Bean roaster

Abstract

To provide a bean roaster that has excellent usability for operators, is easy to maintain on a daily basis, has low power consumption, low noise and high safety, is inexpensive and compact.SOLUTION: A bean roaster 20 includes a heater device 40 that is a heat source for roasting and a roasting blower 37 that supplies high-pressure air to the heater device 40 and delivers the air that is heated by the heater device 40 to a roasting pot 23. The heater device 40 is disposed directly below the central bottom portion of the roasting pot 23. The air blowing outlet 40b of the heater device 40 opens upward and is directly connected to the air taking inlet 23a formed in the central bottom portion of the roasting pot 23. The air taking inlet 40a of the heater device 40 is positioned on the side surface of the heater device 40 and is directly connected to the blowout port 37a of the roasting blower 37. As the result, the central bottom portion of the roasting pot 23 and the heater device 40 are positioned close to each other, and the heater device 40 is directly connected to the roasting pot 23. Therefore, hot air blown from the roasting blower 37 to the heater device 40 flows smoothly into the roasting pot 23, minimizing heat loss and windage loss.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a highly efficient, compact, and inexpensive bean roaster capable of roasting and cooling beans, particularly nuts, coffee beans, etc., evenly and efficiently in a short time. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a bean roaster disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3637434 and the like has been proposed as an apparatus for roasting coffee beans or similar beans using hot air.

[0003] These devices spray hot air from the central bottom of a mortar-shaped roasting pot along the inner surface of the pot, stirring the beans while efficiently heating and roasting them. Chaff that peels off from the beans during roasting is sent to a filter device through a chaff recovery duct connected to the center of the upper cover of the roasting pot, and is separated from the air by a wire mesh filter in the filter device before entering a chaff recovery box below.

[0004] In addition, the recovery structure for beans that have finished roasting in the roasting pot is such that an opening / closing member that opens and closes the bean recovery hole in the center of the bottom of the roasting pot moves upward to open the bean recovery hole, and the roasted beans fall from the bean recovery hole under their own weight and are recovered below into the cooling chamber via a cooling passage.

[0005] Furthermore, the cooling structure for the roasted beans is structured so that the beans are cooled by air blown from a roasting blower, and the air used to cool the beans is sent to a filter device through a bean cooling duct and then exhausted outside the roaster.

[0006] However, unlike drum-type roasters, conventional hot air roasters do not have a drive mechanism for rotating or tilting the drum, so compared to drum-type roasters, they have a simpler structure, are less prone to malfunctions, and produce less uneven roasting of the beans. However, because the beans are stirred by wind power, a large-capacity, high-output roasting blower is required, and because the amount of heat exhausted by the roasting blower is also large, a large-capacity, high-output heater device is also required.

[0007] In addition, because the roast blower and heater unit are large-capacity, high-output types, they are large and heavy, and so these devices have to be placed at the very bottom of the roaster. This means that the distance between the roasting kettle, which is located at the top of the roaster, and the heater unit is large, and considering the weight distribution of the roaster, it is necessary to place the roast blower and heater unit apart.

[0008] Meanwhile, the roast blower and the heater device, and the heater device and the roast pot are connected using cylindrical flexible pipes called ducts. However, since the distance between each piece of equipment is large, the flexible pipes become longer, which causes problems such as increased windage loss and heat loss within the flexible pipes.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to ensure the amount of heat and airflow inside the roasting pot required for roasting, roasting blowers and heaters with larger capacities and higher output were required, which led to problems such as larger and more expensive roasters and increased noise levels.

[0010] Furthermore, because the chaff recovery duct is connected near the center of the upper cover of the roasting kettle, not only does this increase the overall height of the roasting machine, but it also poses a problem in daily maintenance in that the upper cover cannot be easily removed when cleaning the inside of the roasting kettle.

[0011] Furthermore, the chaff collection box for collecting the chaff sent into the filter device needs to be placed at a relatively low position for easy operation. This means that the flexible pipe connecting the upper cover and the chaff collection box becomes long, and chaff and bean fragments accumulate in the bends in the flexible pipe, causing windage loss and making it difficult to obtain the amount of air required for roasting. This also increases the risk of fire due to the combustion of chaff, etc.

[0012] On the other hand, in order to prevent beans that have been roasted to a certain roasting level from being roasted any further, they need to be moved from the roasting pot to a cooling box as quickly as possible to be cooled, but in the structure of the roasting machine shown in Patent No. 3637434, if air for stirring the beans is continuously sent from the bottom center of the roasting pot, the beans move diagonally upward from the roasting pot, and the distance from the bean collection hole at the bottom center of the roasting pot increases, so it takes a long time to collect the roasted beans. To solve this problem, measures such as stopping the operation of the roasting blower when collecting the beans or reducing the air volume to encourage the beans to fall under their own weight can be considered, but in particular, when roasting beans for iced coffee, which are roasted deeply, not only do oils come out of the beans and it takes a long time for them to fall under their own weight, but there is also the problem that the beans stick to the roasting pot and remain inside.

[0013] Due to these issues, the roasting machine disclosed in Patent No. 3637434, i.e., the structure in which an opening and closing member at the bottom center of a mortar-shaped roasting pot is moved upward to open a bean collection hole, allowing the roasted beans in the roasting pot to fall under their own weight and be guided via a cooling passage to a cooling chamber below, has not been adopted in actual roasting machines.

[0014] Therefore, the roaster 1 shown in Figures 11 and 12 has actually been adopted and installed. Note that Figure 11 is a right side view of the roaster 1, and Figure 12 is a right side view of the roaster 1 that shows only the components and ducts related to bean cooling.

[0015] The structure for sending hot air for roasting into the roasting pot 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. That is, room temperature air is pressure-fed to the heater device 5 via the heater device inlet side duct 4 (size: φ50mm x 700mm) connected to the outlet side of the roasting blower 3. As a result, the air that flows into the heater device 5 is heated to 300°C or higher. This heated air is pressure-fed from the center of the bottom of the roasting pot 2 to the inside of the roasting pot 2 via the heater device outlet side duct 6 (size: φ50mm x 1100mm).

[0016] The structure for discharging air from within the roasting pot 2 will now be described with reference to Fig. 11. That is, the air discharged together with the chaff from the roasting pot 2 is sent to the filter device 9 via the chaff recovery duct 7 (size: φ75mm x 700mm) connected to the top of the fixed lid 18. As a result, the air is separated into the chaff and the air inside the filter device 9, and this separated air is discharged outside the roasting machine 1 from the exhaust manifold 11 via the hot air exhaust duct 10 (size: φ100mm x 500mm).

