Roasting equipment

Abstract

To provide a roasting device capable of sufficiently stirring a material to be roasted in a roasting pot, and preventing an occurrence of variations in a roasting degree.SOLUTION: A roasting device includes a heating part 14 provided in a draft air duct for heating passing air, and a cylindrical bottomed roasting pot 15 for storing the material to be roasted inside. A plurality of slit-shaped openings 16 are provided on the side face of the roasting pot 15 for taking in the air heated by the heating part 14. Each of the openings 16 extends long and obliquely in the height direction, and an opening area of the lower half is larger than that of the upper half. The material to be roasted is roasted while being stirred by the air taken in from the opening 16. Here, by making the opening area of the lower half of the opening 16 larger, much air is sent to the material to be roasted near the bottom surface of the roasting pot 15, and the material to be roasted in the roasting pot 15 can be sufficiently stirred.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a roasting apparatus for roasting coffee beans and the like.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a roasting apparatus including a blower passage extending from an air inlet to an air outlet, a roasting pot for containing a roasted material, a blower for blowing air into the blower passage, and a heating unit for heating the air sent to the roasting pot, and roasting is performed while stirring the roasted material by the force of the air flow sent into the roasting pot. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a roasting apparatus including a roasting chamber (roasting pot) provided with a chamber barrel and a suction ring on a bottom plate, with the suction ring enclosed within the chamber barrel and the space between the chamber barrel and the suction ring serving as an annular air passage, and having a second air inlet provided in the suction ring forming the side surface of the roasting chamber, and taking in air from there into the roasting chamber to perform roasting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=?]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, in a structure in which an opening is provided on the side surface of the roasting pot, it is difficult for air to reach the roasted material near the bottom surface of the roasting pot. Moreover, the roasted material near the bottom surface of the roasting pot receives the weight of the roasted material placed thereon and is difficult to be stirred by the force of the air flow, so there is a possibility that the stirring during roasting becomes insufficient. If the stirring is not sufficient, variations in the degree of roasting occur.

[0005] The present invention is for solving the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a roasting apparatus capable of sufficiently stirring the roasted material in the roasting pot and preventing variations in the degree of roasting.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention The main unit has an air intake and an exhaust port, A blower is provided in the air passage from the intake port to the exhaust port, A heating unit is provided within the aforementioned air passage to heat the air passing through it, It comprises a bottomed cylindrical roasting kettle that contains the roasting material inside, Multiple openings are provided on the side of the roasting kettle, arranged circumferentially, for taking in air heated in the heating section. The aforementioned opening is elongated in the height direction and is slit-shaped, extending diagonally. This roasting device has an opening area that is larger in the lower half than in the upper half. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] By configuring the roasting system as described above, a large amount of air is supplied to the roasting material near the bottom of the roasting drum, ensuring that the roasting material inside the drum is thoroughly agitated and preventing variations in the degree of roasting. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a coffee bean roasting apparatus, which is an example of a roasting apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of a coffee bean roasting apparatus, which is an example of a roasting apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the airflow path of a coffee bean roasting apparatus, which is an example of a roasting apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an external view of the roasting kettle in this embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows the shape of the opening in this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the maximum part and the first deflection part. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described by illustrating its operation.

[0010] The present invention relates to a roasting apparatus comprising a main body, a blower provided in an air passage from an air intake to an exhaust port, a heating unit provided in the air passage for heating the air passing through it, and a bottomed cylindrical roasting tub for housing the roasted material inside. Multiple openings are provided on the side of the roasting tub, arranged circumferentially, for taking in air heated by the heating unit. The openings are elongated in the height direction and are slit-shaped, extending diagonally, with the opening area being larger in the lower half than in the upper half. The roasted material is roasted while being agitated by the air taken in through the openings. However, the roasted material near the bottom of the roasting tub is less likely to be agitated because it is weighed down by the roasted material on top of it. Therefore, by increasing the opening area of ​​the lower half of the openings, more air can be sent to the roasted material near the bottom of the roasting tub, allowing the roasted material inside the roasting tub to be sufficiently agitated.

