to prevent the heat generated from the fixed die 404 and/or the inner disk support 407 from being conducted to the cocoa nibs housed in the screw housing cylinder 406b of the case 406 and the transport groove 401a of the screw 401. there is

In order to obtain liquid cocoa mass, the cacao oil contained in the cocoa mass must be warmed to 30°C or higher. For this reason, the inner disk support 407 incorporates a heater 2101, which will be described later with reference to FIG. Also, when the rotary mill 403 is rotationally driven by the motor 201 , frictional heat is generated in the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 .

On the other hand, when cacao nibs are heated to 30° C. or higher, the cacao oil and fat dissolves, and the dissolved cacao oil and fat poses a serious problem when the cacao nibs are transported. For this reason, the mechanical parts that transport the cocoa nibs, namely the case 406 and the screw 401, must be kept below 30°C. Therefore, between the inner disk support 407 that supports the fixed die 404 and the case 406, a part that blocks heat conduction is required. Similarly, between the rotary die 403 and the outer disk support 408 that supports it, and the drive shaft 201a to which the screw 401 is attached, a part that blocks heat conduction is required.
An inner adapter 413 and a support plate 412 are interposed between the inner disk support 407 and the case 406 for heat insulation.
A spacer 415 and an outer adapter 416 are interposed between the outer disk support 408 and rotary die 403 and the drive shaft 201a for heat insulation.

The outer disk support 408 is supported by the drive shaft 201a through an outer adapter 416. As shown in FIG. The rotational driving force of the motor 201 is transmitted to the rotary die 403 via the outer disk support 408 .
Also, the outer disk support 408 is pressed against the fixed die 404 by a nut 409 , a clamper 414 , a spacer 415 and a disc spring 410 . A nut 409 presses the outer disk support 408 onto the fixed die 404 . When the nut 409 is tightened, the nut 409 presses the disc spring 410 through the clamper 414 and spacer 415 . Then, the force with which the disc spring 410 presses the outer disk support 408 increases. The particle size of cocoa mass is determined by the force with which the disc spring 410 presses the outer disk support 408 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating die 403 and the outer disk support 408 are sealed by the stationary die 404 and the disk cover 411. The disk cover 411 has the role of preventing leakage of cocoa mass exuding from the peripheral edges of the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 and guiding the cocoa mass to a discharge port 411 a provided directly below the disk cover 411 .

Except for the fixed die 404, the rotary die 403, the inner adapter 413, the support plate 412, the spacer 415, and the outer adapter 416, almost all of the components of the grinding unit 103 are made of SUS304, SUS430, etc., and are robust compared to their weight. It is made of stainless steel, which is resistant to rust and has high thermal conductivity. Aluminum alloys, brass, and the like are not suitable as materials for the parts to be produced by the grinding unit 103 because they lack robustness.
Both the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 are made of ceramics such as alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride, etc., which have high hardness and are resistant to wear.
The inner adapter 413, the retainer plate 412, the spacer 415, and the outer adapter 416 are made of synthetic resin with high heat insulation performance such as monomer cast nylon or polyacetal.

The motor 201 rotates the screw 401, the propeller 405 and the rotary die 403 at a low rotational speed. In particular, since sufficient torque is required to drive the rotary mill 403 to grind cacao nibs to cacao mass, the motor 201 is a geared motor, a large output motor and a low rotation motor driver, etc., which outputs high torque at a low rotation speed. A motor that can

The grinding device 101 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 has a height including the hopper 104 of about 50 cm, a driving section 102 having a height of 41 cm, a driving section 102 having a depth of about 26 cm, and a grinding section 103 having a depth of about At 16 cm, it is the same size as a well-known coffee maker. This grinding device 101 is thus very compact compared to known chocolate manufacturing plants. Naturally, the cost of manufacturing the grinding device 101 is overwhelmingly lower when compared to known chocolate manufacturing plants.

The size of the grinding device 101 described above is the numerical value of the prototype at the time of the filing of the present patent application, and may change as the device is improved in the future. It is still an equivalent, smaller device.

Once the grinding device 101 of the present embodiment is put into operation, the cocoa mass is discharged in just 30 seconds to 1 minute after the cacao nibs are put into the hopper 104. This means that it has an overwhelmingly faster cocoa mass production capacity compared to known chocolate manufacturing plants.

Furthermore, in the grinding device 101 of the present embodiment, the transportation route until the cocoa nibs are ground into cocoa mass by the grinding unit 103 is about 15 cm including the hopper 104, and it reaches 10 cm if the hopper 104 is excluded. do not have. This point also means that the cacao nibs are ground into cocoa mass in a short period of time via an extremely short transportation route constituted by the grinding section 103, as compared with a well-known chocolate manufacturing plant.

[First Transport Mechanism]
Next, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the screw 401 constituting the first transport mechanism used in the grinding device 101 of this embodiment will be described.
7A, B and C show perspective, front and side views of the screw 401, respectively. 8A to 8D show views of the screw 401 housed in the case 406 being rotationally driven by the motor 201, viewed from above the hopper 104. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the transport groove 401a of the screw 401, which is visible from the opening 104a of the hopper 104 and the nib introduction cylinder 406c of the case 406, is exposed to the nib introduction cylinder 406c by the rotational drive of the motor 201. There are times when it does (FIGS. 8B, C and D) and times when it hides without being exposed (FIG. 8A). The transport groove 401a is spirally formed.

The cacao nibs accumulated in the hopper 104 enter the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 by gravity, but when the transport groove 401a is not exposed to the nib introduction tube 406c, the cacao nibs do not enter the transport groove 401a of the screw 401. That is, the cocoa nibs are intermittently transported to the subsequent mechanism through the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 by the rotational driving of the motor 201.

The rotating mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 generate cocoa mass from coarsely crushed nibs (described later in FIG. 9) obtained by coarsely crushing cacao nibs by rotating the rotating mill 403 with the motor 201 . The production speed of cocoa mass by the rotary mill 403 and fixed mill 404 can be increased by increasing the rotation speed of the motor 201 . On the other hand, however, if the rotational speed of the rotary mill 403 is too high, the temperature of the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 will rise too much, which may hinder cocoa mass production.

For this reason, there is a limit to the cocoa mass production speed by the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404, in other words, the cacao nibs processing capacity per unit time. The speed at which the coarsely crushed nibs are transported by the propeller 405, which will be described later, is also configured according to the throughput of the rotary mill 403 and fixed mill 404. FIG. Therefore, there is a limit to the speed at which the propeller 405 can transport coarsely ground nibs, and as a result, it can be said that there is a limit to the cacao nibs processing capacity per unit time.

The fact that the propeller 405 has a limited capacity to process cocoa nibs per unit time means that the propeller 405 should not be supplied with cocoa nibs that exceed its capacity to process cocoa nibs per unit time.
If the hopper 104 continues to supply cocoa nibs indefinitely, the capacity of the propeller 405 to process cocoa nibs can easily be exceeded. Then, there arises a problem that unprocessed cocoa nibs are clogged in the screw 401 and the subsequent pre-plate 402 and propeller 405 .

Therefore, a mechanism is required to limit the amount of cocoa nibs supplied from the hopper 104 per unit time so as not to exceed the cacao nibs processing capacity of the rotary mill 403, fixed mill 404, and propeller 405 per unit time. A mechanism for limiting the amount of cacao nibs supplied per unit time is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D, when the screw 401 is viewed from the opening 104a of the hopper 104 and the nib introduction tube 406c of the case 406, the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 is completely hidden at the time of FIG. 8A. Also, the exposed area of the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 visible from the opening 104a of the hopper 104 and the nib introduction tube 406c of the case 406 starts to increase from FIG. 8B after passing FIG. 8A. Then, it becomes maximum in FIG. 8D, and the exposed area gradually decreases.

In this way, by limiting the exposed area per rotation of the motor 201 of the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 exposed from the nib introduction tube 406c, cocoa nibs supplied from the hopper 104 in the direction of the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 can limit the supply of

The mechanism for limiting the amount of cocoa nibs supplied using the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 can be easily realized by simply adjusting the exposed area of the transport groove 401a in a state where it is exposed from the nib introduction tube 406c, so it is simple. Although it is a mechanism, it is possible to achieve a good effect.
As is clear from the above description, the screw 401 that constitutes the first transport mechanism, when transporting the cacao nibs supplied from the nib introduction cylinder 406c to the subsequent mechanism, adjusts the supply amount of cacao nibs per unit time to an appropriate amount. It has the function of limiting to

[Crushing mechanism]
The final purpose of the grinding device 101 of the present embodiment is to produce cocoa mass with a size of about 20 μm from cocoa nibs. The final mechanical parts for producing cocoa mass necessary for realizing this are the rotating mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 .

As a step before producing cocoa mass by the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404, it is desirable to crush the cacao nibs to a certain size.
Therefore, in the grinding device 101 of this embodiment, the pre-plate 402 is arranged at the terminal end of the screw 401 . The pre-plate 402 is arranged close to the end of the transport groove 401a of the screw 401. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pre-plate 402 is fitted in an inner adapter 413 interposed between the inner disk support 407 and the case 406. As shown in FIG. A retainer plate 412 is provided on the side of the pre-plate 402 opposite to the screw 401 . The support plate 412 is fitted in the center of the inner disk support 407 .
The retainer plate 412 is a part that holds the pre-plate 402 fitted in the inner adapter 413 from the outside so that it does not come off and prevents the heat of the inner disk support 407 from being transmitted directly to the nib.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the pre-plate 402 is provided with a plurality of (12 in this embodiment) windows 402a in the circumferential direction.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the screw 401 rotates, the cacao nib 1001 passes through the window 402a of the pre-plate 402 in the direction of arrow V1002. The windows 402a are arranged evenly in the circumferential direction so as to surround the drive shaft 201a. In the present embodiment, the window 402a is formed in a substantially right-angled trapezoidal shape, but the shape can be changed as appropriate, and for example, the window 402a may be formed in a sector shape. Also, the number of windows 402a to be formed can be changed as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 9, the screw 401 is rotationally driven clockwise (right-handed) by the motor 201 . FIGS. 9A-D show angles at which the screw 401 is rotated 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, respectively.
As the screw 401 rotates, the cocoa nibs 1001 stored in the transport grooves 401a of the screw 401 are pushed by the teeth 401b. Then, the frictional force generated between the cocoa nibs 1001 and the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 and the inner wall of the screw storage cylinder 406b acts as a reaction, and the cocoa nibs 1001 stored in the transport groove 401a are pushed out toward the pre-plate 402 by this reaction. be Then, the extruded cacao nibs 1001 slide along the conveying groove 401 a of the screw 401 and are extruded to the end face of the screw 401 .

Then, cacao nibs 1001 are pushed out by teeth 401b of screw 401 to window 402a of pre-plate 402 indicated by arrow V1002. When the cocoa nibs 1001 pass through the window 402a, the cacao nibs 1001 come into contact with the window 402a at the peripheral portion of the window 402a, for example, the contact point P1003. Then, the cacao nibs 1001 are crushed at the contact point P1003. That is, the window 402a of the pre-plate 402 has a function of limiting the size of the cacao nibs 1001 when the cacao nibs 1001 pass through. Thus, all cacao nibs 1001 become coarse nibs with a shape smaller than the window 402a.

Thus, when the screw 401 rotates, the cacao nibs 1001 stored in the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 are crushed when passing through the window 402a of the pre-plate 402 as the screw 401 rotates. Then, the cacao nibs 1001 become coarsely crushed nibs that are crushed into smaller grains than when they were fed from the hopper 104 .

[Second Transport Mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 11B, the propeller 405 that constitutes the second transport mechanism has three blades 405a, and is attached to the pre-plate 402 at a position opposite to the side facing the screw 401 of the pre-plate 402. placed in close proximity.
Propeller 405 is fixed to drive shaft 201a together with screw 401 and rotary mill 403 . Therefore, the propeller 405 is rotationally driven integrally with the screw 401 and rotary die 403 by the motor 201 . The propeller 405 is rotationally driven to feed the coarsely crushed nibs that have passed through the window 402 a of the preplate 402 to the fixed die 404 and rotary die 403 .

In order to efficiently feed the coarsely crushed nibs that have passed through the window 402a of the pre-plate 402 to the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403, the radial length of the blades 405a of the propeller 405 is equal to the radial length of the window 402a of the pre-plate 402. It is configured longer than Note that the number and shape of the blades 405a can be appropriately changed according to the processing speed of the coarsely crushed nibs per unit time of the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403, and the like.

As described above, in the grinding device 101 of the present embodiment, the propeller 405 that is rotationally driven by the motor 201 like the screw 401 is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the pre-plate 402 . While the propeller 405 scrapes the coarsely crushed nibs sent from the window 402 a of the preplate 402 , the coarsely crushed nibs are continuously supplied to the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 arranged on the periphery of the propeller 405 . .

The propeller 405 continuously supplies the coarsely crushed nibs sent from the window 402a of the preplate 402 to the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403, so that the coarsely crushed nibs passing through the window 402a of the preplate 402 are transferred to the screw 401. It has a backflow prevention function that prevents backflow to the side.

[Fixed mill 404 and rotary mill 403]
Both the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 are made of ceramics having high hardness, such as alumina, zirconia, and silicon nitride. As shown in FIGS. 12 to 18, both the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 have grooves formed on their surfaces. Also, as shown in FIGS. 19A, 19C and 19E, the groove is formed at an angle of 90° from the surface of the die, and the periphery of the groove is formed sharp.

