Coffee machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coffee machine having an upper blade and a lower blade for grinding coffee beans, and provides a coffee machine capable of shortening the bean grinding time. 【Solution means】An upper blade 531 having a first blade 531b formed downward around a through hole 5310, a lower blade 541 disposed opposite to the upper blade 531 and having a second blade 541b formed upward, and a drive unit 540M for rotationally driving the lower blade 541 in a predetermined rotation direction. A coffee machine GM, CM that grinds coffee beans dropped from the through hole 5310 onto the lower blade 541 between the first blade 531b and the second blade 541b, wherein the lower blade 541 includes a blade wheel 70 having a plurality of blades 70B at a position where coffee beans dropped from the through hole 5310 fall. The blade wheel 70 guides the coffee beans dropped onto the lower blade 541 to the second blade 541b by rotating in the positive rotation direction same as the predetermined rotation direction of the lower blade 541.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coffee machine having an upper blade and a lower blade for grinding coffee beans.

Background Art

[0002] There has been proposed a coffee machine including an upper blade having a first blade formed downward around a through hole, and a lower blade disposed opposite to the upper blade and having a second blade formed upward, and grinding coffee beans between the first blade and the second blade (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the coffee machine proposed in Patent Document 1, coffee beans are introduced from the through hole of the upper blade, and the introduced coffee beans fall onto the lower blade. The portion of the lower blade where the coffee beans fall is a flat surface, and the fallen coffee beans bounce on this surface and stay on this surface for a long time. As a result, the bean grinding time for grinding coffee beans becomes long.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a coffee machine capable of shortening the bean grinding time.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] [[ID=…]] The coffee machine for solving the above problems includes an upper blade having a first blade formed downward around a through hole, a lower blade disposed opposite to the upper blade and having a second blade formed upward, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the lower blade in a predetermined rotational direction. A coffee machine that grinds coffee beans that are input from the through hole and fall onto the lower blade by the driving unit rotating the lower blade in the predetermined rotation direction between the first blade and the second blade, The lower blade is provided with an impeller having a plurality of blades at a position where the coffee beans input from the through hole fall, The impeller guides the coffee beans that have fallen onto the lower blade to the second blade by rotating in the same positive rotation direction as the predetermined rotation direction of the lower blade. each of the plurality of blades extends from the inside to the outside of the impeller, the second blade is located outside the impeller, each of the plurality of blades, has a lip portion extending downstream in the forward rotation direction at the upper end, the outer portion of the downstream side surface specific portion below the upper end among the downstream side surfaces on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction is formed such that the entry angle of the coffee beans that have fallen onto the lower blade into the second blade forms an acute angle, It is characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the coffee machine of the present invention, the bean grinding time can be shortened.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 5

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Figure 7

Figure 8

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Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an example of a coffee bean grinder, which is an embodiment of the coffee machine of the present invention, will be described.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a coffee bean grinder according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device of the coffee bean grinder shown in FIG. 1.

[0011] The coffee bean grinder GM shown in Fig. 1 is a coffee machine that grinds roasted coffee beans by grinding. On the front of the coffee bean grinder GM, a start button 150 is provided, and upon pressing this start button 150, the grinding process is started.

[0012] The coffee bean grinder GM has a storage device 4, a grinding device 5, and a control device 11 shown in Fig. 2 that controls these. The coffee bean grinder GM also has an information display device 12 connected to the control device 11. The information display device 12 is a touch panel type display for inputting instructions for various controls of the coffee bean grinder GM, setting values, etc., and in addition to displaying various information, it can receive input from administrators and users.

[0013] The control device 11 controls the entire coffee bean grinder GM. The control device 11 includes a processing unit 11a, a storage unit 11b, and an I / F (interface) unit 11c. The processing unit 11a is a processor such as a CPU. The storage unit 11b is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. Recipes are stored in this storage unit 11b. The recipes include information on various conditions for grinding coffee beans, bean information, recipe creator information, comments from the recipe creator, etc. The I / F unit 11c includes an input / output interface that performs signal input / output between an external device and the processing unit 11a. The I / F unit 11c also includes a communication interface capable of data communication with external terminals such as a server 16 and a mobile terminal 17 via a communication network 15 such as the Internet. The server 16 can communicate with a mobile terminal 17 such as a smartphone via the communication network 15, and can receive, for example, reservations for ground coffee bean production and information such as impressions from the mobile terminal 17 of a customer. The coffee bean grinder GM, the server 16, and the mobile terminal 17 together constitute a coffee bean grinding system GS for grinding coffee beans.

[0014] The processing unit 11a executes the program stored in the storage unit 11b and controls the storage device 4 and the grinding device 5 according to the recipe. More specifically, the processing unit 11a controls the actuator group 14 according to the recipe, or controls the actuator group 14 based on an instruction from the information display device 12, a detection result of the sensor group 13, or an instruction from the server 16. The sensor group 13 is various sensors (for example, an operation position detection sensor of a mechanism, etc.) provided in the storage device 4 and the grinding device 5. The actuator group 14 is various actuators (for example, electric motors such as a first motor and a second motor described later) provided in the storage device 4 and the grinding device 5.

[0015] The storage device 4 shown in FIG. 1 has a cylindrical canister storage unit 401 that houses roasted coffee beans inside, and a removable cap 401c that is screwed onto the upper end of the canister storage unit 401 and covers the upper surface of the canister storage unit 401. The canister storage unit 401 is removable with respect to the main body unit GMb, and when the canister storage unit 401 is attached to the main body unit GMb, it is connected to a first grinder unit described later. When the canister storage unit 401 is removed while the first grinder unit is rotationally driven, the first grinder unit is forced to stop. On the other hand, even if the cap 401c is removed, the first grinder unit does not stop forcibly, and if a hand is inserted into the canister storage unit 401, there is a risk that a finger may touch the rotating blade of the first grinder unit. For this reason, inside the canister storage unit 401, a contact prevention member (not shown) provided with a plurality of ribs that prevent a finger from touching the rotating blade is arranged.

[0016] Further, the grinding device 5 includes a first grinder unit and a second grinder unit (not shown in FIG. 1) and a separation device 6 shown in FIG. 1. The first grinder unit and the second grinder unit are mechanisms for grinding roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4. The roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4 are ground by the first grinder unit and then further ground by the second grinder unit to be made into powder. In FIG. 1, a chute 539 of the second grinder unit is shown on the front left side, and a manual setting disk dial 534 and a fine adjustment knob dial 535 of the second grinder unit are also shown. Further details about the first grinder unit and the second grinder unit will be described later.

