Powder-wrapping device

Abstract

To provide a device having a simple configuration capable of performing coarse grinding and fine grinding processes of grinding object materials without any material loss and facilitating disassembly and cleaning.SOLUTION: A grinding device comprises an introduction part for introducing grinding object materials, a coarse grinding part for crushing the introduced grinding object materials, a fine grinding part for grinding the crushed materials crushed by the coarse grinding part to generate powder with a further small particle size, and a discharge part for discharging the generated powder. The coarse grinding part and the fine grinding part are comprised of a set of a drum having unevenness on an inner peripheral surface, and a rotating body having unevenness on an outer peripheral surface and rotatably housed in the drum.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a grinding device for forming powder from tea leaves, grains, etc., and particularly relates to a grinding device that can grind even relatively large and hard grains into a desired state.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, stone mortars have been used for grinding grains. When using the weight of the mortar itself to grind grains into powder, a large and heavy stone mortar requires a certain amount of space. Moreover, since grinding is mostly manual, a great deal of labor is required. On the other hand, since a stone mortar is configured to suppress heat generation during grinding, it can prevent the grains to be ground, etc. from being deteriorated by heat. Therefore, generally, the powder milled by a stone mortar has the characteristic that delicious dishes can be made.

[0003] In recent years, relatively small grinding devices have been commercialized for manufacturing ingredients such as matcha, udon, buckwheat, bread, etc. at home. In such a household grinding device, it is required to be small and not obstructive, not require much labor from the user, be able to grind easily, and be an important factor not to be expensive.

[0004] Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose a grinding device in which the input material to be ground is ground and milled by a two-stage grinding structure of different types.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

[0006] Conventional two-stage electric flour grinders have a complex structure due to the division of the grinding section into vertical and horizontal sections, resulting in a large device. Furthermore, in a system where the grinding section uses horizontally oriented burrs, a certain amount of powder remains inside the burr when it is discharged from the outer edge, leading to material waste. In addition, existing two-stage flour grinders often have a complex structure, making it difficult to disassemble the device and remove the aforementioned residue.

[0007] Patent Document 1 describes a mechanism in which a first grinder in the horizontal section performs rough grinding, and a second grinder in the vertical section performs fine grinding. In this mechanism, the pulverized material is dropped directly to the bottom, and a container for collecting the pulverized material is required at the bottom of the mill structure, which has the disadvantage of making the product larger. In addition, because the first and second grinders are separate mechanisms, the device tends to become complicated.

[0008] Patent Document 2 describes a grinding machine in which the coarse grinding section consists of a spiral-shaped screw section and a cylindrical grinding drum, and the fine grinding section consists of a burr structure. In this grinding machine, natural stone and ceramics are used as materials for the coarse grinding section and the fine grinding section, raising concerns about impact resistance, and the grinding powder tends to accumulate in the discharge port, leading to malfunctions. In addition, there are concerns that the temperature of the screw and grinding drum will rise due to the heat generated during material grinding, making the unground material more susceptible to deterioration due to heat. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 does not specifically describe the spiral-shaped screw section and cylindrical grinding drum in the coarse grinding section, or the uneven structure and mechanism of the burr structure in the fine grinding section.

[0009] Patent Document 3 describes a device for pulverizing materials, which consists of a first pulverizing section made of ceramic or synthetic resin that pulverizes the material, and a second pulverizing section made of ceramic that further grinds the material into a fine powder. However, this device consists of two parts: a first pulverizing section for pulverization and a second pulverizing section for fine powdering, resulting in a large product size and a large number of parts.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a powder grinding apparatus that can perform coarse grinding and fine grinding processes of materials to be ground without material loss and has a simple structure that can be disassembled and cleaned.