[0017] Furthermore, the hot air heated to over 300°C by heater device 5 loses temperature as it passes through heater device outlet duct 6, so heater device outlet duct 6 is covered with a heat insulating material (not shown). However, heat loss still occurs, and even with the large air volume of roasting blower 3, the air temperature needs to be kept above 300°C, so a large capacity heater of three-phase 200V 12kW is installed inside heater device 5.

[0018] Next, the cooling structure for roasted beans will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. Beans roasted to the roasting level in the roasting pot 2 are collected in a bean storage box 13 through a bean recovery passage 12 by opening a bean recovery door (not shown) arranged on the inclined surface of the roasting pot 2. The bottom surface of this bean storage box 13 is formed of a punched metal material (not shown) with numerous holes that are large enough that the beans cannot pass through, and when the cooling blower 14 is operated, room temperature air is sucked into the bean storage box 13 from above through a first bean cooling duct 15 (size: φ100 mm x 800 mm) below the bean storage box 13, thereby forcibly cooling the beans in the bean storage box 13.

[0019] The air that has cooled the beans and been warmed passes through the intake port (not shown) of the cooling blower 14, passes through the fan (not shown) of the cooling blower 14, and is exhausted from the exhaust port (not shown) of the cooling blower 14, is sent to the exhaust manifold 11 via the second bean cooling duct 16 (size: φ50 mm x 800 mm), mixes with the high-temperature hot air sent from the hot air exhaust duct 10 of the exhaust manifold 11, and is exhausted to the rear of the roaster 1.

[0020] Generally, high-temperature hot air is not directly exhausted to the rear, but an exhaust duct on the store side is connected to the outlet side of the exhaust manifold 11, and the high-temperature exhaust air is exhausted outdoors. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0021] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3637434 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0022] However, in the latter example, the actual bean roaster 1 used is designed to suck in room temperature air from above the bean storage box 13, so that oils from the roasted beans and recrystallized caffeine adhere to the inside of the cooling blower 14, causing the fins to become stuck and unable to rotate, forcing the operator to periodically disassemble and clean the cooling blower 14, which is troublesome.

[0023] In addition, various ducts, such as the heater device inlet duct 4, heater device outlet duct 6, chaff bean recovery duct 7, and hot air exhaust duct 10, are interposed between the air blown out from the roasting blower 3 and the exhaust manifold 11, with a total length of 3m and a complexly curved structure, so that in order to overcome the windage loss of these ducts and stir the beans, the roasting blower 3 needs to be a large-capacity type with a three-phase 200V 2kW rating. This makes the roasting blower 3 large and expensive, and also causes problems such as increased driving noise when the roasting blower 3 is operated.

[0024] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the total length of the duct between the roast blower 3 and the exhaust manifold 11 reaches 3m, and it is bent in a complex manner, so that there is no space to place the chaff collection box 17 in front of the roaster 1 to store the chaff that needs to be periodically disposed of by the operator, and therefore the chaff collection box 17 is provided on the right side of the roaster 1. Here, when disposing of the chaff in the chaff collection box 17, it is necessary to open the side cover (not shown) of the roaster 1 and remove the chaff collection box 17 inside, but in order to perform this removal work, a minimum of 430mm of free space is usually required on the right side of the roaster 1. Therefore, when installing a large roaster 1 with product dimensions of 750mm wide x 775mm deep x 1340mm high, an occupied space of 1180mm wide x 775mm deep is required, including the chaff collection work space, which creates the problem that it cannot be installed in a small store.

[0025] Furthermore, as with the former roaster disclosed in Patent Document 1, the chaff recovery duct 7 is connected to the fixed lid 18 of the roasting kettle 2, which not only increases the overall height of the roaster 1, but also makes it difficult to easily remove the fixed lid 18 when cleaning the inside of the roasting kettle 1, posing a problem in terms of daily maintenance. In addition, since this chaff recovery duct 7 communicates with the chaff recovery box 17 located at the bottom of the roaster 1, the path of the chaff recovery duct 7 is longer, which makes it more susceptible to chaff accumulation, making the structure unfavorable in terms of safety, such as fire.

[0026] In order to solve these problems, the bean roaster of the present invention is a bean roaster that is designed to spray hot air partially along the surface of a mortar-shaped roasting pot from the central bottom to stir the beans while heating and roasting them efficiently.The object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive, compact bean roaster that drastically reduces heat loss and windage loss in parts other than the roasting pot, is easy for the operator to use, and is easy to perform daily maintenance, with low power consumption, low noise, and high safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0027] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a bean roaster that sprays hot air from the central bottom of a mortar-shaped roasting pot in a direction diagonal to the radial direction of the roasting pot to stir and roast the beans. The invention has a heater device, which is a heat source for roasting, and a roasting blower for sending high-pressure air into the heater device and sending the air heated by the heater device into the roasting pot, the heater device is located directly below the central bottom of the roasting pot, the air blowing outlet of the heater device opens upward and is directly connected to an air intake inlet formed in the central bottom of the roasting pot, and the air intake inlet of the heater device is located on the side of the heater device and directly connected to the outlet of the roasting blower.

[0028] According to the invention of claim 1, the heater device is located in close proximity to the bottom center of the roasting pot, and the heater device and roasting blower are directly connected, so air is sent from the roasting blower to the heater device, and the hot air supplied from the heater device to the roasting pot flows smoothly, extremely reducing heat loss and windage loss. As a result, the heater device and roasting blower can be made smaller and power consumption can be reduced.

[0029] The invention of claim 2 comprises a chaff recovery duct for passing exhaust air containing chaff from the roasting pot, a cyclone for taking in exhaust air through the chaff recovery duct and separating the chaff from the exhaust air, and a chaff recovery box for collecting the chaff separated in the cyclone, wherein the upper part of the side wall of the roasting pot has an annular edge extending vertically over a predetermined width, the inlet side of the chaff recovery duct is connected to the annular edge and the outlet side of the chaff recovery duct is connected to the upper part of the side of the cyclone, and the chaff recovery box is positioned at the bottom of the cyclone and is removable from the front of the roasting machine.

[0030] According to the invention of claim 2, the inlet of the chaff recovery duct is connected to the annular edge formed on the side wall of the roasting pot, not to the top surface of the roasting pot, so the chaff recovery duct does not protrude above the roasting pot, which reduces the height dimension of the roasting machine and allows for a more compact design. Also, because the chaff collection box can be removed from the front of the roasting machine, no operating space for the chaff collection box is required on the side of the roasting machine, and operability is improved.