[0017] The separation device 6 is a mechanism for separating impurities from the ground beans. The separation device 6 has a separation chamber (not shown) disposed between the first grinder unit and the second grinder unit. This separation chamber is a hollow body through which the ground beans freely falling from the first grinder unit pass. A suction unit 60 is connected to the separation chamber. The suction unit 60 is a mechanism of a centrifugal separation method. The suction unit 60 includes a chaff fan motor (not shown in FIG. 1) and a chaff fan rotationally driven by the chaff fan motor, an air volume dial 60D shown in FIG. 1, and a collection container 60B. When the chaff fan is rotationally driven, the air in the separation chamber is sucked, and lightweight objects such as chaff and fine powder are sucked. Thereby, impurities can be separated from the ground beans passing through the separation chamber. The air containing impurities flows into the collection container 60B, and the impurities in the air fall according to their mass and are collected in the collection container 60B. On the other hand, the air is exhausted outside the separation device 6. By operating the air volume dial 60D, the suction force of the chaff fan can be changed.

[0018] Subsequently, the first grinder unit and the second grinder unit will be described in detail.

[0019] The first grinder unit is arranged above on the upstream side, and the second grinder unit is arranged below on the downstream side. As described above, a separation chamber is provided between the first grinder unit and the second grinder unit. The first grinder unit and the second grinder unit have different grinding particle sizes for the beans. The first grinder unit is a grinder unit for coarse grinding, and the second grinder unit is a grinder unit for fine grinding. Each of the first grinder unit and the second grinder unit is a unit of an electric grinder and includes a motor as a drive source and a rotating blade or the like driven by the motor.

[0020] Both the first grinder unit and the second grinder unit can be set to change the rotation speed. The rotation speed of the second grinder unit is about 1600 - 1700 min -1 while the rotation speed of the first grinder unit is slow, about 125 - 135 min -1 In the first grinder unit, the gap between the fixed blade 512 and the rotating blade 511 described later is loose, and since the grinding of the first grinder unit is for chaff separation, the rotation speed of the first grinder unit is slower than that of the second grinder unit.

[0021] Figure 3(A) is a perspective view showing the state where the casing of the first grinder unit is removed.

[0022] The first grinder unit TM shown in Figure 3(A) crushes and breaks the coffee beans into a certain size (for example, about 1 / 4) to facilitate the separation of unnecessary substances adhering to the coffee beans. In Figure 3(A), a rotating shaft (not shown) extends from above, and a rotating blade 511, which is a cutter, is provided on the rotating shaft. Also, a fixed blade 512, which is a cutter, is provided around the rotating blade 511. The fixed blade 512 shown in Figure 3(A) is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the first grinder unit main body 510. The rotating shaft rotates by a first motor (not shown), and the rotating blade 511 rotates.

[0023] The upper surface 511a of the rotary blade 511 is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the normal rotation direction indicated by the thick arrow in Fig. 3(A). At least, the highest position of the upper surface 511a of the rotary blade 511 is higher than the fixed blade 512. The roasted coffee beans that have reached the first grinder unit TM from the storage device 4 are guided to the upper surface 511a of the rotating rotary blade 511 and are directed toward the fixed blade 512 by centrifugal force, or are directed toward the fixed blade 512 without being guided to the upper surface 511a of the rotary blade 511, and are ground so as to be sandwiched between the fixed blade 512 and the rotating rotary blade 511. By changing the rotational speed of the rotary blade 511, the size (particle size) of the roasted coffee beans to be ground can be changed. The ground and cracked beans are sent from the outlet 513 to the separation chamber.

[0024] Fig. 3(B) is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the second grinder unit.

[0025] Above this Fig. 3(B), a perspective view of the second grinder unit MM is shown. In this perspective view, the chute 539 included in the second grinder unit MM is located at the left back side. The second grinder unit MM includes a connection duct 52, a fixed blade unit 53, and a rotary blade unit 54. The upper end of the connection duct 52 is connected to the separation chamber, and the cracked beans that have passed through the separation chamber reach the fixed blade unit 53 through the connection duct 52. Note that an air suction port 521 is provided at the lower part of the connection duct 52. By sucking air from this air suction port 521, the separation performance between the cracked beans and the unnecessary matter is improved.

[0026] The fixed blade unit 53 and the rotary blade unit 54 are separable. Below Fig. 3(B), a state in which the rotary blade unit 54 is separated from the second grinder unit MM is shown. That is, at the lower right of Fig. 3(B), the rotary blade unit 54 removed from the second grinder unit MM is shown. On the other hand, at the lower left of Fig. 3(B), a state in which the rotary blade unit 54 is removed from the second grinder unit MM is shown.

[0027] The fixed blade unit 53 has a fixed blade 531 (see Fig. 4(A)), which is not shown in Fig. 3(B), inside a fixed blade case body 530.

[0028] The rotary blade unit 54 has a rotary blade 541 and a drive gear 542 inside a rotary blade case body 540. The rotary blade 541 rotates when the rotational driving force from a second motor 540M built into the main body GMb shown in Fig. 1 is transmitted through the drive gear 542. Further, an attachment arm 55 is attached to the rotary blade unit 54. A frame member (not shown) for fitting the fixed blade case body 530 is arranged on the main body GMb of the coffee bean grinder GM shown in Fig. 1. When the second grinder unit MM is mounted on the main body GMb, the second grinder unit MM is applied from below, and when the fixed blade case body 530 is fitted into a frame member (not shown), the tip of the attachment arm 55 coincides with a mounting hole provided in the main body GMb, and a fixing bolt is inserted through the mounting hole and bolted.

[0029] The fixed blade 531 is movable up and down relative to the rotary blade 541. The fixed blade unit 53 includes a worm wheel 532 having a gear portion 532g, a connecting dial 533, a worm gear (not shown), and an adjustment motor (not shown) for rotating the worm gear as part of the lifting mechanism of the fixed blade 531.

[0030] The fixed blade 531 moves up and down when the worm wheel 532 rotates. The rotation of the worm wheel 532 can be switched between electric and manual. The gear portion 532g of the worm wheel 532 meshes with a worm gear (not shown), and when the worm gear is rotationally driven by the adjustment motor, the fixed blade 531 moves up and down.

[0031] In addition, a connecting gear 533g is provided on the upper surface of the connecting dial 533. The manual setting disk dial 534 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a gear (not shown) that meshes with the connecting gear 533g. When the manual setting disk dial 534 is placed on the connecting dial 533, the gear (not shown) meshes with the connecting gear 533g. When the manual setting disk dial 534 is rotated, a worm gear (not shown) rotates via the connecting gear 533g, and the fixed blade 541 can be moved up and down.

[0032] Furthermore, the worm wheel 532 also rotates by rotating the fine adjustment knob dial 535 shown in FIG. 1. When the fine adjustment knob dial 535 is rotated once, the gear portion 532g of the worm wheel 532 rotates by one tooth. Therefore, when the fine adjustment knob dial 535 is rotated, an adjustment of less than one tooth of the gear portion 532g of the worm wheel 532 is possible.

