Roasted bean collecting and cooling structure of roaster

Abstract

To provide a roasted bean collecting and cooling structure of a roaster capable of miniaturizing the whole roaster.SOLUTION: There is provided a roasted bean collecting and cooling structure of a roaster 20 in which the roasted beans in a roasting pot 23 are dropped and carried out through a bean collecting hole 23h, the structure including: a bean collecting path 47 for guiding the beans dropped and carried out from the bean collecting hole 23h to the outside of the roasting pot 23; a bean cooling box 51 for guiding the beans in the bean collecting path 47 downward; a bean accommodating box 52 for accommodating the beans guided into the bean cooling box 51; and a bean cooling fan 53 for blowing out the bean-cooling air toward the bean accommodating box 52; wherein the bean accommodating box 52 includes a box-shaped main body frame 52a having an inner edge 52b extending inward over a small size of the lower peripheral edge, and a ventilation plate 52c covering a lower opening with a small gap from the inner edge 52b, the ventilation plate 52c is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes 52d, and the bean cooling box 51 is provided with an exhaust port 51c for discharging the air passing through the inside of the bean accommodating box 52 to the outside of the bean cooling box 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a roasting bean recovery and cooling structure of a highly efficient, compact, and inexpensive roasting machine that can roast and cool beans such as nuts and coffee beans evenly and efficiently in a short time.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an apparatus for roasting coffee beans or beans similar thereto using hot air, a roasting bean recovery and cooling structure of a roasting machine disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3637434 has been proposed.

[0003] According to this apparatus, when the roasting of beans in the roasting pot is completed, a member at the central bottom of the mortar-shaped roasting pot is moved upward, whereby the roasted beans fall through the holes at the central bottom into the cooling passage and are further stored in the lower cooling chamber through the cooling passage (roasted bean recovery structure). Here, since air blown from the blower device is supplied to the cooling chamber, the beans in the cooling chamber are cooled (roasted bean cooling structure). Then, the air that has completed cooling is sent to the filter device through the cylindrical flexible tube and then exhausted to the outside.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the roasted bean recovery structure of a conventional roasting machine, in order to prevent the beans roasted to a predetermined roasting level from being further roasted, it is necessary to quickly transfer the beans from the roasting pot to the cooling chamber and cool them. However, in the structure shown in Japanese Patent No. 3637434, when air for stirring the beans is continuously sent from the center of the bottom of the roasting pot, the beans move diagonally upward in the roasting pot, increasing the distance from the bean recovery hole at the center of the bottom of the roasting pot. As a result, there is a problem that the recovery time of the roasted beans becomes longer. To solve this problem, measures such as stopping the operation of the roasting blower during bean recovery or reducing the air volume to promote the natural fall of the beans can be considered. However, especially in the roasting operation of beans for iced coffee, since the beans are dark roasted, not only does it take time for the oil to come out of the beans and for them to fall by their own weight, but there is also a problem that the beans stick to the roasting pot and remain in the roasting pot.

[0006] In addition, in the roasted bean cooling structure of a conventional roasting machine, there is a cooling basket for storing the beans in the cooling chamber. This cooling basket can be detachably attached to the cooling chamber, and at the same time, it is necessary to have a structure that prevents the cooling air from leaking out after being attached to the cooling chamber.

[0007] However, in order to prevent air (cooling air or cooled exhaust air) from leaking from the opening for attaching and detaching the cooling basket, a sealed structure is required. Therefore, there is a problem that the mating structure between the cooling chamber and the cooling basket is complicated and expensive.

[0008] For this reason, in an actual device, a simple structure is adopted in which the intake side of the blower device is connected to the cooling chamber and the exhaust side is connected to the filter device to prevent air leakage. However, in this case, recrystallization of the oil and caffeine released from the roasted beans adheres to the inside of the blower device, causing the fins to become fixed and unable to rotate. As a result, the operator has to regularly perform the troublesome task of disassembling and cleaning the blower device.

[0009] On the other hand, a roasting bean cooling structure of a roasting machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-180652 has also been proposed. This cooling structure is a cooling structure in which the cold air flow of a blower is blown from above the roasted beans in the bean receiving part to cool the beans, and then the exhaust air flow is blown from the lower part of the bean receiving part to a cyclone.

[0010] However, in this cooling structure, since both the cold air pipe for sending cold air from the blower to the bean receiving part and the second recovery pipe for sending the exhaust air from the bean receiving part to the cyclone have a duct structure, the air loss is large, leading to an increase in the size of the blower, and thus there is a problem that miniaturization and cost reduction of the roasting machine cannot be achieved.

[0011] Furthermore, in a normal roasting machine including the former roasting machine (Japanese Patent No. 3637434) and the latter roasting machine (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-180652), a sensor for detecting that the cooling basket (drawing out) is set at a predetermined position is installed. However, due to the convenience of detecting the proper position of the cooling basket (drawing out), the installation location of this sensor has to be directly installed on the cooling basket (drawing out) or be as close as possible to the cooling basket (drawing out). For this reason, the sensor has been required to have the performance of withstanding the rise in the ambient temperature of the beans that have fallen into the cooling basket (drawing out) and the smoke for a long time. Therefore, a commercially available electromagnetic induction type proximity sensor has been used as a device having these requirements and has been arranged near the cooling basket (drawing out) in the cooling chamber. However, this electromagnetic induction type proximity sensor requires a relatively large installation space and is also expensive, which has been a factor hindering the miniaturization and cost reduction of the roasting machine itself.

[0012] As described above, in conventional roasting machines, various technological developments have been made mainly regarding the technology related to roasting, but the technological development regarding the recovery and cooling of roasted beans has been insufficient.

[0013] To solve such problems, the present invention aims to optimize the bean recovery structure and the cooling structure, and to provide a roasting bean recovery and cooling structure for a roasting machine that is user-friendly for operators, requires no daily maintenance, has low power consumption, low noise, high safety, and is inexpensive and compact.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0014] In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a roasting bean recovery and cooling structure of a roasting machine in which roasted beans in a roasting pot are dropped and carried out through a bean recovery hole. It has a bean recovery passage whose inlet is connected to the bean recovery hole and guides the beans dropped and carried out from the bean recovery hole outside the roasting pot, a bean cooling box hermetically connected to the outlet of the bean recovery passage and guiding the beans in the bean recovery passage downward, a bean storage box detachably housed in the bean cooling box and storing the beans guided into the bean cooling box, and a bean cooling fan installed below the bean cooling box and blowing out air for cooling the beans toward the bean storage box. The bean storage box has a box-shaped main body frame with openings at the upper and lower parts and an inner edge part extending inward over a small dimension at the lower peripheral edge, and a ventilation plate covering the lower opening with a small gap from the inner edge part above the inner edge part. The ventilation plate is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes for passing the air blown out from the bean cooling fan into the bean storage box. The bean cooling box is provided with an exhaust port for discharging the air that has passed through the bean storage box to the outside of the bean cooling box.