[0011] Furthermore, the objective is to provide a powder grinding device that effectively prevents the non-grinding material from being altered by the heat generated during the grinding process, while simultaneously producing powder with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A powder grinding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an introduction section for introducing material to be ground, a powder grinding section having a coarse grinding section for grinding the introduced material and a fine grinding section for grinding the material ground in the coarse grinding section to produce powder with even smaller particle sizes, and a discharge section for discharging the produced powder, wherein the powder grinding section includes a drum having irregularities on its inner surface and a rotating body having irregularities on its outer surface and rotatably housed in the drum. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the above embodiment, the coarse grinding and fine grinding processes of the material to be ground can be performed without material loss, the equipment can be easily disassembled and cleaned, and the equipment can be kept clean. In addition, deterioration of the unground material due to heat generated during grinding can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing the external appearance of a powder grinding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a flour grinding device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] An enlarged cross-sectional view of the grinding section in a grinding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] This is a front view showing the external appearance of a rotating body in a powder grinding device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B]It is a perspective view from above showing the appearance of a rotating body in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4C] It is a cross-sectional view of a rotating body in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] It is a front view showing the appearance of a drum in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] It is a cross-sectional view of a drum in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] It is a perspective view from below of a discharge part in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] It is an enlarged view of a discharge part in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6C] It is a bottom view of a discharge part in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram showing a drive part, a rotating body, and a drum in a flour milling device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of one aspect related to the flour milling device of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements, and the description may be omitted when the description overlaps. Also, in the drawings, for the sake of easy understanding, each component is schematically shown mainly.

[0016] In this specification, when it is described as "above" or "upper", unless otherwise specified, it includes both the case where another structure is directly placed on a certain structure and the case where another structure is placed on a certain structure through another structure. The same applies when it is described as "below" or "lower".

[0017] Also, in this specification, when the flour milling device of the present invention is installed on a horizontal surface, the vertically upward direction or a direction close to the vertically upward direction is defined as "above" or "upper", and "below" or "lower" means the opposite direction of "above" or "upper".

[0018] <Appearance of the main unit of the device> Figure 1 is a front view showing the external appearance of a powder grinding device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The external appearance of the powder grinding device 1 shown in Figure 1 includes a powder grinding device body 100, an input section 104, and a powder extraction section 108.

[0019] The main body of the grinding device 100 is equipped with the main functions of the grinding device 1 and is the part that grinds the tea leaves and grains to be ground (hereinafter referred to as "materials to be ground" in this specification) inside and further turns them into powder.

[0020] The input section 104 is the part that introduces the material to be ground into the main body. In Figure 1, it is located at the top of the main body 100 of the grinding machine, but its position is not particularly limited and may be located on the side of the main body 100, etc.

[0021] The powder removal section 108 is the part from which the powdered material is removed from the main body 100 of the grinding device. In Figure 1, it is shown as a cup shape with a handle (see Figure 2), but its form is not particularly limited and may simply be a hole. Furthermore, although the powder extraction unit 108 is located on the side of the main body 100 of the grinding device in Figure 1, its installation location is not limited, and it may be installed, for example, at the bottom of the main body 100 of the grinding device.

[0022] <Device body> Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1, and is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a powder grinding device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The powder grinding device 1 is mainly composed of an input section 104, a powder grinding section 210, a drive section 230, and a powder removal section 108 in its internal structure.

[0023] The main body 100 of the grinding machine is usually covered by a housing 102. The material of the housing is not particularly limited and may consist of, for example, resin, plastic, metal, wood, or ceramic, or a combination thereof.

[0024] As mentioned above, the input section 104 is located at the top of the main body 100 of the grinding device and is the part that sends the material to be ground to the grinding section 210 located below. The input section 104 is provided with an input opening 105 having a predetermined diameter, and only material that can pass through this hole can enter the grinding section 210. By limiting the size of the material that enters the grinding section 210 in this way, problems such as clogging of the grinding section 210 can be prevented. The diameter of the input port 105 can be set appropriately depending on the size and hardness of the material to be crushed, and may be made variable.

[0025] <Grinding section> The grinding section 210 is the main part of the grinding apparatus 1 of the present invention, and is the part that grinds the material to be ground and then grinds it into powder. The grinding section 210 is broadly composed of a coarse grinding section 212 where the material to be ground is coarsely ground, a fine grinding section 214 where the coarsely ground material is further ground into powder, a discharge section 216 where the final generated powder is collected and sent to the powder extraction section 108, and an introduction section 218 where the material to be ground is introduced into the coarse grinding section 212.