FIG. 12 is an overall view of the fixed mill 404. As shown in FIG.
FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged view of a groove formed in fixed die 404 shown in FIG.
FIG. 14 is a view of only two specific grooves extracted from the partially enlarged view of the grooves of the fixed die 404 shown in FIG.
The coarsely crushed nibs sent out by the propeller 405 from the window 402a of the preplate 402 stay in the space 1202 in which the propeller 405 is housed, which is the inner periphery of the fixed die 404 shown in FIG. As propeller 405 continues to send out coarse nibs, coarse nibs overflow space 1202 beyond the limit space 1202 can accommodate for coarse nibs. The coarsely crushed nibs overflowing from the space 1202 move to the four coarsely crushed

nib storage areas

1201a, 1201b, 1201c, 1201d formed near the center of the fixed die 404 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, coarse

nib storage areas

1201a, 1201b, 1201c, and 1201d will be referred to as coarse nib storage areas 1201 when not distinguished from each other. The coarsely crushed nib storage area 1201 is formed so that the depth gradually decreases from the center of the rotary mill 403 toward the outer circumference.

As shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14, the surface of the fixed die 404 is circumferentially formed with a group of grooves from the inner circumference to the outer circumference. Hereinafter, a region having a plurality of grooves formed at the same inclination angle with respect to the diametrical direction in the circumferential direction will be referred to as a groove group.
A first groove group 1301 having a first inclination angle in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the diameter direction is formed on the outer circumference of the fixed die 404 .
A second groove group 1302 is formed on the inner circumference of the first groove group 1301 and has a second inclination angle in the clockwise direction, which is the opposite inclination direction to the first groove group 1301 with respect to the diametrical direction. there is The coarsely ground nib accumulation area 1201 described above is formed on the inner periphery of the second groove group 1302 .

Furthermore, the first groove group 1301 provided on the outer peripheral side of the fixed die 404 has a first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 having grooves that are partly connected continuously with the grooves of the second groove group 1302. , and a first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 formed only by independent grooves that are not connected to the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 . In addition, the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 is partially connected to the grooves of the second groove group 1302 as described above, and is not connected to the grooves of the second groove group 1302. It also has independent grooves.

FIG. 14 shows, as part of the grooves of the fixed die 404, a first outer peripheral side sub-groove 1401 forming a first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304, and a first inner peripheral side sub-groove forming a first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303. Side grooves 1402, second grooves 1403 and third grooves 1404 that make up second groove group 1302 are shown. Next to the first outer peripheral side sub-groove 1401 is a first outer peripheral side sub-groove 1405, next to the first inner peripheral side sub-groove 1402 and second groove 1403 is a continuous groove 1406, and next to the third groove 1404 is a continuous groove 1406. are provided with third grooves 1407 respectively.
Between the second groove 1403 and the third groove 1404 and between the continuous groove 1406 and the third groove 1407, arc-shaped crossing grooves 1203 are formed that cross the plurality of grooves in the circumferential direction.

The transverse grooves 1203 traverse the second groove group 1302 along the rotation direction of the rotary die 403 from below the second groove group 1302 in order to allow the coarsely crushed nibs to flow in the circumferential direction of the fixed die 404. It is a groove formed by the trajectory.
This crossing groove 1203 evenly fixes the coarsely crushed nibs by moving the coarsely crushed nibs, which tend to accumulate on the lower side of the fixed die 404 due to gravity, to the upper side of the fixed die 404 using the rotational force of the rotary die 403. It has a role of spreading over the entire surface of the mortar 404 . Along with the flow of the crushed nibs, cocoa mass also flows into the transverse grooves 1203 as well.

In the continuous groove 1406, an outer circumferential groove 1406a belonging to the first inner circumferential sub-groove group 1303 and an inner circumferential groove 1406b belonging to the second groove group 1302 are continuously connected at a bending point 1406c. The outer circumferential groove 1406a and the inner circumferential groove 1406b are different in the direction of inclination with respect to the diameter direction. That is, the continuous groove 1406 is formed across the second groove group 1302 and the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 . A groove in which a part of the first groove group 1301 is connected to a groove of the second groove group 1302 refers to this continuous groove 1406 .

In addition, hereinafter, the set of the first inner peripheral side secondary groove 1402 and the second groove 1403 adjacent to the continuous groove 1406 will be referred to as a set of discontinuous grooves for convenience. Also, like the first outer peripheral side secondary groove 1401 and the first outer peripheral side secondary groove 1405 belonging to the first outer peripheral side secondary groove group 1304, and the first inner peripheral side secondary groove 1402 belonging to the first inner peripheral side secondary groove group 1303, In addition, a groove whose shape is not connected to other grooves, is closed by itself, and exists independently of other adjacent grooves is called an independent groove.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the open end 1404a of the third groove 1404, which is the diametrically inner end of the fixed die 404, is in contact with the coarsely crushed nib storage area 1201c. The coarsely crushed nibs accumulated in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation area 1201c enter the third groove 1404 from the open end 1404a.
When the coarsely crushed nibs accumulated in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation region 1201c enter the third groove 1404 from the open end 1404a, the action of gravity and the interaction with the grooves formed in the rotary die 403 cause the third groove 1404 is moved in the outer peripheral direction of the fixed die 404 . Since a crossing groove 1203 is formed at the outer peripheral end of the third groove 1404, part of the coarsely crushed nib moving in the third groove 1404 travels along the crossing groove 1203 as the rotary die 403 rotates. , moves the fixed die 404 clockwise.
Since the transverse grooves 1203 have a shape that crosses the second groove group 1302, the coarsely crushed nibs flow into the grooves of the second groove group 1302 where the transverse grooves 1203 are formed. In this way, the coarsely crushed nibs accumulated in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation region 1201c travel along the third grooves 1404 and are diffused from the transverse grooves 1203 to the other second groove group 1302 as the rotary die 403 rotates.

A portion of the coarsely crushed nibs moving in the third groove 1404 that do not flow out to the transverse groove 1203 flow into the second groove 1403 . A portion of the coarsely crushed nibs that have flowed into the second groove 1403 move to the end of the second groove 1403 on the outer peripheral side due to the action of gravity and interaction with the grooves formed in the rotary die 403 .

Similarly to the third groove 1404, the open end 1407a, which is the diametrically inner end of the third groove 1407, is also in contact with the coarse nib accumulation area 1201c. The coarsely crushed nibs accumulated in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation area 1201c enter the third groove 1407 from the open end 1407a.
When the coarsely crushed nibs accumulated in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation region 1201c enter the third groove 1407 from the open end 1407a, the action of gravity and the interaction with the grooves formed in the rotary die 403 cause the third groove 1407 is moved in the outer peripheral direction of the fixed die 404 . Since a crossing groove 1203 is formed at the outer peripheral end of the third groove 1407, part of the coarsely crushed nib moving in the third groove 1407 travels along the crossing groove 1203 as the rotary die 403 rotates. , moves the fixed die 404 clockwise.
Since the transverse grooves 1203 have a shape that crosses the second groove group 1302, the coarsely crushed nibs flow into the grooves of the second groove group 1302 where the transverse grooves 1203 are formed. In this way, the coarsely crushed nibs accumulated in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation region 1201c travel along the third groove 1407 and are diffused from the transverse groove 1203 to the other second groove group 1302 as the rotary die 403 rotates.

A portion of the coarsely crushed nibs moving in the third groove 1407 that do not flow out to the transverse groove 1203 flow into the continuous groove 1406 . Part of the coarsely crushed nibs that have flowed into the continuous groove 1406 reach the bending point 1406c of the continuous groove 1406 due to the action of gravity and interaction with the grooves formed in the rotary die 403 . Further, a portion of the coarsely crushed nib that has reached the bending point 1406c moves to the terminal end of the outer peripheral side groove 1406a of the continuous groove 1406. As shown in FIG.

The second groove 1403 allows coarsely crushed nibs remaining in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation area 1201 to quickly reach the second groove group 1302 .
The continuous groove 1406 not only allows the coarsely crushed nibs staying in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation region 1201 to reach the second groove group 1302 quickly, but also allows some of the coarsely crushed nibs to pass beyond the second groove group 1302 and reach the second groove group 1302. It reaches the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 which is a groove group inside the one groove group 1301 .

FIG. 15 is an overall view of the rotary mill 403. FIG.
FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged view of grooves formed in the rotary mill 403 shown in FIG.
FIG. 17 is a view of only two specific grooves extracted from the partially enlarged view of the grooves of the rotary mill 403 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 15, 16 and 17, on the surface of the rotary die 403, similarly to the fixed die 404, groups of grooves are formed in the circumferential direction from the inner periphery to the outer periphery.
A third groove group 1601 having a third tilt angle that is tilted counterclockwise with respect to the diameter direction is formed on the outer periphery of the rotary die 403 . The third tilt angle has the same tilt angle as the first tilt angle in the first groove group 1301 of the fixed die 404 .
A fourth groove group 1602 is formed on the inner periphery of the third groove group 1601 and has a fourth inclination angle in the clockwise direction, which is the opposite inclination direction to the third groove group 1601 with respect to the diametrical direction. there is The fourth tilt angle is the same tilt angle as the second tilt angle of the second groove group 1302 of the fixed die 404 .
Unlike the fixed die 404 , the rotary die 403 does not have a location corresponding to an area for accumulating coarsely crushed nibs, such as the coarsely crushed nib accumulation area 1201 .

Furthermore, the third groove group 1601 provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotary mill 403 is a second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 having grooves that are partly connected continuously with the grooves of the fourth groove group 1602. , second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 and second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 formed only by independent grooves that are not connected to each other.

In FIG. 17, as part of the grooves of the rotary mill 403, a second outer peripheral side sub-groove 1605 constituting a second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 and a second inner peripheral side sub-groove forming a second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 Side grooves 1606 and fourth grooves 1607 forming fourth groove group 1602 are shown.
A second outer peripheral sub-groove 1608 is provided next to the second outer peripheral sub-groove 1605, and a continuous groove 1609 is provided next to the second inner peripheral sub-groove 1606 and fourth groove 1607, respectively.

In the continuous groove 1609, an outer circumferential groove 1609a belonging to the second inner circumferential sub groove group 1603 and an inner circumferential groove 1609b belonging to the fourth groove group 1602 are continuously connected at a bending point 1609c. The outer peripheral groove 1609a and the inner peripheral groove 1609b are different in the direction of inclination with respect to the diameter direction. That is, the continuous groove 1609 is formed across the fourth groove group 1602 and the second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 . A groove in which a part of the third groove group 1601 is connected to a groove of the fourth groove group 1602 refers to this continuous groove 1609 .

From this point on, the set of the second inner peripheral side sub-groove 1606 and the fourth groove 1607 adjacent to the continuous groove 1609 is replaced with the set of the first inner peripheral side sub-groove 1402 and the second groove 1403 in FIG. is conveniently called a set of discontinuous grooves. In addition, second outer peripheral side sub-grooves 1605 and second outer peripheral side sub-grooves 1608 belonging to second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 and second inner peripheral side sub-grooves 1606 belonging to second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 In addition, a groove whose shape is not connected to other grooves, is closed by itself, and exists independently of other adjacent grooves is called an independent groove.

All the grooves provided in the rotary die 403 receive coarsely ground nibs accumulated in those grooves from the grooves of the stationary die 404 as the rotary die 403 rotates.
A fourth groove 1607 belonging to the fourth groove group 1602 includes a second groove 1403, a third groove 1404, a third groove 1407, and an inner circumferential groove 1406b of the continuous groove 1406 belonging to the second groove group 1302 of the fixed die 404. Cracking nibs are received from transverse grooves 1203 formed in group 4 of grooves 1602 . In addition, the fourth groove 1607 transfers the accumulated coarsely crushed nibs to the second groove 1403, the third groove 1404, the third groove 1407, the inner circumferential groove 1406b of the continuous groove 1406, and the transverse groove 1203.

A second inner secondary groove 1606 belonging to the second inner peripheral secondary groove group 1603 is formed on the outer periphery of the first inner peripheral secondary groove 1402 and the continuous groove 1406 belonging to the first inner peripheral secondary groove group 1303 of the fixed die 404. It receives the coarsening nibs from gutter 1406a. In addition, the second inner peripheral side sub-groove 1606 transfers the accumulated coarsely crushed nibs to the first inner peripheral side sub-groove 1402 and the outer peripheral side groove 1406a.

The second outer peripheral side minor groove 1605 and the second outer peripheral side minor groove 1608 belonging to the second outer peripheral side minor groove group 1604 correspond to the first outer peripheral side minor groove 1401 and the second outer peripheral side minor groove belonging to the first outer peripheral side minor groove group 1304 of the fixed die 404 . It receives the coarsely crushed nib from the one outer peripheral side minor groove 1405 . In addition, the second outer peripheral side minor groove 1605 and the second outer peripheral side minor groove 1608 deliver the accumulated crushed nibs to the first outer peripheral side minor groove 1401 and the first outer peripheral side minor groove 1405 .

The inner circumferential groove 1609b of the continuous groove 1609 belonging to the fourth groove group 1602 is, similarly to the fourth groove 1607, the second groove 1403, the third groove 1404, and the third groove 1407 belonging to the second groove group 1302 of the fixed die 404. and the inner circumferential groove 1406 b of the continuous groove 1406 and the transverse groove 1203 formed in the fourth groove group 1602 to receive coarsely crushed nibs. In addition, the inner peripheral groove 1609 b delivers the accumulated coarsely crushed nibs to the second groove 1403 , the third groove 1404 , the third groove 1407 , the inner peripheral groove 1406 b of the continuous groove 1406 and the transverse groove 1203 .
In addition, the inner groove 1609b is connected to the outer groove 1609a. Therefore, part of the coarsely crushed nibs that have entered the inner groove 1609b moves to the outer groove 1609a due to the centrifugal force generated as the rotary die 403 rotates.