[0015] According to the invention of claim 1, the roasted beans in the roasting pot sequentially fall through the bean recovery hole, the bean recovery passage, the bean cooling box, and the bean storage box, and are stored in the bean storage box. On the other hand, the air blown out from the bean cooling fan is directly blown into the lower opening of the bean cooling box, flows into the lower part of the bean recovery box through each ventilation hole of the ventilation plate of the bean storage box, and cools the beans deposited in the bean storage box as if they were dancing.

[0016] Here, since the bean cooling fan is directly installed below the bean cooling box, the air from the bean cooling fan is blown directly into the bean storage box without passing through ducts or the like. As a result, the ventilation resistance caused by ducts or the like can be reduced, and the beans stored in the bean storage box can be efficiently cooled. Also, since the ventilation plate of the bean storage box is positioned with a slight gap from the inner edge of the bean cooling box, the air blown out from the bean cooling fan spreads to the periphery of the bottom of the bean storage box and uniformly flows into the bean storage box from the entire surface of the ventilation plate, so that all the beans in the bean storage box can be cooled evenly.

[0017] In this way, since the air blown out from the bean cooling fan is efficiently and uniformly guided into the bean storage box, even a small-sized bean cooling fan can sufficiently cool the beans, resulting in a roasted bean recovery and cooling structure that can achieve miniaturization of the entire roasting machine.

[0018] The invention according to claim 2 is configured such that the front side of the bean storage box is composed of at least a bean box front plate formed of a magnetic material disposed on the front side and a bean box inner plate disposed on the rear side. The bean cooling box has a front opening formed on the front side through which the bean storage box is inserted and removed, and at least the periphery of the front opening is formed of a non-magnetic material. The periphery of the bean box front plate and the periphery of the front opening have flat seal surfaces facing each other, and a plurality of fixing magnets for attracting the bean box front plate so that the seal surface of the periphery of the bean box front plate and the seal surface of the periphery of the front opening are in close contact are provided on the surface of the periphery of the front opening opposite to the seal surface of the front opening.

[0019] According to the invention of claim 2, in the front opening of the bean cooling box through which the bean storage box is inserted and removed, the adhesion magnet attracts the bean storage box toward the bean cooling box, and the seal surface of the bean storage box and the seal surface of the bean cooling box are in close contact to form an airtight state.

[0020] In this way, a roasted bean recovery and cooling structure is obtained that has a simple structure and combines the detachability of the bean storage box and the airtightness that prevents the exhaust air after bean cooling from leaking into the room.

[0021] In the invention of claim 3, the front plate of the bean box and the inner plate of the bean box are arranged with a small gap therebetween, and a handle for attaching and detaching the bean storage box protrudes forward and is fixed on the front side of the front plate of the bean box, forming a structure like this.

[0022] According to the invention of claim 3, a safe and reliable roasting bean recovery and cooling structure can be obtained, where even if an operator touches the handle or the front plate of the bean box immediately after bean recovery, there is no risk of high-temperature burns.

[0023] The invention of claim 4 is provided with a bean box sensor for detecting whether the bean storage box is stored in the bean cooling box. The bean box sensor consists of a sensor magnet fixed on the periphery of the front plate of the bean box and a reed switch arranged to face the sensor magnet on the surface opposite to the sealing surface on the periphery of the front opening. It has such a structure.

[0024] According to the invention of claim 4, the ambient temperatures of the sensor magnet and the reed switch constituting the bean box sensor do not exceed the maximum usable temperature of the sensor magnet and the reed switch even during roasting or immediately after bean recovery. In this way, since the detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the bean storage box can be realized with an inexpensive and compact configuration, it is possible to contribute to the miniaturization and cost reduction of the roasting machine itself.

[0025] In the invention of claim 5, the bean recovery hole is formed in a rectangular shape, and a bean recovery mechanism for opening and closing the bean recovery hole is provided in the bean recovery passage. The bean recovery mechanism includes a bean recovery door formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the bean recovery hole, with one side in the longitudinal direction rotatably supported by the roasting pot, a tension spring connected to the bean recovery door and biasing the bean recovery door in the closing direction, a drive motor installed on the outer surface of the bean recovery passage, and an arm mechanism that rotates the bean recovery door in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor to open and close the bean recovery door, having such a structure.

[0026] According to the invention of claim 5, the arm mechanism rotates by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor, whereby the bean collection door rotates and the bean collection hole is opened and closed. Here, the bean collection mechanism can surely open and close the bean collection hole with the bean collection door, the tension spring, the drive motor, and the arm mechanism, and since it is composed of these four components, the number of parts is reduced. Also, regarding the spring force of the tension spring, it can be set so that even if an operator's hand is caught between the bean collection door and the bean collection hole during cleaning, no injury will occur. Therefore, it is a bean collection mechanism that is safe, inexpensive, and has excellent durability performance.

[0027] In the invention of claim 6, the bean collection hole is formed in a rectangular shape, and a bean collection mechanism for opening and closing the bean collection hole is provided in the bean collection passage. The bean collection mechanism includes a bean collection door formed in a rectangular shape so as to correspond to the bean collection hole, a slide plate connected to the bean collection door and extending vertically, a guide member for guiding the slide plate vertically, a drive motor installed on the outer surface of the bean collection passage, and an arm mechanism that moves the slide plate up and down in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor to open and close the bean collection door.

[0028] According to the invention of claim 6, the slide plate moves up and down via the arm mechanism by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor, and accordingly, the bean collection door moves up and down to open and close the bean collection hole. Here, since the vertical movement distance of the bean collection door, that is, the opening stroke, can be made larger than that of the door rotation method in the bean collection mechanism, a roasting bean collection and cooling structure capable of shortening the bean collection time can be obtained.

Effects of the Invention

[0029] According to the present invention, since the air blown out from the bean cooling fan is efficiently and uniformly guided into the bean storage box, even a small-sized bean cooling fan can sufficiently cool the beans, and a roasting bean collection and cooling structure capable of reducing the size of the entire roasting machine can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030]

Figure 1

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Figure 12

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Figures 1 to 12 show a roasting machine to which the roasted bean recovery and cooling structure according to the present invention is applied.

[0032] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the components related to the roasting structure of the roasting machine 20 will be described. Note that FIG. 1 is shown in a perspective state so that the internal structure can be understood.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roasting pot 23 has a mortar-shaped side wall 23e. The side wall 23e is composed of an annular edge portion 23f located at its upper part and extending in a predetermined width in the vertical direction, and an inclined portion 23g extending obliquely downward from the lower end of the annular edge portion 23f. A rectangular bean recovery hole 23h penetrating inside and outside the roasting pot 23 is formed in this inclined portion 23g. Note that the bean recovery hole 23h is the inner space of a roasting pot frame 23k formed in a rectangular shape provided on the inclined wall 23g (see the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 6 and 9).