[0033] FIG. 4(A) is a view obtained by inverting the state in which the rotary blade unit 54 is removed from the second grinder unit MM shown at the lower left of FIG. 3(B) so that the top and bottom are reversed. This FIG. 4(A) also shows the connecting duct 52, the connecting dial 533, the worm wheel 532, the chute 539, and the fixed blade unit 53.

[0034] The fixed blade unit 53 is provided with a bean dropping path 53L at the central portion. This bean dropping path 53L is a space connecting the connecting duct 52 and the rotary blade unit 54, and serves as the dropping path for the ground and split beans ground by the first grinder unit TM.

[0035] The fixed blade 531 has a downward blade surface 531b provided around the through hole 5310. In FIG. 4(A), since it is inverted so that the top and bottom are reversed, the blade surface 531b faces upward. The through hole 5310 of the fixed blade 531 constitutes a part of the bean dropping path 53L. Also in FIG. 4(A), the head 5311 of the bolt fixing the fixed blade 531 can be seen on the blade surface 531b.

[0036] Furthermore, a female screw portion 530n for fitting is provided at the inner peripheral edge portion of the fixed blade case body 530 on the side of the rotary blade unit 54.

[0037] FIG. 4(B) is a perspective view of the rotary blade unit 54 removed from the second grinder unit MM, and is the same view as the view shown at the lower right of FIG. 3(B).

[0038] FIG. 4(B) shows the rotary blade case body 540 of the rotary blade unit 54 and the mounting arm 55. A male screw portion 540n for fitting is provided at the outer peripheral edge portion of the rotary blade case body 540 on the side of the fixed blade unit 53. With the inner peripheral edge portion of the fixed blade case body 530 on the side of the rotary blade unit 54 externally fitted to the outer peripheral edge portion of the rotary blade case body 540 on the side of the fixed blade unit 53, when either one of the case bodies of the fixed blade case body 530 and the rotary blade case body 540 is manually rotated in a predetermined direction, the female screw portion 530n for fitting and the male screw portion 540n for fitting are screwed together, and the fixed blade case body 530 and the rotary blade case body 540 become integrated. On the other hand, when either one of the case bodies is manually rotated in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction in a state where the fixed blade case body 530 and the rotary blade case body 540 are integrated, the fixed blade case body 530 and the rotary blade case body 540 are separated. Without using tools, the fixed blade case body 530 and the rotary blade case body 540 can be integrated or separated, and the maintainability is good.

[0039] A rotary base 543 is attached to a rotary blade case body 540. A rotary blade 541 is fixed to the rotary base 543 by bolts, and the head 5411 of the bolt is visible on the blade surface 541b. The blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 is an upward-facing blade surface. A rotary shaft 545 (see Fig. 8) passes through the center of the rotary blade 541. The rotary shaft 545 rotates around the axis when a drive gear 542, a part of which is visible through a gear meshing window 540w of the rotary blade case body 540, rotates. Also, a central hole 710 (see Fig. 5, etc.) of a blower wheel 70 also passes through the rotary shaft 545. A locking projection (for example, a double D cut) is provided on the bottom surface of the blower wheel 70, and a locking groove for locking the locking projection is provided on the rotary base 543. By locking the locking projection in the locking groove, the blower wheel 70 is attached to the rotary base 543 so as not to rotate relative to it. Note that a locking groove may be provided on the bottom surface of the blower wheel 70 and a locking projection may be provided on the rotary base 543. Also, the blower wheel 70 may be attached to the rotary base 543 so as not to rotate by a key and a key groove. Furthermore, the blower wheel 70 is fixed to the rotary shaft 545 by bolts 544. The blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 is located outside the blower wheel 70 so as to surround the blower wheel 70 for one revolution.

[0040] Note that although the rotary blade 541 and the blower wheel 70 are separate bodies, they may be integrally formed.

[0041] When the rotary shaft 545 rotates around the axis, the rotary blade 541 rotates, and the blower wheel 70 also rotates together with the rotary blade 541. That is, when the rotary blade 541 rotates in a predetermined rotation direction (for example, the forward counterclockwise direction) for grinding coffee beans, the blower wheel 70 also rotates in the same rotation direction as the predetermined rotation direction (hereinafter referred to as the forward rotation direction). The blower wheel 70 will be described in detail later.

[0042] The ground and split beans ground by the first grinder unit TM are further ground between the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 and the blade surface 531b of the fixed blade 531 by the second grinder unit MM, and are pulverized into powder. Note that the particle size of the ground beans in the second grinder unit MM can be adjusted by adjusting the interval between the rotary blade 541 and the fixed blade 531.

[0043] Six blades 5431 are shown in Fig. 4(B). These six blades 5431 rotate within the fixed blade case body 530 in a state where the fixed blade case body 530 and the rotary blade case body 540 are integrated, and move the ground beans pulverized into powder in the circumferential direction. The ground beans pulverized into powder are discharged outside the machine through the chute 539 from an outlet (not shown).

[0044] Note that in a state where the fixed blade case body 530 and the rotary blade case body 540 are separated, it is possible to touch the blade tip or the blade surface of the fixed blade 531 attached to the fixed blade case body 530, and maintenance of the fixed blade 531 can be performed. Also, replacement of the fixed blade 531 can be performed. Further, it is possible to touch the blade tip or the blade surface of the rotary blade 541 attached to the rotary blade case body 540, maintenance of the rotary blade 541 can be performed, and replacement of the rotary blade 541 can also be performed.

[0045] Subsequently, the impeller 70 will be described in detail. Although various types of impellers 70 can be used, first, the impeller 70 shown in Fig. 4(B) will be described. Hereinafter, this impeller 70 will be referred to as the impeller 70 of the first embodiment.

[0046] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the impeller of the first embodiment. In the following description, the rotation center side of the impeller 70 will be referred to as the inner side, and the radially outer side from the rotation center will be simply referred to as the outer side.

[0047] The impeller 70 shown in Fig. 5 is removed from the rotating shaft 545 (see Fig. 8). This impeller 70 has a main body 71 with a curved side surface 711 that gradually expands outward as it goes downward. That is, the main body 71 is formed by the side surface of a truncated cone with an inwardly convex curved surface. A central hole 710 through which the rotating shaft 545 is inserted is provided in the central portion of the main body 71. Further, three blades 70B are formed on the side surface 711 of the main body 71 at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. These three blades 70B have the same shape, but in the following description, these three blades 70B may be referred to as the first blade 701, the second blade 702, and the third blade 703 as necessary for distinction. The outer peripheral edge 712o of the bottom surface 712 of the main body 71 becomes the outermost peripheral edge of the impeller 70.

