Coffee Roasting System with Vibration Cooling and Automated Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current food roasting machines lack an efficient and automated method for minimizing the overall cycle time of roasting, cooling, and unloading beans, such as coffee beans, which results in suboptimal processing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A roasting system that integrates a roasting subsystem, a cooling subsystem with a vibration actuator and platform actuator, and a ventless air handling system to rapidly cool and transport beans, utilizing a controller to manage airflow and vibration for uniform cooling and efficient bean transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional roasting machines are used without automated cooling and unloading systems, then the structure is simpler, but the overall cycle time is longer and processing efficiency is lower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the roasting subsystem, cooling subsystem, and unloading subsystem into a single integrated bean processing system. The roasting chamber transfers beans directly to the cooling platform, which then unloads cooled beans automatically. This merging of multiple functions into one system eliminates the need for separate manual operations, thereby improving productivity while managing device complexity through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling subsystem is activated immediately after beans are transferred from the roasting chamber, before unloading is required. The vibration actuator begins vibrating the cooling platform to facilitate rapid cooling and prepare for automatic unloading. This preliminary action ensures that cooling occurs concurrently with the unloading preparation, reducing overall cycle time and improving processing efficiency.
2Loss of time
If manual cooling and unloading methods are used, then the device complexity is lower, but the cycle time for roasting, cooling, and unloading beans is longer
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration actuator is coupled to the cooling platform and vibrates it during the cooling process. This mechanical vibration agitates the beans, promoting uniform cooling and preventing clumping, which accelerates the cooling rate. The vibratory motion also facilitates easier and faster unloading of cooled beans, thereby reducing the overall cycle time despite the added device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The air exit subsystem uses a fan to generate airflow that passes through the beans on the cooling platform. This pneumatic action enhances the cooling efficiency by forcing air through the bean mass, increasing heat transfer. The controlled airflow also aids in the uniform distribution of beans during cooling and facilitates rapid unloading, reducing cycle time while managing system complexity.
3Speed
If rapid cooling is achieved using high airflow, then cooling speed is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air exit subsystem directs airflow locally through the bean mass on the cooling platform, concentrating the cooling action where it is most needed. The fan generates targeted airflow that passes through the beans, providing rapid cooling at the cooling platform location without requiring high-energy whole-system ventilation. This localized approach achieves high cooling speed while minimizing overall energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of airflow by using the vibration actuator to agitate the beans, which increases the surface area exposed to the airflow from the air exit subsystem. This parameter change enhances the effectiveness of the cooling airflow, allowing for faster cooling at lower airflow rates and thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining high cooling speed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system significantly reduces the overall cycle time by accelerating the cooling process and optimizing bean handling, resulting in improved processing efficiency and uniformity.
Implementation Method 1
operate the vibration actuator to vibrate the cooling platform, operate the air exit subsystem and operate the vibration actuator accelerates cooling of the batch of beans
Implementation Method 2
operate the air exit subsystem to maintain a flow of air up through the holding chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A bean roasting system includes a roasting subsystem, a cooling subsystem, an air exit subsystem that is fluidically coupled to the cooling subsystem, and a controller. The cooling subsystem includes an outer housing containing a holding chamber, a cooling platform defining a lower bound of the holding chamber, a vibration actuator coupled to the cooling platform, and a platform actuator coupled to the cooling platform. The controller is configured to operate the air exit subsystem to maintain a flow of air up through the holding chamber, operate the roasting subsystem to transfer a batch of beans from the roasting subsystem to the holding chamber, operate the vibration actuator to vibrate the cooling platform, operate the air exit subsystem and operate the vibration actuator accelerates cooling of the batch of beans, and operate the platform actuator to transport the batch of beans out of the cooling subsystem.