Coffee roasting apparatus

KR103019560B1Active Publication Date: 2026-09-16KOREA INST OF MACHINERY & MATERIALS
View PDF 2 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
KR1020240069633
Authority / Receiving Office
KR · KR
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-05-28
Publication Date
2026-09-16
Estimated Expiration
2044-05-28

Smart Images

  • Figure 112024057971043-PAT00001_ABST
    Figure 112024057971043-PAT00001_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention discloses a coffee roasting device comprising a roasting chamber for roasting coffee beans, a wave guide having one end located inside the roasting chamber and the other end located outside the roasting chamber to transmit sound inside the roasting chamber to the outside of the roasting chamber, and an acoustic sensor for collecting sound inside the roasting chamber transmitted by the wave guide.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coffee roasting device. Background Technology

[0002] Coffee is a beverage enjoyed by many people. While coffee comes in many varieties and possesses diverse characteristics such as taste, aroma, and stimulating components that clear the mind, these traits all stem from the coffee beans.

[0003] Coffee roasting is the process of heating green coffee beans for a certain period of time to process them into brown or black beans. Since the internal components and characteristics of the green beans change during this process to form the taste and aroma of the coffee, coffee roasting is an important process that determines the quality of the beans.

[0004] The degree of coffee roasting is determined by the judgment of the operator. Since the control of the roasting process also depends on the operator, there can be significant variations in the quality of the beans depending on the operator's experience and skill level. The problem to be solved

[0005] The present invention provides a coffee roasting device capable of obtaining coffee beans of uniform quality regardless of the operator's skill level.

[0006] The problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems and advantages of the present invention not mentioned can be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be understood that the problems and advantages that the present invention aims to solve can be realized by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims. means of solving the problem

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention discloses a coffee roasting device comprising a roasting chamber for roasting coffee beans, a wave guide having one end located inside the roasting chamber and the other end located outside the roasting chamber to transmit sound inside the roasting chamber to the outside of the roasting chamber, and an acoustic sensor for collecting sound inside the roasting chamber transmitted by the wave guide.

[0008] In this embodiment, the coffee roasting device may further include a triangular band that can be coupled to the roasting chamber, and the waveguide may be located within the triangular band along the longitudinal direction of the triangular band.

[0009] In this embodiment, a signal processing device that receives and processes acoustic signals collected from the acoustic sensor may be further included.

[0010] In this embodiment, the sound inside the roasting chamber may include the cracking sound of the coffee beans that occurs during the roasting process of the coffee beans, and the signal processing device may reduce background noise from the collected acoustic signal and amplify the cracking sound.

[0011] In this embodiment, the signal processing device can determine at least one of the number of coffee beans that have cracked, whether a group of coffee beans has cracked, and the end time of coffee roasting based on the collected acoustic signal.

[0012] In this embodiment, the signal processing device can diagnose the coffee roasting process status from the collected acoustic signal based on artificial intelligence learning.

[0013] In this embodiment, the signal processing device can determine the first crack time based on the crack sound, and the first crack time may be the time when at least two crack sounds occur within one second after the first crack sound.

[0014] In this embodiment, the signal processing device may determine the coffee roasting end time as the time when a preset time has elapsed from the first crack point determined above.

[0015] In this embodiment, the signal processing device can generate a control command to stop the operation of the roasting chamber at the end of the coffee roasting.

[0016] In this embodiment, the signal processing device counts the number of times the crack sound of the coffee bean occurs, and if the counted number of times the crack sound of the coffee bean occurs is 70% or more of the total number of coffee beans introduced into the roasting chamber, it can determine that the coffee roasting is finished.

[0017] In this embodiment, the signal processing device can generate a coffee roasting device failure notification signal when an acoustic signal corresponding to an acoustic signal occurring when a coffee roasting device fails is generated from the collected acoustic signal.

[0018] In this embodiment, a terminal device that receives information processed by the signal processing device and manages the coffee roasting process with the received information may be further included.