[0031] The invention of claim 3 has a structure in which a bean recovery hole is provided in a part of the inclined portion of the side wall of the roasting kettle that slopes diagonally downward from the lower end of the annular edge, and through which roasted beans are discharged, the structure having a bean recovery mechanism including a bean recovery door for opening and closing the bean recovery hole, a bean recovery passage that communicates with the bean recovery hole and guides the roasted beans discharged from the bean recovery hole to the outside of the roasting kettle, a bean cooling box that communicates with the outlet of the bean recovery passage and receives the roasted beans that flow out of the bean recovery passage, a bean storage box that is removably stored in the bean cooling box and stores the roasted beans that have flowed into the bean cooling box, and a bean cooling fan that is provided in the bean cooling box and blows air into the bean storage box to cool the roasted beans.

[0032] According to the invention of claim 3, when the bean collection door opens the bean collection hole, the roasted beans in the roasting pot fall through the bean collection hole and move sequentially through the bean collection passage, the bean cooling box, and the bean storage box. The roasted beans are then stored in the bean storage box and cooled by air blown out from the bean cooling fan. Here, since the bean cooling fan is provided in the bean cooling box, the air blown out from the bean cooling fan hits the beans in the bean storage box directly and cools them efficiently, which allows the bean cooling fan to be made smaller. In addition, since the bean cooling fan blows out air and sends it to the bean storage box, cooled bean air does not flow from the bean storage box to the bean cooling fan, which reduces dirt on the bean cooling fan and makes the bean cooling fan maintenance-free.

[0033] The invention of claim 4 has a structure including a bean cooling duct connected to the exhaust port of the bean cooling box for ventilating the exhaust air used to cool the roasted beans, an exhaust duct connected to the cyclone for ventilating the exhaust air from which the chaff in the cyclone has been separated, and an exhaust manifold connected to the outlet side of the exhaust duct and the outlet side of the bean cooling duct for collecting the exhaust air in the exhaust duct and the bean cooling duct and ventilating it outside the roaster.

[0034] According to the invention of claim 4, the bean cooling duct, which ventilates the exhaust air used to cool the roasted beans, and the exhaust duct, which ventilates the exhaust air inside the cyclone, are connected to a single exhaust manifold. This not only makes the entire roaster more compact, but also makes it possible to mix the high-temperature exhaust air during roasting with the room-temperature exhaust air from the bean cooling fan and exhaust it from one location, thereby keeping the temperature of the exhaust air discharged from the roaster low, thereby providing a roaster with less risk of burns and fire.

[0035] The invention of claim 5 has a control means for controlling the bean recovery mechanism so that the bean recovery door closes the bean recovery hole during roasting, opens the bean recovery hole during bean recovery, and closes the bean recovery hole when the temperature inside the roasting pot drops below a predetermined temperature during bean cooling.

[0036] According to the invention of claim 5, in the initial stage of cooling the beans, there is a route for exhausting the air from the bean cooling box through the exhaust port and a route for exhausting the air from the bean collection hole through the roasting pot through the exhaust port of the cyclone, and by exhausting the air from these two routes, the wind loss can be reduced. As a result, the beans in the bean storage box are stirred so that they dance with the wind of the bean cooling fan, and the wind hits the beans evenly, so that the beans can be cooled in a short time. In addition, when the temperature inside the roasting pot falls below a predetermined temperature, the bean collection hole is closed to maintain the temperature at which the next beans can be roasted continuously, so that the time required for continuous roasting can be shortened, and a roaster capable of roasting many beans in a short time with many variations in roasting method can be provided. Effect of the Invention

[0037] In the present invention, since the central bottom of the roasting pot and the heater device are located in close proximity, and also the heater device and the roasting blower are located in close proximity, air is sent from the roasting blower to the heater device, and further, hot air supplied from the heater device to the roasting pot flows smoothly, extremely reducing heat loss and windage loss, which has the effect of making it possible to miniaturize the heater device and roasting blower and reduce power consumption. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bean roaster according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the main components of a bean roaster according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] An enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connection structure between the central bottom of the roasting pot and the outlet of the heater device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional perspective view of a bean recovery mechanism showing a bean recovery door in an open state; [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a simplified cross-sectional perspective view of the bean recovery mechanism showing a bean recovery door in a closed state; [Figure 6] Bean cooling box and bean storage box assembly perspective view [Figure 7] Block diagram showing the drive control of the bean roaster according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart showing the drive control of a bean roaster according to the present invention. [Figure 9] 2 is a flowchart showing the drive control of the bean roaster according to the present invention. [Figure 10] A time chart showing the drive control of the bean roaster according to the present invention. [Figure 11] Right side view of a conventional roaster [Figure 12] Right side view showing the bean cooling device of a conventional roaster DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] 1 to 10 show one embodiment of a roaster according to the present invention.

[0040] As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, a bean roaster 20 according to this embodiment is made up of the following components.

[0041] That is, the roasting pot 23 for roasting coffee beans, the heater device 40 which is the heat source of the roasting pot 23, a roasting blower 37 for feeding high-pressure air to the heater device 40 and feeding the air heated by the heater device 40 into the roasting pot 23, a chaff recovery duct 28 for passing exhaust air including chaff from the roasting pot 23, a cyclone 42 for taking in the exhaust air through the chaff recovery duct 28 and separating the chaff from the exhaust air, a chaff recovery box 44 for collecting the chaff separated by the cyclone 42, a bean recovery mechanism 48 including a bean recovery door 49 for opening and closing the bean recovery hole 23h of the roasting pot 23, a bean recovery passage 47 which is connected to the bean recovery hole 23h and which guides the roasted beans discharged from the bean recovery hole 23h out of the roasting pot 23, and a bean recovery passage 48 which is connected to an outlet 47b of the bean recovery passage 47. 7, a bean cooling box 51 for receiving the roasted beans that have flowed into the bean cooling box 51, a bean storage box 52 that is detachably stored in the bean cooling box 51 and for storing the roasted beans that have flowed into the bean cooling box 51, a bean cooling fan 53 that is provided in the bean cooling box 51 and blows air into the bean storage box 52 to cool the roasted beans, a bean cooling duct 54 that is connected to the exhaust port 51c of the bean cooling box 51 and for ventilating the exhaust air that has cooled the roasted beans, an exhaust duct 43 that is connected to the cyclone 42 and for ventilating the exhaust air from which the chaff has been separated in the cyclone, and an exhaust collecting pipe 45 that connects the outlet side of the exhaust duct 43 and the outlet side of the bean cooling duct 54 and collects the exhaust air in the exhaust duct 43 and the bean cooling duct 54 and ventilates it outside the roaster 20.