The outer peripheral groove 1609a of the continuous groove 1609 belonging to the second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 is, like the second inner peripheral side sub-groove 1606, the first inner peripheral side groove 1609a belonging to the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 of the fixed die 404. The coarse nibs are received from the circumferential minor groove 1402 and the outer circumferential groove 1406 a of the continuous groove 1406 . In addition, the second inner peripheral side sub-groove 1606 transfers the accumulated coarsely crushed nibs to the first inner peripheral side sub-groove 1402 and the outer peripheral side groove 1406a.
In addition, the outer groove 1609a is connected to the inner groove 1609b. For this reason, the outer peripheral groove 1609a receives a part of the coarsely crushed nibs that have entered the inner peripheral groove 1609b by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotary mill 403, and the part is transferred to the first inner peripheral secondary groove 1402 and the outer peripheral groove 1406a. hand over.

As described above, the coarse grinding nibs not only move in the grooves of the fixed die 404, but also are captured by the opposing grooves of the rotary die 403 and move together with the rotation of the rotary die 403. The coarsening nibs are ground between the grooves of the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 as they move through the grooves of the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 in various paths of movement.

If all the grooves formed in the fixed die 404 are formed across the second groove group 1302 and the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 like the continuous groove 1406, many of the coarsely crushed nibs It accumulates to the ends of collateral grooves 1303 . Then, since the nibs go to the outer peripheral groove without being crushed, the grinding is not properly performed, and the coarsely crushed nibs are excessively accumulated at the end of the outer peripheral groove 1406a of the continuous groove 1406, causing the clogging of the outer peripheral groove 1406a. . In this case, the coarse grinding nib loses its fluidity, and grinding by the coordinated operation of the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 is not performed normally. Therefore, the amount of coarsely crushed nibs transported to the end of the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 must be limited to an amount that adequately grinds the coarsely crushed nibs.

Therefore, in the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 according to the present embodiment, the grooves formed on the surfaces thereof are formed by alternately arranging a set of continuous grooves 1406 and discontinuous grooves to form a first inner peripheral side sub-groove group. It limits the amount of granulated nibs that are transported to the end of the 1303.
Since the first inner peripheral side sub-groove 1402 belonging to the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 is an independent groove, at the stage immediately after the start-up of the grinding device 101, there is no coarsely crushed nib and it is in an empty state. be. When the coarsely crushed nib that has reached the end of the outer peripheral groove 1406a of the continuous groove 1406 moves through the groove of the rotary die 403, the coarsely crushed nib reaches the first inner peripheral secondary groove 1402 for the first time. In other words, the independent grooves improve the grinding performance per unit area of the die and also serve as a buffer for the coarse grinding nibs to prevent clogging of the continuous grooves 1406 .

The ratio between the continuous groove 1406 and the set of discontinuous grooves is determined at an optimum ratio according to the grinding capabilities of the fixed die 404 and rotary die 403 . Too many continuous grooves 1406 cause clogging of the grooves. Conversely, if the number of continuous grooves 1406 is too small, the temperature will rise excessively due to friction with the fixed die 404 and rotary die 403 .
The fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 according to this embodiment form a pair of one continuous groove 1406 and one discontinuous groove. This ratio is appropriately changed depending on the dimensions of the fixed die 404 and rotary die 403, the width of the groove, the rotation speed of the motor 201, and the like.

18A shows, as part of the grooves of the fixed die 404, a first outer peripheral side sub-groove 1401 belonging to the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304, and a first inner peripheral side sub-groove belonging to the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303. A groove 1402 and a second groove 1403 belonging to the second groove group 1302 are shown.
The first inner peripheral side sub-groove 1402 and the first outer peripheral side sub-groove 1401 are formed at the intersection of a line L1802 extending in the diametrical direction from the center point P1801 of the fixed die 404 and the first inner peripheral side sub-groove 1402 and the second groove 1403. They meet at P1803 and form a first tilt angle θ1.
Similarly, the second groove 1403 contacts the line L1802 at the intersection point P1803 and forms a second inclination angle θ2.

FIG. 18B shows, as part of the grooves of the rotary mill 403, a second outer peripheral side sub-groove 1605 belonging to the second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 and a second inner peripheral side sub-groove belonging to the second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603. Groove 1606 and fourth groove 1607 belonging to fourth groove group 1602 are shown.
The second inner peripheral side secondary groove 1606 and the second outer peripheral side secondary groove 1605 are points of contact between a line L1812 extending diametrically from the center point P1811 of the rotary die 403 and the second inner peripheral side secondary groove 1606 and the fourth groove 1607. They meet at P1813 and form a third tilt angle θ3.
Similarly, the fourth groove 1607 contacts the line L1812 at the point of contact P1813 and forms a fourth inclination angle θ4.

As shown in FIG. 18A, the second inclination angle θ2 of the grooves belonging to the second groove group 1302 is, for example, 15°. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 18B, the fourth inclination angle θ4 of the grooves belonging to the fourth groove group 1602 is also 15°, for example.
The inclination direction of the grooves belonging to the second groove group 1302 is the inclination direction along the rotation direction of the rotary mill 403 . As rotary die 403 is rotationally driven by motor 201 , the coarsely crushed nibs that have entered the grooves of second groove group 1302 from coarsely crushed nib storage area 1201 pass through fourth groove group 1602 of rotary die 403 to fixed die 404 . It is extruded in the outer peripheral direction. Some of the coarsely crushed nibs are dispersed while being crushed in the circumferential direction of rotary die 403 and fixed die 404 through arcuate transverse grooves 1203 formed in second groove group 1302 .

As shown in FIG. 18A, the first inclination angle θ1 of the grooves of the first groove group 1301 is, for example, 30°. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 18B, the third inclination angle θ3 of the grooves of the third groove group 1601 is also 30°, for example.
The inclination direction of the first groove group 1301 is the inclination direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotary mill 403 . When the rotary die 403 is rotationally driven by the motor 201, the coarsely crushed nib 1901 that is about to leak out from the second groove group 1302 to the outer peripheral side moves into the first groove group 1301 and the /or captured in grooves of third groove group 1601;

Then, as shown in FIGS. 19D and 19E, when the grooves of the first groove group 1301 and the grooves of the third groove group 1601 intersect, the coarse nib 1901 fits into both grooves. Then, the rough nib 1901 is scraped by the peripheral edges of the grooves of the first groove group 1301 and the grooves of the third groove group 1601 by the same action as scissors, and is pushed inward.

In particular, the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 arranged on the outermost periphery of the fixed die 404 and the second outer peripheral side minor groove group 1604 arranged on the outermost periphery of the rotary die 403 are all configured grooves. is closed. That is, it is an independent groove whose shape is not connected to other grooves, is closed by itself, and exists independently of other adjacent grooves.
First outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 and second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 are formed by first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 and second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 existing inside first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304. From the second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 existing inside, a gap is created between the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 to capture fragments of the coarsely crushed nib 1901 spilling out to the outer peripheral side.

If the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 and the second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 are not provided, the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 and the second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 are used to completely increase the size of the cocoa mass. Fragments of coarsely crushed nibs that are not ground into the ground enter between the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 . Then, while creating a gap between the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403, the liquid spills out to the outer periphery. By providing the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 and the second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604, fragments of the coarsely crushed nibs spilling out from the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 and the second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 are captured. By grinding the cacao mass, it is possible to prevent fragments of the coarsely ground nibs from being mixed into the cocoa mass and improve the grinding efficiency of the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 .

In order to effectively catch coarsely crushed nibs 1901 leaking out from the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 and the second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 to the outer peripheral side, the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 and the second The two outer peripheral side minor groove groups 1604 are formed to have the same diameter. The diameter of the inner periphery of the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 and the diameter of the inner periphery of the second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 are equal. Similarly, the diameter of the outer periphery of the first outer peripheral side minor groove group 1304 and the diameter of the outer periphery of the second outer peripheral side minor groove group 1604 are equal.

In addition, in order to effectively feed the coarsely crushed nibs from the coarsely crushed nib storage area 1201 of the fixed die 404 to the outer periphery, the diameter of the outer periphery of the second groove group 1302 of the fixed die 404 and the diameter of the fourth groove group 1602 of the rotary die 403 The diameter of the outer periphery is also formed to be equal. Therefore, the inner peripheral side sub-groove group of the first groove group 1301 and the inner peripheral side sub-groove group of the third groove group 1601 are inevitably formed to have the same inner peripheral diameter and outer peripheral diameter.

When the grooves of the first groove group 1301 and the grooves of the third groove group 1601 intersect, the same action as scissors is generated by the second groove group 1302, which is the groove group on the inner peripheral side of the fixed die 404, and the rotary die 403. Also occurs in the fourth groove group 1602, which is the groove group on the inner peripheral side of the . The inclination direction of the second groove group 1302 is opposite to that of the first groove group 1301 . Similarly, the inclination direction of the fourth groove group 1602 is also opposite to that of the third groove group 1601 . Therefore, the same action as scissors occurs in the opposite direction as when the grooves of first groove group 1301 and grooves of third groove group 1601 intersect.
When the grooves of the second groove group 1302 and the grooves of the fourth groove group 1602 intersect, the crushing nib 1901 fits into both grooves. Then, the rough nib 1901 is scraped by the grooves of the second groove group 1302 and the grooves of the fourth groove group 1602 in the same manner as the scissors, and pushed to the outer peripheral side.

In this way, the coarsely crushed nibs and their fragments are scraped by the peripheral edges of the grooves, on the boundary line between the first groove group 1301 and the second groove group 1302 in the fixed die 404, and on the third groove group 1601 and the second groove group in the rotary die 403. They are collected on the boundary line with the four-groove group 1602 .
Eventually, the fragments of the coarsely crushed nib become sufficiently small and are ground to a size that allows them to flow through the gap between the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 without difficulty. Then, fragments of the coarsely crushed nibs that have become sufficiently small are guided to the outer periphery of the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 by gravity and the centrifugal force of the rotary mill 403, and discharged as cocoa mass from the gap between the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403. .

As is clear from the explanation so far, the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 are installed almost vertically. The inventors, through trial production of grinding devices, found that placing the fixed mortar 404 and rotary mortar 403 almost vertically is ideal for stable cocoa mass production.

If the grinding unit 103 of the grinding device 101 is tilted upward with respect to the drive unit 102, the cocoa fat contained in the coarsely ground nibs that are accumulated in the space 1202 and heated by the heater 2101 will be preheated. It flows back to screw 401 through window 402 a of plate 402 . As a result, the cocoa nibs accumulated in the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 are heated, the coefficient of friction between the screw 401 and the cocoa nibs increases, and the cacao nibs may clog the transport groove 401a of the screw 401.

Conversely, if the grinding unit 103 of the grinding device 101 is tilted downward with respect to the drive unit 102, unlike the case of tilting it upward, problems due to the backflow of cacao fats and oils do not occur, but the screw 401 does not reach the pre-plate. The supply of coarse nibs transported to 402 may become too large due to the effects of gravity.

In view of the above results, the grinding device 101 according to this embodiment has the fixed mortar 404 and the rotary mortar 403 installed substantially vertically. Since the fixed die 404 is installed vertically, a transverse groove 1203 is provided in order to evenly spread the crushed nibs over the entire surface of the fixed die 404 and rotary die 403 .

[Discharge of generated cocoa mass]
20 is a perspective view of the grinding section 103 with the unit cover 107 removed from the grinding section 103. FIG.
The coarsely ground nibs 1901 are ground by a rotary mill 403 and a fixed mill 404 to form cocoa mass with a particle diameter of about 20 μm, which is discharged from the outer peripheries of the rotary mill 403 and fixed mill 404 together with melted cacao oil. Cocoa mass discharged from the outer peripheries of the rotating mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 is accumulated on the outer peripheries of the rotating mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 .
On the other hand,

scrapers

601a and 601b are screwed to two locations on the periphery of the outer disk support 408 to which the rotary mill 403 is fixed, in a rotationally symmetrical positional relationship. Hereinafter, the

scrapers

601a and 601b will be referred to as scrapers 601 when not distinguished from each other.

When the rotary mill 403 is rotationally driven, the scraper 601 also rotates and moves along the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotary mill 403 and fixed mill 404 . Then, the scraper 601 scrapes off cocoa mass accumulated on the outer peripheries of the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 .
The cocoa mass scraped off by the scraper 601 is conveyed to a discharge port 411a provided at the bottom of the disc cover 411 and discharged from the discharge port 411a. The disk cover 411 has a role of preventing cocoa mass from leaking from the rotating mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 to the outside other than the outlet 411a.

[Parts heated by heater 2101]
As shown in FIG. 21, a pair of

heaters

2101a and 2101b are fixed to the back surface of the inner disk support 407 (the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the fixed die 404) by

heater fixtures

2104a and 2104b, respectively. Hereinafter, the

heaters

2101a and 2101b will be referred to as heaters 2101 when they are not distinguished from each other. Similarly,

heater fixtures

2104a and 2104b are referred to as heater fixtures 2104 when not distinguished.
The heater 2101 is controlled by the controller 202 to be described later, and heats the fixed die 404 and the disk cover 411 via the inner disk support 407 .
The heater fixture 2104 is made of metal with good thermal conductivity such as aluminum, copper, brass, etc., and efficiently transfers the heat generated from the heater 2101 to the inner disk support 407 that supports the fixed die 404 .

The cacao mass produced by being ground by the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 is not discharged from the discharge port 411a provided directly below the disk cover 411 unless it is liquid. Therefore, the rotating mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 must be kept at 30° C. or higher at which the cacao fat melts.
However, even if the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 are warmed, if the surrounding air is cold, the cacao oil will cool and solidify. Therefore, the disk cover 411 is configured to cover the rotary mill 403 to prevent the air around the rotary mill 403 from cooling.