[0019] In this embodiment, the terminal device may be a wireless terminal device. Effects of the invention

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the sound generated during coffee roasting can be easily heard by the operator, it can help control the coffee roasting process.

[0021] In addition, the intermediate color band can be replaced or changed independently of the coffee roasting device in all coffee roasting devices, so it can be easily applied to coffee roasting devices that are already installed and in operation.

[0022] More objective and consistent judgment and control of the coffee roasting process through mechanical and statistical processing can contribute to improving the productivity of beans or the quality of the product regardless of the operator's skill level. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a coffee roasting device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically illustrating the intermediate color band of the coffee roasting device of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functions of a signal processing device. FIG. 4 is an example graph of the time waveform and frequency of an acoustic signal generated in a coffee roasting device in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 is an example graph of applying a band-pass filter to the frequency of an acoustic signal generated in a coffee roasting device in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is an example graph of applying a high-pass filter to the frequency of an acoustic signal generated in a coffee roasting device during a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is an example graph of an acoustic signal before and after applying a high-pass filter to an acoustic signal in which a first crack occurred during a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 is an example graph of acoustic signals before and after applying a high-pass filter to an acoustic signal generated during a secondary crack in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0024] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments; specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the essence of the present invention.

[0025] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but components should not be limited by these terms. Terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0026] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, in each figure, components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted for convenience and clarity of explanation, and the size of each component does not entirely reflect its actual size.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in a meaning commonly understood by a person skilled in the art. Additionally, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise.

[0028] In the description of each component, where it is stated that it is formed on or under, "on" and "under" include both forms formed directly or through other components, and the criteria for "on" and "under" are explained based on the drawings.

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing with reference to the accompanying drawings, identical or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0030] The meaning that one embodiment of the present invention includes the configurations listed above does not mean that it is composed only of these configurations, but that it basically includes these configurations. It also means that it may include other configurations (e.g., known technology widely known in coffee roasting devices), but a detailed description of known technology is omitted as it may obscure the essence of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a coffee roasting device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically illustrating the intermediate color band of the coffee roasting device of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functions of a signal processing device according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a graph of the time waveform and frequency of an acoustic signal generated by the coffee roasting device in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 is an example graph of applying a band-pass filter to the frequency of an acoustic signal generated by the coffee roasting device in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is an example graph of applying a high-pass filter to the frequency of an acoustic signal generated by the coffee roasting device in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is an example graph of an acoustic signal before and after applying a high-pass filter to an acoustic signal where a first crack occurred in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 is an example graph of acoustic signals before and after applying a high-pass filter to an acoustic signal generated during a secondary crack in a coffee roasting process according to one embodiment.

[0032] First, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the coffee roasting device (100) according to the present invention may include a roasting chamber (110), a waveguide (120) that transmits sound inside the roasting chamber (110) to the outside of the roasting chamber (110), and an acoustic sensor (130) that collects sound inside the roasting chamber (110) transmitted by the waveguide (120). Additionally, the coffee roasting device (100) may further include a signal processing device (150) that receives and processes acoustic signals collected by an acoustic sensor (130) of a color band (140) capable of checking the degree of roasting of coffee beans, a speaker (160) that outputs acoustic signals processed by the signal processing device (150), and a terminal device (170) that receives information processed by the signal processing device (150) and manages the coffee roasting process with the information.

[0033] The roasting chamber (110) is a room where coffee beans are supplied and roasting takes place inside the room.

[0034] The waveguide (120) is a tube connecting the roasting chamber (110) and the acoustic sensor (130), and transmits sound waves in a size and shape that does not disturb the internal thermal environment, and can be cooled in the middle of the transmission path so that the heat transmitted to the acoustic sensor (130) is reduced.

[0035] One end of the waveguide (120) is located inside the roasting chamber (110) and the other end is located outside the roasting chamber (110), so that sound inside the roasting chamber (110) can be transmitted to the outside of the roasting chamber (110).