[0026] Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the grinding section 210. The grinding section 210 consists of a rotating body 222 and a drum 224 that houses the rotating body 222 as its main components. The coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214 in the grinding section 210 are each composed of a set of one rotating body 222 and one drum 224. In other words, the grinding section 210 performs the coarse grinding and fine grinding processes in parallel using only one rotating body 222 and one drum 224.

[0027] In Figure 3, the rotating body 222 is approximately frustoconical in shape, and its cross-sectional radius can decrease towards the bottom. The drum 224 is shaped to accommodate the rotating body while maintaining a constant gap between the outer surface (side surface of the frustoconical shape) of the rotating body 222 and the inner surface of the drum 224. For example, it may have a cylindrical shape with a smaller cross-sectional radius at the bottom than at the top. The rotating body 222 is housed in the drum 224 while maintaining a state in which it can rotate around the rotation axis 226, which will be described later.

[0028] The relative positions of the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214 are configured such that the coarse grinding section 212 is above the fine grinding section 214. In other words, the direction of movement of the material to be ground from the coarse grinding section 212 to the fine grinding section 214 can be configured to be from top to bottom. Here, "from top to bottom" is not limited to a direction from perfectly vertical upwards to downwards, but may also be from an oblique upward to an oblique downward. By bringing the direction of movement of the material to be ground closer to the direction of gravity, it is possible to save on the components required for transporting the material to be ground in the grinding process, simplify the structure of the device, and reduce the loss of material remaining in the device.

[0029] The outer circumferential surface of the rotating body 222 and the inner circumferential surface of the drum 224 have irregularities formed on them to crush the material to be crushed. The gap formed between the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body 222 and the inner circumferential surface of the drum 224 is adjusted so that the irregularities on both members do not come into contact with each other. The shape of these irregularities will be described later.

[0030] A rotating shaft 226 is provided at the center of the rotating body 222. The rotating body 222 can rotate around the rotating shaft 226 when torque generated by the drive unit 230 (described later) is transmitted to the rotating shaft 226. When material to be crushed enters the gap between the rotating body 222 and the drum 224, it is crushed by being squeezed between the irregularities on the outer surface of the rotating body 222 and the irregularities on the inner surface of the drum 224. The material to be crushed to a width smaller than the gap falls to the bottom in the grinding section 210. However, the gap between the rotating body 222 and the drum 224 narrows as it goes downwards, and the material to be crushed stops falling in the even narrower gap and is further crushed to pass through that gap. By repeating this process, the material to be crushed is finally turned into powder and sent to the discharge section 216 at the bottom of the drum 224.

[0031] <Rotating body> The rotating body 222 will now be described in detail. Figure 4A is a front view of the rotating body 222 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4B is a perspective view from above. The rotating body 222 has a surface with continuous spiral-shaped irregularities 402 formed on its outer circumferential surface. The height difference between the recesses and protrusions in the surface with irregularities 402 decreases as it goes down the rotating body 222. In the lower part of the rotating body 222, the irregularities are almost gone.

[0032] The spiral grooves formed on the grooved portion 402 of the rotating body 222 are in a downward-sloping spiral shape relative to the direction of rotation of the rotating body 222. By aligning the direction of rotation of the rotating body 222 with the direction of the grooves in this way, the material to be crushed tends to flow through the recesses of the grooved portion 402 in the direction of rotation (diagonally upward). It is then crushed by being sandwiched between the grooves and the convex shape on the inner circumferential surface of the drum 224 (described later), and the crushed material, with its particle size further reduced, moves downward through the gap.

[0033] The rotating body 222 plays a part in the functions of the aforementioned input section 104, coarse grinding section 212, fine grinding section 214, and discharge section 216. In particular, the uneven surface 402 on the outer surface of the rotating body 222 functions as an inner uneven surface in the gap between the powder grinding section 210 and the fine grinding section 220, where the material to be ground is crushed and then powdered.

[0034] The upper surface 406 of the rotating body 222 is provided with a curved surface that slopes circumferentially from the center of the rotation axis. The material to be crushed that falls through the input opening 105 is temporarily accumulated on this curved surface. The accumulated material to be crushed moves circumferentially along the slope of the upper surface 406 as the rotating body 222 rotates.