[0034] Also, a heater device 40 serving as a heat source is arranged directly below the central bottom of the roasting pot 23, and a roasting blower 37 for sending high-pressure air into the heater device 40 is arranged on the rear side of the heater device 40. Note that an intake filter 38 is attached to the intake port side of the roasting blower 37 so that clean air is always sent into the heater device 40.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a roasting pot lid 32 insulated by a heat insulating member 32b is provided at the upper surface opening of the roasting pot 23. This roasting pot lid 32 is supported so as to be openable and closable by a lid hinge 34 and a lid latch 35, and closes the roasting pot 23 airtightly via a pot packing 30. A hopper 33 for storing raw beans is arranged above this roasting pot lid 32, and the raw beans are transferred into the roasting pot 23 by pushing a hopper lever 33a.

[0036] Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to the right side surface of the roasting pot 23, and the outlet side of the chaff recovery duct 28 is connected to the cylindrical upper part of a cyclone 42. The upper part of the cyclone 42 is connected to a collective exhaust pipe 45 via an exhaust duct 43. On the other hand, a chaff recovery box 44 is arranged at the lower part of the cyclone 42 via a box mounting plate 46, and this chaff recovery box 44 can be detachably attached and removed from the front of the roasting machine 20.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 2, the roasting blower 37 is arranged to face the upper side of the heater device 40 in proximity. 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 packing 39 which is an elastic sealing member.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 2, the air outlet 40b of the heater device 40 is also airtightly connected to the air intake inlet 23a of the roasting pot 23 by a metal hose 25. Thus, 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 23a of the roasting pot 23, and into the roasting pot 23 as shown by the dashed arrow in Fig. 2.

[0039] A square hole 23d is partially opened in the annular edge 23f of the roasting pot 23, and through this square hole 23d, a U-shaped chaff collection passage 27 projects toward the center of the roasting pot 23. The lower surface of the roasting pot lid 32 is designed to maintain a certain distance from the upper opening of the chaff collection passage 27 in the roasting pot 23, and this clearance prevents the beans from entering the chaff collection passage 27.

[0040] Furthermore, the outlet side of the chaff collection passage 27 is connected to the upper side surface of the cyclone 42 via a box-shaped chaff collection duct 28. Thus, the chaff collection duct 28 is connected to the roasting pot 23 via the chaff collection passage 27.

[0041] A temperature sensor 36 is arranged on the inlet side of the chaff collection duct 28, and the air temperature detected by this temperature sensor 36 is used as a substitute characteristic of the air temperature in the roasting pot 23 for the temperature profile during roasting and other operation controls.

[0042] In this way, since the chaff collection passage 27, the chaff collection duct 28, the cyclone 42, the exhaust duct 43, and the exhaust manifold 45 are connected, the air in the roasting pot 23 is ventilated through these devices in sequence as shown by the two-dot chain arrow in Fig. 2 and is discharged from the exhaust manifold 45.

[0043] As described above, by configuring the equipment related to the roasting structure, the beans in the roasting pot 23 are stirred and roasted by the hot air blown from the heater device 40. Also, the roasted hot air in the roasting pot 23 and the chaff peeled off from the beans are separated by the cyclone 42. The hot air is exhausted through the exhaust collecting pipe 45, while the chaff is housed in the chaff collection box 44 and discarded.

[0044] Next, the roasted bean collection and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12. Note that in each figure, it is shown in a partially transparent state so that the internal structure can be understood.

[0045] The roasted bean collection and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 according to the present embodiment includes a bean collection passage 47 having an inlet connected to the bean collection hole 23h for guiding the beans that have fallen and been carried out from the bean collection hole 23h outside the roasting pot, a bean cooling box 51 hermetically connected to the outlet of the bean collection passage 47 for guiding the beans in the bean collection passage 47 downward, a bean storage box 52 detachably housed in the bean cooling box 51 for storing the beans guided into the bean cooling box 51, and a bean cooling fan 53 installed below the bean cooling box 51 for blowing air for bean cooling toward the bean storage box 52.

[0046] Hereinafter, the components constituting this roasted bean collection and cooling structure will be described in detail.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2, the bean recovery passage 47 is connected to a roasting pot frame 23k formed on the inclined portion 23g of the roasting pot 23. As shown in FIG. 6, the internal structure of the bean recovery passage 47 is composed of a passage main body 47a that is open at the top and bottom and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a rectangular passage frame 47b that is integrally fixed to the upper end of the passage main body 47a. The inner opening 47c (the inlet of the bean recovery passage 47) of the passage frame 47b is formed in a shape that substantially corresponds to the bean recovery hole 23h. Further, a packing groove 47d into which a packing (not shown) is fitted is formed on the upper surface of the passage frame 47b, and it is airtightly connected to the inclined portion 23g via the packing. Further, the lower end of the bean recovery passage 47 is airtightly connected to the bean cooling box 51 via a packing 50, and a bean storage box 52 for storing roasted beans is stored in the bean cooling box 51. Incidentally, a bean recovery mechanism 48 is installed in the bean recovery passage 47, but the bean recovery mechanism 48 will be described later.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, the bean storage box 52 has a box-shaped main body frame 52a that is open at the upper and lower portions in a rectangular shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower peripheral edge of the main body frame 52a has an inner edge portion 52b that extends inward over a small dimension (width: 10 mm). A ventilation plate 52c is installed on the inner edge portion 52b so as to cover the lower opening of the bean storage box 52. The ventilation plate 52c is formed of a perforated metal material and has a large number of ventilation holes 52d formed in the entire plate. While the roasted beans that have fallen into the bean storage box 52 are stored in a piled-up manner, the structure is such that the beans are cooled by the air blown from below the ventilation plate 52c. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, since the peripheral edge of the ventilation plate 52c is bent downward by 5 mm and installed at a position 5 mm higher from the upper surface of the inner edge portion 52b, the cooling air from the lower surface of the ventilation plate 52c evenly hits the beans located above the inner edge portion 52b. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 4, the ventilation plate 52c is fixed by a fixing hook 52e formed by bending a part of the main body frame 52a inward. Not only is the ventilation plate 52c securely fixed to the main body frame 52a, but also processing such as welding is unnecessary as a fixing means, and it is possible to reduce the assembly cost and improve the degree of freedom of assembly.

[0049] The bean cooling box 51 has a box front plate 51e that forms a front opening 51b through which the bean storage box 52 can be inserted and removed. Also, the part corresponding to the inner edge 52b of the bean storage box 52 in the bean cooling box 51 has an inner edge 51a that extends inward for a small dimension (width 10 mm) in the same manner as the bean storage box 52, and the inside of the inner edge 51a is open.