[0036] Additionally, the waveguide (120) may include a cooling section (122). For example, the cooling section (122) may cover at least a portion of the waveguide (120) exposed outside the roasting chamber (110), and a refrigerant may flow through the cooling section (122). Thus, the waveguide (120) heated inside the roasting chamber (110) can be cooled to transmit stable sound to the acoustic sensor (130).

[0037] The acoustic sensor (130) is a device that detects the physical amount of sound or changes therein, distinguishes and measures it, and provides a constant signal. The acoustic sensor (130) can detect crack sounds, which are important sounds during coffee roasting.

[0038] Acoustic signals such as primary and secondary cracks that occur during the coffee roasting process can be important signals indicating changes in the condition of the coffee beans.

[0039] The onset or termination of a crack serves as a critical milestone in controlling the coffee roasting process, and the quality of the final product can be determined by how this is assessed. Since the large volume of coffee beans gathered in the roasting chamber is not uniform, variations may occur during each stage of the process, and the diagnosis of the process can differ depending on the operator. Diagnosing the coffee roasting situation through mechanical and statistical analysis can improve coffee productivity and the quality of the final product through a more objective and consistent process.

[0040] The start and end of the crack are important control points in coffee roasting, and can be the point where rapid flavor development occurs. The sound of the crack, which serves as an indicator of the progress of the coffee roasting process, is something that workers at the roasting site try to listen to with intense focus.

[0041] However, with the operator's bare ears, it may be difficult to determine the exact time of cracking because not all coffee beans burst at once, and it may be even more difficult to hear the cracking sound due to the noise of the coffee roasting machine, the noise of the roasting chamber and beans colliding, or some coffee roasting machines that are too well insulated.

[0042] Most conventional methods to better hear crack sounds install a microphone, a representative acoustic sensor, inside or outside the roasting chamber to obtain a signal, analyze it in the time series or frequency domain, and compare the result with a reference signal to determine whether a crack has occurred.

[0043] However, acoustic sensors installed outside the roasting chamber have difficulty obtaining acoustic signals generated inside the shielded roasting chamber in an environment where motors, fans, etc. are operating, and it is also not easy to install acoustic sensors that can operate for a long time inside a roasting chamber at least 220°C or higher.

[0044] In the present invention, one end of the waveguide (120) is connected to the inside of the roasting chamber (110), and the other end extends outside the roasting chamber (110), so that sound generated during coffee roasting can be transmitted to the outside. Additionally, by using the waveguide (120), the acoustic sensor (130) can be protected from the heat generated in the roasting chamber (110).

[0045] For example, the acoustic sensor (130) may include a microphone and can collect and amplify sound inside the roasting chamber (110) transmitted from the waveguide (120).

[0046] The coffee roasting device (100) may further include an intermediate color band (140) that can be coupled to the roasting chamber (110). The intermediate color band (140) is a tool that allows a few coffee beans being roasted during the coffee roasting process to be taken out and the degree of roasting to be observed. A hole may be formed in the roasting chamber (110) into which a collecting portion (144) of the intermediate color band (140) can be inserted.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 2, the intermediate band (140) may include a handle (142) that can be grasped by an operator, a collecting part (144) connected to the handle (142) and inserted into the roasting chamber (110) to collect a portion of the coffee beans being roasted, and a stopper (146) between the handle (142) and the collecting part (144).

[0048] The handle (142) is located outside the roasting chamber (110) and can be formed of a material with low thermal conductivity so that it can be maintained at a temperature that can be directly operated by hand during the coffee roasting process. For example, the handle (142) may be made of wood or a polymer material.

[0049] The collecting part (144) is connected to the handle (142) and can be inserted into the roasting chamber (110). The collecting part (144) has a concave shape and collects multiple coffee beans being roasted, thereby allowing the operator to check the degree of roasting.

[0050] When the intermediate band (140) is connected to the roasting chamber (110), the collection part (144) can be inserted into the roasting chamber (110) such that the concave part faces downward toward the roasting chamber (110). When the concave part of the collection part (144) faces downward toward the roasting chamber (110), it prevents the coffee beans from being contained in the concave part of the collection part (144) and not being roasted uniformly when the concave part of the collection part (144) is connected so that the concave part of the collection part (144) faces upward toward the roasting chamber (110).