[0035] An inlet 408, formed by a slight recess, is located on a portion of the periphery of the upper surface 406 of the rotating body 222. The inlet 408 leads to a recess in the uneven section 402, and the width of the recess leading to the inlet 408 is wider than that of other recesses. As the rotating body 222 rotates, the material to be crushed enters the inlet 408 from the upper surface 406, proceeds to the recess in the uneven section 402, and then proceeds to the coarse grinding section 212.

[0036] The material to be ground, accumulated on the upper surface 406, has a large volume before grinding and therefore cannot enter the coarse grinding section 212 through any gaps other than the inlet 408. Consequently, the size and shape of the inlet 408 are factors that affect the speed of powder generation in the grinding process.

[0037] On the upper surface 406 of the rotating body 222, a projection is provided as a guide section 410 to prevent the material to be crushed that accumulates on the upper surface 406 of the rotating body from remaining in one place. This allows the accumulated material to be stirred and prevents it from remaining in one place.

[0038] Figure 4C is a cross-sectional view of the rotating body 222. A rotating shaft 226 is provided at the center of the rotating body 222. A joint 414 is provided at the bottom of the rotating shaft 226, and it can be connected to the drive unit 230 via the joint 414. This allows the torque generated by the drive unit 230 to be transmitted to the rotating body 222, enabling it to rotate around the rotating shaft 226.

[0039] In Figure 4C, the uneven portion 402 of the rotating body 222 can be made of different materials for the parts located in the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214 (402a). For example, in Figure 4C, the area of ​​the uneven portion 412 located in the fine grinding section 220 is made of a separate external component. The selection of these components can be appropriately determined according to the hardness of the non-powdered material, etc. Details of the components of the uneven portion will be described later.

[0040] The cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 402 formed on the rotating body 222 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the shape and hardness of the material to be crushed. The cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 402 can be, for example, a roughly trapezoid, a roughly rectangular shape, or a roughly semicircular shape.

[0041] In the cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 402 formed on the rotating body 222, the widths of the recesses and protrusions can be appropriately selected according to the shape and size of the material to be crushed. Here, a larger proportion of protrusions than recesses increases the crushing area on the protrusions, thus improving the crushing efficiency of the material. For this reason, a larger proportion of protrusions is preferable.

[0042] The lowest part of the rotating body 222 does not have the uneven surface 402 formed on its outer circumferential surface, and its cross-sectional diameter is slightly smaller, forming a space that, together with the inner wall of the drum 224, will become the discharge section 216 described later. In addition, multiple discharge plates 442 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body 222.

[0043] <drums> Next, I will explain drum 224. Figure 5A is a side view of the external appearance of the drum 224. In Figure 5A, the drum 224 has a cylindrical shape that narrows towards the bottom, but its shape is not limited to this. For example, the drum 224 may be cylindrical in shape.

[0044] A discharge port 502 is provided below the drum 224. The powder generated by the grinding process, which is discharged from the aforementioned discharge section 216, can be discharged from the discharge port 502.

[0045] Figure 5B is a cross-sectional view of the drum 224 cut along plane AA. The inner circumferential surface of the drum 224 has roughly linearly shaped irregularities 504 formed in the vertical direction. Similar to the rotating body 222 described above, the height difference between the recesses and protrusions in the irregularities 504 of the drum 224 decreases towards the bottom of the drum 224.

[0046] In Figure 5B, similar to the uneven surface 402 of the rotating body 222, the uneven surface 504 of the drum 224 can be made of different materials for the parts located in the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214. The selection of these components can be appropriately determined according to the hardness of the non-powdered material, etc.

[0047] In Figure 5B, the parts located in the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214 are treated as separate components (504a), and the uneven portion 504 is also interrupted between the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214. In this case, the position of the convex structure of the uneven portion 504 may be shifted left and right (circumferentially) in the vertical downward direction between the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214. For example, as shown in Figure 5B, when viewing the uneven portion 504 of the drum from above in a vertical downward direction, the concave structure in the fine grinding section 214 may be formed in the vertical direction on the extension line of the convex structure formed in the vertical direction in the coarse grinding section 212.

[0048] In this way, by shifting the position of the vertical convex structure between the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214, the flow of the material to be ground in the rotational direction is inhibited, and the accuracy of the powder grinding process can be improved.