[0042] The structure of the roaster 20 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 1 to 10.

[0043] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, roasting pot 23 has a mortar-shaped sidewall 23e. Sidewall 23e is composed of annular edge 23f located at the upper part and extending vertically over a predetermined width, and inclined part 23g extending obliquely downward from the lower end of annular edge 23f. In addition, heat insulating member 23j is provided on the outside of sidewall 23e.

[0044] In addition, a heater device 40 serving as a heat source is placed directly below the center bottom of the roasting pot 23, and a roasting blower 37 is placed behind the heater device 40 to send high-pressure air to the heater device 40. An intake filter 38 is attached to the intake side of the roasting blower 37, so that clean air is always sent to the heater device 40.

[0045] Furthermore, at the top opening of roasting kettle 23, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, there is provided a roasting kettle lid 32 insulated by insulating member 32b. This roasting kettle lid 32 is supported so as to be freely opened and closed by a lid hinge 34 and a lid latch 35, and closes roasting kettle 23 airtight via kettle packing 30. A hopper 33 for storing green beans is disposed at the top of this roasting kettle lid 32, and the green beans are transferred into roaster kettle 23 by pressing hopper lever 33a.

[0046] Here, roasting pot 23 requires regular cleaning and maintenance. To do so, lid latch 35 can be removed and roasting pot handle 32a can be held in the hand and rotated up, allowing lid hinge 34 to fix roasting pot lid 32 at any open angle, making it easy to clean and maintain the inside of roasting pot 23.

[0047] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to the right side of roasting pot 23, and the outlet side of chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to the upper cylindrical part of cyclone 42. The upper part of cyclone 42 is connected to collective exhaust pipe 45 via exhaust duct 43, while chaff collection box 44 is disposed at the lower part of cyclone 42 via box mounting plate 46, and this chaff collection box 44 can be freely attached and detached from the front of the roaster 20.

[0048] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a bean recovery passage 47 is connected to the inclined portion 23g of the roasting pot 23, and a bean recovery mechanism 48 having a bean recovery door 49 is installed in this bean recovery passage 47. Also, a bean cooling box 51 is disposed below the bean recovery passage 47. The front opening of the bean cooling box 51 is closed by a removable bean storage box 52, while the bean cooling box 51 has an exhaust port 51c connected to a bean cooling duct 54 on the upper left side of the front, and the exhaust air after cooling the beans is guided through this bean cooling duct 54 to the exhaust collecting pipe 45 at the rear of the roaster.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the roasting blower 37 is disposed close to and facing the upper side of the heater device 40, and the outlet 37a of the roasting blower 37 is directly connected to the air intake inlet 40a of the heater device 40 and is airtightly connected via the heater device inlet gasket 39, which is an elastic sealing member.

[0050] 2 and 3, the outlet 40b of the heater device 40 for blowing out air is also airtightly connected to the inlet 23a for taking in air of the roasting kettle 23 by a metal ferrule 25. Here, the outlet 40b and the inlet 23a are both metal pipes arranged linearly without flexible pipes. As a result, the air blown out from the roasting blower 37 is blown into the heater device 40, the outlet 40b of the heater device 40, the inlet of the roasting kettle 23, and the roasting kettle 23, as shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 2.

[0051] In conventional roasters, the flexible pipe between the heater outlet and the roasting pot inlet is curved into a U-shape to trap bean residue, foreign objects, and water from above. In contrast, the roaster 20 according to this embodiment does not use flexible pipes, and the outlet 40b and inlet 23a are made of metal pipes arranged in a straight line, minimizing heat loss and windage loss.

[0052] Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 3, wire mesh 26 is provided at upper end 23b of inlet 23a in place of the conventional trap structure. Here, wire mesh 26 has an opening dimension of 1.52 mm, which prevents bean residue and foreign objects from above from falling directly into heater device 40. In addition, small holes 23c are provided at upper end 23b of roasting kettle 23 and at the bottom surface of the space provided outside it to prevent water that has entered the kettle from entering heater device 40, thereby ensuring safety under actual usage conditions while suppressing heat loss and windage loss.

[0053] Fins 24 are fixed by screws to the lower center of the roasting pot above wire mesh 26 in order to blow hot air pressured into roasting pot 23 in a direction oblique to the radial direction of roasting pot 23 to stir the beans. The outside of roasting pot 23 is covered with a heat insulating member 23j, and a heat insulating cover 22 is placed on the outside of that to suppress heat radiation from roasting pot 23 and reduce heat loss.

[0054] A square hole 23d is opened in a part of the annular edge 23f of the roasting pot 23, and a U-shaped chaff recovery passage 27 protrudes through this square hole 23d toward the center of the roasting pot 23 inside the roasting pot 23. The bottom surface of the roasting pot lid 23 is designed to keep a certain distance from the upper opening of the chaff recovery passage 27 inside the roasting pot 23, and this clearance prevents beans from entering the chaff recovery passage 27.

[0055] Furthermore, the outlet side of the chaff recovery passage 27 is connected to the upper side surface of the cyclone 42 via a box-shaped chaff recovery duct 28. As a result, the chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to the roasting pot 23 via the chaff recovery passage 27.

[0056] In addition, a temperature sensor 36 is placed on the inlet side of the chaff recovery duct 28, and the air temperature detected by this temperature sensor 36 is used as a substitute characteristic for the air temperature inside the roasting pot 23 for determining the temperature profile during roasting and for other operational controls.

[0057] The top of the cyclone 42 is connected to an exhaust manifold 45 via an exhaust duct 43, and a chaff collection box 44 is detachably disposed at the bottom of the cyclone 42 via a box mounting plate 46. The chaff collection box 44 is also positioned so that it can be removed from the front of the roaster 20.

[0058] Here, the chaff recovery duct 28 is a rectangle with a cross section of 40 x 90 mm and a length of approximately 400 mm, and the size of the exhaust duct 43 is φ75 x 600 mm, so the total length of the duct is 1000 mm, which is 1 / 3 the length of a conventional roaster, and windage loss is extremely small compared to conventional machines. As a result, the roast blower 37 can stir and roast the beans with a small capacity type of single phase 200V 800W, and the roaster 20 can be made smaller, less expensive, and quieter.

[0059] Furthermore, by directly connecting outlet 40b of heater device 40 and inlet 23a of roasting pot 23, the hot air heated to over 280°C by heater device 40 is sent into roasting pot 23 with almost no heat loss even without using insulation material, so that a single-phase 200V / 8kW capacity heater device 40 is sufficient, making it possible to employ a small, inexpensive heater device 40.