[0011] Furthermore, the roasting drum is provided with a deflection section that is paired with the opening and protrudes inward from the roasting drum to direct air into the opening. For each opening, the deflection section adjacent to it in the direction of airflow within the roasting drum is designated as the first deflection section. The opening has a maximum section where the opening width is greatest, and the portion of the opening below the maximum section does not face the first deflection section. At the maximum section, the largest amount of air is drawn into the roasting drum. By not having the portion of the opening below the maximum section face the first deflection section, the air drawn in from the maximum section can flow smoothly toward the bottom of the roasting drum, thus efficiently agitating the roasted material near the bottom of the roasting drum.

[0012] Furthermore, the opening and deflection section are formed by louver processing. This makes it easy to create a structure in which the opening and deflection section are paired. [Examples]

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a coffee bean roasting apparatus will be used as an example of a roasting apparatus for roasting the material to be roasted.

[0014] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a coffee bean roasting apparatus, which is an example of the roasting apparatus of the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a coffee bean roasting apparatus, which is an example of the roasting apparatus of the present embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an air passage of a coffee bean roasting apparatus, which is an example of the roasting apparatus of the present embodiment.

[0015] The roasting apparatus 1 includes a roasting section 2 and a chaff container 3. In the present embodiment, since coffee beans are the object to be roasted, the chaff container 3 for collecting the husks peeled from the coffee beans as the roasting progresses is provided. The chaff container 3 includes a chaff case 3a for collecting the husks and a lid 3b attached to the chaff case 3a. Further, the chaff container 3 has a chaff container side casing 30 forming an exterior, and exhaust ports 31 are provided on the upper surface and side surface of the chaff container side casing 30.

[0016] The roasting section 2 has a roasting section side casing 20 forming an exterior. On the side surface of the roasting section side casing 20, a first intake port 21 and an operation section 25 for instructing the operation of the roasting apparatus 1 are provided, and a second intake port 22 is provided on the bottom surface. The first intake port 21 is provided so as to be located above a heater case described later. The roasting apparatus 1 has a casing 40 composed of the roasting section side casing 20 and the chaff container side casing 30.

[0017] Furthermore, a roasting section side communication hole 23 is provided on the upper surface of the roasting section side casing 20, and a chaff container side communication hole 33 is provided on the bottom surface of the chaff container side casing 30. The coffee bean roasting apparatus of the present embodiment is used in a state where the chaff container 3 is placed on the roasting section 2. By air flowing from the roasting section side communication hole 23 to the chaff container side communication hole 33, an air passage from the first intake port 21 and the second intake port 22 to the exhaust port 31 is formed. Details of the air passage will be described later.

[0018] Inside the roasting section 2, in order from the upstream in the air flow direction, there are provided a blower 13 composed of a fan 11 and a motor 12 that blows air into the air duct, a heater 14 that heats the air passing through the air duct, and a roasting pot 15 that is bottomed cylindrical and houses the object to be roasted inside. Further, on the side surface of the roasting pot 15, a plurality of openings 16 for taking the air heated by the heater 14 into the roasting pot 15 are provided side by side in the circumferential direction, and the object to be roasted is roasted while being stirred by the taken-in air. In addition, in the present embodiment, the openings 16 are provided only on the side surface, but the openings 16 can also be provided on the bottom surface in addition to the side surface.

[0019] Furthermore, inside the roasting section 2, there are provided a fan case 110 that houses the fan 11 inside, and a heater case 140 that houses the lower portions of the heater 14 and the roasting pot 15 inside. Note that the lower portion of the roasting pot refers to the height from the bottom surface to above the opening 16.

[0020] The fan case 110 has a circular bowl shape with an open upper surface, the motor 12 of the blower 13 is attached to the center, and an air inlet 111 for taking air into the fan case 110 is provided around the portion where the motor 12 is attached. The heater case 140 is a metal component having a cylindrical shape with a top, and a mounting hole 141 into which the roasting pot 15 is fitted is provided at the center of the upper surface.

[0021] Furthermore, the fan case 110 has a first flange portion 112 at the upper end portion of the bowl shape, and the heater case 140 has a second flange portion 142 at the lower end of the side surface. The fan case 110 and the heater case 140 are assembled by abutting the flange portions against each other and are arranged inside the roasting section 2, forming a part of the outer shell of the air duct, and the inside of the fan case 110 and the heater case 140 becomes a part of the air duct.

[0022] In the above configuration, when the fan 11 rotates by driving the motor 12, air is taken in from the first intake port 21 and the second intake port 22, and air is blown into the air duct. The air duct consists of a first intake air duct 101, a second intake air duct 102, a heating air duct 103, a roasting air duct 104, and an exhaust air duct 105.