[0049] Furthermore, the positions of the convex structures of the uneven portion 504 may be formed discontinuously in the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214, by shifting them vertically without providing the aforementioned break portions. On the other hand, the uneven portion 504 may be formed continuously between the coarsely ground portion 212 and the finely ground portion 214 without interrupting the convex structure.

[0050] Furthermore, in addition to shifting the position of the convex structure of the uneven surface 504 between the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214, the shape of the formed uneven surface may also be changed. For example, in the coarse grinding section 212, when the uneven surface 504 of the drum is viewed from above in a vertically downward direction, it may be formed as a straight line in the vertical direction, while in the fine grinding section 214, it may be formed as a straight line in the diagonal direction.

[0051] The cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 504 formed on the drum 224 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the shape and hardness of the material to be crushed. The cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 504 can be, for example, roughly trapezoidal, roughly rectangular, or roughly semicircular. Furthermore, it may be the same as or different from the cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 402 formed on the drum 224.

[0052] <Operation of the grinding section> Returning to Figure 3, the operation of the grinding unit 210 will be explained. In Figure 3, the material to be ground after passing through the input port 105 is accumulated on the upper surface 406 of the rotating body 222, and then proceeds from the inlet 408 on the rotating body 222 into the recess of the uneven portion 402 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body 222.

[0053] Here, when the rotating body 222 rotates around the rotation axis 226, the inner circumferential surface of the drum 224 has vertically oriented irregularities 504. Therefore, the gap between the rotating body 222 and the drum 224 is widest when the inlet 408 aligns with the recesses of the irregularities 504. Consequently, at the moment when the opening area is widest, most of the material to be crushed enters the inlet 408.

[0054] The material to be pulverized, entering through the inlet 408, attempts to move along the spiral direction of travel within the recesses of the uneven portion 402 of the rotating body 222. As it passes through the protrusions of the uneven portion 504 of the drum 224, the gap between the rotating body 222 and the drum 224 becomes smaller, preventing larger volumes of material from passing through. At this point, as the rotating body 222 continues to rotate, the material to be pulverized is crushed between the uneven portion 402 and the uneven portion 504, becoming smaller and smaller.

[0055] The height difference between the concave and convex parts of the uneven surface 402 on the rotating body 222 decreases as you go downwards, and the height difference between the concave and convex parts of the uneven surface 504 on the drum 224 also decreases as you go downwards. Furthermore, the gap between the outer surface of the rotating body 222 and the inner surface of the drum 224 also decreases, so the material to be crushed that gets into the gap is repeatedly crushed in the gap between the uneven surface 402 and the uneven surface 504, and the particle size becomes smaller and smaller.

[0056] In the coarse grinding section 212, a strong force is applied to the material being ground from the rotating body 222, which can generate heat during grinding. Depending on the type of material being ground, this heat can cause it to deteriorate. If the uneven surfaces 402 of the rotating body 222 and the uneven surfaces 504 of the drum 224 within the coarse grinding section 212 are made of metal or similar material, the temperature of the uneven surfaces 402 and 504 themselves will rise rapidly. If the material being ground comes into contact with these heated uneven surfaces, for example, if the material being ground is tea leaves, it may deteriorate into a paste-like consistency.

[0057] To solve this problem, the inventors have found that by constructing the uneven parts 402 and 504 in the coarse grinding section 212 from a low thermal conductivity material such as resin, it is possible to prevent high-temperature components from coming into contact with the material to be ground, and thus almost no thermal deterioration of the material to be ground occurs.

[0058] In the rough-ground section 212, low thermal conductivity materials that can be used as the uneven sections 402 and 504 include resins such as acrylic resin, polyacetal resin, nylon resin, phenolic resin, polypropylene resin, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin, acrylonitrile styrene resin, low thermal conductivity ceramics, wood, and glass. Resin is preferable when considering the formation of a complex uneven structure on the rotating body.

[0059] The material constituting the uneven portion 402 of the rotating body 222 may be the same as or different from the material constituting the uneven portion 504 of the drum 224. However, if the material constituting the uneven portion 402 of the rotating body 222 and the material constituting the uneven portion 504 of the drum 224 are different, the wear of the two uneven portions may differ depending on the type of non-pulverized material, and the unevenness may wear unevenly. Therefore, it is preferable that the material constituting the uneven portion 402 of the rotating body 222 is the same as the material constituting the uneven portion 504 of the drum 224.