[0050] Here, since the lower surface of the inner edge 52b and the upper surface of the inner edge 51a are both flat sealing surfaces, the inner edges 52b and 51a are in airtight contact with each other. As a result, the structure is such that the air from the bean cooling fan 53 passes only through the opening of the bean cooling box 51 and the opening of the bean storage box 52.

[0051] The front side of the bean storage box 52 is closed by a rectangular bean box front plate 52f made of a magnetic material arranged on the front side and a bean box inner plate 52g arranged on the rear side.

[0052] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this bean box front plate 52f is formed wider than the box front plate 51e including the front opening 51b, and can cover the entire box front plate 51e. The back surface of the bean box front plate 52f and the front surface of the box front plate 51e are flat sealing surfaces 52h and 51d facing each other as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Also, the bean cooling box 51 is made of a non-magnetic material, and a fixing magnet 57 is mounted on the back side of the sealing surface 51d (the back side of the box front plate 51e). Thereby, the attracting force of the fixing magnet 57 attracts the sealing surface 52h of the bean box front plate 52f to the sealing surface 51d side of the box front plate 51e, and the bean storage box 52 is fixed to the bean cooling box 51. Incidentally, a handle 52i for the operator to grip by hand when attaching and detaching the bean storage box 52 is provided on the bean box front plate 52f.

[0053] In addition, the attracting force of the fixing magnet 57 is set such that it does not impose a large load when the operator manually pulls out the bean storage box 52. Also, when the bean storage box 52 is set in the bean cooling box 51 to cool the beans, the attracting force is set such that the bean storage box 52 is not naturally opened by the wind pressure of the bean cooling fan 53. In the roasting machine 20 according to the present embodiment, four fixing magnets 57 are used and designed such that the total attracting force is approximately 14 N.

[0054] Among the beans stored in the bean storage box 52, the lower beans are held by the ventilation plate 52c, the side and back beans are held by the main body frame 52a, the front beans are held by the inner plate 52g of the bean box, and do not contact the front plate 52f of the bean box. Also, the front plate 52f of the bean box and the inner plate 52g of the bean box are arranged with a distance of 8 mm between them, and an air layer exists between them. Therefore, even if the operator touches the handle 52i or the front plate 52f of the bean box during the cooling of the beans, there is no risk of getting burned.

[0055] Furthermore, the handle 52i is fixed to the front plate 52f of the bean box with a screw 52j. However, even if the screw loosens due to long-term use, the inner plate 52g of the bean box is arranged at a position where the screw head abuts against the inner plate 52g of the bean box and the screw does not come off. Therefore, the screw 52j does not fall into the bean storage box 52. Thus, since the screw 52j does not get mixed into the roasted beans, the milling device is not damaged during the subsequent milling operation.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 2, the upper part of the bean cooling box 51 is connected to the lower end of the bean recovery passage 47, and is configured to guide the roasted beans falling through the bean cooling passage 47 into the bean storage box 52. Note that since the bean cooling box 51 and the bean cooling passage 47 are connected airtightly, a recovery passage packing 50 is provided.

[0057] Also, the upper part of the bean cooling box 51 has an exhaust port 51c for discharging the air blown from the bean cooling fan 53. Further, a bean cooling duct 54 connected to the exhaust collecting pipe 45 is connected to the exhaust port 51c. Thus, the air blown into the bean cooling box 51 is discharged to the exhaust collecting pipe 45 through the exhaust port 51c and the bean cooling duct 54.

[0058] Below the bean cooling box 51, a bean cooling fan 53 is arranged. The air blown from the bean cooling fan 53 passes through the ventilation holes 52d of the ventilation plate 52c of the bean storage box 52 through the bean cooling filter 55 as shown by the dashed-dotted arrow in Fig. 2, cools the beans in the bean storage box 52, and then passes through the bean cooling duct 54 and is blown to the exhaust collecting pipe 45.

[0059] When adopting the above-mentioned roasted bean recovery and cooling structure, when the bean recovery hole 23h is opened, the roasted beans in the roasting pot 23 fall through the bean recovery hole 23h and sequentially move through the bean recovery passage 47, the bean cooling box 51, and the bean storage box 52. Then, the beans stored in the bean storage box 52 are cooled by the 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 can directly hit the beans in the bean storage box 52 and can be efficiently cooled. Thus, the size of the bean cooling fan 53 can be reduced. Also, since the bean cooling fan 53 blows out air and blows it into the bean storage box 52, the cooled air does not flow into the bean cooling fan 53 from the bean storage box 52. Therefore, the dirt of the bean cooling fan 53 is reduced, and maintenance-free of the bean cooling fan 53 can be achieved.

[0060] To elaborate on this function and effect, by adopting this structure, the bean cooling fan 53 not only suffices with the capacity of a general square fan, for example, operating at DC24V and 12W, but also has a structure where the cooling air of the bean cooling fan 53 is blown onto the beans to cool them. As a result, no smoke or oil content emitted from the beans adheres to the bean cooling fan 53. Therefore, the problems of the conventional suction method, namely, that over a long period of use of the bean cooling fan 53, oil content emitted from the beans adheres to the bean cooling fan 53 and caffeine contained in the smoke recrystallizes, are solved. Thus, the fan part does not become fixed to the casing and unable to rotate, and thereby, regular disassembling and cleaning of the bean cooling fan 53, which is troublesome for the operator, are unnecessary.

[0061] By the way, for roasted beans, it is necessary for the operator to remove the bean storage box 52 and transfer them to another container or bag. In the unlikely event that the next roasting is carried out while forgetting to set the bean storage box 52 back to its original position, when the beans are recovered, the hot beans immediately after roasting are discharged with the front of the bean cooling box 51 remaining open, which is very dangerous. Therefore, the roasting machine 20 requires a bean box sensor 60 for detecting whether the bean storage box 52 is mounted in the correct position.

[0062] The bean box sensor 60 according to the present invention comprises a sensor magnet 60a and a reed switch 60b that senses the magnetic force of the sensor magnet 60a. The sensor magnet 60a is installed at the lower part of the bean box front plate 52f of the bean storage box 52, while the reed switch 60b is installed at the lower part of the box front plate 51e of the bean cooling box 51. Here, when the bean storage box 52 is inserted into the bean cooling box 51 and attached in the correct position, the sensor magnet 60a and the reed switch 60b face each other and the contact of the reed switch 60b closes (turns ON). On the other hand, when the bean storage box 52 is pulled out by 2 mm or more from the correct position, the contact of the reed switch 60b is set to open (turn OFF). Thereby, when the bean storage box 32 is not correctly set in the correct position, the roasting machine 20 is controlled so that roasting is not started or the beans being roasted are not discharged outside the pot, ensuring safety.

[0063] Figures 6 to 8 show an example of the bean collection mechanism 48 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and will be described in detail with reference to these drawings. Note that Fig. 7(a) is a front view showing the closed state of the bean collection door, Fig. 7(b) is a side view showing the closed state of the bean collection door, Fig. 8(a) is a front view showing the open state of the bean collection door, and Fig. 8(b) is a side view showing the open state of the bean collection door.