[0048] In Fig. 5, the forward rotation direction of the impeller 70 is indicated by an arc-shaped arrow of a solid line, and the forward rotation direction is counterclockwise. As shown in this Fig. 5, each blade 70B extends from the inside to the outside of the impeller 70 and has an upstream side surface Bu on the upstream side in the forward rotation direction and a downstream side surface Bd on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction. The thickness Bt of each blade 70B (the length between the upstream side surface Bu and the downstream side surface Bd) gradually becomes thinner toward the outside in the outer portion. Each blade 70B has a connection surface 70B1 with the side surface 711 and a standing surface 70B2 that rises from the connection surface 70B1. The standing surface 70B2 is connected to the upper surface 70B3 of the blade 70B. The downstream side surface Bd is constituted by the connection surface 70B1 and the standing surface 70B2 on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction.

[0049] The ground beans that have fallen through the bean dropping path 53L (see Fig. 4(A)) provided in the central portion of the fixed blade unit 53 reach the rotary blade unit 54, and the ground beans fall onto the bolts 544 and the impeller 70. As described above, the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 is located outside the impeller 70 so as to surround the impeller 70 once, and the impeller 70 guides the fallen ground beans toward the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541. That is, the fallen ground beans are guided to the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 by the centrifugal force generated by the forward rotation of the impeller 70. Fig. 5 shows an example of the path along which the fallen ground beans are guided by the impeller 70 rotating in the forward rotation direction as a gray dotted line. In this example, the ground beans that have fallen between the second blade 702 and the third blade 703 use the centrifugal force and the inclined surface from the upper end to the lower end of the main body 71 to move toward the outer peripheral side of the downstream side surface Bd of the second blade 702. After reaching the downstream side surface Bd, they are guided along the downstream side surface Bd to the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541. As a result, the time during which the fallen ground beans stay in the inner part of the rotary blade unit 54 is shortened, and the bean grinding time is reduced.

[0050] Fig. 6(A) is a plan view of the impeller shown in Fig. 5. In this Fig. 6(A) too, the forward rotation direction of the impeller 70 is indicated by the solid arc-shaped arrow, and the forward rotation direction is counterclockwise.

[0051] Each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70 is formed such that the entire downstream side surface Bd is curved in a shape that bulges convexly toward the downstream side in the forward rotation direction. In the third blade 703 shown in FIG. 6(A), the center line in the thickness direction of the straight blade that is not curved is represented by a two-dot chain virtual line. As shown by the dotted arrow orthogonal to the two-dot chain virtual line, it can be seen that each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70 is curved so as to bulge convexly toward the downstream side in the forward rotation direction. Also, another way of looking at it will be described. Although it is the same for each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70, here, for the sake of clarity of the drawing, the first blade 701 will be used for explanation instead of the third blade 703 used previously. In the first blade 701 shown in FIG. 6(A), the tangent line passing through the base of the first blade 701 is represented by a one-dot chain straight line, and the dotted arrow is orthogonal to the one-dot chain tangent line. Based on the dotted arrow, as shown by the one-dot chain arrow in the first blade 701 shown in FIG. 6(A), it can also be said that each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70 is formed in a shape that curves toward the upstream side toward the tip. The curved shape referred to here may be the shape of an involute curve, the shape of a cycloid curve, or the shape of an Archimedes spiral. By forming the entire downstream side surface Bd in such a curved shape, the outer portion Bdo of the downstream side surface Bd enters the upstream side in the forward rotation direction. The ground and split beans that have fallen are smoothly guided by this curved shape, and the damage to the ground and split beans is reduced.

[0052] FIG. 6(B) is a side view of the impeller shown in FIG. 6(A). In FIG. 6(A), the second blade 702 is at the bottom (6 o'clock position), the first blade 701 is at the upper left diagonal (10 o'clock position), and the third blade 703 is at the upper right diagonal (2 o'clock position). The side view of FIG. 6(B) is a side view seen from the direction of the white arrow shown in FIG. 6(A). That is, in the side view of FIG. 6(B), the second blade 702 is located in front of the center, the first blade 701 is located in the left back, and the third blade 703 is located in the right back.

[0053] The curved surface shape of the side surface 711 of the main body 71 is represented by a curve (the curve obtained by drawing the extension line of 711) shown between the first blade 701 and the second blade 702 in Fig. 6(B). This curve is inclined outward more and more downward from the upper end to the lower end of the main body 71. Also, the boundary 711b between the side surface 711 of the main body 71 and each blade 70B is also represented by a curve.

[0054] Note that the main body 71 may be a frustum of a cone. When the main body 71 is a frustum of a cone, the side surface 711 is composed of a plane, and the above curve becomes a straight line, but it still slopes outward more and more downward from the upper end to the lower end of the main body 71.

[0055] Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the impeller and the rotary blade attached to the rotary blade unit shown in Fig. 4(B). Also in this Fig. 7, the normal rotation direction of the impeller 70 is indicated by a solid arc-shaped arrow, and the normal rotation direction is counterclockwise.

[0056] On the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541, a portion 541o constituting the outer blade with cross hatching, a portion 541i constituting the inner blade with horizontal hatching, and a portion 541c constituting the crushing blade with vertical hatching are provided at positions facing each other at 180 degrees. Among the rotary blade 541, the blank portion 541n where the blade surface 541b is not provided is lowered, and the mounting orientation of the impeller 70 is adjusted so that the tip of the blade 70B comes to this portion 541n.

[0057] Of the downstream side surface Bd, the outer portion Bdo is formed such that the entry angle θ1 of the ground beans that have fallen onto the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 forms an acute angle. The outer portion Bdo may be the outer portion of the upright upper surface 70B2 on the downstream side in the normal rotation direction, or may be the outer portion of the connecting surface 70B1 on the downstream side in the normal rotation direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the entry angle θ1 here is the angle between the tangent line indicated by the two-dot chain line passing through the position of the outer end Bde of the outer portion Bdo and the outer portion Bdo. The tangent line in FIG. 7 is the tangent line of the outer end in the outer portion of the upright upper surface 70B2 on the downstream side in the normal rotation direction. In the case of the tangent line of the outer end in the outer portion of the connecting surface 70B1 on the downstream side in the normal rotation direction, the angle of the entry angle θ1 changes, but it remains an acute angle. Note that the tangent line may be the tangent line of the circle formed by the blade row lines of the first blade 701, the second blade 702, and the third blade 703.

[0058] Since the entry angle θ1 forms an acute angle, the path of the ground beans that have fallen onto the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 gradually narrows. As a result, the ground beans can be concentrated on that path, the inductivity to the blade surface 541b increases, and the bean grinding time is further shortened. Further, the outer portion Bdo enters the upstream side in the normal rotation direction, and by doing so, the entry angle θ1 can be made an acute angle.