[0060] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a bean recovery hole 23h is formed in a part of the inclined portion 23g of the roasting pot 23. Note that Figures 4 and 5 show the inclined portion 23g and the bean recovery hole 23h flatly, and show the operation of the bean recovery door 49 relative to these members.

[0061] The bean collection hole 23h is opened in a rectangular hole shape along the inclined portion 23g, and is opened and closed by the bean collection door 49. The bean collection door 49 moves up and down by drive control of the bean collection mechanism 48 including the bean collection door motor 48a, to open and close the bean collection hole 23h. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the bean collection door motor 48a is driven to move the bean collection door 49 upward, the bean collection hole 23h opens, and as shown in FIG. 5, when the bean collection door 49 is moved downward, the bean collection hole 23h closes. In addition, a bean collection guide 29 is disposed near the bean collection door 49 at the annular edge portion 23f, and is configured to guide the beans in the roasting pot 23 to the bean collection hole 23h.

[0062] As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, a bean cooling box 51 in which a bean storage box 52 is stored is connected to the bean recovery hole 23h via a bean recovery passage 47.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 6, the bean storage box 52 has a box-shaped main body 52a that is open at the top and at the centre of the bottom, leaving an outer frame width of 10 mm on all four sides. A perforated metal member 56 is placed on the bottom side of the main body 52a, and the beans are stored above the perforated metal member 56 and are cooled by air blown from below the perforated metal member 56.

[0064] Furthermore, the end face of the perforated metal member 56 is bent downward by 5 mm so as to be positioned 5 mm above the surface of the 10 mm outer frame, so that the cooling air from the underside of the perforated metal member 56 reaches evenly over the beans located above the 10 mm outer frame.

[0065] In addition, the portion of the bean cooling box 51 that corresponds to the outer frame (10 mm wide) of the bean storage box 52 is also a sealed surface portion 51a, so like the bean storage box 52, the center is opened while leaving the outer frame (10 mm wide) on all four sides.This results in a structure in which the air from the bean cooling fan 53 is kept airtight by the sealed surface portion 51a and only the opening allows air to pass through.

[0066] The front plate 52b of the bean storage box 52 is formed to a size sufficient to cover the opening of the bean cooling box 51 and the surrounding sealing surface 51b, and is formed from a magnetic material so that it adheres closely to the sealing surface 51b by the attractive force of a magnet 57 attached to the back side of the sealing surface 51b, and the front plate 52b is provided with a handle 52c for the operator to grasp when attaching or removing the bean storage box 52.

[0067] The attractive force of magnet 57 is set so that it does not impose a large load when the operator manually pulls out bean storage box 52, and so that when bean storage box 52 is set in bean cooling box 51 to cool the beans, the bean storage box does not open naturally due to the wind pressure of bean cooling fan 53. The roaster 20 according to this embodiment uses four magnets 57, and is designed to have a total attractive force of approximately 14N.

[0068] 2, the lower end of the bean recovery passage 47 is connected to the upper part of the bean cooling box 51, and the roasted beans that fall through the bean cooling passage 47 are guided into the bean storage box 52. A recovery passage gasket 50 is provided to connect the bean cooling box 51 and the bean cooling passage 47 airtightly.

[0069] The bean cooling box 51 also has an exhaust port 51c at the top, which exhausts the air blown from the bean cooling fan 53. Furthermore, the exhaust port 51c is connected to a bean cooling duct 54, which is connected to the exhaust manifold 45. This results in a structure in which the air blown into the bean cooling box 51 is exhausted to the exhaust manifold 45 through the exhaust port 51c and the bean cooling duct 54.

[0070] A bean cooling fan 53 is arranged below the bean cooling box 51, and the air blown out from the bean cooling fan 53 passes through a bean cooling filter 55 and holes in a punched metal member 56 of the bean storage box 52, as shown by the dotted line arrow in Figure 2, to cool the beans inside the box, and then passes through a bean cooling duct 54 and is blown into the exhaust manifold 45.

[0071] Here, in order to efficiently cool the roasted beans in the bean storage box 52 with the wind from the bean cooling fan 53, the outer frame formed at the bottom of the bean storage box 52 and the corresponding sealing surface 51a of the bean cooling box 51 must be in airtight contact, and the front panel 52b of the bean storage box 52 and the opening sealing surface 51b of the bean cooling box 51 must be in airtight contact, and the flatness of the parts in these areas is controlled to dimensions that ensure airtightness.

[0072] Next, we will explain the operational control of the roaster 20 with reference to the control block diagram of FIG. 7, flow chart 1 of FIG. 8, flow chart 2 of FIG. 9, and the time chart of FIG.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 7, the operation of the roaster 20 is controlled by control means composed of a microcomputer 60, and has a CPU 60a that controls each device, memory 60b that stores the set temperature etc., and a timer 60c that measures the operating time of each device etc.

[0074] Connected to the input side of the microcomputer 60 are a pre-heating switch 61 for instructing the inside of the roasting pot 23 to be heated in advance for roasting, a roasting switch 62 for instructing the start of roasting after the pre-heating, a temperature sensor 36 for detecting the temperature inside the roasting pot 23, and a bean box sensor 63 for detecting whether a bean storage box 52 is stored in the bean cooling box 51.

[0075] Here, the bean box sensor 63 is composed of a sensor magnet (not shown) arranged on the underside of the bean storage box 52 and a reed switch (not shown) arranged in a position facing the magnet 57 of the bean cooling box 51, and is configured so that the contacts of the reed switch are closed (ON) when the bean storage box 52 is attached in the correct position, and the contacts are opened (OFF) when the bean storage box 52 is pulled out 2 mm from that position. This ensures safety by preventing roasting from starting if the bean storage box 52 is not set correctly in the correct position (note that it is also possible to prevent beans being discharged outside the roasting kettle 23 during roasting).

[0076] The output side of the microcomputer 60 is connected to the heater device 40, the roasting blower 37, the bean cooling fan 53, and the bean recovery door motor 48a.

[0077] In this way, the devices are controlled based on the switches 61 and 62 and the sensors 36 and 63.

[0078] In the time chart of FIG. 10, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 36 is indicated by a solid line, and the air temperature about 10 mm above the center of the perforated metal member 56 in the bean storage box 52 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0079] In addition, the operating state of the bean cooling fan 53 is stopped at 0V and operating at 24V. The operating state of the roasting blower 37 is also stopped at 0V, and other numbers between 2V and 2.5V indicate operating. The higher the number, the higher the rotation speed of the roasting blower 37 and the greater the airflow.