[0064] The bean collection mechanism 48 is a device that opens and closes the bean collection hole 23h, and includes a bean collection door 48a formed to correspond to the bean collection hole 23h, two tension springs 48b that bias the bean collection door 48a in the closing direction, a drive motor 48c installed on the outer surface of the bean collection passage 47, and an arm mechanism 48d that rotates in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 48c. The configuration of each component will be described in detail below.

[0065] A rotary shaft 48e is fixed to the end face in the longitudinal direction of the bean collection door 48a by welding. As shown in Figs. 6 to 8, this rotary shaft 48e is rotatably supported by a roasting pot frame 23k disposed on the periphery of the bean collection hole 23h. Thereby, the bean collection door 48a rotates, and the bean collection hole 23h can be opened and closed. Also, two C-shaped door hooks 48f for spring hooking are provided at positions closer to the rotary shaft 48e than the center line in the short direction of the bean collection door 48a, at intervals in the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, two C-shaped passage hooks 48g for spring hooking are provided at positions corresponding to the door hooks 48f on the side surface of the passage main body 47a of the bean collection passage 47. Here, the protruding position of the passage hook 48g is arranged at a position closer to the rotary shaft 48e than the protruding position of the door hook 48f when viewing the bean collection door 48a from the short direction.

[0066] The tension spring 48b consists of two coil springs. Its upper end is hooked to the door hook 48f, and its lower end is hooked to the passage hook 48g, thereby biasing the bean collection door 48a in the direction of closing it at all times. Also, due to the horizontal component force of the tension spring 48b, the rotary shaft 48e is always biased leftward toward Fig. 8(a), so the rotary shaft 48e of the bean collection door 48a always abuts against the roasting pot frame 23k, enabling the opening and closing of the bean collection door 48a. Moreover, since the load of the two tension springs 48b is set such that the closing force is about 5 N when the bean collection door 48a is in the closed state, even if a finger is pinched between the bean collection door 48a and the roasting pot frame 23k during maintenance, it is designed not to cause injury. Furthermore, the tension spring 48b is designed such that even if it is moved to be almost perpendicular to the roasting pot frame 23k with respect to the bean collection door 48a during maintenance to clean the inside of the roasting pot 23, or even if it is stretched when replacing the tension spring 48b, no plastic deformation will occur.

[0067] The arm mechanism 48d has a sheet metal door opening and closing arm 48h formed in the shape of a katakana character "ト". The door opening and closing arm 48h is arranged near the center of the passage body 47a, and a resin bearing 48i is rotatably installed at its tip. Also, the door opening and closing arm 48h is fixed to an arm shaft 48j that penetrates the passage body 47a, and is rotatably attached to the passage body 47a by two resin sliding bearings 48k provided on the arm shaft 48j. Incidentally, since the resin sliding bearings 48k are lightly press-fitted into the holes of the passage body 47a and the clearance with the arm shaft 48j is also set small, the airtightness between the inside and outside of the passage body 47a is sufficiently ensured without packing.

[0068] The drive motor 48c can rotate forward and backward. The motor shaft 48m is connected to the arm shaft 48j protruding from the passage body 47a by an R pin 48n. The arm shaft 48j rotates in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor 48c, and the resin bearing 48i at the tip of the door opening and closing arm 48h moves up and down in an arc.

[0069] A position detection plate 48p is fixed to the motor shaft 48m of the drive motor 48c. In the rotation range of the position detection plate 48p, there are a first microswitch 48q for detecting the open state of the bean collection door 48a and a second microswitch 48r for detecting the closed state of the bean collection door 48a. Based on the detection signals of the microswitches 48q and 48r, the resin bearing 48i of the door opening and closing arm 48h is stopped at the top dead center position or the bottom dead center position.

[0070] In addition, if the drive motor 48c does not stop at a predetermined top dead center or bottom dead center due to malfunctions of the microswitches 48q and 48r, etc., the torque of the drive motor 48c directly acts on the microswitches 48q and 48r and the resin bearing 48i, and there is a risk of component damage. Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation from occurring, an upper dead center stopper 48s and a lower dead center stopper 48t are provided on the door opening and closing arm 48h.

[0071] The bean collection mechanism 48 configured as described above performs the bean collection operation as follows.

[0072] During roasting, as shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the resin bearing 48i at the tip of the door opening and closing arm 48h is located at the bottom dead center, and the bean collection door 48a abuts against the passage frame 47b of the bean collection passage 47 under the load of the two tension springs 48b. As a result, the inside of the passage main body 47a of the bean collection passage 47 and the inside of the roasting pot 23 are blocked, and the roasted beans and smoke during roasting do not flow from inside the roasting pot 23 into the passage main body 47a.

[0073] When roasting is completed and a bean collection signal is output, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the drive motor 48c rotates the arm shaft 48j counterclockwise, and the resin bearing 48i of the door opening and closing arm 48h rotates while contacting the lower surface of the bean collection door 48a. As a result, the bean collection door 48a moves upward with the rotation axis 48e as a fulcrum, and the bean collection hole 23h opens. Therefore, the beans fall into the passage main body 47a of the bean collection passage 47 through the bean collection hole 23h and are further stored in the bean storage box 52 stored in the bean cooling box 51.

[0074] Also, when the drive motor 48c drives, the position detection plate 48p also rotates accordingly. As shown in FIG. 8, when the position detection plate 48 presses the contact of the first microswitch 48q located above, that is, when the resin bearing 48i reaches the top dead center, the drive of the drive motor 48c stops. The stop time of this drive motor 48c is about 20 seconds, and during this stop period, all the beans in the roasting pot 23 fall and are stored in the bean storage box 52. Incidentally, the maximum opening height (stroke) of the tip of the bean recovery door 48a is set to about 30 mm.

[0075] When such a bean recovery operation is completed, the drive motor 48c rotates in the reverse direction. As a result, the bean recovery door 48a rotates downward by the biasing force of the tension spring 48b. As shown in FIG. 7, when the position detection plate 48q presses the contact of the lower second microswitch 48r, that is, when the resin bearing 48i reaches the bottom dead center position, the drive of the drive motor 48c stops and it enters the standby state.

[0076] In this standby state, there is no need to make the lower surface of the bean recovery door 48a and the outer peripheral surface of the resin bearing 48i in close contact, and an arbitrary clearance can be provided. Therefore, the position adjustment of the position detection plate 48q not only only requires adjustment at the top dead center position of the resin bearing 48i, but also the following effects can be expected. That is, during roasting, the bean recovery door 48a reaches about 240°C, which is approximately the same as the temperature inside the roasting pot 23. However, since the outer peripheral surface of the resin bearing 48i does not contact the bean recovery door 48a, the measured temperature is about 180°C. On the other hand, when roasting is completed, the heater device 40 is stopped and then the bean recovery operation starts. Therefore, the bean recovery door 48a is cooled all at once by both the roasting blower 37 and the bean cooling fan 53. When the outer peripheral surface of the resin bearing 48i contacts the lower surface of the bean recovery door 48a, the temperature of the lower surface of the bean recovery door 48a has dropped to about 180°C. In this way, the temperature of the resin bearing 48i is about 180°C both during roasting and during bean recovery. Therefore, even if a commercially available resin bearing 48i made of PEEK material, which is a heat-resistant resin, is adopted, the resin bearing 48i will not fail due to thermal deformation or the like.