[0051] The operator can take out a few coffee beans from the color gauge (140) to check the degree of roasting of the coffee beans. The operator can determine the degree of roasting by rotating the color gauge (140) inside the roasting chamber (110) so that the concave part of the collection section (144) faces upward, using the coffee beans contained in the collection section (144).

[0052] The stopper (146) between the handle (142) and the collection part (144) may be formed larger than the hole formed in the roasting chamber (110) to prevent the intermediate color band (140) from entering the roasting chamber (110) excessively when the collection part (144) is inserted into the roasting chamber (110).

[0053] The waveguide (120) may be located within the intermediate color band (140). In one embodiment, a hole may be formed inside the handle (142) of the intermediate color band (140), and the waveguide (120) may be positioned to pass through the hole. Additionally, an acoustic sensor (130) connected to the waveguide (120) may be installed at the end of the handle (142). Meanwhile, the intermediate color band may be included in various coffee roasting devices, but may be replaced or modified independently of the coffee roasting device. Furthermore, as previously described, since the handle (142) is formed from a material such as a polymer or wood with low thermal conductivity, it is easy to form a hole extending along the length direction of the handle (142). Therefore, the waveguide (120) according to the present invention can be easily installed in the intermediate color band of a coffee roasting device that is already installed and operating, and as a result, the sound inside the roasting chamber (110) can be easily perceived from the outside.

[0054] The intercolor band (140) inserted into the hole can be positioned higher than the upper surface of the coffee bean. That is, the intercolor band (140) is positioned so as not to come into direct contact with the coffee bean being roasted, which can be advantageous for collecting sound inside the roasting chamber (110).

[0055] The coffee roasting device (100) may further include a signal processing device (150) that receives and processes acoustic signals collected from an acoustic sensor (130), and the signal processing device (150) may be located outside the roasting chamber (110).

[0056] The signal processing device (150) can remove, reduce, or cancel out ambient noise signals that interfere with the worker detecting important sounds such as cracking sounds, such as roasting drum driving noise and blower operation noise, and send them to the speaker (160) so that the worker can easily hear important sounds such as cracking sounds.

[0057] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functions of a signal processing device (150).

[0058] The signal processing device (150) may include a preamplifier (152), a processor (154), and an amplifier (156). An acoustic signal collected by an acoustic sensor (130) may be amplified in the preamplifier (152), then transmitted to the processor (154) to remove, reduce, or cancel out ambient noise, and then transmitted to the amplifier (156) to be amplified. Additionally, the processor (154) may analyze the amplified signal to determine the number of coffee beans that have cracked, whether cracks have occurred in the coffee bean group, and the end time of coffee roasting.

[0059] The preamplifier (152) may be a control amplifier that processes audio signals through small-signal amplification of an internal circuit. The preamplifier (152) may be an amplifier that processes small signals so that sound can be heard through speakers only after connecting a separate amplifier to sufficiently amplify the audio signal.

[0060] The processor (154) can reduce, eliminate, or cancel out other ambient noises, such as the noise of the roasting drum drive and the noise of coffee beans hitting the roasting chamber, in addition to sounds important for determining the coffee roasting state, such as the cracking sound.

[0061] That is, the processor (154) can control the overall operation of processing acoustic signals obtained from the acoustic sensor (130). The processor (154) can control the operation of the signal processing device (150) by executing programs stored in the signal processing device (150).

[0062] The processor (154) may be implemented using at least one of ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), DSPDs (digital signal processing devices), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and other electrical units for performing functions.

[0063] The amplifier (156) is a device that increases the amplitude of an input signal and outputs it, and by amplifying the signal in which the processor (154) removes, reduces, and cancels out ambient noise, the signal processing device (150) can diagnose the coffee roasting process status. A configuration for diagnosing the roasting process status by analyzing the signal amplified by the amplifier (156) will be described later.