[0059] FIG. 8(A) is a perspective view showing the fixed blade 531 in the second grinder unit, the rotary blade 541 facing the fixed blade 531, the rotary shaft 545 for rotating the rotary blade 541, and the impeller 70 fixed to the rotary shaft 545.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8(A), a bean entry gap GB is provided between the inner peripheral edge of the fixed blade 531 and the inner peripheral edge of the rotary blade 541, and the ground beans that have fallen through the bean fall path 53L go toward the outer peripheral side of the impeller 70 as described above and enter between the fixed blade 531 and the rotary blade 541 from the bean entry gap GB.

[0061] FIG. 8(B) is a perspective view of the A-A cross-section in FIG. (A), and FIG. 8(C) is a front view of the A-A cross-section. In both FIG. 8(B) and FIG. 8(C), the cross-section is filled with gray.

[0062] In FIG. 8(B), a part of the blade surface 531b of the fixed blade 531 and a part of the blade surface 541b of the rotary blade 541 are shown. Also, a bolt 544 screwed onto the rotary shaft 545 is shown. Further, the upper surface 70B3 of the blade 70B is shown. Furthermore, the inner peripheral edge 531e of the fixed blade 531 and the inner peripheral edge 541e of the rotary blade 541 are also shown.

[0063] The dashed line shown in FIG. 8(C) indicates the highest height position among the blade surfaces 531b of the fixed blade 531 in the above-mentioned bean entry gap GB. That is, it indicates the height position of the highest part among the inner peripheral edges 531e of the fixed blade 531. On the other hand, the long dashed line indicates the lowest height position among the blade surfaces 541b of the rotary blade 541 in the bean entry gap GB. That is, it indicates the height position of the lowest part among the inner peripheral edges 541e of the rotary blade 541. The location of this lowest height position is below any of the parts 541o that form the outer blade, the part 541i that forms the inner blade, and the part 541c that forms the crushing blade, as described with reference to FIG. 7. The dotted line indicates the height position of the upper surface 70B3 of the blade 70B.

[0064] From the height relationship between the long dashed line and the dotted line, it can be seen that the upper surface 70B3 of the blade 70B is above any of the parts 541o that form the outer blade, the part 541i that forms the inner blade, and the part 541c that forms the crushing blade of the rotary blade 541. Also, since there is a dotted line between the dashed line and the long dashed line, it can be seen that at least a part of the blade 70B is located in the bean entry gap GB. Note that the lowermost end 70BL of the blade 70B is located below the bean entry gap GB.

[0065] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modified example of the impeller of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5. In the following description, the differences from the impeller 70 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 will be mainly described, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. Also, components having the same names as the components described so far will be described with the same reference numerals as those used so far.

[0066] FIG. 9(A) shows a modified example in which the height of the impeller 70 is increased. In the impeller 70 in this modified example, the height of the main body portion 71 is higher than the height of the main body portion 71 of the impeller 70 shown in FIG. 5, and the heights of the three blades 70B are also higher. By increasing the height of the main body portion 71, the slope of the inclined surface from the upper end portion to the lower end portion of the main body portion 71 becomes larger, and the ground and split beans that have fallen are more likely to move toward the outer peripheral side of the downstream side surface Bd.

[0067] FIG. 9(B) shows a modified example in which the main body portion has a hat-like shape. The main body portion 71 in this modified example has a flat circular bottom surface 712 and a cylindrical portion 713 having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bottom surface 712. The central hole of the cylindrical portion 713 becomes the central hole 710. The three blades 70B extend outward from the side surface 7131 of the cylindrical portion 713. Therefore, there is no inclined surface from the upper end portion to the lower end portion of the main body portion 71. For this reason, the ground and split beans that have fallen do not move toward the outer peripheral side of the downstream side surface Bd by using the inclined surface, but move toward the outer peripheral side by centrifugal force.

[0068] FIG. 9(C) shows a modified example in which the number of blades 70B is only two. The main body portion 71 in this modified example is the same main body portion as the main body portion 71 with a high height shown in FIG. 9(A), and two blades 70B are formed on the side surface 711 thereof at intervals of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction. Note that the number of blades 70B in the impeller 70 may be four or more.

[0069] Next, a second embodiment of the impeller will be described. In the following description as well, the description will focus on the differences from the impeller 70 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. Also, components with the same names as the components described so far will be described with the same reference numerals as those used so far.

[0070] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the impeller of the second embodiment.

[0071] In FIG. 10, the normal rotation direction of the impeller 70 of the second embodiment is indicated by an arc-shaped arrow of a solid line, and the normal rotation direction is in the counterclockwise direction. The main body portion 71 of the impeller 70 shown in FIG. 10 is the same main body portion as the main body portion 71 with a high height shown in FIG. 9(A). In the impeller 70 of the second embodiment, three blades 70B are formed on the side surface 711 of the main body portion 71 at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. These three blades 70B also extend from the inside to the outside of the impeller 70, and have an upstream side surface Bu on the upstream side in the normal rotation direction and a downstream side surface Bd on the downstream side in the normal rotation direction, but the shape is different from the shape of the blade 70B in the impeller 70 of the first embodiment. Any of the blades 70B shown in FIG. 10 has a connection surface 70B1 with the side surface 711 and an inclined surface 70B4 connected from the connection surface 70B1. In FIG. 10, the downstream side surface Bd of the second blade 702 shown in the front left is illustrated, and the inclined surface 70B4 on the downstream side surface Bd extends obliquely upward from the connection surface 70B1 toward the downstream side in the normal rotation direction. The tip portion of this inclined surface 70B4 becomes a part constituting the upper end portion of the blade 70B. A lip portion Br is provided at the upper end portion of the blade 70B. The lip portion Br is a portion extending to the downstream side in the normal rotation direction and is shaped like a hook. Note that the lip portion Br may extend obliquely upward to the downstream side in the normal rotation direction, may extend horizontally to the downstream side in the normal rotation direction, or may extend obliquely downward to the downstream side in the normal rotation direction.

[0072] Even if the falling ground beans hit the side surface 711 and bounce up, the lip part Br is positioned so as to cover it from above, making it easier for the lip part Br to catch the beans. Also, the lip part Br can prevent the ground beans from escaping upward, increasing the guiding property to the blade surface 541b (see FIG. 4(B)) of the rotary blade 541.

[0073] In addition, in FIG. 10, the boundary 711b between the downstream side surface Bd and the side surface 711 of the main body 71 is shown on the second blade 702 indicated in the front left. Also, the boundary 70Bb between the connecting surface 70B1 and the inclined surface 70B4 on the downstream side surface Bd is shown.

[0074] FIG. 11(A) is a plan view of the impeller shown in FIG. 10. In this FIG. 11(A) as well, the forward rotation direction of the impeller 70 is indicated by the solid arc-shaped arrow, and the forward rotation direction is counterclockwise.