As described above, the disk cover 411 is provided to prevent cocoa mass from leaking out of the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 from places other than the outlet 411a. That is, the inside of the disc cover 411 is in a state of being coated with cacao mass. If the disk cover 411 is cold, the cacao mass will freeze and solidify inside the disk cover 411 and will not come out from the outlet 411a. There is a possibility that the cocoa mass that has cooled and solidified will press the rotary mill 403 before long. In order to prevent such a problem, the disc cover 411 must be warmed by the heater 2101 through the inner disc support 407 in the same manner as the fixed die 404 .

Also, in order to keep the disc cover 411 cool, it is desirable that the disc cover 411 does not come into direct contact with the outside air. Therefore, the entire surface of the grinding section 103 is covered with the unit cover 107 to prevent the disk cover 411 from directly contacting the outside air. The unit cover 107 is made of stainless steel like other parts. However, unlike the other parts, the unit cover 107 does not require high robustness, so it is made of a resin such as ABS resin or monomer cast nylon, giving priority to the heat insulating effect of the disk cover 411 and the like from the outside air. good too.

A temperature sensor 2102 and a temperature fuse 2103 are also fixed to the inner disk support 407 in addition to the heater 2101 . A temperature sensor 2102 is a sensor for measuring the temperature of the fixed die 404 . Since the fixed die 404 and the inner disk support 407 are in contact (close contact) with each other, when the temperature of the fixed die 404 changes, the temperature of the inner disk support 407 also changes accordingly. Therefore, in this embodiment, as an example, the temperature sensor 2102 indirectly measures the temperature of the fixed die 404 via the inner disk support 407 . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the temperature sensor 2101 directly measures the temperature of the fixed die 404 may be employed. As shown in FIG. 4, an inner adapter 413 made of resin such as monomer cast nylon or polyacetal is sandwiched between the inner disk support 407 and the case 406 to prevent them from coming into direct contact with each other.
Since the inner adapter 413 is interposed between the inner disk support 407 and the case 406, the heat of the inner disk support 407 heated by the heater 2101 is conducted to the screw housing cylinder 406b of the case 406 housing the screw 401. can be prevented. The cocoa oil is prevented from melting out of the cocoa nibs housed in the screw housing cylinder 406b and sent to the pre-plate 402 by the screw 401.例文帳に追加

[Control unit 202]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 21, 22, 23 and 24, the control operation of the grinding device 101 according to this embodiment will be described.
The grinding apparatus 101 according to this embodiment heats the fixed die 404 and the disk cover 411 according to the surface temperature of the fixed die 404 by the heater 2101, and heats the fixed die 404 and the disk. When the cover 411 is overheated, control is performed to stop driving the motor 201 in order to cool them.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control unit 202. As shown in FIG.
A CPU 2202 , a ROM 2203 and a RAM 2204 are connected to a bus 2201 in the control unit 202 made up of a well-known microcomputer. Also connected to the bus 2201 are a driver 2206 that drives the drive coil L2205 of the first relay, a driver 2208 that drives the drive coil L2207 of the second relay, and the temperature sensor 2102 .
On the other hand, one end of commercial AC power supply 2209 is connected to motor 201 and heater 2101 via power switch 2210 .

A first relay switch 2211 and a grind switch 2212 are connected in series to the terminal of the motor 201 that is not connected to the power switch 2210 . The grind switch 2212 is connected to the other end of the commercial AC power supply 2209 .
A second relay switch 2213 and a thermal fuse 2103 are connected in series to the terminal of the heater 2101 that is not connected to the power switch 2210 . Thermal fuse 2103 is connected to the other end of commercial AC power supply 2209 .
The power switch 2210 and the grind switch 2212 are well-known toggle switches, rocker switches, or the like operated by humans.

A commercially available general temperature sensor can be used as the temperature sensor 2102 . The temperature sensor 2102 can be directly connected to the bus 2201 if it has a digital output specification. If it is analog output specification, it can be connected to the bus 2201 via an A/D converter. Since many microcomputers on the market have built-in A/D converters, this may be used.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing software functions of the control unit 202. As shown in FIG.
When the input/output control unit 2301 acquires temperature information of the fixed die 404 from the temperature sensor 2102 , it compares the temperature with the temperature threshold list 2302 . Then, in response to the comparison result, the input/output control unit 2301 turns on/off the first relay and the second relay.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the control unit 202. As shown in FIG.
When the processing is started by turning on the power of the microcomputer (S2401), the input/output control unit 2301 first initializes the temperature flag TFLAG to logic "false" (S2402).
Next, the input/output control unit 2301 checks whether or not the temperature T of the fixed die 404 acquired by the temperature sensor 2102 has not reached the first temperature threshold value T1 (is less than T1) (S2403). The first temperature threshold T1 is, for example, 35°C.
If the temperature T has not reached the first temperature threshold T1 (YES in S2403), the input/output control unit 2301 turns on the second relay to turn on the heater 2101 (S2404).

Next, the input/output control unit 2301 confirms whether or not the temperature T has reached the second temperature threshold value T2 (is less than T2) (S2405). The second temperature threshold T2 is, for example, 30°C.
If the temperature T has not reached the second temperature threshold T2 (YES in S2405), the input/output control unit 2301 turns off the first relay to prohibit driving of the motor 201 (S2406). Then, the processing from step S2403 is repeated again.

At this time, the switch 2211 of the first relay is off, so even if the grind switch 2212 is on, no power is supplied to the motor 201 from the commercial AC power supply 2209, and the motor 201 is not driven. .

As long as the temperature T has not reached the second temperature threshold T2, the process flow repeats S2403, S2404, S2405, and S2406.
If the temperature T reaches the second temperature threshold value T2 in step S2405 (NO in S2405), the input/output control unit 2301 turns on the first relay to permit driving of the motor 201 (S2407). Then, the processing from step S2403 is repeated again.

When the temperature T has reached the second temperature threshold T2 and has not reached the first temperature threshold T1, the process flow repeats S2403, S2404, S2405, and S2407.
If the temperature T reaches the first temperature threshold value T1 in step S2403 (NO in S2403), the input/output control unit 2301 turns off the second relay to turn off the heater 2101 (S2408).

Next, the input/output control unit 2301 confirms whether or not the temperature T exceeds the fourth temperature threshold value T4 (higher than T4) (S2409). The fourth temperature threshold T4 is, for example, 45°C.
If the temperature T does not exceed the fourth temperature threshold value T4 (NO in S2409), the input/output control unit 2301 checks whether the temperature flag TFLAG is logically "true" (S2410). If the temperature flag TFLAG is logically "false" (NO in S2410), the process from step S2403 is repeated.

When the temperature T has reached the first temperature threshold T1 and has not exceeded the fourth temperature threshold T4, the process flow repeats NO in S2403, S2408, S2409, and S2410.
In step S2409, if the temperature T exceeds the fourth temperature threshold value T4 (YES in S2409), the input/output control unit 2301 next checks whether the temperature flag TFLAG is logically false ( S2411).
If the temperature flag TFLAG is logically false (YES in S2411), the input/output control unit 2301 checks whether the temperature T exceeds the third temperature threshold T3 (S2412). The third temperature threshold T3 is, for example, 48°C.

When the temperature T exceeds the fourth temperature threshold T4, the temperature flag TFLAG is logically false, and the third temperature threshold T3 is not exceeded, the process flow proceeds from NO in S2403 to YES in S2409, YES in S2411, and NO in S2412 are repeated via S2408.
In step S2412, if the temperature T exceeds the third temperature threshold value T3 (YES in S2412), the input/output control unit 2301 sets the temperature flag TFLAG to logical "true" (S2413). The input/output control unit 2301 turns off the first relay to prohibit driving of the motor 201 (S2414), and repeats the process from step S2403.

In step S2414, the input/output control unit 2301 turns off the first relay, thereby prohibiting the driving of the motor 201 regardless of whether the grind switch 2212 is on or off. Therefore, the grinding operations of the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 are stopped. Then, the generation of frictional heat due to the grinding operation of the rotary die 403 and the fixed die 404 stops, and the rotary die 403 and the fixed die 404 are gradually cooled toward room temperature.

However, since the temperature flag TFLAG is changed to logic true in step S2413, even if the temperature T is below the third temperature threshold T3 (YES in S2412), the temperature T exceeds the fourth temperature threshold T4. If so, the flow of processing repeats from NO in S2403 via S2408 to YES in S2409 and NO in S2411. During this time, the input/output control unit 2301 keeps prohibiting the driving of the motor 201 .

As the cooling of rotary mill 403 and fixed mill 404 progresses, temperature T falls below fourth temperature threshold T4. In step S2409, if the temperature T does not exceed the fourth temperature threshold value T4 (NO in S2409), the input/output control unit 2301 checks whether the temperature flag TFLAG is logically "true" ( S2410).
If the temperature flag TFLAG is logically true (YES in S2410), the input/output control unit 2301 changes the temperature flag TFLAG to logically "false" (S2415). Then, the driving of the motor 201 is permitted (S2416), and the process is repeated from step S2403.

As is clear from the above description, the input/output control unit 2301 uses the third temperature threshold T3, the fourth temperature threshold T4, and the temperature flag TFLAG to drive the motor 201 according to the temperature of the fixed die 404. Hysteresis is given to permission/denial control.

[Resin parts with heat insulating function]
As described above, in order to obtain liquid cocoa mass in the grinding device 101 according to the present embodiment, the cacao oil contained in the cocoa mass must be warmed to 30° C. or higher. Therefore, a heater 2101 is incorporated in the inner disk support 407 . A heater 2101 heats the fixed die 404 and rotary die 403 to a predetermined temperature through the inner disk support 407 . Also, when the rotary mill 403 is rotationally driven by the motor 201 , frictional heat is generated in the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 .
On the other hand, when the cacao nibs are heated to 30° C. or higher, the cacao fat melts out, and the melted cacao fat creates a large coefficient of friction when the cacao nibs are transported.

From the above, the temperature of the case 406, the screw 401, and the pre-plate 402 where the cacao nibs are coarsely crushed to form coarsely crushed nibs, which are the mechanical parts for storing and transporting the cacao nibs, is below 30°C. need to keep.
On the other hand, the coarsely crushed nib storage area 1201 in which the coarsely crushed nibs are stored is ground to cocoa mass by the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403, and is kept at a temperature of 30° C. or higher in order to keep the cocoa mass and cacao oil and fat in a liquid state. It is desirable that it is dripping.
Summarizing these events, when looking at the flow path of cocoa nibs and coarse nibs from the viewpoint of heat, the propeller 405 is the boundary, the upstream side where low temperature cocoa nibs and coarse nibs exist, and the high temperature coarse nibs , downstream where cocoa mass and melted cocoa fat reside.
Case 406 , screw 401 and pre-plate 402 correspond to upstream parts in the path along which cacao nibs and coarsely crushed nibs flow.
A fixed die 404 and a rotary die 403 correspond to downstream parts.

As described above, the heat generating sources are the heater 2101 and the fixed die 404 and rotary die 403 that generate frictional heat. Also, the inner disk support 407 has heat because it is in direct contact with the heater 2101 and the fixed die 404 . Similarly, the outer disk support 408 also heats up due to direct contact with the rotary die 403 .
Therefore, it is necessary to devise ways to prevent the heat of these metal parts from being transferred to the case 406, the screw 401 and the pre-plate 402, which are arranged on the upstream side of the flow of cacao nibs with respect to the propeller 405.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, between the fixed die 404 and the inner disk support 407 and the case 406 that support it, a part for blocking heat conduction is required. These parts are the inner adapter 413 and the receptacle plate 412 made of resin such as monomer cast nylon or polyacetal.
The inner adapter 413 is interposed between the inner disk support 407 and the case 406 and blocks heat conduction generated from the inner disk support 407 to the case 406 with high thermal resistance.
The backing plate 412 is interposed between the fixed die 404 and the inner adapter 413 to reduce the exposed surface of the fixed die 404 in the coarsely crushed nib storage area 1201 of the fixed die 404 with high thermal resistance. to the pre-plate 402.

As shown in FIG. 4, heat is also conducted between the rotary mill 403, the outer disk support 408 that supports it, the disk spring 410 that presses the outer disk support 408 against the fixed mill 404, and the drive shaft 201a. You will need a breaker part. These parts are a spacer 415 and an outer adapter 416 made of resin such as monomer cast nylon or polyacetal.
The spacer 415 is interposed between the clamper of the drive shaft 201a and the disc spring 410, and blocks heat conduction from the outer disk support 408 through the disc spring 410 to the drive shaft 201a with high thermal resistance.
The outer adapter 416 is interposed between the drive shaft 201a and the outer disk support 408 and the rotary die 403, and blocks heat conduction generated from the outer disk support 408 and the rotary die 403 to the drive shaft 201a with high thermal resistance.

For example, the following modifications can be adopted in the embodiment described above.
(1) As is clear from the description of the control unit 202, if the temperature of the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 of the grinding unit 103 becomes too high, the cocoa mass production process will be hindered. includes a cooling process (steps S2409 to S2416 in FIG. 24) by forcibly stopping the rotation of the motor 201.

A cooling mechanism may be added to the inner disk support 407 in order to continuously rotate the motor 201 for a long period of time. For example, a water cooling pipe or a Peltier element is attached to the inner disk support 407 . Then, when the temperature sensor 2102 exceeds a fourth temperature (for example, 45° C.), the cooling process is started. And, the temperature of the rotary mill 403 can always be maintained within an appropriate temperature range, and the grinding device 101 can be operated continuously for a long period of time.

(2) A mechanism for intermittently transferring cocoa nibs to a subsequent mechanism using the structure of the nib introduction cylinder 406c and the transfer groove 401a of the screw 401 can be replaced by a shutter or the like driven by a plunger solenoid or the like. That is, the first transport mechanism is not limited to screw 401 .
(3) The mechanism of coarsely grinding cacao nibs to generate coarsely ground nibs 1901 using the end of screw 401 and the structure of pre-plate 402 can be substituted with various mechanisms such as well-known rollers. That is, the coarse crushing mechanism is not limited to the screw 401 and pre-plate 402 .