[0077] As described above, the bean collection mechanism 48 according to this embodiment directly transmits the rotational torque of the drive motor 48c to the arm shaft 48j of the door opening / closing arm 48h, and uses the outer circumference of the resin bearing 48i rotatably fixed to the tip of the door opening / closing arm 48h as a fulcrum for the rotation axis 48e of the bean collection door 48a to open the bean collection door 48a by rolling friction. Therefore, the torque of the drive motor 48c is extremely small and sufficient, and a simple, inexpensive bean collection mechanism 48 with excellent durability can be provided.

[0078] In this embodiment, the resin bearing 48i is arranged at the tip of the door opening / closing arm 48h. However, a resin roller (not shown) having heat resistance of 180°C or higher may be used instead of this component.

[0079] Next, FIGS. 9 to 12 show other embodiments of the bean collection mechanism 70 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and will be described in detail with reference to these drawings. Note that FIG. 11(a) is a front view showing the closed state of the bean collection door, FIG. 11(b) is a side view showing the closed state of the bean collection door, FIG. 12(a) is a front view showing the open state of the bean collection door, and FIG. 12(b) is a side view showing the open state of the bean collection door.

[0080] The bean collection mechanism 70 according to another embodiment is a device for opening and closing the bean collection hole 23h, and includes a bean opening / closing door 70a formed in a rectangular shape so as to correspond to the bean collection hole 23h, a slide plate 70b connected to the bean opening / closing door 70a and extending vertically, a guide bearing (guide member) 70c for guiding the slide plate 70b vertically, a drive motor 70d installed on the outer surface of the bean collection passage 47, and an arm mechanism 70e that interlocks with the forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor 70d to move the slide plate 70b up and down and open and close the bean opening / closing door 70a. The configurations of the following components will be described in detail.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 10, a leaf spring 70g is screwed to the center of the back side of the bean collection door 70a via a spacer 70f. Two fitting holes 70h are formed in the leaf spring 70g at intervals in the longitudinal direction.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 9, the slide plate 70b is formed in a vertically long rectangular shape and is disposed within the bean collection passage 47. A U-shaped slide frame 70i is fixed to the upper portion of the slide plate 70b. As shown in Fig. 10, the slide frame 70i has two convex portions 70j on the back side of its top plate so as to face the fitting holes 70h of the leaf spring 70g.

[0083] Here, as shown in Fig. 10, the fitting holes 70h of the leaf spring 70g and the convex portions 70j of the slide frame 70i are configured to be detachably fitted to each other (the dashed line in Fig. 10). Thus, when the fitting holes 70h and the convex portions 70j are fitted, i.e., when the slide frame 70i and the leaf spring 70g are connected, the movement of the bean collection door 70a in the front-rear direction is restricted. On the other hand, when the fitting between the convex portions 70j and the fitting holes 70h is released, the convex portions 70j are removed from the fitting holes 70h against the biasing force of the leaf spring 70g, whereby the bean collection door 70a is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

[0084] Also, usually, in order to completely close the bean collection door 70a, it is necessary to rotate the drive motor 70d until it is in a locked state and then stop it. However, in this embodiment, since the bean collection door 70a is connected to the slide plate 70b via the leaf spring 70g, the biasing force of the leaf spring 70g is applied in the direction of closing the bean collection door 70a, and the bean collection door 70a can be completely closed. Therefore, since it can be stopped before the drive motor 70d reaches the locked state, the gears and the like of the drive motor 70d are not damaged.

[0085] The slide plate 70b has a horizontally long inclined bean guide plate 70k at the center. Also, the side surfaces of the slide plate 70b are supported so as to be vertically movable by four V-groove-shaped guide bearings 70c fixed to left and right bearing mounting plates (not shown). Note that the guide bearings 70c are not limited to bearing members as long as they are members having a function of smoothly guiding the slide plate 70b vertically, and guide rollers or the like may also be used.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 9, the arm mechanism 70e has a long plate-shaped rotating arm 70n disposed between the slide plate 70b and the side surface of the bean recovery passage 47a. The tip of the rotating arm 70n has a long hole 70q formed horizontally along the longitudinal direction, and a long hole bearing 70r connected to the slide plate 70b is slidably fitted into the long hole 70q. On the other hand, on the proximal end side of the rotating arm 70n, an arm shaft 70s projects toward the drive motor 70d via an arm bearing 70t and is fixed by a motor shaft 70u of the drive motor 70d and an R pin 70v. Thereby, in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor 70d, the rotating arm 70n rotates in a circular motion to move the slide plate 70b up and down.

[0087] A position detection plate 70w is attached to the motor shaft 70u of the drive motor 70d, and the slide plate 70b is stopped at the top dead center position or the bottom dead center position by an upper first microswitch 70x and a lower second microswitch 70y. Although not shown in the figure, the hole portion through which the arm shaft 70s penetrates the bean recovery passage 47 is structured to block the gap with a resin washer and a wave washer to maintain airtightness between the inside and outside of the bean recovery passage 47.

[0088] The bean recovery mechanism 70 configured as described above performs the bean recovery operation as follows.

[0089] During roasting, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip of the rotating arm 70n is located at the bottom dead center, and the bean recovery door 70a is in contact with the passage frame 47b of the bean recovery passage 47 with a load corresponding to the amount of deflection of the leaf spring 70g, maintaining airtightness between the inside of the roasting pot 23 and the bean recovery passage 47 and blocking the roasted beans and smoke.

[0090] When roasting is completed and the bean collection signal is output, as shown in Fig. 12, the drive motor 70d rotates the rotating arm 70n counterclockwise, moving the slide plate 70b upward while the long hole 70q pushes the arm bearing 70r upward. As a result, the bean collection door 70a opens the bean collection hole 23h, and the beans in the roasting pot 23 fall into the bean collection passage 47 through this bean collection hole 23h. The beans that have fallen into this bean collection passage 47 are further stored in the bean storage box 52 through the bean cooling box 51.

[0091] Also, due to the drive of the drive motor 70d, the position detection plate 70w also rotates. As shown in Fig. 12, when the position detection plate 70w presses the contact of the first microswitch 70x located above, that is, when the tip of the rotating arm 70n reaches the top dead center, the drive of the drive motor 70d stops. The stop time of this drive motor 70d is about 15 seconds, and during this stop period, all the beans in the roasting pot 23 fall and are stored in the bean storage box 52.