[0075] In FIG. 11(A), the second blade 702 is at the bottom (6 o'clock position), the first blade 701 is at the upper left diagonal (10 o'clock position), and the third blade 703 is at the upper right diagonal (2 o'clock position). From this FIG. 11(A), it can be seen that the three blades 70B have the same shape and are evenly arranged at 120-degree intervals in the rotation direction.

[0076] Also, in FIG. 11(A), most of the downstream side surface Bd is hidden by the upstream side surface Bu, but the invisible part of the boundary 711b between the side surface 711 of the main body 71 and the downstream side surface Bd of each blade 70B is represented by a dotted line. Further, the boundary 70Bb between the connecting surface 70B1 and the inclined surface 70B4 of the downstream side surface Bd is also represented by a dotted line.

[0077] Each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70 has a connecting surface 70B1 on the downstream side surface Bd formed in a curved shape that bulges convexly toward the downstream side in the normal rotation direction. In the third blade 703 shown in the upper right in Fig. 11(A), the center line in the thickness direction of the straight blade that is not curved is represented by a two-dot chain virtual line. As shown by the dotted arrow orthogonal to the two-dot chain virtual line, it can be seen that each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70 has a connecting surface 70B1 on the downstream side surface Bd curved so as to bulge convexly toward the downstream side in the normal rotation direction. Also, another way of looking at it will be described. The same applies to each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70. Here, for the sake of clarity of the drawing, instead of the third blade 703 used earlier, the second blade 702 shown below will be used for the description. In the second blade 702 shown in Fig. 11(A), the tangent line passing through the root of the second blade 702 is represented by a one-dot chain straight line, and the dotted arrow is orthogonal to the one-dot chain tangent line. Based on the dotted arrow, as shown by the one-dot chain arrow in the second blade 702 shown in Fig. 11(A), it can also be said that each of the three blades 70B in the impeller 70 is formed in a shape curved toward the upstream side toward the tip. The curved shape referred to here may be the shape of an involute curve, or the shape of a cycloid curve, or the shape of an Archimedes spiral.

[0078] The outer specific portion Blo of the connecting surface 70B1 on the downstream side surface Bd is formed such that the entry angle θ2 of the ground and cracked beans that have fallen onto the blade surface 541b (see Fig. 4(B)) of the rotary blade 541 forms an acute angle. The entry angle θ2 referred to here is the angle between the tangent line shown by the one-dot chain line passing through the position of the outer end Ble of the outer specific portion Blo and the outer specific portion Blo, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11(A). The tangent line in Figs. 10 and 11(A) is the tangent line of the outer end at the upper edge (corresponding to the boundary 70Bb) of the connecting surface 70B1 on the downstream side surface Bd. Note that it may be the tangent line of the outer end at the lower edge (corresponding to the boundary 711b) of the connecting surface 70B1 on the downstream side surface Bd. In this case, the angle of the entry angle θ2 will change, but it will still be an acute angle.

[0079] Also, in the impeller 70 of the second embodiment, the outer specific portion Blo enters the upstream side in the forward rotation direction.

[0080] FIG. 11(B) is a side view of the impeller shown in FIG. 11(A). This side view is a side view seen from the direction of the white arrow shown in FIG. 11(A). That is, in the side view of FIG. 11(B), the second blade 702 is located in front closer to the left side, the first blade 701 is located in the back left, and the third blade 703 is located in the back right.

[0081] The curved shape of the side surface 711 of the main body portion 71 is represented by a curve (the curve from which the extension line of 711 is drawn) shown between the first blade 701 and the second blade 702 in FIG. 11(B). This curve is inclined outward as it goes downward from the upper end to the lower end of the main body portion 71. Also, the boundary 711b between the side surface 711 of the main body portion 71 and each blade 70B is also represented by a curve.

[0082] The connection surface 70B1 on the downstream side surface Bd described above corresponds to an example of the downstream side surface specific portion, and the outer specific portion Blo corresponds to an example of the outer portion of the downstream side surface specific portion.

[0083] Next, a modification example of the impeller of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10 will be described. In the following description, the description will focus on the differences from the impeller 70 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted. Also, components having the same name as the components described so far will be described with the same reference numerals as those used so far.

[0084] FIG. 12(A) is a diagram showing a modified example in which the main body of the impeller in the second embodiment has a hat-shaped main body. The main body 71 in this modified example has the same configuration as the main body 71 in the modified example in FIG. 9(B), and has a flat circular bottom surface 712 and a cylindrical portion 713 having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bottom surface 712. There is no inclined surface from the upper end to the lower end in this main body 71. The central hole of the cylindrical portion 713 becomes the central hole 710. Three blades 70B each provided with a lip portion Br at the upper end extend outward from the side surface 7131 of the cylindrical portion 713.

[0085] FIG. 12(B) is a diagram showing a modified example in which the number of blades of the impeller in the second embodiment is reduced to two. In this modified example, two blades 70B are formed on the side surface 711 of the main body 71 at intervals of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction. Lip portions Br are provided at the upper ends of the two blades 70B respectively.

[0086] FIG. 12(C) is a diagram showing another example.

[0087] In this FIG. 12(C), instead of the impeller 70, a rotating body 80 fixed together with a rotating blade 541 to a rotating shaft passing through the center of the rotating blade 541 is shown. The rotating body 80 is provided with a main body 81 having the same configuration as the main body 71 in the impeller 70 of the first embodiment. That is, the main body 81 has a curved side surface 811 that gradually expands outward as it goes downward. No blades are formed on the side surface 811 of the main body 81 in the other example shown in FIG. 12(C). The ground beans that have fallen onto the rotating body 80 are guided to the blade surface 541b (see FIG. 4(B)) of the rotating blade 541 by using the centrifugal force and the inclined surface from the upper end to the lower end of the main body 81. Note that the main body 81 may be a truncated cone whose side surface 811 is configured as a plane.

[0088] Regarding the impeller 70 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the impeller 70 of the modified example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the impeller 70 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, and the impeller 70 of the modified example of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 12, although the shapes of the plurality of blades 70B were the same, blades of different shapes may be combined while considering rotational balance. For example, a blade provided with a lip portion Br and a blade not provided with a lip portion Br may be combined, or blades of different heights may be combined. To consider rotational balance, in order to equalize the mass of each blade, hole machining may be performed or weights may be added. Alternatively, rotational balance can also be achieved by evenly providing blades of different shapes in the rotational direction. For example, blades with a lip portion Br may be provided at the 0-degree and 180-degree positions, and blades without a lip portion Br may be provided at the 90-degree and 270-degree positions.