[0023] Air taken in from the first intake port 21 passes through the first intake air passage 101 from the first intake port 21 to the inlet 111, and air taken in from the second intake port 22 passes through the second intake air passage 102 from the second intake port 22 to the inlet 111. At this time, the air passing through the first intake air passage 101 acts as an insulator, making it difficult for the heat from the heater 14 to be transferred to the roasting section side casing 20, thus preventing the exterior temperature from becoming too high. The air that has passed through the first intake air passage 101 merges with the air that has passed through the second intake air passage 102 and is taken into the fan case 110 from the inlet 111.

[0024] The air that passes through the inlet 111 goes through the heated air passage 103, which extends from the inlet 111 to the opening 16. In the heated air passage 103, the air passing through the heater 14 is heated to a temperature suitable for roasting the roasted goods. The air that has passed through the heated air passage 103 is drawn into the roasting drum 15 through the opening 16.

[0025] The air passing through the opening 16 goes through the roasting air passage 104, which extends from the opening 16 to the roasting section side communication hole 23. In the roasting air passage 104, the roasting material contained in the roasting drum 15 is agitated and roasted by the force of the airflow taken in from the opening 16. The air that has passed through the roasting air passage 104 is taken into the chaff container 3 through the chaff container side communication hole 33. In this embodiment, the husks that have been removed from the coffee beans are carried to the chaff container 3 by the airflow toward the chaff container 3, and the coffee beans and husks are separated.

[0026] The air that has passed through the chaff container side communication hole 33 is exhausted through the exhaust air passage 105 that runs from the chaff container side communication hole 33 to the exhaust port 31. At this time, the shells that have been carried by the airflow are collected in the chaff case 3a, and only air is exhausted from the exhaust port 31.

[0027] Furthermore, it is preferable that the roasting apparatus 1 is equipped with a guide section 24 for directing the air taken in from the first air intake port 21 to the first air intake passage 101. In this embodiment, the guide section 24 extends vertically downward from the upper surface of the roasting section side casing 20 and is provided closer to the roasting section side casing 20 than the outer circumference of the heater case 140. This prevents the air passing through the first air intake passage 101 from hitting the heater case 140 or the roasting drum 15, thereby preventing a decrease in the temperature of the air taken into the roasting drum.

[0028] The shape of the guide portion 24 is not limited to this embodiment; any shape that allows air taken in from the first intake port 21 to flow toward the first intake air passage 101 is acceptable. For example, it can be shaped to extend diagonally downward from the upper surface of the roasting section side casing 20 toward the side surface of the roasting section side casing 20. In that case, the lower end of the guide portion 24 is provided closer to the roasting section side casing 20 than the outer circumference of the heater case 140.

[0029] Next, we will explain the structure of the roasting machine 15 in detail.

[0030] Figure 4 is an external view of the roasting drum in this embodiment, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing the shape of the opening in this embodiment. Note that Figure 5 is a view of the opening 16 from the direction of the solid arrow A in Figure 4, with the right side of the paper being the outside of the roasting drum 15 and the left side being the inside of the roasting drum 15.

[0031] The roasting drum 15 is a metal component made of aluminum or the like. A deflection section 17 and an opening 16 are formed in pairs by a louvering process that pushes the side of the roasting drum 15 inward from the outside. The deflection section 17 is formed when the side of the roasting drum 15, which is pushed outward during the louvering process, protrudes inward and serves to allow air to flow into the opening 16.

[0032] The opening 16 is formed when the side of the roasting drum 15 is pushed from the outside, causing the metal plate to break, and its opening surface is approximately perpendicular to the side of the roasting drum 15. The air that flows along the deflection section 17 into the opening 16 is taken into the roasting drum 15 and swirls in the circumferential direction (in the direction of the white arrow in Figure 4). The opening 16 is long in the height direction and has a slit shape that extends diagonally, and as shown in Figure 5, the opening area is larger in the lower half than in the upper half. In addition, the lower half of the opening 16 has a maximum section 50 where the opening width is at its maximum.

[0033] The roasting material near the bottom of the roasting drum 15 is less likely to move and be agitated due to the weight of the roasting material on top of it. However, by increasing the opening area of ​​the lower half of the opening 16, more air can be drawn into the roasting drum 15 from below the opening 16. This allows more air to reach the roasting material near the bottom of the roasting drum 15, making it easier to agitate and thus preventing variations in the degree of roasting.