[0092] When such a bean collection operation is completed, the drive motor 70d rotates in the reverse direction. As a result, the rotating arm 70n rotates clockwise, and thereby the slide plate 70b moves downward. Here, as shown in Fig. 11, when the position detection plate 70w presses the contact of the lower second microswitch 70y, that is, when the tip of the rotating arm 70n reaches the bottom dead center position, the drive of the drive motor 70d stops. As a result, the bean collection door completes the closing operation and enters the standby state. In addition, the maximum opening height of the bean collection door 70a according to this embodiment is about 50 mm. Since the opening is larger than the maximum opening height (about 30 mm) according to the above embodiment, there is an advantage that the bean collection time can be shortened accordingly.

[0093] Since the roasted bean collection and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 according to this embodiment is configured as described above, it exhibits the following functions and effects.

[0094] That is, in the roasted bean collection and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 in which the roasted beans in the roasting pot 23 are dropped and carried out through the bean collection hole 23h, a bean collection passage 47 having an inlet connected to the bean collection hole 23 for guiding the beans dropped and carried out from the bean collection hole 23 to the outside of the roasting pot 23, a bean cooling box 51 hermetically connected to the outlet of the bean collection passage 47 for guiding the beans in the bean collection passage 47 downward, a bean storage box 52 detachably housed in the bean cooling box 51 for storing the beans guided into the bean cooling box 51, and a bean cooling fan 53 installed below the bean cooling box 51 for blowing out air for bean cooling toward the bean storage box 52. The bean storage box 52 has a box-shaped main body frame 52a with openings at the upper and lower parts and an inner edge part 52b extending inward over a small dimension at the lower peripheral edge, and a ventilation plate 52c covering the lower opening with a small gap from the inner edge part 52b above the inner edge part 52b. The ventilation plate 52c is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes 52d for passing the air blown out from the bean cooling fan 53 into the bean storage box 52. The bean cooling box 51 is structured with an exhaust port 51c for discharging the air that has passed through the bean storage box 52 to the outside of the bean cooling box 51.

[0095] As a result, the roasted beans in the roasting pot 23 sequentially fall through the bean collection hole 23h, the bean collection passage 47, the bean cooling box 51, and the bean storage box 52 and are stored in the bean storage box 52. On the other hand, the air blown out from the bean cooling fan 53 is directly blown into the lower opening of the bean cooling box 51, flows into the lower part of the bean storage box 52 through each ventilation hole 52d of the ventilation plate 52c of the bean storage box 52, and cools the beans deposited in the bean storage box 52 as if making them dance.

[0096] Here, since the bean cooling fan 53 is directly installed below the bean cooling box 51, the air from the bean cooling fan 53 is directly blown into the bean storage box 52 without passing through a duct or the like. As a result, the ventilation resistance caused by a duct or the like can be reduced, and the beans stored in the bean storage box 52 can be efficiently cooled. Further, since the ventilation plate 52c of the bean storage box 52 is positioned with a slight gap from the inner edge 51a of the bean cooling box 51, the air blown out from the bean cooling fan 53 spreads to the periphery of the bottom of the bean storage box 52 and uniformly flows into the bean storage box 52 from the entire surface of the ventilation plate 52c. Therefore, all the beans in the bean storage box 52 can be cooled evenly.

[0097] In this way, since the air blown out from the bean cooling fan 53 is efficiently and uniformly guided into the bean storage box 52, even a small-sized bean cooling fan 53 can sufficiently cool the beans, and a roasted bean recovery and cooling structure that can reduce the size of the entire roasting machine 20 is achieved.

[0098] Further, in the roasted bean recovery and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 according to the present embodiment, the front side of the bean storage box 52 is composed of at least a bean box front plate 52f formed of a magnetic material and arranged on the front side and a bean box inner plate 52g arranged on the rear side. The bean cooling box 51 is formed of a non-magnetic material, and a front opening 51b through which the bean storage box 52 is inserted and removed is formed on the front side. The peripheral edge of the bean box front plate 52f and the peripheral edge of the front opening 51b have flat seal surfaces 52h and 51d facing each other, and a plurality of fixing magnets 57 for attracting the bean box front plate 52 so that the seal surface 52h of the peripheral edge of the bean box front plate 52f and the seal surface 51d of the peripheral edge of the front opening 51b are in close contact are provided on the surface of the peripheral edge of the front opening 51b opposite to the seal surface 51d.

[0099] As a result, in the front opening 51b of the bean cooling box 51 through which the bean storage box 52 is inserted and removed, the adhesion magnet 57 attracts the bean storage box 52 toward the bean cooling box 51, and the seal surface 52h of the bean storage box 52 and the seal surface 51d of the bean cooling box 51 are in close contact to form an airtight state.

[0100] In the present embodiment, although the entire bean cooling box 51 is formed of a non-magnetic material, it is only necessary that the sealing surface 51d (the periphery of the front opening 51b) of the bean cooling box 51 where the fixing magnet 57 is attached be formed of a non-magnetic material, and the other parts may be formed of a magnetic material.

[0101] In this way, a roasting bean recovery and cooling structure is obtained that has a simple structure and combines the detachability of the bean storage box 52 and the airtightness that does not leak the exhaust air after bean cooling into the room.

[0102] Furthermore, in the roasting bean recovery and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 according to the present embodiment, the bean box front plate 52f and the bean box inner plate 52g are arranged with a slight gap, and a handle 52i for attaching and detaching the bean storage box 52 is fixed to the front side of the bean box front plate 52f in a shape that protrudes forward.

[0103] As a result, a safe and reliable roasting bean recovery and cooling structure is obtained in which even if the operator touches the handle 52i or the bean box front plate 52f immediately after bean recovery, there is no risk of high-temperature burns.

[0104] Furthermore, the roasting bean recovery and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 according to the present embodiment includes a bean box sensor 60 that detects whether the bean storage box 52 is stored in the bean cooling box 51. The bean box sensor 60 includes a sensor magnet 60a fixed to the periphery of the bean box front plate 52f and a reed switch 60b arranged to face the sensor magnet 60a on the surface opposite to the sealing surface 51d at the periphery of the front opening 51b.

[0105] As a result, the ambient temperatures of the sensor magnet 60a and the reed switch 60b that constitute the bean box sensor 60 do not exceed the maximum usable temperature of the sensor magnet 60a and the reed switch 60b even during roasting or immediately after bean recovery. In this way, since the detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the bean storage box 52 can be realized with an inexpensive and compact configuration, it is possible to contribute to the miniaturization and cost reduction of the roasting machine 20 itself.