[0089] Also, as described with reference to FIG. 8(C), although the lowermost end 70BL of any of the blades 70B was located below the bean entry gap GB, the lowermost end 70BL of some or all of the blades 70B may be positioned at a height above the inner peripheral edge 541e (see FIG. 8(B)) of the rotary blade 541. That is, the lowermost end 70BL of some or all of the blades 70B may enter the bean entry gap GB. As an example, the lowermost end 70BL of some or all of the blades 70B may be made to coincide with the height of the inner peripheral edge 541e of the rotary blade 541 over the entire circumference, or may be made to coincide at some locations.

[0090] Furthermore, the number of blades 70B is not limited to three or two, and may be four or more.

[0091] Next, an example of a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus, which is another embodiment of the coffee machine of the present invention, will be described.

[0092] FIG. 13(A) is an external perspective view of a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] The coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM shown in Fig. 13(A) is an apparatus that automatically manufactures coffee beverages from roasted coffee beans and a liquid (here, water), and can manufacture one cup of coffee beverage per manufacturing operation. The roasted coffee beans as raw materials can be accommodated in the canister C40. A cup placement portion C92 is provided at the lower part of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM, and the manufactured coffee beverage is poured from the pouring portion C91 into the cup.

[0094] The coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM includes a housing C10 that forms its exterior and encloses the internal mechanism. The housing C10 is roughly divided into a main body portion C11 and a cover portion C12 that covers a part of the front and a part of the side of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM. An information display device C13 is provided on the cover portion C12. The information display device C13 shown in Fig. 13(A) is a touch panel type display, and in addition to displaying various kinds of information, it can receive inputs from the administrator of the apparatus and the consumers of the beverage. Also, a speaker and a camera are provided on the information display device C13.

[0095] A control device C14 is attached to the back of the information display device C13. The control device C14 controls the entire coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM. The control device C14 has the same configuration as the control device 11 of the coffee bean grinder GM. That is, the control device C14 includes a processing unit that is a processor such as a CPU, a storage unit that is a RAM or a ROM in which recipes are stored, and an I / F unit that can perform data communication with an external terminal such as a server or a mobile terminal 17. The processing unit executes the program stored in the storage unit, and based on an instruction from the information display device C13 or the detection result of various sensors provided in the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM (for example, a hot water temperature sensor, a mechanism operation position detection sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.) or an instruction from the server, controls various actuators (for example, a motor, a solenoid valve, a heater, etc.) of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM.

[0096] The cover part C12 shown in Fig. 13(A) is formed of a material having translucency such as acrylic or glass, and constitutes a transparent cover in which the whole is a transmission part. The cover part C12 is openable and closable with respect to the main body part C11. A part of the mechanism of the manufacturing part is arranged between the main body part C11 and the cover part C12, and the user can visually recognize the mechanism through the cover part 102.

[0097] Fig. 13(B) is a partial front view of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM, and shows a part of the manufacturing part that can be visually recognized by the user when viewed from the front of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM. The cover part C12 and the information display device C13 are shown by imaginary lines.

[0098] Some of the mechanisms of the manufacturing part that can be visually recognized by the user through the cover part C12 are the collective conveyance part C42, the first grinder unit C51, the second grinder unit C52, the separation device C60, the drive unit C80, the extraction container C90, etc. A rectangular recess C11a that is recessed toward the back side is formed in the front part of the main body part C11, and the extraction container C90 etc. are located on the back side inside this recess C11a.

[0099] The roasted coffee beans stored in the canister C40 are sent out to the collective conveyance part C42. The collective conveyance part C42 is composed of a hollow member and forms a conveyance passage for the roasted coffee beans to the first grinder unit C51. The roasted coffee beans move inside the collective conveyance part C42 by their own weight and flow down to the first grinder unit C51.

[0100] The first grinder unit C51 has the same configuration as the first grinder unit TM shown in Fig. 3(A), and crushes roasted coffee beans to a certain size (for example, about 1 / 4), resulting in ground and cracked beans. The separation device C60 has the same configuration as the separation device 6 of the coffee bean grinder GM. Also, the second grinder unit C52 has the same configuration as the second grinder unit MM shown in Fig. 4, and includes a fixed blade unit C521 and a rotating blade unit C522. The fixed blade unit C521 is provided with a fixed blade having a through-hole, and a bean dropping path partially formed by the through-hole is provided. The rotating blade unit C522 is provided with a rotating blade, and the same impeller as the impeller 70 described with reference to Fig. 5 is inserted into the rotating shaft that rotates the rotating blade, and is fixed to the rotating shaft together with the rotating blade by bolts. Therefore, the ground and cracked beans that have passed through the bean dropping path provided in the fixed blade unit C521 fall onto the bolts and the impeller, and are guided to the blade surface of the rotating blade by the impeller rotating in the forward rotation direction, and are crushed into powder while being sandwiched between the blade surface of the rotating blade and the blade surface of the fixed blade. The ground beans crushed into powder are introduced from the chute C523 into the extraction container C90. Hot water is supplied to the extraction container C90 from a fluid supply unit (not shown), and coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans in the extraction container C90. In the extraction process of coffee liquid, immersion extraction and permeation extraction are performed. The extraction container C90 is turned upside down from the upright position to the inverted position by the drive unit C80 between immersion extraction and permeation extraction. Permeation extraction is performed in the extraction container C90 in the inverted position, and the hot water containing the extracted coffee liquid is sent as coffee beverage from the pouring part C91 into a cup.

[0101] According to the above description, an upper blade [e.g., fixed blade 531] having a first blade [e.g., blade surface 531b] formed downward around a through-hole [e.g., through-hole 5310], a lower blade [e.g., rotating blade 541] arranged to face the upper blade and having a second blade [e.g., blade surface 541b] formed upward, and a drive unit [e.g., second motor 540M] for rotationally driving the lower blade in a predetermined rotation direction [e.g., the forward counterclockwise direction]. A coffee machine that grinds coffee beans that are dropped from the through hole onto the lower blade by the drive unit rotating the lower blade in the predetermined rotation direction between the first blade and the second blade [for example, the coffee bean grinder GM shown in FIG. 1, the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus CM shown in FIG. 13], wherein the lower blade includes a runner [for example, runner 70] having a plurality of blades [for example, blades 70B] at a position where coffee beans dropped from the through hole fall, the runner rotates the coffee beans dropped onto the lower blade in the same forward rotation direction [for example, the counterclockwise direction] as the predetermined rotation direction of the lower blade to guide the coffee beans to the second blade. A coffee machine characterized by that. has been described.

[0102] According to this coffee machine, since the coffee beans dropped onto the lower blade are guided to the second blade by the runner rotating in the forward rotation direction, the time during which the dropped coffee beans stay is shortened, and the bean grinding time is shortened.