[0060] In the coarse grinding section 212, a cooling mechanism (not shown) may be used in conjunction with the uneven sections 402 and 504 to prevent heat accumulation in these sections and to prevent deterioration of the material being ground due to heat.

[0061] The fine grinding section 214 is the part that further grinds the coarsely ground material into finer particles. Conventionally, in powder production using mortars and the like, so-called horizontal mortars have been used to grind the material into sufficiently small pieces and to allow for grinding over a long period of time to suppress heat generation. However, as mentioned above, horizontal mortars have the disadvantage of being prone to residue loss and complicating the equipment.

[0062] In one embodiment of the present invention, not only the coarse grinding section 212 but also the fine grinding section 214 are made into a vertical, integrated structure. This reduces the loss of residual material from the material being ground, simplifies the structure of the device itself, and makes disassembly and cleaning easier.

[0063] The fine grinding section 214, like the coarse grinding section 212, pulverizes the material to be ground in the gap formed between the uneven surface 402 of the rotating body 222 and the uneven surface 504 of the drum 224. The spiral shape of the uneven surface 402 and the shape of the uneven surface 504 may be formed in a continuous shape from the coarse grinding section 212 to the fine grinding section 214, or one or both may have a different shape from the coarse grinding section. However, from the viewpoint of simplifying the apparatus structure and reducing the load on the material to be ground, the spiral shape of the uneven surface 402 on the rotating body side may be formed in a continuous shape from the coarse grinding section 212 to the fine grinding section 214. On the other hand, as described above, it is preferable that the uneven surface 504 on the drum side is formed discontinuously between the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214.

[0064] In the fine grinding section 214, both the uneven sections 402 and 504 are formed such that the height difference between the concave and convex portions is smaller compared to the coarse grinding section 212. In the coarse grinding section 212, the material to be ground is crushed by getting caught on the unevenness of the uneven sections 402 and 504, whereas in the fine grinding section 214, the gap between the outer surface of the rotating body 222 and the inner surface of the drum 224 is almost eliminated, so the material to be ground is crushed and turned into powder by the small irregularities in that small gap.

[0065] Furthermore, as mentioned above, if the uneven portion 402 of the coarse grinding section 212 is formed using a low thermal conductivity material such as resin, the thermal alteration of the material being ground is sufficiently suppressed when it enters the fine grinding section 214. Therefore, the materials constituting the uneven portion 402 and the uneven portion 504 of the fine grinding section 214 do not necessarily have to be the low thermal conductivity material mentioned above. For example, hard materials such as stainless steel, brass, iron, aluminum, ceramic materials, or stone materials such as granite may be used.

[0066] If the uneven parts 402 and 504 of the fine grinding section 214 are made of a different material from the coarse grinding section 212, for example, in the case of the rotating body 222, the resin part and the metal part inside the resin can be integrally molded, and then the metal of the fine grinding section 214 can be press-fitted. Similarly, in the case of the drum 224, the resin part and the metal part can be integrally molded to produce the drum.

[0067] Controlling the gaps in the uneven portions 402 and 504 in the coarse grinding section 212 and the fine grinding section 214 is an extremely important element of the present invention. In the coarse grinding section 212, the gaps between the uneven portions 402 and 504 are reduced relatively large because the relatively large, unground material to be ground must be crushed. In contrast, in the fine grinding section 214, the gaps are reduced relatively small because the material that has already been ground to some extent is pulverized by grinding. Therefore, the rate of reduction of the gaps in the direction of travel in the coarse grinding section 212 can be made greater than the rate of reduction of the gaps in the coarse grinding section 212.

[0068] The gaps between the uneven portion 402 of the rotating body 222 and the uneven portion 504 of the drum 224 are controlled as follows: in the coarse grinding section 212, the gap between the two protrusions is controlled to be 0.05 to 1 mm, preferably 0.1 to 0.4 mm, and the gap between the two recesses is controlled to be 1.0 to 5.0 mm, preferably 1.2 to 3.0 mm; in the fine grinding section 214, the gap between the two protrusions is controlled to be 0.05 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.1 to 0.3 mm, and the gap between the two recesses is controlled to be 0.2 to 1.5 mm, preferably 0.3 to 1.1 mm.