(4) The screw 401 or the like can be substituted for the propeller 405 that continuously transports the coarsely crushed nibs 1901 accumulated in the window 402a of the preplate 402 to the following rotary die 403 and fixed die 404. That is, the second transport mechanism is not limited to propeller 405 .
(5) The shape of the transverse groove 1203 is not necessarily limited to an arc shape. Since the purpose is to spread the coarsely crushed nib over the entire surface of the fixed die 404, the shape of the trajectory crossing the second groove group 1302 along the rotation direction of the rotary die 403 from the lower side of the second groove group 1302. For example, straight lines and polygonal shapes are also effective. However, as for the shape, an arc-shaped curve along the rotation of the rotary mill 403 is considered preferable.

The grinding device 101 according to this embodiment has a fixed mill 404 and a rotary mill 403 arranged vertically. Therefore, a large amount of coarsely crushed nibs 1901 accumulated in the coarsely crushed nib accumulation area 1201 flows downward under the influence of gravity. The transverse groove 1203 is provided to quickly spread the outflowing coarsely crushed nibs 1901 over the entire surface of the rotary die 403 and fixed die 404 along the rotational direction of the rotary die 403 .
FIG. 25 is a front view of fixed die 404 showing a modification of the transverse groove. In addition to the transverse grooves 1203, transverse grooves 2501 may be provided. Also, a transverse groove 2501 may be provided instead of the transverse groove 1203 .
Further, although not shown, the crossing groove 1203 is provided in the second groove group 1302 in FIG. However, it may be provided so as to cross the second groove group 1302 and the first inner peripheral side sub groove group 1303 of the first groove group 1301 . However, the crossing grooves should not extend to the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304, as this may impair the function of collecting fragments of the coarsely crushed nibs.

(6) When the grinding apparatus 101 according to the present invention is installed in a large plant or the like, cacao nibs are transported from some storage to the nib introduction tube 406c of the case 406 through a well-known transportation pipe or the like. Under such circumstances, the hopper 104 is not an essential requirement in the grinding device 101 . Also, although the nib introduction tube 406c has been described as being a cylindrical tube, it does not necessarily have to be cylindrical, and may have a hollow shape for transporting cacao nibs to the screw 401 . For example, it may be a tube having a rectangular cross section.

(7) Means for transporting food materials such as cacao nibs are not limited to screws, and there are various mechanisms such as a mechanism using compressed air. Therefore, the first transport mechanism for transporting cocoa nibs is not limited to screws.
(8) The grinding device 101 according to the present invention is configured for grinding cocoa nibs into cocoa mass. However, especially the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 are functional components with extremely high versatility. Therefore, the objects to be ground by the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 are not limited to cacao nibs, and can be applied to various grains such as rice and wheat, or various food raw materials such as coffee beans.

In embodiments of the present invention, a grinding device 101 is disclosed.
A screw 401 that constitutes the first transport mechanism has a vertical opening 104a, receives a supply of cocoa nibs from a cocoa nibs accumulating hopper 104, and intermittently transports the cocoa nibs to subsequent mechanisms. By limiting the exposed area of the conveying groove 401a of the screw 401 visible from the opening 104a per one rotation of the screw 401, it is possible to prevent excessive cacao nibs from being supplied.

The pre-plate 402 that constitutes the crushing mechanism coarsely crushes the cocoa nibs transported from the screw 401 in cooperation with the end of the screw 401 to produce coarsely crushed nibs 1901 . By crushing the cocoa nibs in advance to generate coarsely ground nibs 1901 before supplying the cacao nibs to the subsequent fixed mill 404 and rotary mill 403, the load on the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403 is reduced, and the cacao mass is reduced. generation efficiency can be increased.

The propeller 405 that constitutes the second transport mechanism continuously transports the coarsely crushed nibs 1901 produced by the pre-plate 402 to the subsequent rotary mill 403 and stationary mill 404 . By continuously transporting the coarsely ground nibs 1901 to the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 as opposed to the cocoa nibs that are intermittently transported by the screw 401, the production efficiency of cocoa mass can be enhanced.

A rotary mill 403 and a fixed mill 404 for further grinding the coarsely ground nibs 1901 supplied from the propeller 405 to produce cacao mass are arranged facing each other. Then, the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 cooperate to grind the coarsely ground nibs 1901 to produce cocoa mass. Further, the rotary mill 403 and the fixed mill 404 each have groove groups formed with the same diameter in the circumferential direction.

A first groove group 1301 and a second groove group 1302 are formed on the surface of the fixed die 404 . The first groove group 1301 has a first inclination angle inclined in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotary mill 403 with respect to the diameter direction. A first groove group 1301 is formed on the outer circumference of the fixed die 404 . The second groove group 1302 has a second inclination angle inclined in a direction along the rotational direction of the rotary die 403 opposite to the first groove group 1301 with respect to the diametrical direction. The second groove group 1302 is formed inside the first groove group 1301 .

A third groove group 1601 and a fourth groove group 1602 are formed on the surface of the rotary die 403 . The third groove group 1601 has a third inclination angle with respect to the diameter direction in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotary die 403 . A third groove group 1601 is formed on the outer circumference of the rotary mill 403 . The fourth groove group 1602 has a fourth inclination angle inclined in the direction along the rotational direction of the rotary die 403 opposite to the diameter direction of the third groove group 1601 . The fourth groove group 1602 is formed inside the third groove group 1601 .
Further, a crossing groove 1203 is formed below the second groove group 1302 of the fixed die 404 to allow the coarsely crushed nib 1901 to flow stably in the circumferential direction of the fixed die 404 .

In the second groove group 1302 and the fourth groove group 1602, which are inclined in the direction along the rotational direction of the rotary die 403, the grains of the coarsely crushed nibs move toward the stationary die 404 and the fixed die 404 as the rotary die 403 is driven to rotate. It is extruded in the outer peripheral direction of the rotary mill 403 .
In addition, in the first groove group 1301 and the third groove group 1601, which are inclined in the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotary die 403, the grains of the coarsely crushed nib move along with the rotary die 403 to rotate. 404 and rotary mill 403 are pushed back in the inner peripheral direction.
Therefore, the coarsely crushed nibs are stably ground into cocoa mass without spilling from the rotary mill 403 and fixed mill 404 .

A first groove group 1301 provided on the outer peripheral side of the fixed die 404 includes a first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 having a groove partly connected continuously with the groove of the second groove group 1302 and a second sub-groove group 1303 . The first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 is composed of a first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 that is formed only by independent grooves that are not connected to each other.
A third groove group 1601 provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotary mill 403 also includes a second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 having a groove partly connected continuously with the groove of the fourth groove group 1602, The second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 is composed of a second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 which is formed only by independent grooves that are not connected to each other.

In particular, the first outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1304 and the second outer peripheral side sub-groove group 1604 extend from the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1303 and second inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1603 to the outer peripheries of the fixed die 404 and the rotary die 403 . It captures the coarsely ground nibs spilling out to the side, prevents the coarsely ground nibs that are not sufficiently ground from leaking out of the fixed mill 404 and the rotary mill 403, and grinds all the coarsely ground nibs into cocoa nibs without leaving any residue. designed for crushing.

The screw 401, the propeller 405, and the rotary die 403 are integrally rotationally driven by the motor 201. Therefore, the mechanism is extremely simple and the cocoa nibs transport path is extremely short. Therefore, maintenance work such as cleaning of the equipment is easy.

The inventors made a prototype of the grinding device 101 and realized an overwhelmingly high-speed cocoa mass production capability, in which cacao mass is discharged in only about one minute after the cacao nibs are put into the hopper 104 .
It can be said that the grinding device 101 according to the present invention has brought about a new technological innovation in chocolate production, which has a history of more than 140 years since the completion of Lindt chocolate by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879.

<Second embodiment>
Next, the configuration of the grinding device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 26 to 30. FIG.
26 is a perspective view of a grinding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 27 is a longitudinal sectional view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; FIG. 28A is a top view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 26, FIG. 28B is a front view of this grinding device, FIG. 28C is a side view of this grinding device, and FIG. 28D is a rear view of this grinding device. FIG. 29 is a longitudinal sectional view enlarging a part of the grinding device shown in FIG. 26;
30 is an exploded perspective view of the grinding device shown in FIG. 26; FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 26 to 30, the grinding device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a drive section 2, a grinding section 3, a hopper section 4, a support section 5, and a table 6. I have. As shown in FIG. 27, the motor 7 is housed inside the driving section 2, and the parts (described later) for grinding cacao nibs are housed inside the grinding section 3. As shown in FIG. A hopper 8 is accommodated inside the hopper portion 4 , and a control portion 9 is accommodated inside the strut portion 5 . The control unit 9 controls the operation of the grinding device 1 in an integrated manner. Like the control unit 202 in the first embodiment, the control unit 9 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., which are computer hardware resources. A pot 20 is placed on the table 6 . The pot 20 is a container for receiving cocoa mass discharged from the grinding section 3 .

The drive unit 2 has a housing unit 10 and a maintenance cover 11. The housing part 10 is a member that houses the motor 7 and other parts. Ventilation holes 10a (FIGS. 26 and 27) for exhausting air and exhausting heat are formed on both side surfaces and the rear surface of the housing part 10. As shown in FIG. The maintenance cover 11 is detachably attached to the housing section 10 .

As shown in FIG. 27 , a touch panel 18 is accommodated inside the casing section 10 . The touch panel 18 functions as a setting unit that can set driving conditions for the motor 7 . The touch panel 18 is shielded from the outside when the maintenance cover 11 is attached, and is exposed to the outside when the maintenance cover 11 is removed. Therefore, the user of the grinding device 1 can operate the touch panel 18 by removing the maintenance cover 11 .

The grinding unit 3 has a front cover 12. The front cover 12 is a cover that covers parts for grinding cacao nibs (hereinafter also referred to as "grinding parts"). The configuration of the grinding parts will be described in detail later. As shown in FIG. 30, the front cover 12 has a structure that can be opened downward. The open/closed state of the front cover 12 is detected by a first sensor (not shown). The control unit 9 takes in the sensor signal of the first sensor. When the control unit 9 determines that the front cover 12 is closed based on the sensor signal of the first sensor, the control unit 9 permits the grinding operation (such as driving the motor 7) in the grinding unit 3, and When it is determined that the cover 12 is open, the grinding operation in the grinding section 3 is prohibited or forcibly stopped.

On both side surfaces of the front cover 12, vents 12a (Fig. 26) are formed for exhaust and heat exhaust. A dial knob 13 as an operation unit is arranged on the front surface of the front cover 12 . The dial knob 13 is a rotary knob having multiple operating positions. The dial knob 13 is formed in a C shape when viewed from the front direction. A discharge member 17 is arranged on the bottom surface of the front cover 12 . The ejection member 17 has an ejection port 17a (FIG. 27). Cocoa mass produced by grinding the cacao nibs is discharged from the discharge port 17 a of the discharge member 17 . For this reason, the pot 20 to receive the cocoa mass is placed directly below the outlet 17a.

The hopper portion 4 has an outer shield 14 and a hopper cover 15. A hopper 8 is accommodated in the hopper portion 4 . The outer shield 14 is arranged to surround the hopper 8 , and the hopper cover 15 is arranged to close the hopper 8 from above. As shown in FIG. 27, the hopper cover 15 is provided so as to be openable and closable in the F direction around the fulcrum portion 16 . A user of the grinding device 1 can put cacao nibs into the hopper 8 by opening the hopper cover 15 . The installation state of the hopper 8 is detected by a second sensor (not shown). The control unit 9 takes in the sensor signal of the second sensor. When the control unit 9 determines that the hopper 8 is installed based on the sensor signal of the second sensor, it permits the grinding operation in the grinding unit 3, and if the hopper 8 is not installed. If so, the grinding operation in the grinding section 3 is prohibited or forced to stop.

Next, the configuration of the grinding parts will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the grinding parts mainly include a drive shaft 21, a case 22, a screw 23, a pre-plate 24, a discharge plate 25, an inner disk support 26, and a fixed die 27. , a rotary mill 28 and an outer disk support 29 .

The drive shaft 21 is a shaft member that is attached to the motor 7 and rotates as the motor 7 is driven. Driving of the motor 7 is controlled by the controller 9 . The drive shaft 21 is coaxially connected to the output shaft (rotating shaft) of the motor 7 . The drive shaft 21 rotates the screw 23, the discharge plate 25 and the rotary die 28.

The case 22 is fixed to the frame portion of the driving section 2 by screwing or the like. As shown in FIG. 29, the case 22 has a screw housing cylinder 22a. The screw housing cylinder 22a is a portion that houses the screw 23 in a rotatable manner. A nib introduction port 22b is formed in the screw housing cylinder 22a. The nib inlet 22b opens upward. On the other hand, a nib outlet 8a is formed at the bottom of the hopper 8. As shown in FIG. The nib discharge port 8a and the nib introduction port 22b are connected by a nib introduction tube 30. As shown in FIG.

The nib introduction tube 30 is a hollow member that receives cacao nibs supplied from the hopper 8 . The nib introduction tube 30 is provided with the central axis of the nib introduction tube 30 arranged vertically. As a result, the cacao nibs charged into the hopper 8 are introduced through the nib discharge port 8a and the nib introduction tube 30 into the nib introduction port 22b. Further, the nib introduction cylinder 30 is provided with a shutter (not shown) for adjusting whether the cacao nibs are discharged from the hopper 8 or stopped. In this embodiment, the nib introduction tube 30 is formed separately from the hopper 8 and the case 22. However, the nib introduction tube 30 may be formed integrally with the hopper 8. , may be formed integrally with the case 22 .