[0106] Furthermore, in the roasting bean recovery and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 according to the present embodiment, the bean recovery hole 23h is formed in a rectangular shape, and a bean recovery mechanism 48 for opening and closing the bean recovery hole 23h is provided in the bean recovery passage 47. The bean recovery mechanism 48 includes a bean recovery door 48a formed in a rectangular shape so as to correspond to the bean recovery hole 23h, with one side in the longitudinal direction rotatably supported by the roasting pot; a tension spring 48b connected to the bean recovery door 48a and biasing the bean recovery door 48a in the closing direction; a drive motor 48c installed on the outer surface of the bean recovery passage 47; and an arm mechanism 48d that rotates the bean recovery door 48a in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 48c to open and close the bean recovery door 48a (the former embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 8).

[0107] Thereby, the arm mechanism 48d rotates due to the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 48c, and thereby, the bean recovery door 48a rotates to open and close the bean recovery hole 23h. Here, the bean recovery mechanism 48 can surely open and close the bean recovery hole 23h with the bean recovery door 23h, the tension spring 48b, the drive motor 48c, and the arm mechanism 48d, and since it is composed of these four components, the number of parts is reduced. Also, regarding the spring force of the tension spring 48b, it can be set so that the operator will not be injured even if the hand is caught between the bean recovery door 48a and the bean recovery hole 23h during cleaning. Therefore, it is a bean recovery mechanism that is safe, inexpensive, and has excellent durability performance.

[0108] Furthermore, in the roasting bean recovery and cooling structure of the roasting machine 20 according to the present embodiment, the bean recovery hole 23h is formed in a rectangular shape, and a bean recovery mechanism 70 for opening and closing the bean recovery hole 23h is provided in the bean recovery passage 47. The bean recovery mechanism 70 includes a bean recovery door 70a formed in a rectangular shape so as to correspond to the bean recovery hole 23h; a slide plate 70b connected to the bean recovery door 70a and extending vertically; a guide bearing 70c (a guiding member) for guiding the slide plate 70b vertically; a drive motor 70d installed on the outer surface of the bean recovery passage 47; and an arm mechanism 70e that moves the slide plate 70b up and down in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 70d to open and close the bean recovery door 70a (the latter other embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 12).

[0109] As a result, the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 70d causes the slide plate 70b to move up and down via the arm mechanism 70e. Accordingly, the bean collection door 70a moves up and down to open and close the bean collection hole 23h. Here, since the bean collection mechanism 70 can achieve a larger vertical movement distance of the bean collection door 70a, that is, a larger opening stroke, compared to the door rotation method, a roasting bean collection and cooling structure that can shorten the bean collection time is obtained.

Explanation of Signs

[0110] 20 Roaster 23 Roasting kettle 23h Bean collection hole 47 Bean collection passage 47a Passage main body 47b Passage frame 48 Bean collection mechanism 48a Bean collection door 48b Tension spring 48c Drive motor 48d Arm mechanism 51 Bean cooling box 51a Inner edge 51b Front opening 51c Exhaust port 51d Sealing surface 52 Bean storage box 52b Inner edge 52c Ventilation plate 52d Ventilation hole 52f Bean box front plate 52g Bean box inner plate 52h Sealing surface 52i Handle 53 Bean cooling fan 60 Bean box sensor 60a Sensor magnet 60b Reed switch 70 Bean collection mechanism 70a Bean collection door 70b Slide plate 70c Guide bearing 70d Drive motor 70e Arm mechanism

Claims

1. In the roasting machine's roasted bean recovery and cooling structure, roasted beans in the roasting pot are dropped and discharged through a bean recovery hole. a bean recovery passage having an inlet connected to the bean recovery hole for guiding the beans dropped and discharged from the bean recovery hole to the outside of the roasting pot; a bean cooling box airtightly connected to an outlet of the bean collecting passage for guiding the beans in the bean collecting passage downward; a bean storage box that is detachably stored in the bean cooling box and stores the beans that are guided into the bean cooling box; a bean cooling fan that is installed below the bean cooling box and blows air for cooling the beans toward the bean storage box; The bean storage box has a main frame having an inner edge portion that is open at the top and bottom and extends inwardly over a small dimension around the lower periphery, and a ventilation plate that is above the inner edge portion and covers the lower opening with a small gap between the inner edge portion and the inner edge portion, and the ventilation plate is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes that pass the air blown out from the bean cooling fan into the bean storage box, The bean cooling box is provided with an exhaust port for discharging the air that has passed through the bean storage box to the outside of the bean cooling box. The roasted bean recovery and cooling structure of a roasting machine is characterized by the above.

2. The front side of the bean storage box is composed of at least a bean box front plate arranged on the front side and made of a magnetic material, and a bean box inner plate arranged on the rear side, The bean cooling box has a front opening through which the bean storage box is inserted and removed on the front side, and at least the periphery of the front opening is made of a non-magnetic material; The peripheral edge of the bean box front plate and the peripheral edge of the front opening have flat sealing surfaces facing each other, and a plurality of fixing magnets are provided on the peripheral edge of the front opening opposite to the sealing surface of the front opening, which attracts the bean box front plate so that the sealing surface of the peripheral edge of the bean box front plate and the sealing surface of the peripheral edge of the front opening are tightly attached to each other. The roasted bean recovery and cooling structure of a roasting machine according to claim 1.

3. The bean box front plate and the bean box inner plate are arranged with a small gap between them, and a handle for attaching and detaching the bean storage box is fixed to the front side of the bean box front plate in a manner that protrudes forward. The roasted bean recovery and cooling structure of a roasting machine according to claim 2.

4. A bean box sensor is provided to detect whether the bean storage box is stored in the bean cooling box, The bean box sensor comprises a sensor magnet fixed to the periphery of the bean box front plate, and a reed switch arranged to face the sensor magnet on the surface opposite to the seal surface of the periphery of the front opening. The roasted bean recovery and cooling structure of a roaster according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The bean recovery hole is formed in a rectangular shape, and a bean recovery mechanism for opening and closing the bean recovery hole is provided in the bean recovery passage. The bean recovery mechanism includes a bean recovery door formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the bean recovery hole and supported on the roasting pot so that one side in the longitudinal direction is rotatable, a tension spring connected to the bean recovery door and biasing the bean recovery door in a direction to close the bean recovery door, a drive motor installed on the outer surface of the bean recovery passage, and an arm mechanism that rotates the bean recovery door in conjunction with forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor to open and close the bean recovery door. The roasted bean recovery and cooling structure of a roasting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The bean recovery hole is formed in a rectangular shape, and a bean recovery mechanism for opening and closing the bean recovery hole is provided in the bean recovery passage. The bean recovery mechanism includes a bean opening / closing door formed in a rectangular shape to correspond to the bean recovery hole, a slide plate connected to the bean opening / closing door and extending vertically, a guide member for guiding the slide plate vertically, a drive motor installed on the outer surface of the bean recovery passage, and an arm mechanism for moving the slide plate vertically in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor to open and close the bean opening / closing door. The roasted bean recovery and cooling structure of a roasting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images