[0069] The gap between the uneven portion 402 of the rotating body 222 and the uneven portion 504 of the drum 224 can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the rotating body 222 relative to the drum 224.

[0070] (Discharge section) The discharge section 216 will now be described. The discharge section 216 is provided at the bottom of the fine grinding section 214. The discharge section is provided in the space created in the gap between the rotating body 222 and the drum 224 at the bottom of the fine grinding section 214.

[0071] Figure 6A is a perspective view of Figure 4A from below, showing the discharge section 216 in one embodiment of the present invention. The lower part of the rotating body 222 has a discharge plate mounting frame 606 having a substantially circular frame structure. In Figure 6A, the discharge plate mounting frame 606 is attached as a separate component from the rotating body 222. An L-shaped wing-like discharge plate 442 is formed on the discharge plate mounting frame 606. As can be seen from Figure 6A, the discharge plate mounting frame 606 rotates in conjunction with the movement of the rotating body 222 when it rotates around the rotation axis 226.

[0072] Figure 6B is an enlarged view of area E in Figure 3. In Figure 6B, the discharge plate 442 is shaped to minimize the gap between it and the inner circumferential and bottom surfaces of the drum 224, which forms the outer frame of the discharge section 216. By shaping the discharge plate 442 in this way, powder adhering to the walls of the discharge section 216 can be scraped off without loss and guided to the discharge port.

[0073] Figure 6C is a cross-sectional view of line BB in Figure 3, and is a schematic diagram of the discharge section 216 viewed from below the device. In Figure 6C, six discharge plates 442 are evenly spaced 60 degrees apart around the rotating shaft 226.

[0074] Although Figure 6C shows six discharge plates 442, the number is not limited to this. The number of discharge plates 442 can be changed as appropriate depending on the type of material to be crushed, the grinding speed, the size of the device, etc.

[0075] The powder that passes through the gap 602 from the fine grinding section 214 is temporarily stored in the powder storage section 604 located below the fine grinding section 214 within the discharge section 216. As the multiple rotating bodies 222 rotate around the rotation axis 226 along with the rotation of the rotating bodies 222, the shape of the discharge plate 442 is formed to match the outer frame shape of the powder storage section 604 (the inner circumferential surface and bottom surface of the drum 224) in a side view, so that most of the powder stored in the powder storage section 604 can be scraped out. When the discharge plate 442, which is rotating while scraping out the powder, reaches the discharge port 502, the powder can be discharged to the outside of the device from the discharge port 502.

[0076] The installation location of the discharge port 502 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to install it on the side of the drum 224. By installing the discharge port 502 on the side of the drum 224, the motor 702, which constitutes the drive unit 230 described later, can be installed at the bottom of the main body 100 of the device, making the device more compact. In addition, because the discharge plate 442 is provided in the discharge section 216, even if the discharge port 502 is on the side, most of the powder can be scraped out.

[0077] The discharge plate mounting frame 606 and discharge plate 442 in the discharge section 216 can be separate parts from the rotating body 222 and may be made of an elastic material such as elastomer or rubber. For example, silicone resin, fluororesin, or urethane resin can be used as the elastic material. By making the discharge plate 442 an elastic material, the adhesion with the outer frame shape of the powder storage section 604 (the inner circumferential surface and bottom surface of the drum 224) can be improved, and the loss when discharging powder to the outside of the device can be reduced.

[0078] The discharge plate mounting frame 606 and the discharge plate 442 may be the same integrally molded component, or they may be separate components, with the discharge plate 442 being attached separately to the discharge plate mounting frame 606.

[0079] Conventional mortars and pestle systems are mostly horizontal and planar in shape, meaning that a certain amount of material to be ground must be fed in to push out the ground material. In this embodiment of the present invention, the discharge section 216 utilizes the rotational motion of the rotating body 222 to discharge the ground material without loss, even when only a small amount of material to be ground is fed in.