[0064] FIG. 4 is an example graph showing the time waveform and frequency of an acoustic signal generated when a coffee roasting device is operated. FIG. 4 (a) is a graph showing the time waveform, and FIG. 4 (b) is a graph showing the frequency spectrum. Generally, the noise generated from the roasting drum and the blower may have only specific frequency components because the roasting drum and the blower operate at a constant speed, such as a uniform rotational speed, during the coffee roasting process. The processor (154) can reduce ambient noise by filtering to remove or reduce only these specific frequency components.

[0065] Since important sounds such as cracking sounds during the coffee roasting process occur in the form of impulse noise containing all frequency components, the processor (154) for removing peak components of ambient noise may have not only a band-pass filter, which is a filter that removes components below a certain frequency and components above a certain frequency from the input signal and outputs them, but also a high-pass filter that removes low-frequency components below a certain frequency from the input signal.

[0066] FIG. 5 is an example graph showing the application of a band-pass filter that removes and outputs the frequency ranges 0~a(Hz) and b~c(Hz), which are the frequency ranges where ambient noise is mainly distributed. The red solid line represents the frequency characteristics of the band-pass filter applied by the processor (154) of the present invention.

[0067] FIG. 6 is an example graph showing the application of a high-pass filter that removes and outputs the frequency range of 0 to d (Hz), which is the frequency range where ambient noise is mainly distributed. The red solid line represents the frequency characteristics of the high-pass filter applied by the processor (154) of the present invention.

[0068] Figure 7 is an example graph of an acoustic signal before and after applying a high-pass filter to an acoustic signal where a first crack occurred during the coffee roasting process. Figure 7 (a) shows the acoustic signal before applying the high-pass filter, and Figure 7 (b) shows the acoustic signal after applying a 2 kHz high-pass filter.

[0069] Figure 8 is an example graph of acoustic signals before and after applying a high-pass filter to an acoustic signal generated during a second crack in the coffee roasting process. Figure 8 (a) shows the acoustic signal before applying the high-pass filter, and Figure 8 (b) shows the acoustic signal after applying a 2 kHz high-pass filter.

[0070] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the processor (154) can cancel out ambient noise using an Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technique. Active Noise Cancellation is a noise canceling function and is a technique for blocking noise by technical means. The Active Noise Cancellation technique can block ambient noise by collecting ambient sound from a microphone, which may be an example of an acoustic sensor, inverting the phase of the wave of the collected sound, and then sending the inverted sound to a speaker to cause destructive interference with the ambient noise. Since ambient noise in the coffee roasting process is constant and has peak characteristics, an Active Noise Cancellation technique can be applied to eliminate ambient noise by measuring sound during the initial state of coffee roasting where no crack occurs. The initial state of coffee roasting may be, for example, the time before the first crack sound of the coffee bean is heard after the start of roasting.

[0071] In general active noise control, a reference microphone, an error microphone, and a control speaker are used, but in this method, since only the speaker input signal input to the speaker, which is an example of an output unit, needs to be controlled, an error microphone and a control speaker, in addition to the existing measurement microphone, which is an example of an acoustic sensor, may not be provided. Instead, a signal processing device (150) according to an embodiment of the present invention may be equipped with a preamplifier (152), a processor (154), and an amplifier (156) for active noise control.

[0072] The active noise control method can be implemented by first amplifying the acoustic signal obtained from the acoustic sensor (130) in the preamplifier (152), canceling out ambient noise in the processor (154), and then amplifying the processed acoustic signal in the amplifier (156) and sending it to the speaker (160).

[0073] The processor (154) can cancel out ambient noise by acquiring a reference signal used for active noise control during the initial state of coffee roasting, generating a signal with an opposite phase to the signal, and then generating a control signal that changes the phase of the reference signal to minimize the error by superimposing it with the measured acoustic signal.

[0074] In addition, as described above, the processor (154) can generate a signal that cancels out ambient noise using filtering or an active noise control method, thereby enabling the signal processing device (150) to easily diagnose the coffee roasting process status. Additionally, the amplifier (156) can amplify the signal that the processor (154) has canceled out ambient noise and send it to the speaker (160), thereby allowing the operator to hear the crack sound better. Below, we will examine a configuration for diagnosing the roasting process status by analyzing the signal processed by the processor (154).