[0080] Furthermore, while FIG. 10 shows the standard temperature and time when 200 g of raw coffee beans are roasted in the roaster of the present invention in dark roast and medium speed mode, it is also possible to set the degree of roasting of the beans to eight levels from light to dark roast, and the roasting time to three levels: low speed, medium speed, and high speed.

[0081] The operation of the roaster 20 will be described below with reference to Figs. 8 to 10.

[0082] When the power is turned on to the roaster 20, it constantly monitors whether or not a bean storage box 52 is stored in the bean cooling box 51 based on the detection signal of the bean box sensor 63 (S1). When performing a roasting operation, 200g of raw coffee beans are placed in the upper hopper 33 and the preheating switch 61 of the roaster 20 is pressed (S2). This starts the preheating of the roaster 20. Power is also applied to the heater device 40, 24V is applied to the bean cooling fan 53, and 2.5V is applied to the roasting blower (1 in FIG. 10). Then, when the temperature inside the roasting pot 23 rises and the temperature sensor 36 detects 160°C (2 in FIG. 10), the heater device 40 is repeatedly turned on and off between 150°C and 160°C to control the temperature inside the roasting pot 23 to be constant (S3). Normally, the preheating is completed within 5 minutes. The bean recovery door 49 is set to always close the bean recovery hole 23h when waiting for roasting.

[0083] Next, for example, after five minutes, the hopper lever 33a is pushed down to load raw beans into roasting pot 23, and roast start switch 62 of roaster 20 is pressed (S4) (3 in Fig. 10). At the start of the roasting process, the temperature inside roasting pot 23 temporarily drops due to the beans being loaded into roasting pot 23, but the heater device 40 is ON / OFF controlled to control the sensor detection temperature to 150°C according to a preset roasting temperature profile for the beans, and the temperature inside roasting pot 23 is maintained at 150°C for a predetermined time T1 (S5, S6) (4 in Fig. 10). This causes moisture to evaporate from the beans in roasting pot 23 (bean moisture evaporation process).

[0084] When the moisture removal process is completed, the heater device 40 is controlled to gradually increase the temperature inside the roasting pot 23 (S7) (5 in FIG. 10) to continue the roasting process of the beans. As a result, the beans inside the roasting pot 23 are roasted.

[0085] During this roasting process, chaff is generated in the roasting pot 23, which is separated from the coffee beans. This chaff passes through the chaff recovery passage 27 and the chaff bean recovery duct 28 together with the hot air and enters the cyclone 42 from the upper side of the cyclone 42. Inside the cyclone 42, the hot air rotates in a vortex shape, and the chaff falls under its own weight into the chaff recovery box 44 below. Meanwhile, the hot air from which the chaff has been separated in the cyclone 42 passes through the exhaust duct 43 at the top of the cyclone 42 and is sent to the exhaust manifold 45, and is exhausted outside the roaster 20. The two-dot chain line arrows in FIG. 2 show the flow of the hot air in the roasting pot 23 as it is exhausted outside the roaster 20.

[0086] When the temperature inside roasting pot 23 reaches the roasting end temperature of 230°C during the bean roasting process, the roasting process ends (S8) (6 in FIG. 10). Upon completion of the roasting process, power to heater device 40 is stopped (S9), bean collection door motor 48a is driven to open bean collection door 49 and open bean collection hole 23h (S10), and the voltage of roasting blower 37 is changed to 2V and driven (S11), and the bean collection process begins.

[0087] In this bean recovery process, the beans in the roasting pot 23 rotate in a circumferential direction within the roasting pot 23 due to the air blown by the roasting blower 37, so that the beans are guided by the bean recovery guide 29 to near the center of the bean recovery passage 47, fall from the lower exit 47b of the bean recovery passage 47, and are stored in the bean storage box 52 through the bean cooling box 51.

[0088] In addition, the output of the roasting blower 37 is lowered from 2.5V to 2V during the bean recovery process because the bean recovery door 49 opens the bean recovery hole 23h, which means that the roasting blower 37 has two air paths, reducing ventilation resistance and increasing the air volume inside the roasting pot 23 even with the same voltage. This causes the beans inside the roasting pot 23 to move about, lengthening the bean recovery time, so the output of the roasting blower 37 is lowered.

[0089] In addition, both the roasting blower 37 and the bean cooling fan 53 are operated during the bean recovery process, but since the air volume and wind force of the roasting blower 37 are overwhelmingly greater than those of the bean cooling fan 53, the operation of the bean cooling fan 53 does not interfere with the bean recovery operation.

[0090] As described above, after the roasting blower 37 continues to operate at 2V output for a predetermined time T2 (S12), the output of the roasting blower 37 is changed to 2.3V and the roasting blower 37 is operated until a predetermined time T3 has elapsed from the start of the bean collecting process (S13, S14). By operating the roasting blower 37 at 2V as described above, most of the beans in the roasting pot 23 are collected into the bean storage box 52, but some beans may be stuck to the inclined portion 23g of the roasting pot 23. Therefore, the output of the roasting blower 37 is set to 2.3V, and the stuck beans are peeled off by wind force and collected into the bean storage box 52.

[0091] Through this bean recovery process, roasted beans are stored in bean storage box 52 and the temperature inside bean storage box 52 rises to approximately 150°C (7 in Figure 10). However, air blown from bean cooling fan 53 flows evenly into bean storage box 52 through punched metal member 56, so that the roasted beans inside bean storage box 52 are piled up almost evenly.

[0092] This bean recovery process is completed in approximately 20 seconds (T3), and at the end of the bean recovery process, the output of the roasting blower 37 is set to 0V (S15), the operation of the blower 37 is stopped, and the process moves to the bean cooling process.

[0093] In addition, because this bean cooling process continues with bean recovery hole 23h open, air blown from bean cooling fan 53 is blown from bean cooling duct 54 to exhaust manifold 45, and also from inside roasting pot 23 to chaff recovery duct 28 to cyclone 42 to exhaust duct 43 to exhaust manifold 45. This reduces ventilation resistance, so the bean temperature drops more quickly than when beans are cooled with bean recovery hole 23h closed.

[0094] In other words, by dividing the cooling passages for the beans into two systems, the ventilation resistance of the air from the bean cooling fan 53 is reduced, and the beans piled up in the bean storage box 52 are cooled in a dancing state, so that the air passes evenly over the outer surfaces of the beans, thereby improving the cooling performance of the beans.