The screw 23 is a member that constitutes the first transport mechanism. The screw 23 is rotatably supported by two bearings 31 as shown in FIG. A shaft hole is provided in the radial center of the screw 23 along the central axis of the screw 23, and the drive shaft 21 is inserted into this shaft hole. The screw 23 rotates together with the drive shaft 21 . The screw 23, as shown in FIG. 31, has a transport groove 23a, teeth 23b, and auxiliary grooves 23c. The transport groove 23a is spirally formed. The screw 23 transports the cacao nibs by rotating the screw 23 while storing the cacao nibs in the transport grooves 23a. The principle of transporting cacao nibs by the screw 23 is the same as in the case of the screw 401 in the first embodiment.

The auxiliary groove 23c is a groove narrower than the transport groove 23a. The auxiliary groove 23c is spirally formed like the transport groove 23a. In the central axis direction of the screw 23, the auxiliary groove 23c is formed closer to the base end portion 23d of the screw 23 than the transport groove 23a. The starting end (not shown) of the auxiliary groove 23c is arranged at the base end 23d of the screw 23, and the terminal end Pa of the auxiliary groove 23c is connected to the starting end Pb of the transport groove 23a. Further, the screw 23 integrally has a stepped portion 23g and a tubular portion 23e. The stepped portion 23g protrudes toward the tip portion 23f of the screw 23 from the terminal end portion Pc of the transport groove 23a. The cylindrical portion 23e has a smaller diameter than the stepped portion 23g, and extends from the stepped portion 23g toward the tip portion 23f of the screw 23. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 32, when the screw 23 in the case 22 is viewed through the nib introduction tube 30, the transport groove 23a of the screw 23 may or may not be exposed to the nib introduction tube 30 depending on the rotation angle of the screw 23. Sometimes I hide in This point is the same as the transport groove 401a of the screw 401 in the first embodiment (FIGS. 8A to 8D). On the other hand, the auxiliary groove 23c is always exposed to the nib introduction tube 30 regardless of the rotation angle of the screw 23. As shown in FIG.

The auxiliary groove 23c transports cacao nibs (not shown) supplied through the nib introduction cylinder 30 toward the transport groove 23a as the screw 23 rotates. Since the width of the auxiliary grooves 23c is sufficiently narrower than the particle size of the cacao nibs, unlike the transport grooves 23a, the cacao nibs are hooked on the grooves and transported, unlike the transport grooves 23a. Further, the terminal end Pa of the auxiliary groove 23c is connected to the starting end Pb of the transport groove 23a. For this reason, the cocoa nibs stored in the transport groove 23a are not subjected to the transfer force by the auxiliary groove 23c. Therefore, cacao nibs are intermittently transported to the subsequent mechanism through the transport groove 23a of the screw 23, as in the first embodiment.

The pre-plate 24 is a member that constitutes a coarse crushing mechanism together with the screw 23 . The pre-plate 24 is arranged close to the end of the transport groove 23 a of the screw 23 . In addition, the pre-plate 24 has a window 24a in a part in the circumferential direction. The discharge plate 25 is a member that constitutes the second transport mechanism. The discharge plate 25 has blades 25a in a part in the circumferential direction.

Here, the configurations of the pre-plate 24 and the discharge plate 25 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 33, the pre-plate 24 is a flat member. A circular hole 24b is provided in the center of the pre-plate 24. As shown in FIG. The inner diameter of the hole 24b is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the stepped portion 23g of the screw 23 . The pre-plate 24 is attached to an inner adapter 35 (FIG. 29) so as not to rotate together with the screw 23. The inner adapter 35 is a member made of resin. The inner adapter 35 is attached to the case 22 by screwing or the like. Therefore, the pre-plate 24 is fixedly supported by the case 22 via the inner adapter 35 .

The pre-plate 24 has a nib passing region E1 in which the window 24a is formed and a nib passing region E1 in which the window 24a is not formed in the circumferential direction along the rotation direction of the screw 23 (hereinafter also simply referred to as “circumferential direction”). and a nib non-passing area E2.

The nib passage area E1 is an area through which cacao nibs transported by the screw 23 are passed. The nib passage area E1 is also an area that limits the size of cacao nibs that pass through. A plurality of (eight in this embodiment) windows 24a are formed in the nib passing area E1. Each window 24a coarsely grinds cacao nibs to produce coarsely ground nibs on the same principle as the window 402a of the pre-plate 402 in the first embodiment. A plurality of windows 24a are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction.

In addition, each window 24a is arranged below and in part of the center position of the hole 24b in the height direction. Specifically, the plurality of windows 24a are arranged mainly on the lower side when viewed from the central position of the hole 24b. In addition, the plurality of windows 24a are arranged close to one side in the circumferential direction (R direction in FIG. 33). By arranging a plurality of windows 24a in the nib passage area E1 (in the R direction from the lower end of the pre-plate 402) in this way, cocoa nibs can be efficiently crushed. There are mainly two reasons for this. The first reason is that the cocoa nibs transported by the transport groove 23a of the screw 23 inside the screw housing cylinder 22a are gathered downward by the action of gravity. The second reason is that the cacao nibs gathered at the bottom due to the action of gravity are moved to one side in the circumferential direction by the rotation of the screw 23 .

The nib non-passing area E2 is an area that prevents cacao nibs from passing. When the entire circumferential region of the pre-plate 24 is defined as the nib passage area E1, cacao nibs (coarsely crushed nibs) that have passed through the nib passage area E1 return to the transport groove 23a through one of the windows 24a. Regurgitation of cocoa nibs is more likely to occur. On the other hand, when the nib non-passing area E2 is provided in the pre-plate 24, the back flow of cacao nibs that have passed through the nib passing area E1 can be suppressed by the nib non-passing area E2.

The discharge plate 25 is a member that rotates in the R direction together with the screw 23. A D-shaped hole 25 b is provided in the center of the discharge plate 25 . The hole 25b has a stepped structure (see FIG. 29) so as to fit both the stepped portion 23g and the cylindrical portion 23e of the screw 23. As shown in FIG. The discharge plate 25 is formed with a plurality of (two in this embodiment) blades 25a. In the circumferential direction along the rotation direction R of the discharge plate 25, both sides of each blade 25a are notched in a substantially V shape. The discharge plate 25 transports the coarsely crushed nibs that have passed through the nib passing area E1 of the pre-plate 24 to a subsequent mechanism. At this time, the vanes 25a of the discharge plate 25 scrape off the coarsely crushed nibs pushed out from the windows 24a of the preplate 24, and the scraped coarsely crushed nibs are transferred to the coarsely crushed nib storage areas 1201a to 1201d (Fig. 12).

In this embodiment, the timing at which the windows 24a of the pre-plate 24 and the blades 25a of the discharge plate 25 overlap with the timing at which the cacao nibs are pushed out toward the pre-plate 24 by the screws 23 are configured to synchronize. A detailed description will be given below.

First, when the screw 23 rotates within the screw storage cylinder 22a of the case 22, the cacao nibs stored in the transport groove 23a are intermittently pushed out to the pre-plate 24 side in a cycle synchronized with the rotation of the screw 23. Therefore, the coarsely crushed nibs produced by the pre-plate 24 are also pushed out from the windows 24a of the pre-plate 24 in a period synchronized with the rotation of the screw 23. That is, during one rotation of the screw 23, there is a period during which the coarsely crushed nibs are extruded from the window 24a of the pre-plate 24 (hereinafter referred to as "nib supply period") and a period during which the crushed nibs are not extruded (hereinafter referred to as "nib supply interruption period"). ) exists.

34A is a view of the arrangement of the screw 23, the pre-plate 24 and the discharge plate 25 during the nib supply period as viewed from the tip side of the screw 23, and FIG. 34B is a view of the screw 23, the pre-plate 24 and the discharge during the nib supply period. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an arrangement state of a plate 25; 35A is a view of the arrangement of the screw 23, the pre-plate 24 and the discharge plate 25 during the nib supply interruption period as viewed from the tip side of the screw 23, and FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an arrangement state of the discharge plate 25. FIG.

The discharge plate 25 rotates integrally with the screw 23 at a position adjacent to the pre-plate 24 . During the nib supply period, the blades 25a of the discharge plate 25 are arranged so as to overlap the windows 24a of the pre-plate 24, as shown in FIGS. 34A and 34B. That is, the timing at which the windows 24a and the blades 25a overlap and the timing at which the screw 23 pushes out the cocoa nibs toward the pre-plate 24 are synchronized. Therefore, during the nib supply period, the window 24a of the pre-plate 24 is opened by the passage of the blade 25a. Therefore, the coarsely crushed nibs supplied from the window 24a of the pre-plate 24 are scraped off by the blades 25a of the discharge plate 25 and transferred to the following mechanism.

On the other hand, during the nib supply interruption period, the blades 25a of the discharge plate 25 are arranged so as not to overlap the windows 24a of the pre-plate 24, as shown in FIGS. 35A and 35B. That is, the timing at which the windows 24a and the portions without the blades 25a overlap and the timing at which the cacao nibs are not pushed out toward the pre-plate 24 are synchronized. Therefore, the window 24a of the pre-plate 24 is closed by the discharge plate 25 during the nib supply interruption period. Therefore, the coarsely crushed nibs are not supplied from the window 24a of the preplate 24. As shown in FIG.

As described above, in this embodiment, the fitting shape of the hole 25b of the discharge plate 25 is adjusted so that the terminal end Pc of the screw 23 and the vane 25a of the discharge plate 25 are synchronized. Therefore, the rotation of the screw 23 and the discharge plate 25 repeats the nib supply period and the nib supply interruption period, thereby intermittently supplying coarsely crushed nibs to the fixed die 27 and rotary die 28, which are subsequent mechanisms. be able to.

The inner disk support 26 is a member that supports the fixed die 27. The inner disk support 26 is supported by the case 22 via an inner adapter 35, as shown in FIG. A hole 26a (FIG. 36) is formed in the center of the inner disk support 26. As shown in FIG. A hole 26 a of the inner disk support 26 is a hole for fitting an inner adapter 35 ( FIG. 29 ) to the inner disk support 26 .

A support plate 32 (FIG. 29) is fitted in the center of the inner disk support 26 . The backing plate 32 is a member that holds the pre-plate 24 so that the pre-plate 24 does not come off. The backing plate 32 also serves as a heat insulating member to prevent the heat from the inner disk support 26 and the fixed die 27 from being transmitted directly to the nib. The inner adapter 35 is interposed between the case 22 and the inner disk support 26 to block the conduction of heat from the inner disk support 26 to the case 22, like the inner adapter 413 in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, the heat sink 41 is fixed to the inner disk support 26 with bolts, whereby the inner disk support 26 and the heat sink 41 are integrated. A heater 36, a temperature sensor 37, a thermal fuse 38, and a fan 42 are attached to the fan bracket 43, and the fan bracket 43 is attached to the inner disk support 26 as an integrated component. Integrating the heater 36, the thermal fuse 38, and the fan 42 into the fan bracket 43 in this manner facilitates the attachment/detachment operation during cleaning, which will be described later. The heat sink 41 and the fan 42 constitute the cooling mechanism 40 . The heater 36 is provided for the same purpose as the heater 2101 in the first embodiment. The heater 36 is installed so as to protrude from a through hole (not shown) of the fan bracket 43 and is pressed by a spring or the like so as to be in constant contact with the inner disk support 26 . The heater 36 is on/off controlled by the controller 9 when the grinding apparatus 1 is operated. The temperature sensor 37 is provided for the same purpose as the temperature sensor 2102 in the first embodiment, and the thermal fuse 38 is provided for the same purpose as the thermal fuse 2103 in the first embodiment.

The cooling mechanism 40 is a mechanism for cooling the fixed die 27 and the rotary die 28 in order to keep the temperature of the fixed die 27 and the rotary die 28 within an appropriate temperature range. The cooling mechanism 40 is a mechanism for forcibly air-cooling the fixed die 27 and the rotary die 28 and includes a heat sink 41 (FIG. 37) and a fan 42 . The heat sink 41 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as a metal such as aluminum. The heat sinks 41 are arranged one each on the left and right with the hole 26a of the inner disk support 26 interposed therebetween.

A plurality of fins 41a are formed on the heat sink 41 in order to secure a large surface area for heat radiation. The fins 41a may have a pin shape as shown in FIG. 37, or may have a thin plate shape or other shapes (not shown). The heat sink 41 is fixed to the inner disk support 26 by screws or the like. Also, the heat sink 41 absorbs and releases heat from the inner disk support 26 by bringing the surface opposite to the surface on which the fins 41 a are formed into contact with the inner disk support 26 .

The fan 42 is a device that blows air toward the heat sink 41. Driving of the fan 42 is controlled by the controller 9 . The fan 42 is arranged so as to be close to and face the fins 41 a of the heat sink 41 . The fans 42 are arranged one by one on the left and right sides, similar to the heat sink 41 . Two fans 42 are attached to the inner disk support 26 via fan brackets 43 . The fan bracket 43 is attached to the inner disk support 26 with two attachment knobs 44 . Various configurations can be adopted for the cooling mechanism. For example, the cooling mechanism may be configured using a water cooling pipe or a Peltier element, or may be configured by combining a Peltier element, a heat sink and a fan.

The mounting knob 44 has both the function of fixing the fan bracket 43 to the inner disk support 26 and the function of positioning the fan bracket 43 to the inner disk support 26 . The mounting knob 44 integrally has a male threaded portion (not shown), and this male threaded portion meshes with a female threaded portion (not shown) of the inner disk support 26 . The fan 42 is fixed to the fan bracket 43 with screws together with the heater 36 and the thermal fuse 38 . With such a mounting structure, the heater 36, temperature sensor 37, thermal fuse 38, fan 42 and fan bracket 43 are configured as one unit. Therefore, by loosening the two mounting knobs 44, the heater 36, the temperature sensor 37, the temperature fuse 38 and the fan 42 together with the fan bracket 43 can be removed from the inner disk support 26. FIG.