[0034] Furthermore, it is preferable to position the largest part 50 near the lower end of the opening 16. This allows the air taken in from the opening 16 to be concentrated more near the bottom surface of the roasting drum 15, thereby further preventing variations in the degree of roasting of the roasted products.

[0035] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the maximum section and the first deflection section. In the figure, two adjacent deflection sections 17 are schematically represented, with the left deflection section 17 being designated as the reference deflection section 17a, and the right deflection section 17, which is adjacent to the reference deflection section 17a in the direction of air rotation, being designated as the first deflection section 17b. Of the opening 16 and the maximum section 50, the one paired with the reference deflection section 17a is designated as the opening 16a and the maximum section 50a, and the one paired with the first deflection section 17b is designated as the opening 16b and the maximum section 50b. The dashed line represents a virtual line L that passes through the lower end of the first deflection section 17b and is perpendicular to the opening surface of the opening 16.

[0036] The air drawn into the roasting drum 15 through the opening 16a flows diagonally downward, as indicated by the solid and white arrows. Below the dashed line L, that is, where the reference deflection section 17a and the first deflection section 17b do not face each other, the air flows without colliding with the first deflection section 17b, as indicated by the solid arrow, and reaches the bottom of the roasting drum 15. The air that hits the bottom changes direction and flows upward, and at this time, it agitates the roasted material by lifting it from the bottom side of the roasting drum 15, thus efficiently agitating the roasted material.

[0037] In particular, since the maximum section 50a is positioned so that the reference deflection section 17a and the first deflection section 17b do not face each other, a large amount of air taken in from the maximum section 50 flows toward the bottom of the roasting drum 15, allowing the roasted material to be stirred more efficiently.

[0038] On the other hand, above the imaginary line L, that is, in the area where the reference deflection section 17a and the first deflection section 17b face each other, the air taken into the roasting drum 15 from the opening 16a collides with the first deflection section 17b, as indicated by the white arrow, and some of the air is redirected towards the center of the roasting drum 15. This flow causes the roasted material to move towards the center of the roasting drum 15, thus promoting agitation.

[0039] In this embodiment, the opening 16 is made approximately perpendicular to the side surface of the roasting drum 15, but the opening 16 may also be made by penetrating the side surface toward the center of the roasting drum 15. In that case, the air taken into the roasting drum 15 from the opening 16 flows toward the center of the roasting drum 15, but by making the opening area of ​​the lower half of the opening 16 larger than the upper half, the roasted material near the bottom surface of the roasting drum 15 is more easily agitated, similar to the opening 16 in this embodiment, thereby preventing variations in the degree of roasting.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the opening 16 and the deflection section 17 are formed by louver processing, but the processing method is not limited to this. However, by using louver processing, a structure in which the opening 16 and the deflection section 17 are paired can be easily formed, and costs can be reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 13 Blower 14. Heater (heating section) 15 Roasting pot 16 Aperture 17 Deflection section 17b First deflection section 21 First air intake (air intake) 22 Second air intake port (air intake port) 31 Exhaust vent 40 Casing (main body) 50 maximum part 101 First intake air passage (air supply passage) 102 Second intake air passage (air supply passage) 103 Heating air duct (ventilation duct) 104 Roasting air path (ventilation path) 105 Exhaust air passage (air supply passage)

Claims

1. The main unit has an air intake and an exhaust port, A blower is provided in the air passage from the intake port to the exhaust port, A heating unit is provided within the aforementioned air passage to heat the air passing through it, It comprises a bottomed cylindrical roasting kettle that contains the roasting material inside, Multiple openings are provided on the side of the roasting kettle, arranged circumferentially, for taking in air heated in the heating section. The aforementioned opening is elongated in the height direction and is slit-shaped, extending diagonally. A roasting device in which the lower half has a larger opening area than the upper half.

2. The roasting kettle is provided in conjunction with the opening and includes a deflection section that protrudes inward from the roasting kettle and directs air into the opening. For each of the aforementioned openings, the deflection portion adjacent to it in the direction of airflow within the roasting chamber is designated as the first deflection portion. The opening has a maximum portion where the opening width is greatest, The roasting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening portion below the maximum portion does not face the first deflection portion.

3. The roasting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the opening and the deflection portion are formed by louver processing.

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