[0103] Note that the runner may guide the coffee beans dropped onto the lower blade to the second blade by centrifugal force generated by rotating the coffee beans in the same forward rotation direction as the predetermined rotation direction of the lower blade. Alternatively, the runner may guide the coffee beans dropped onto the lower blade to the second blade along the side surfaces of the plurality of blades by rotating the coffee beans in the same forward rotation direction as the predetermined rotation direction of the lower blade.

[0104] Also, each of the plurality of blades of the runner extends from the inside to the outside of the runner [for example, runner 70], the second blade [for example, blade surface 541b] is located outside the runner, Each of the plurality of blades is formed such that an outer portion [for example, outer portion Bdo] of a downstream side surface [for example, downstream side surface Bd] on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction forms an acute angle with an entry angle [for example, entry angle θ1 shown in FIG. 7] of the coffee beans that have fallen onto the lower blade with respect to the second blade. A coffee machine characterized by this. has also been described.

[0105] Since the entry angle forms an acute angle, the path of the coffee beans to the second blade gradually narrows, suppressing the dancing of the coffee beans and increasing the guiding property to the second blade, thereby further shortening the bean grinding time.

[0106] Note that each of the plurality of blades may have the outer portion extending into the upstream side in the forward rotation direction.

[0107] The entry angle is the angle between a tangent line [for example, the tangent line shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7] passing through the position of the outer end [for example, outer end Bde] of the outer portion [for example, outer portion Bdo] and the outer portion [for example, outer portion Bdo].

[0108] Also, 'A coffee machine characterized in that each of the plurality of blades has a downstream side surface [for example, the entire downstream side surface Bd] formed in a curved shape that bulges on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction. has also been described.

[0109] Since the downstream side surface has such a shape, the coffee beans can be smoothly guided to the second blade, and damage to the coffee beans is reduced.

[0110] Note that the curved shape mentioned here may be an involute curve shape, a cycloid curve shape, or an Archimedes spiral shape.

[0111] Also, The impeller has each of the plurality of blades extending from the inside to the outside of the impeller. The second blade is located outside the impeller. Each of the plurality of blades has a lip portion [for example, lip portion Br] extending downstream in the forward rotation direction at the upper end. Of the downstream side surface [for example, downstream side surface Bd] on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction, the outer portion [for example, outer specific portion Blo] of the downstream side surface specific portion [for example, connection surface 70B1] below the upper end is formed such that the entry angle [for example, entry angle θ2 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11(A)] of the coffee beans that have fallen onto the lower blade into the second blade is an acute angle. A coffee machine characterized by this. has also been described.

[0112] Even if the coffee beans that have fallen onto the lower blade while the lower blade is rotating in the forward rotation direction bounce up due to the momentum of the fall, they are easily caught by the lip portion. Also, the lip portion can prevent the coffee beans from escaping upward, and since the inductivity is increased, it is suitable. Further, even in this coffee machine, since the entry angle is an acute angle, the path of the coffee beans to the second blade gradually narrows, suppressing the dancing of the coffee beans and increasing the inductivity to the second blade, thereby further shortening the bean grinding time.

[0113] Note that the downstream side surface specific portion only needs to be below the upper end portion and is not limited to the lower portion.

[0114] Also, each of the plurality of blades may have the outer portion [for example, outer specific portion Blo] extending into the upstream side in the forward rotation direction.

[0115] Furthermore, the entry angle is the angle between a tangent line passing through the position of the outer end [e.g., outer end Ble] of the outer portion [e.g., outer specific portion Blo] [e.g., the tangent line indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIGS. 10 and 11(A)] and the outer portion [e.g., outer specific portion Blo].

[0116] Also, “A coffee machine, wherein each of the plurality of blades is formed such that the downstream side surface specific portion [e.g., connection surface 70B1] has a curved shape that bulges convexly on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction.” has also been described.

[0117] Since the downstream side surface specific portion has such a shape, coffee beans can be smoothly guided to the second blade, and damage to the coffee beans is reduced.

[0118] Note that the curved shape referred to here may be an involute curve shape, a cycloid curve shape, or an Archimedes spiral shape.

[0119] Also, “A coffee machine, wherein the impeller is provided with a main body portion [e.g., main body portion 71] having a planar or curved side surface [e.g., side surface 711] that gradually expands outward as it goes downward, and the plurality of blades [e.g., blades 70B] are formed on the side surface.” has also been described.

[0120] It is preferable that the coffee beans before being guided to the second blade by the plurality of blades can be guided outward.

[0121] The present invention is not limited to the several aspects and examples shown above, and these contents can be combined with each other without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and may be partially modified according to the purpose and the like. In addition, each individual term described in this specification is merely used for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the exact meaning of that term and may include its equivalents. For example, expressions such as "device" and "part" may be interchangeable with "unit", "module", etc.

Explanation of Signs

[0122] MM Second grinder unit<[ 53 Fixed blade unit 5310 Through hole 531 Fixed blade 531b Blade surface 54 Rotating blade unit 541 Rotating blade 541b Blade surface 540M Second motor 70 Impeller 71 Body part 711 Side surface 70B Blade 701 First blade 702 Second blade 703 Third blade Bd Downstream side surface 70B1 Connection surface 70B1 Bdo, Blo Outer part Br Lip part θ1, θ2 Entrance angle GM Coffee bean grinder CM Coffee beverage manufacturing device

Claims

1. an upper blade with a first blade formed downward around a through-hole; a lower blade disposed opposite to the upper blade and having a second blade formed upward; a driving unit configured to rotationally drive the lower blade in a predetermined rotational direction, and comprising: a coffee machine that grinds coffee beans dropped from the through-hole onto the lower blade between the first blade and the second blade by rotationally driving the lower blade in the predetermined rotational direction by the driving unit, wherein the lower blade includes a impeller having a plurality of blades at a position where coffee beans dropped from the through-hole fall, the impeller rotates the coffee beans dropped onto the lower blade in a forward rotation direction same as the predetermined rotational direction of the lower blade to guide the coffee beans to the second blade, and each of the plurality of blades extends from the inside to the outside of the impeller, the second blade is located outside the impeller, each of the plurality of blades, has a lip portion extending to the downstream side in the forward rotation direction at an upper end portion, and an outer portion of a downstream side surface specifying portion below the upper end portion among the downstream side surfaces on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction is formed such that an entry angle of the coffee beans dropped onto the lower blade into the second blade forms an acute angle. The coffee machine is characterized by this.

2. The coffee machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of blades is characterized in that the downstream side surface specifying portion is formed in a curved shape convex toward the downstream side in the forward rotation direction. The coffee machine is characterized by this.

3. The coffee machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the impeller is provided with a main body portion having a planar or curved side surface that gradually expands outward as it goes downward, and the plurality of blades are formed on the side surface. The coffee machine is characterized by this.

Images