[0080] (Drive unit) Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the drive unit 230, the rotating body 222, and the drum 224 of the present invention. The powder grinding apparatus 1 of the present invention uses a motor as a drive source and can perform the powder grinding process electrically. In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating body 222 has a motor 702 that serves as a drive source at its lower part. The motor rotation shaft 704, which protrudes from above the motor, passes through the bottom of the drum 224 and is fitted into the joint 414 of the rotating body 222. In this way, the rotating body 222 and the motor 702 are connected. By rotating the motor rotation shaft 704 in this state, the rotating body 222 can rotate around the rotation shaft 226 at a predetermined speed.

[0081] The drive unit 230 is equipped with a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the start and stop of rotation of the rotating body 222, as well as the rotation speed, rotation direction, and rotation time. Switches and an operation panel may be provided for operating the grinding device 1. The control unit can be installed at any location on the main body 100 of the grinding device.

[0082] When the rotating body 222 is rotated, if a load is placed on the motor that rotates the rotating body 222, for example, by hard crushed material, the motor current value will increase. By monitoring the current flowing through the motor with a measuring mechanism in the control unit, the load state of the motor can be monitored. If the current value in the motor exceeds a certain level, it can be determined that the motor is overloaded, and the motor's rotation can be reversed. In other words, the rotating body 222 can be rotated in reverse to clear any blockages in the grinding device 1.

[0083] The drive unit 230 is not limited to an electric type; it may also be a type in which the rotating shaft is rotated manually.

[0084] It is preferable that the rotating body 222 and the motor rotating shaft 704 are detachable. By making the rotating body 222 detachable from the main body 100 of the grinding device, the drum 224 can also be detached from the main body, thus enabling disassembly and cleaning.

[0085] Based on one embodiment described herein, those skilled in the art may add, delete, or otherwise modify components as appropriate. Or designs that have been modified, or processes that have been added, omitted, or conditions changed. However, any other invention is included within the scope of the present invention, as long as it embodies the essence of the present invention.

[0086] Furthermore, the effects and benefits derived from the embodiment described herein may differ from those derived from the embodiments described herein. Other effects and benefits are also available, but are not obvious from the description herein or easily understood by those skilled in the art. Anything that can be predicted is naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1: Powder grinding device, 100: Powder grinding device body, 104: Input section, 105: Input port, 108: Powder removal section, 212: Coarse grinding section, 214: Fine grinding section, 216: Discharge section, 218: Inlet section, 222: Rotating body, 224: Drum, 226: Rotating shaft, 230: Drive unit, 402: Uneven section, 408: Inlet, 410: Guide section, 414: Joint section, 442: Discharge plate, 502: Discharge port, 504: Uneven section, 602: Gap, 604: Powder storage section, 606: Discharge plate mounting frame, 702: Motor, 704: Motor rotating shaft.

Claims

1. An introduction section for introducing the material to be crushed, A grinding unit comprising one drum and one rotating body rotatably housed in the drum, the grinding unit having a coarse grinding section for grinding the introduced material to be ground and a fine grinding section below the coarse grinding section for further grinding the material ground in the coarse grinding section into powder with smaller particle sizes, A discharge section for discharging the powder crushed by the aforementioned fine grinding section, The drum includes a gap in which the material to be crushed moves, which is held between the irregularities on the inner surface of the drum and the irregularities on the outer surface of the rotating body, The discharge section is located at the very bottom of the drum, and consists of a discharge port that communicates with the gap and opens to the side of the drum, and includes a discharge plate attached to the rotating body that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating body and scrapes the powder out of the discharge port. Grinding equipment.

2. By the rotation of the rotating body, the material to be crushed introduced into the gap is crushed in the coarse grinding section and powdered in the fine grinding section. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irregularities in the coarse grinding section are made of a low thermal conductivity material.

4. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the low thermal conductivity material includes a resin.

5. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the difference in height of the irregularities in the coarse grinding section is greater than the difference in height of the irregularities in the fine grinding section.

6. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irregularities formed in the coarse grinding section and the irregularities formed in the fine grinding section are formed discontinuously on the inner circumferential surface of the drum.

7. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein in either the coarse grinding section or the fine grinding section, or both, the difference in height of the irregularities decreases in the direction in which the material to be ground moves.

8. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge section includes a powder storage section for storing powder installed below the fine grinding section.

9. The powder grinding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the discharge plate is made of an elastic material.

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