In the cooling mechanism 40 configured as described above, when the left and right fans 42 are rotated, air is blown from each fan 42 to the heat sink 41 . Therefore, the heat transferred from the inner disk support 26 to the heat sink 41 can be removed by blowing air from the fan 42 . On the other hand, when the rotary die 28 is driven by the motor 7 to rotate and grind the coarsely crushed nibs, frictional heat is generated between the fixed die 27 and the rotary die 28, and part of this frictional heat is transferred to the stationary die. 27 to the inner disk support 26 . Therefore, by blowing air from the fan 42 to remove the heat of the inner disk support 26, the fixed die 27 and the rotary die 28 can be forcibly cooled.

The fixed mortar 27 and the rotary mortar 28 are driven by the motor 7 to rotate the rotary mortar 28 while the fixed mortar 27 is fixed, thereby grinding the coarsely crushed nibs to generate cocoa mass. The fixed die 27 has the same groove structure (see FIGS. 12, 13 and 14) as the fixed die 404 in the first embodiment. The rotary die 28 has the same groove structure (see FIGS. 15, 16 and 17) as the rotary die 403 in the first embodiment.

The outer disk support 29 is a member that supports the rotary mill 28. As shown in FIG. 30,

scrapers

46a and 46b are screwed to the outer disk support 29 at two locations on its periphery in a rotationally symmetrical positional relationship. The

scrapers

46a, 46b perform the same functions as the

scrapers

601a, 601b in the first embodiment.

The outer disk support 29 is supported by the drive shaft 21 through the outer adapter 45 and the cylindrical portion 23e of the screw 23, as shown in FIG. The outer adapter 45 is made of resin. The outer adapter 45 is interposed between the outer disk support 29 and rotary die 28 and the drive shaft 21 . The outer adapter 45 has the same heat insulating function as the outer adapter 416 in the first embodiment.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the drive shaft 21 includes two

disc springs

47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47a, 47b, 47a, 47b, 47a, 47b, 47b, 47a, 47b, 47b, 47b, 47b, 47b, 47b, 47a, 47b, 47a, 47d, and 77, respectively. 47b, clamper 48 and nut 49 are attached.

The two

disc springs

47a and 47b are fitted into the cylindrical portion 29a of the outer disk support 29. The two disc springs 47 a and 47 b generate a biasing force for pressing the rotary die 28 against the fixed die 27 via the outer disk support 29 . This biasing force is generated when the clamper 48 receives the tightening force of the nut 49 and presses the two

disk springs

47a and 47b toward the rotary die 28 side. The biasing force generated by the two

disk springs

47a and 47b is also transmitted to the case 22 via the fixed die 27, the inner disk support 26 and the inner adapter 35. As shown in FIG.

The clamper 48 is a member that receives the tightening force of the nut 49 and presses the disc springs 47a and 47b. The clamper 48 is in contact with the disc spring 47b via a spacer 50, as shown in FIG. The spacer 50 is made of resin for heat insulation, like the spacer 415 in the first embodiment.

The nut 49 is a member that constitutes a tightening member. The nut 49 meshes with a male threaded portion 21 a formed at the tip of the drive shaft 21 . The nut 49 is tightened with a predetermined tightening torque. The tightening torque of the nut 49 is preferably adjusted to a predetermined value using a torque wrench (not shown). In this embodiment, the nut 49 is used as an example of the tightening member, but the tightening member may be configured by other members.

Here, the screw 23, retainer plate 32, pre-plate 24, discharge plate 25, fixed die 27, rotary die 28, outer disk support 29, disc springs 47a, 47b and clamper 48 are connected by nuts 49 tightened as described above. It is mounted around the drive shaft 21 . Therefore, by loosening the tightening of the nut 49 and removing the nut 49 from the male screw portion 21a of the drive shaft 21, the screw 23, the retainer plate 32, the pre-plate 24, the discharge plate 25, the fixed die 27, the rotary die 28, Each component of the outer disk support 29 , the disc springs 47 a and 47 b and the clamper 48 can be removed from the drive shaft 21 . In other words, the main parts of the grinding section 3 can be disassembled simply by removing the nut 49. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when cleaning the main parts for grinding housed in the front cover 12, the main parts for grinding can be washed by first opening the front cover 12 downward, then loosening and removing the nut 49. Can be easily disassembled and cleaned.

Further, the case 22 is screwed to the frame portion of the drive section 2, and the inner disk support 26 is screwed to the case 22 via the inner adapter 35. Therefore, the case 22, the inner disk support 26 and the inner adapter 35 can also be removed from the drive shaft 21 by removing mounting screws (not shown). Therefore, the drive shaft 21, the case 22, the inner disk support 26 and the inner adapter 35 can be easily disassembled and cleaned.

The disc cover 33 (Figs. 27 and 30) is formed in a ring shape. The disc cover 33 is a member that performs the same function as the disc cover 411 in the first embodiment. Further, the disc cover 33 is heated by the heater 36 through the inner disc support 26 in the same manner as the disc cover 411 in the first embodiment. A discharge port 33a is provided at the bottom of the disc cover 33. As shown in FIG. The disk cover 33 collects the cacao mass produced by the fixed mill 27 and the rotary mill 28 and guides the collected cacao mass to the outlet 33a. The cocoa mass discharged from the discharge port 33a of the disk cover 33 is injected into the pot 20 through the discharge port 17a of the discharge member 17. As shown in FIG.

The grinding device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention basically grinds cacao nibs by the same mechanism as the grinding device 101 according to the first embodiment to produce cocoa mass. Specifically, the cocoa nibs accumulated in the hopper 8 enter the transport groove 23a of the screw 23 due to their own weight, and are transported by the rotation of the screw 23 as the motor 7 is driven. At that time, the drive shaft 21 rotates as the motor 7 is driven. Also, the screw 23 , the discharge plate 25 and the rotary die 28 rotate integrally with the drive shaft 21 .

Next, the cacao nibs transported by the screw 23 are granulated into granulated nibs when passing through the window 24a of the pre-plate 24. The coarsely crushed nibs are scraped off by blades 25 a of the discharge plate 25 and supplied to the fixed die 27 and the rotary die 28 . The supplied coarsely ground nibs are ground by the rotation of the rotary mill 28 to become cocoa mass. The cocoa mass is guided to the discharge port 33a of the disc cover 33 and discharged from the discharge port 17a of the discharge member 17. As shown in FIG.

Next, a method of controlling the fan 42 by the controller 9 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the controller 9 stops the fan 42 (S1).
Next, the controller 9 determines whether the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (34° C. in this embodiment) (S2). If the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 is less than the predetermined value, the controller 9 returns to step S1 and keeps the fan 42 stopped. Further, when the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the control unit 9 operates the fan 42 for a predetermined time (15 seconds in this embodiment) (S3).
Next, the controller 9 determines whether the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (34° C. in this embodiment) (S4). If the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 is less than the predetermined value, the controller 9 returns to step S1 and stops the fan 42 . If the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the controller 9 returns to step S3 and operates the fan 42 for a predetermined time (15 seconds in this embodiment).

By controlling the driving of the fan 42 based on the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 in this manner, the temperature of the fixed mill 27 and the rotary mill 28 can be maintained within an appropriate temperature range.
The predetermined value to be compared with the detection value of the temperature sensor 37 and the predetermined time for operating the fan 42 can be set to arbitrary values by operating the touch panel 18 .

FIG. 39 is a block diagram showing an example of control configuration of the grinding device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 39 , the dial knob 13 , the touch panel 18 and the motor 7 are electrically connected to the controller 9 . The dial knob 13 functions as an operation section that can select one of a plurality of grinding modes prepared in advance. In this embodiment, a manufacturing mode and a storefront mode are prepared as examples of a plurality of grinding modes. The manufacturing mode is the milling mode selected if the cocoa nibs are milled regularly for a long period of time. The storefront mode is the grinding mode selected when the cocoa nibs are ground irregularly for short periods of time, or when the cocoa mass needs to be topped up.

The dial knob 13 has three operating positions, as shown in FIGS. 40A, 40B and 40C. FIG. 40A shows the operating position of the dial knob 13 when the user of the grinding device 1 selects the manufacturing mode. FIG. 40B shows the operating position of the dial knob 13 in the neutral state. FIG. 40C shows the operating position of the dial knob 13 when the user of the grinder 1 selects the storefront mode. The dial knob 13 is formed in a C shape when viewed from the front. Further, as shown in FIG. 26, the front surface of the front cover 12 is provided with marks M1, M2 and M3 corresponding to the operation positions of the dial knob 13. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the user can recognize the operating position of the dial knob 13 depending on which of the marks M1, M2, and M3 the notch of the C-shaped portion of the dial knob 13 faces.

Grinding of cacao nibs is performed when the user operates the dial knob 13 to select the manufacturing mode or the storefront mode. Further, when the user operates the dial knob 13 , a signal corresponding to this operation (hereinafter referred to as “operation signal”) is given to the control section 9 . The operation signal turns off when the dial knob 13 is set to the neutral state, and turns on when the dial knob 13 is turned in any direction from the neutral state. When the dial knob 13 is turned counterclockwise from the neutral state, the operation signal turns on at the first voltage level, and when the dial knob 13 is turned clockwise from the neutral state, the voltage level differs from the first voltage level. It is turned on at the second voltage level. A specific operation method using the dial knob 13 will be described below.

First, when the user pinches the dial knob 13 with his fingers and turns it counterclockwise from the neutral state, that is, when he selects the manufacturing mode, the dial knob 13 does not move even if he releases his finger from the dial knob 13. The 40A operating position is maintained. When the operating time preset for the manufacturing mode (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturing operating time") elapses, grinding of cacao nibs by the grinding device 1 automatically stops. At this time, the dial knob 13 may be configured to return to the neutral state manually by the user, or may be configured to automatically return to the neutral state.

On the other hand, when the user pinches the dial knob 13 with his fingers and turns it clockwise from the neutral state, that is, when he selects the storefront mode, when he releases his finger from the dial knob 13, the dial knob 13 It returns to the neutral state by an urging force such as a spring (not shown). However, grinding of the cacao nibs is continued until the operating time preset for the storefront mode (hereinafter referred to as "store operating time") has elapsed. Also, when the user keeps the dial knob 13 turned clockwise, the cacao nibs are ground only during the time that the user keeps turning the dial knob 13 clockwise. In this case, the user can release the dial knob 13 when the desired amount of cacao mass has been injected.

If the user wishes to forcibly stop the operation of the grinding device 1 operating in the production mode, the user can return the dial knob 13 to the neutral state. Further, when the user wishes to forcibly stop the operation of the grinder 1 operating in the storefront mode, the user can turn the dial knob 13 clockwise again and release it.

The touch panel 18 functions as a setting unit that can set driving conditions for the motor 7 for each grinding mode. A user of the grinding device 1 performs the setting operation of the driving conditions using the touch panel 18 . In the present embodiment, as an example of the drive conditions for the motor 7, a case will be described in which the manufacturing operation time and the store operation time are set. However, the driving condition of the motor 7 is not limited to the operation time of the grinding device 1 for each grinding mode, and may be various values such as the above-mentioned predetermined value, predetermined time, or intermittent operation time for intermittently operating the grinding unit 3. Conditions can be applied.

The touch panel 18 is accommodated in the housing section 10 and covered with the maintenance cover 11, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the user can set the manufacturing operation time and store operation time by removing the maintenance cover 11 from the housing unit 10 and operating the touch panel 18 in this state. Before the user operates the touch panel 18, the manufacturing operation time and store operation time are set to initial values. Information on the manufacturing operation time and store operation time set by the user by operating the touch panel 18 is given to the control unit 9 from the touch panel 18 . The control unit 9 stores the information on the manufacturing operation time and store operation time given from the touch panel 18 in the internal memory. The control unit 9 also has a function of a timer capable of measuring various times including the elapsed time from the start of operation of the grinding device 1 and the operating time of the fan 42 .

FIG. 41 is a flow chart showing an example of control processing executed by the control unit 9. As shown in FIG.
First, the control unit 9 repeatedly determines whether or not the operation signal has been turned on (S11). Then, when the operation signal is turned on, the control section 9 drives the motor 7 to start the operation of the grinding apparatus 1, and at the same time, the timer starts measuring time (S12).

Next, the control unit 9 determines whether or not the user has selected the manufacturing mode (S13). Specifically, if the voltage level of the operation signal turned on in step S11 is the first voltage level, the control unit 9 determines YES in step S13 and proceeds to step S14. If it is the second voltage level, it is determined as NO in step S13, and the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S14, the control unit 9 confirms whether or not the measured value of the timer has reached the manufacturing operation time. The manufacturing operation time is a time that can be set by the user operating the touch panel 18, as described above. When the measured value of the timer reaches the manufacturing operation time, the control unit 9 stops driving the motor 7 and stops the operation of the grinding device 1 (S15). Further, when the measured value of the timer has not reached the manufacturing operation time, the control unit 9 determines whether or not a forced stop has been instructed (S16).

A forced stop instruction in the manufacturing mode is issued by the user returning the dial knob 13 to the neutral state. When the forced stop is instructed, the control section 9 proceeds to step S15 and stops the operation of the grinding apparatus 1 . Further, when there is no command to forcibly stop the operation, the control unit 9 returns to step S14 and continues the operation of the grinding apparatus 1 .

On the other hand, in step S17, the control unit 9 determines whether or not the operation signal remains on. Then, when the operation signal is maintained in the ON state, the control section 9 determines YES in step S17 and proceeds to step S18.

In step S18, the control unit 9 repeatedly determines whether or not the operation signal has turned off. Then, when the operation signal is turned off, the control section 9 proceeds from step S18 to step S15 and stops the operation of the grinding device 1 .