[0095] Thereafter, when the temperature inside roasting pot 23 reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, 160°C) (S16), bean recovery door 49 is closed (S17). That is, in order to shorten the time for the next roasting process (to perform continuous roasting), it is necessary to maintain the temperature inside roasting pot 23 between 150°C and 160°C. Therefore, when the temperature of roasting pot 23 reaches the predetermined temperature (160°C) (8 in FIG. 10), bean recovery door 49 is closed (S17). As a result, the temperature inside roasting pot 23 does not drop below 150°C due to the insulating effect. Therefore, the next roast can be performed without preheating, which makes it possible to shorten both the cooling time of the beans and the time until the next roast.

[0096] When a predetermined time T4 (e.g., 2 minutes from the start of the bean collecting process) has elapsed in this bean cooling process, driving of bean cooling fan 53 is stopped and the bean cooling process ends (S18, S19). That is, for 200 g of raw coffee beans, the roasted beans will be cooled to about 2° C. higher than the outside air temperature in 2 minutes from the start of bean collecting operation, so when 2 minutes have elapsed after the start of the bean collecting operation, the voltage of bean cooling fan 53 is reduced to 0 V and bean cooling fan 53 is stopped, the completion of cooling is displayed on a screen display device (not shown), and a buzzer (not shown) is sounded to inform the user that bean storage box 52 can be removed (9 in FIG. 10).

[0097] Thereafter, the operator removes bean storage box 52, transfers the beans to another container, sets bean storage box 52 back in bean cooling box 51, and presses roast switch 62. As shown in flowchart 1 of FIG. 8, operation can be restarted from step S4, allowing continuous roasting operation to be performed (10 in FIG. 10).

[0098] In the roaster 20 of this embodiment, after the beans are collected, cooling is performed with the bean collection door 49 open until the temperature inside the roasting pot 23 reaches the set temperature (threshold value), shortening the cooling time and the time it takes for the beans to reach a state where they can be roasted. The reason for this is that the tastes of recent bean purchasers have become more diversified, with a greater variety of bean types and roasting methods being desired, and the functions required of a roaster have also changed, so that a device that can roast about 200g of raw beans in a shorter amount of time and with a greater variety of roasting methods better matches the needs of each individual bean purchaser, rather than roasting a larger number of beans in one roast as in the past.

[0099] Furthermore, in the roaster 20 according to this embodiment, the reason that the bean cooling fan 53 is operated continuously at 24V from the pre-heating stage is to prevent the temperature inside the bean storage box 52 from rising due to radiant heat from the roasting pot 23 or thermal conduction, and to keep the temperature of the air exhausted from the exhaust manifold 45 to the outside of the roaster 20 as low as possible, as described above.

[0100] As the roaster 20 according to this embodiment is configured as described above, it exhibits the following actions and effects.

[0101] That is, in the bean roaster 20, which sprays hot air from the central bottom of the cone-shaped roasting pot 23 in a direction oblique to the radial direction of the roasting pot 23 to stir and roast the beans, the device has a heater device 40 which is a heat source for roasting, and a roasting blower 37 which sends high-pressure air to the heater device 40 and sends the air heated by the heater device 40 to the roasting pot 23, the heater device 40 is disposed directly below the central bottom of the roasting pot 23, the air blowing outlet 40b of the heater device 40 opens upward and is directly connected to the air intake inlet 23a formed in the central bottom of the roasting pot 23, and the air intake inlet 40a of the heater device 40 is located on the side of the heater device 40 and is directly connected to the outlet 37a of the roasting blower 37.

[0102] As a result, the central bottom of the roasting pot 23 and the heater device 40 are in close proximity, and because the heater device 40 and the roasting pot 23 are directly connected, air is sent from the roasting blower 37 to the heater device 40, and further, the hot air supplied from the heater device 40 to the roasting pot 23 flows smoothly, extremely reducing heat loss and windage loss. Therefore, the heater device 40 and the roasting blower 37 can be made smaller, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0103] In addition, the roaster 20 according to this embodiment has a chaff recovery duct 28 for passing exhaust air containing chaff inside the roasting kettle 23, a cyclone 42 for taking in exhaust air through the chaff recovery duct 28 and separating the chaff from the exhaust air, and a chaff recovery box 44 for collecting the chaff separated in the cyclone 42, the upper part of the side wall 23e of the roasting kettle 23 has an annular edge 23f extending vertically over a predetermined width, the inlet side of the chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to the annular edge 23f and the outlet side of the chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to the upper part of the side surface of the cyclone 42, and the chaff recovery box 44 is located below the cyclone 42 and is configured to be removable from the front of the roaster 20.

[0104] As a result, the inlet side of chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to annular edge 23f formed on side wall 23e of roasting kettle 23, rather than to the top surface of roasting kettle 23, so chaff recovery duct 28 does not protrude above roasting kettle 23, reducing the height dimension of roasting machine 20 and making it more compact. Also, because chaff collection box 44 can be removed from the front of roasting machine 20, no operating space for chaff collection box 44 is required on the side of roasting machine 20, and operability is also improved.

[0105] Furthermore, the roaster 20 according to this embodiment has a bean recovery hole 23h through which roasted beans are discharged, in part of the inclined portion 23g of the side wall 23e of the roasting pot 20 that is inclined diagonally downward from the lower end of the annular edge portion 23f, and is configured to have a bean recovery mechanism 48 including a bean recovery door 49 for opening and closing the bean recovery hole 23h, a bean recovery passage 47 that communicates with the bean recovery hole 23h and guides the roasted beans discharged from the bean recovery hole 23h to the outside of the roasting pot 23, a bean cooling box 51 that communicates with the outlet 47b of the bean recovery passage 47 and receives the roasted beans that have flowed out of the bean recovery passage 47, a bean storage box 52 that is detachably stored in the bean cooling box 51 and stores the roasted beans that have flowed into the bean cooling box 51, and a bean cooling fan 53 that is provided in the bean cooling box 51 and blows air into the bean storage box 52 to cool the roasted beans.

[0106] As a result, when the bean collection door 49 opens the bean collection hole 23h, the roasted beans in the roasting pot 23 fall through the bean collection hole 23h and move sequentially through the bean collection passage 47, the bean cooling box 51, and the bean storage box 52. The beans stored in the bean storage box 52 are cooled by air blown out from the bean cooling fan 53. Here, since the bean cooling fan 53 is provided in the bean cooling box 51, the air blown out from the bean cooling fan hits the beans in the bean storage box 52 directly and can be cooled efficiently, which allows the bean cooling fan 53 to be made smaller. In addition, since the bean cooling fan 53 blows out air and sends it to the bean storage box 52, the bean-cooled air does not flow from the bean storage box 52 to the bean cooling fan 53, which reduces dirt on the bean cooling fan 53 and makes the bean cooling fan 53 maintenance-free.