[0075] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the processor (154) of the signal processing device (150) can better determine whether cracks have occurred in a group of coffee beans from a signal in which ambient noise has been canceled from an acoustic signal collected from an acoustic sensor (130). According to one embodiment, in the signal in which ambient noise has been canceled through a high-pass filter in FIG. 7 (b) and FIG. 8 (b), peaks that were difficult to identify because their magnitude was small compared to the ambient noise can be distinguished better than the signals in FIG. 7 (a) and FIG. 8 (a) before the application of the high-pass filter.

[0076] Whether a crack has occurred can be determined from the number of peaks with a magnitude greater than a certain level in the time waveform of an acoustic signal in which ambient noise has been canceled out, or from the trend of change in the crest factor (defined as peak / rms).

[0077] In addition, the processor (154) of the signal processing device (150) can learn the emitted sound, such as cracks, generated during the process of heating individual coffee beans using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. An example of artificial intelligence (AI) technology may be deep learning.

[0078] The signal processing device (150) can use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to individually determine the moment when a crack occurs in each coffee bean from the acoustic signal collected from the acoustic sensor (130), and can count the number of crack occurrences and process them statistically to create control signals such as whether a crack has occurred or ended for a group of coffee beans (lot), and the end of coffee roasting accordingly.

[0079] The signal processing device (150) can determine the first crack time as the time when at least two crack sounds occur within one second after the first crack sound.

[0080] The signal processing device (150) can determine the end point of the first crack as the moment when no cracks occur per second for 3 seconds after the first crack. In another embodiment, the signal processing device (150) can determine the end point of the first crack as the moment when the first crack occurs in 50% or more of the coffee beans introduced into the roasting chamber (110).

[0081] The signal processing device (150) can determine the second crack time as the time when at least two crack sounds occur within one second after the first second crack sound following the end of the first crack.

[0082] The signal processing device (150) can determine the end point of the second crack as the moment when no cracks occur per second for 3 seconds after the end point of the second crack. In another embodiment, the signal processing device (150) can determine the end point of the second crack as the moment when a second crack occurs in more than 50% of the coffee beans introduced into the roasting chamber (110) after the first second crack sound.

[0083] Alternatively, according to another embodiment, the signal processing device (150) can determine the crack time through the processed acquired acoustic signal and artificial intelligence learning.

[0084] According to one example, the signal processing device (150) may determine the coffee roasting end time as the time when a preset time has elapsed from one of the determined first and second crack time points and the first and second crack end time points. The preset time may be set by the operator, for example, 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc.

[0085] According to another example, the signal processing device (150) counts the number of times the crack sound of the coffee beans occurs, and if the counted number of times the crack sound of the coffee beans occurs is 70% or more of the total number of coffee beans introduced into the roasting chamber, it can be determined that the coffee roasting is finished.

[0086] The signal processing device (150) can automate the coffee roasting process by feeding back to the process a control command to stop the operation of the roasting chamber (110) at the determined end point of coffee roasting, or by reflecting the generated and statistically processed signal in a typical coffee roasting time-temperature process graph.

[0087] Additionally, the signal processing device (150) can learn a sound corresponding to an acoustic signal generated when the coffee roasting device fails from the sound obtained from the acoustic sensor (130), and can determine the failure of the coffee roasting device (100) based on this. When the coffee roasting device (100) fails, the signal processing device (150) can generate a coffee roasting device failure notification signal.

[0088] The speaker (160) can output an acoustic signal processed by the signal processing device (150). The operator can diagnose the coffee roasting process status using the acoustic signal output to the speaker (160).

[0089] The coffee roasting device (100) may further include a terminal device (170) that receives information acquired from a signal processing device (150) and manages the coffee roasting process using the received information. The operator can start, end, check notifications, and check the roasting progress of the coffee roasting process using the terminal device (170). As an example, the terminal device (170) may be a wireless terminal device.