Also, when the operation signal is not maintained in the ON state, the control unit 9 proceeds from step S17 to step S19. In step S19, the controller 9 confirms whether or not the measured value of the timer has reached the store operation time. The in-store operation time is a time that can be set by the user by operating the touch panel 18, as described above. When the measured value of the timer reaches the store operation time, the control unit 9 proceeds from step S19 to step S15 and stops the operation of the grinding device 1 . Further, when the measured value of the timer has not reached the store operation time, the control unit 9 determines whether or not there is an instruction to forcibly stop (S20).

A forced stop instruction in the storefront mode is issued by the user turning the dial knob 13 clockwise from the neutral state. When the forced stop is instructed, the control section 9 proceeds to step S15 and stops the operation of the grinding apparatus 1 . Further, when there is no command to forcibly stop the operation, the control unit 9 returns to step S19 and continues the operation of the grinding apparatus 1 .

When the grinding apparatus 1 is operated in the manufacturing mode or the storefront mode, the controller 9 controls the driving (on/off) of the motor 7 based on the detected value of the temperature sensor 37, which is the same as in the first embodiment. is similar to Further, the control section 9 controls the driving of the fan 42 according to the processing procedure shown in FIG.

As described above, in the grinding device 1 according to the present embodiment, any one of a plurality of grinding modes (manufacturing mode, storefront mode) can be selected by the dial knob 13, and the dial knob 13 is actually operated. The control unit 9 controls the driving of the motor 7 according to the grinding mode selected by the above. As a result, the user operates the dial knob 13 to select the manufacturing mode when he/she wants to produce a large amount of cocoa mass, and operates the dial knob 13 to select the storefront mode when he/she wants to produce a small amount of cocoa mass. , a desired amount of cocoa mass can be discharged from the outlet 17a. Therefore, it is possible to provide the grinding device 1 which is easy to use. Further, the user can set the manufacturing operation time and/or store operation time to a desired time by operating the touch panel 18 . Therefore, when the user selects the manufacturing mode or the storefront mode, the amount of cocoa mass generated in one run can be adjusted.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and other modifications and applications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the scope of claims. include. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the details of the present invention have been described for easy understanding, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described in the above-described embodiments. Also, part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. It is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Moreover, it is also possible to delete a part of the configuration of each embodiment, add another configuration, or replace it with another configuration.

Embodiments of the present invention can adopt the following configurations.
<1>
A grinding device for producing cocoa mass by further grinding coarsely ground nibs produced by coarsely grinding cacao nibs,
a rotary mill for further grinding the coarsely ground nibs supplied from the center side to produce cocoa mass;
a stationary die arranged opposite to the rotary die and cooperating with the rotary die to grind the coarsely ground nibs to produce the cocoa mass;
a motor having a horizontal drive shaft for rotationally driving the rotary mill;
a heater for warming the fixed die;
a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the fixed die;
a grind switch for on/off controlling the motor;
When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has not reached the first temperature, the heater is turned on, and the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has reached the first temperature or higher. If the sensor detects this, the heater is turned off, and if the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has not reached a second temperature lower than the first temperature, regardless of the state of the grind switch. prohibiting the driving of the motor, and permitting on/off control of the motor according to the state of the grind switch when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has reached the second temperature or higher; A grinding device comprising a controller.

<2>
Further, when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die reaches a third temperature higher than the first temperature, the controller prohibits driving the motor regardless of the state of the grind switch. When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die is equal to or lower than a fourth temperature higher than the first temperature and lower than the third temperature, the motor is turned on and off according to the state of the grind switch. The grinding device according to <1>, which permits control.

Embodiments of the present invention can also adopt the following configuration.
<1>
A grinding device for producing cocoa mass by further grinding coarsely ground nibs produced by coarsely grinding cacao nibs,
a rotary mill for further grinding the coarsely ground nibs supplied from the center side to produce cocoa mass;
a stationary die arranged opposite to the rotary die and cooperating with the rotary die to grind the coarsely ground nibs to produce the cocoa mass;
a motor having a horizontal drive shaft for rotationally driving the rotary mill;
The fixed mortar,
a first groove group formed on the outer circumference of the fixed die and having a first inclination angle with respect to the diametrical direction;
a second groove group formed on the inner circumference of the first groove group having a second inclination angle opposite to the direction of inclination of the first groove group with respect to the diametrical direction;
A grinding device comprising a coarsely ground nib storage area formed on the inner circumference of the second groove group and storing the coarsely ground nibs.
<2>
A crossing groove is formed below the second groove group for allowing the coarsely crushed nib and the cocoa mass to flow in the circumferential direction of the fixed die.
The grinding device according to <1>.
<3>
The first groove group is
an inner peripheral side sub-groove group having grooves partially connected to the grooves of the second groove group;
The grinding device according to <2>, further comprising an outer peripheral sub-groove group formed of independent grooves that are not connected to the inner peripheral sub-groove group.
<4>
The rotary mill is
a third groove group formed on the outer periphery of the rotary die having a third inclination angle with respect to the diametrical direction;
a fourth groove group formed on the inner periphery of the third groove group having a fourth inclination angle that is the opposite inclination direction to the third groove group with respect to the diametrical direction,
The grinding device according to <3>, wherein the motor rotates the rotary mill in the tilt direction of the third groove group.
<5>
The grinding device according to <4>, wherein the third tilt angle has the same tilt angle as the first tilt angle.
<6>
The third groove group is
an inner peripheral side sub-groove group having grooves partially connected to the grooves of the fourth groove group;
The grinding device according to <5>, further comprising an outer peripheral side sub-groove group formed only by independent grooves that are not connected to the inner peripheral side sub-groove group.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101... Grinding apparatus, 2,102... Drive part, 3,103... Grinding part, 8,104... Hopper, 20, 105... Pot, 6,106... Base, 107... Unit cover, 7,201...

Motor

21, 201a Drive

shaft

9, 202 Control unit 13 Dial knob (operation unit) 18 Touch panel (setting unit) 23, 401 Screw (first transportation mechanism) 23a, 401a Transportation Groove 23c... Auxiliary groove 24,402... Pre-plate (coarse crushing mechanism) 24a, 402a... Window 28,403... Rotary mill 25... Discharge plate (second transport mechanism) 25a... Blade 27,404 ... Fixed mill 405 ... Propeller (second transportation mechanism) 22, 406 ...

Case

30, 406c ...

Nib introduction tube

26, 407 ...

Inner disk support

29, 408 ... Outer disk support 40 ... Cooling mechanism 41 Heat sink 41a Fin 42

Fan

49, 409

Nut

47a, 47b, 410

Disc spring

33, 411

Disk cover

32, 412 Backing plate 413

Inner adapter

48, 414 Clamper , 50, 415...

Spacer

45, 416... Outer adapter 417...

Apparatus frame

46a, 46b, 601... Scraper 1001... Cacao nibs 1201... Coarsely crushed nibs storage area 1202... Space 1203... Cross groove 1301... First groove group 1302... Second groove group 1303... First inner peripheral side sub-groove group 1304... First outer peripheral

side sub-groove group

1401, 1405... First outer peripheral side sub-groove 1402... First inner peripheral side Side sub grooves 1403

Second grooves

1404, 1407

Third grooves

1406, 1609 Continuous grooves 1601 Third groove group 1602 Fourth groove group 1603 Second inner peripheral side sub groove group 1604... Second outer peripheral

side sub-groove group

1605, 1608... Second outer peripheral side sub-groove 1606... Second inner peripheral side sub-groove 1607... Fourth groove 1901...

Cough nib

36, 2101...

Heater

37 , 2102...

Temperature sensor

38, 2103... Thermal fuse 2104... Heater fixture 2201... Bus 2202... CPU 2203... ROM 2204... RAM L2205, L2207...

Drive coil

2206, 2208... Driver 2209... Commercial AC power supply 2210

Power switch

2211, 2213 Switch 2212 Grind switch 2301 Input/output control unit 2302 Temperature threshold list 2501 Traversing groove E1 Nib passing area E2 Nib non-passing area region

Claims

a nib introduction tube;
a first transport mechanism that receives cacao nibs supplied from the nib introduction tube and transports the cacao nibs to a subsequent mechanism;
a crushing mechanism for coarsely crushing the cocoa nibs transported from the first transport mechanism to produce coarsely crushed nibs;
a second transport mechanism for transporting the coarsening nibs produced by the coarsening mechanism to a subsequent mechanism;
a rotary die arranged vertically for further grinding the coarse nibs supplied from the second transport mechanism;
a fixed die arranged opposite to the rotary die and cooperating with the rotary die to grind the coarsely ground nibs to produce cocoa mass;
A grinding device comprising a motor provided with a drive shaft for rotationally driving the first transport mechanism, the second transport mechanism and the rotary die.
The surface of the fixed die is
a first groove group formed on the outer circumference of the fixed die and having a first inclination angle with respect to the diametrical direction;
a second groove group formed on the inner circumference of the first groove group having a second inclination angle opposite to the direction of inclination of the first groove group with respect to the diametrical direction;
2. The grinding device according to claim 1, further comprising: a coarse nib storage area formed on the inner circumference of said second groove group and storing said coarse nib.
The first groove group includes a first inner peripheral side sub-groove group having grooves partially connected to the grooves of the second groove group, and the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group. It is composed of a first outer peripheral side sub-groove group formed only by independent grooves that are not connected,
The surface of the fixed die is
From the lower side of the second groove group and/or the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group, along the rotation direction of the rotary die, the second groove group and/or the first inner peripheral side sub-groove group having transverse grooves formed by transverse trajectories,
A grinding device according to claim 2.
The first groove group is
an inner peripheral side sub-groove group having grooves partially connected to the grooves of the second groove group;
4. The grinding device according to claim 3, further comprising an outer peripheral sub-groove group formed of independent grooves that are not connected to the inner peripheral sub-groove group.
The first transport mechanism is a screw having a transport groove that is intermittently exposed in the nib introduction tube by being rotationally driven by the motor.
Grinding device according to claim 1.
The crushing mechanism includes a pre-plate positioned proximate to an end of the transport groove of the screw and having a window that limits the size of the cocoa nibs as they pass through.
Grinding device according to claim 5.
The second transport mechanism is a propeller facing the side of the pre-plate opposite to the side facing the screw.
Grinding device according to claim 6.
Furthermore,
an inner disk support that supports the fixed die;
a heater attached to the inner disk support for warming the fixed die;
a case for housing the screw;
8. The polishing device according to claim 7, further comprising an inner adapter made of resin interposed between the case and the inner disk support and blocking heat conduction from the inner disk support to the case. Crushing device.
Furthermore,
an outer disk support that supports the rotary mill;
an outer adapter made of resin interposed between the drive shaft and the outer disk support and the rotary die to cut off heat conduction generated from the outer disk support and the rotary die to the drive shaft;
a nut for pressing the outer disk support against the fixed die;
9. The abrasive according to claim 8, further comprising a spacer made of resin interposed between said nut and said outer disk support and blocking heat conduction generated from said outer disk support to said drive shaft. Crushing device.
Furthermore,
a heater for warming the fixed die;
a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the fixed die;
a grind switch for on/off controlling the motor;
When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has not reached the first temperature, the heater is turned on, and the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has reached the first temperature or higher. If the sensor detects this, the heater is turned off, and if the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has not reached a second temperature lower than the first temperature, regardless of the state of the grind switch. a control unit that prohibits driving of the motor and permits on/off control of the motor by the grind switch when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die reaches the second temperature or higher; 2. The grinding device of claim 1, comprising:
Further, when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die reaches a third temperature higher than the first temperature, the controller prohibits driving the motor regardless of the state of the grind switch. When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the fixed die has reached the third temperature or higher and then dropped to a fourth temperature that is higher than the first temperature and lower than the third temperature, 11. The grinding device of claim 10, wherein the grind switch allows on/off control of the motor.
A cooling mechanism for cooling the fixed die and the rotary die,
Grinding device according to claim 1.
The cooling mechanism is attached to an inner disk support that supports the fixed die,
Grinding device according to claim 12.
The cooling mechanism includes a heat sink that absorbs and releases heat from the inner disk support, and a fan that blows air toward the heat sink.
14. Grinding device according to claim 13.
The screw has an auxiliary groove that is narrower than the transport groove and transports the cacao nibs toward the transport groove,
Grinding device according to claim 5.
The pre-plate has a nib passing region in which the window is formed and a nib non-passing region in which the window is not formed in the circumferential direction along the rotation direction of the screw,
The second transport mechanism is a discharge plate facing a side of the pre-plate opposite to the side facing the screw.
Grinding device according to claim 6.
The discharge plate has blades in a portion of the circumference along the direction of rotation of the screw,
The timing at which the window of the pre-plate and the vane of the discharge plate overlap with the timing at which the screw pushes out the cocoa nibs toward the pre-plate are configured to synchronize.
17. Grinding device according to claim 16.
The first transport mechanism, the crushing mechanism, the second transport mechanism, the rotary die and the fixed die are mounted around the axis of the drive shaft by a clamping member, and removed from the drive shaft by removing the clamping member. The grinding device according to claim 1, which is configured to be removable from.
a control unit having a plurality of grinding modes with different drive conditions for the motor;
and an operation unit that can select one of the plurality of grinding modes,
The control unit controls driving of the motor according to the grinding mode selected by the operation unit.
Grinding device according to claim 1.
further comprising a setting unit capable of setting driving conditions of the motor;
20. A grinding device according to claim 19.
an inner disk support that supports the fixed die;
a heater for warming the fixed die;
a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the fixed die;
A cooling mechanism for cooling the fixed die and the rotary die,
The grinding device according to claim 1, wherein the heater, the temperature sensor and the cooling mechanism are attached to the inner disk support.