[0107] To explain the action and effect in detail, by adopting this structure, not only does the bean cooling fan 53 need to have the capacity of a general square fan of, for example, DC 24V and 12W, but because the bean cooling fan 53 is structured to blow cooling air onto the beans to cool them, smoke and oil from the beans do not adhere to the bean cooling fan 53. Therefore, the problem with the conventional suction method, that is, the problem that oil from the beans adheres to the bean cooling fan 53 and the caffeine contained in the smoke recrystallizes due to long-term use of the bean cooling fan 53, is solved, so the fan part does not stick to the casing and become unable to rotate, and this eliminates the need for periodic disassembly and cleaning of the bean cooling fan 53, which is troublesome for the operator.

[0108] Furthermore, the roaster 20 of this embodiment has a structure including a bean cooling duct 54 connected to the exhaust port 51c of the bean cooling box 51 for ventilating the exhaust air that has cooled the roasted beans, an exhaust duct 43 connected to the cyclone 42 for ventilating the exhaust air from which the chaff in the cyclone 42 has been separated, and an exhaust collecting pipe 45 which connects the outlet side of the exhaust duct 43 and the outlet side of the bean cooling duct 54 and collects the exhaust air in the exhaust duct 43 and the bean cooling duct 54 and ventilates it outside the roaster 20.

[0109] In this way, bean cooling duct 54, which ventilates the exhaust air used to cool roasted beans, and exhaust duct 43, which ventilates the exhaust air inside cyclone 42, are connected to a single exhaust manifold 45, which not only makes the entire roaster 20 more compact, but also keeps the temperature of the exhaust air discharged from roaster 20 low by mixing the high-temperature exhaust air during roasting with the room-temperature exhaust air from bean cooling fan 53 and discharging it from a single location, thereby providing a roaster 20 with less risk of burns and fire.

[0110] Furthermore, the roaster 20 of this embodiment has a microcomputer 60 (control means) that controls the bean recovery mechanism 48 so that the bean recovery door 49 closes the bean recovery hole 23h during roasting, opens the bean recovery hole 23h during bean recovery, and closes the bean recovery hole 23h when the temperature inside the roasting pot 23 falls below a predetermined temperature during bean cooling.

[0111] As a result, in the initial stage of cooling the beans, there is a route for discharging the air exhausted from the bean cooling box 51 from the exhaust port 51c and a route for discharging the air from the bean recovery hole 23h through the roasting pot 23 and from the outlet side of the cyclone 40, and by discharging the air from these two routes, the wind of the bean cooling fan 53 stirs the beans in the bean storage box 52 so that the beans dance, and the wind hits the beans evenly, so that the beans can be cooled in a short time. In addition, when the temperature inside the roasting pot 23 falls below a predetermined temperature, the bean recovery hole 23h is closed to maintain the temperature at which the next beans can be roasted continuously, so that the time required for continuous roasting can be shortened, and a roaster 20 can be provided that can roast many beans in a short time with many variations in roasting methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 20 Roaster 23 Roasting pot 23a Entrance to the roasting pot 23e Roasting pot side wall 23f Annular edge 23g slope part 23h Bean collection hole 28 Chaff collection duct 29 Bean Collection Guide 37 Roasting Blower 37a Roasting blower outlet 40 Heater device 40a Heater device inlet 40b Heater device outlet 42 Cyclone 43 Exhaust Duct 44 Chaff Collection Box 45 Exhaust manifold 47 Bean collection passage 48 Bean Collection Mechanism 49 Bean collection door 51 Bean Cooling Box 51c Bean cooling box exhaust port 52 Bean Storage Box 53 Bean Cooling Fan 54 Bean cooling duct 60 Microcomputer

Claims

1. In a bean roaster, hot air is blown from the center bottom of a mortar-shaped roasting pot in a direction oblique to the radial direction of the roasting pot to stir and roast the beans, The roasting apparatus includes a heater device which is a heat source for roasting, and a roasting blower for feeding high-pressure air to the heater device and feeding the air heated by the heater device to the roasting pot. The heater device is disposed directly below the central bottom of the roasting pot, and the air outlet of the heater device opens upward and is directly connected to the air intake inlet formed in the central bottom of the roasting pot, while the air intake inlet of the heater device is located on the side of the heater device and is directly connected to the blowing port of the roasting blower. A bean roasting machine characterized by the above.

2. The roasting apparatus includes a chaff recovery duct for passing exhaust air containing chaff in the roasting pot, a cyclone for taking in the exhaust air through the chaff recovery duct and separating the chaff from the exhaust air, and a chaff recovery box for collecting the chaff separated by the cyclone, The upper part of the side wall of the roasting pot has an annular edge portion extending vertically over a predetermined width, the inlet side of the chaff recovery duct is connected to the annular edge portion, and the outlet side of the chaff recovery passage is connected to the upper part of the side surface of the cyclone, The chaff collection box is located at the bottom of the cyclone and can be removed from the front of the roaster.

2. The bean roaster according to claim 1 .

3. A bean recovery hole for discharging roasted beans is provided in a part of an inclined portion of the side wall of the roasting pot that is inclined obliquely downward from the lower end of the annular edge portion, The bean collecting mechanism includes a bean collecting door for opening and closing the bean collecting hole, a bean collecting passage that communicates with the bean collecting hole and guides the roasted beans discharged from the bean collecting hole to the outside of the roasting pot, a bean cooling box that communicates with an outlet of the bean collecting passage and receives the roasted beans that flow out of the bean collecting passage, a bean storage box that is removably stored in the bean cooling box and stores the roasted beans that flow into the bean cooling box, and a bean cooling fan that is provided in the bean cooling box and blows air into the bean storage box to cool the roasted beans.

3. The bean roaster according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The bean cooling duct is connected to the exhaust port of the bean cooling box and is used to ventilate the exhaust air that has cooled the roasted beans. The exhaust duct is connected to the cyclone and is used to ventilate the exhaust air from which the chaff has been separated. The exhaust manifold is connected to the outlet side of the exhaust duct and the outlet side of the bean cooling duct and is used to collect the exhaust air from the exhaust duct and the bean cooling duct and ventilate it outside the roaster. A bean roaster according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The bean recovery door has a control means for controlling the bean recovery mechanism so as to close the bean recovery hole during roasting, to open the bean recovery hole during bean recovery, and to close the bean recovery hole when the temperature inside the roasting pot becomes lower than a predetermined temperature during bean cooling.

5. The bean roaster according to claim 3 or 4.

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