[0090] The use of all examples or exemplary terms (e.g., etc.) in the present invention is merely for the purpose of describing the invention in detail, and the scope of the invention is not limited by such examples or exemplary terms unless limited by the claims. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, combinations, and changes may be made according to design conditions and factors within the scope of the claims or equivalents to which they are added.

[0091] Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and all scopes equivalent to or equivalently modified from the claims set forth below, as well as the claims set forth below, shall be considered to fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0092] 100: Coffee roasting device 110: Roasting Chamber 120: Waveguide 130: Acoustic sensor 140: Intermediate color band 150: Signal processing unit 160: Speaker 170: Terminal device

Claims

Claim 1 A coffee roasting device comprising: a roasting chamber for roasting coffee beans; a waveguide having one end located inside the roasting chamber and the other end located outside the roasting chamber to transmit sound inside the roasting chamber to the outside of the roasting chamber; and an acoustic sensor coupled to the other end of the waveguide and collecting sound inside the roasting chamber transmitted by the waveguide; wherein the roasting chamber receives coffee beans and roasting of the coffee beans proceeds therein, and the waveguide is installed penetrating one side of the roasting chamber and transmits sound waves to the acoustic sensor without disturbing the thermal environment of the roasting chamber by blocking the flow of fluid. Claim 2 The coffee roasting device according to claim 1 further comprises a triangular band (Trier) that can be coupled to the roasting chamber, and the waveguide is located within the triangular band along the longitudinal direction of the triangular band. Claim 3 A coffee roasting device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processing device that receives and processes acoustic signals collected from the acoustic sensor. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the sound inside the roasting chamber includes the cracking sound of the coffee beans that occurs during the roasting process of the coffee beans, and the signal processing device reduces background noise in the collected acoustic signal and amplifies the cracking sound, a coffee roasting device. Claim 5 In claim 4, the signal processing device determines at least one of the number of coffee beans that have cracked, whether a group of coffee beans has cracked, and the end time of coffee roasting based on the collected acoustic signal. Claim 6 In claim 5, the signal processing device is a coffee roasting device that diagnoses the coffee roasting process state from the collected acoustic signal based on artificial intelligence learning. Claim 7 A coffee roasting device according to claim 6, wherein the signal processing device determines a first crack time based on the crack sound, and the first crack time is a time when at least two crack sounds occur within one second after the first crack sound. Claim 8 In claim 7, the signal processing device determines the coffee roasting end time as the elapsed time of a preset time from the first crack point determined above. Claim 9 In claim 8, the signal processing device generates a control command to stop the operation of the roasting chamber at the time the coffee roasting ends, a coffee roasting device. Claim 10 A coffee roasting device according to claim 6, wherein the signal processing device counts the number of occurrences of the crack sound of the coffee bean, and determines the coffee roasting end time if the counted number of occurrences of the crack sound of the coffee bean is 70% or more of the total number of coffee beans introduced into the roasting chamber. Claim 11 In claim 6, the signal processing device generates a coffee roasting device failure notification signal when an acoustic signal corresponding to an acoustic signal occurring when the coffee roasting device fails is generated in the collected acoustic signal. Claim 12 A coffee roasting device according to paragraph 3, further comprising a terminal device that receives information processed by the signal processing device and manages the coffee roasting process using the received information. Claim 13 In Clause 12, the above terminal device is a coffee roasting device that is a wireless terminal device. Claim 14 A coffee roasting device comprising: a roasting chamber for roasting coffee beans; a waveguide having one end located inside the roasting chamber and the other end located outside the roasting chamber to transmit sound inside the roasting chamber to the outside of the roasting chamber; an acoustic sensor for collecting sound inside the roasting chamber transmitted by the waveguide; and a triner capable of being coupled to the roasting chamber; wherein the waveguide is located within the triner along the longitudinal direction of the triner.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Bean roasting auxiliary device and bean roasting device

    CN109793246B

  • Roasting apparatus of coffee bean

    KR101593176B1