A system for controlling the grinding of roast coffee

Abstract: System for controlling the grinding of roast coffee consisting of: A coffee grinder (3); A conveyor (T) for transporting ground coffee to packing machinery; A test-meter (5) which uses a laser beam (R) and compares ground coffee samples with a reference sample; A first device (I) which receives ground coffee samples from the stream of ground coffee (2) coming from the grinder (3) and releases these samples into a second device; A second compressed-air operated device (II) which disperses the samples before delivering them to the test-meter (5); A third compressed-air operated device (III) which protects the lenses (25) of the test-meter (5) from coffee grains, and; A fourth device (IV) which recovers ground coffee from the analysis area and delivers it to the conveyor (T) used to transport ground coffee to the packing machinery.

Description: This invention relates to a system for controlling the grinding of roast coffee. 'Espresso' coffee is made by rapidly extracting the substances contained in a compressed plug of ground roast coffee held in a filter using hot water at a considerable pressure. A number of different phenomena occur during extraction, the most important of which are: the dissolving of hydrosoluble substances in hot water, the emulsion of liposoluble substances in water with the help of surface-active substances which are naturally found in coffee, capilliary absorbtion of hot water by the coffee plug and a consequent increase in the volume of the plug, and the transport of microscopic coffee particles towards the base of the plug during the passage of the water and a consequent increase in resistance to the passage of water. The above phenomena are influenced by the granulometry of the ground coffee, the specific surfaces of the granules, and by the degree of compaction of the plug. It is therefore understood that the taste of an 'espresso' coffee depends on all the above factors, but from the point of view of the industrial production of ground roast coffee, keeping granulometry constant to an optimum granulometry model is of primary importance. Generally speaking, to the best of the inventor's knowledge corresponding to the disclosure of US-A-4 754 931, the granulometry of ground coffee is checked, off the production line, by laser test-meters which check ground coffee samples and compare them with a granulometric reference sample. These test-meters have the defect of not providing complete and accurate information about granulometry during industrial production, as they operate on disturbed ground coffee samples. The system that is the subject of the invention described here avoids the above disadvantage, and its advantages are set out in the description which follows. This system for controlling the grinding of roast coffee includes a set of parts which are inserted into a coffee roasting, grinding, and packing system. There is, therefore, a coffee grinder and a conveyor system for taking ground coffee to the packing machinery. A laser test-meter is used to analyse the granulometry of ground coffee test samples and compare them with a granulometric reference sample. As the claims which follow show, the system also includes a first device designed to continually receive undisturbed ground coffee samples and deliver these samples to a second device in which a gas stream blows a stream of coffee grains down a tube to the test-meter and a second stream of gas flowing at right-angles to the tube disperses any partially aggregated particles before they reach the test-meter. A third device creates a pressurized safety area around each lens of the laser test-meter. The area is partly closed so that laser beams can freely pass, and gas under pressure enters the area preventing coffee grains from entering the area and disturbing the lens. A fourth device sucks the grains from the test area and delivers them into an eddy-chamber from which they are periodically transferred to the system for conveying ground coffee to the packing machinery. The main advantages of the invented system are; that the coffee samples delivered to the test-meter are as similar as is possible to the grains coming from the grinder, that as the laser test-meter is protected from all forms of dust and operates on de-aggregated coffee grains it provides an accurate reading, and lastly, that the coffee used by the test-meter is not lost. One possible way that the invention can be constructed is described in detail in the part that follows, with reference to the drawings which show a specific way that the invention can be realized, and in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of the entire system; Figure 2 is a schematic view of part of the first device; Figure 3 is a schematic part view from A to A in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a schematic part plan view from B to B in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a schematic elevation, partly sectional, of the second device; Figure 6 is a section from C to C in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a section from D to D in Figure 5; Figure 8 is a part lengthwise section of the third device; Figure 9 is a part section from E to E in Figure 8; Figure 10 is a partly sectional schematic elevation of the fourth device; Figure 11 is a schematic section from F to F in Figure 10. Figure 1 shows the four devices (I, II, III, and IV) that make up the system, and the T-screw feeder used to transport ground coffee in the direction indicated by an arrow (F2) to a packing machine which is not shown. The first device (I) includes a conveyor belt (1) which receives samples of coffee (2) from a grinder (3) which is controlled by a programmer (P) connected to a test-meter (5) which emits laser beams (R). The first device drops the samples into the second device (II) includes a vertical tube (4) which receives compressed-air at its upper end from a supply source (31). The stream of air guides the coffee grains down the tube, and a second stream of compressed-air enters the tube at right-angles to the tube at a certain point along its length, and breaks up any aggregates. The third device (III) includes a test-meter (5) which uses laser beams (R). Each lens in the meter is protected from coffee grains (2) by a protection chamber (26), in which jets of air are directed at the outlet of the chamber thus preventing grains from entering. The fourth device (IV) includes an eddy-chamber (6) which receives the coffee grains (2) from the test-meter (5) and delivers them to the conveyor (T) (Figure 1 also shows parts which are described in detail in the figures that follow). Figures 2, 3, and 4 show the first device in greater detail. It includes a conveyor belt (1) looped around a free running roller (10) and a drive roller (11) which is driven by an electric motor (12) in the direction shown by the arrow (F1). A bar structure (13), which is only shown in figures 3 and 4, supports the two rollers (10 and 11) at its ends and the motor (12). One end of the conveyor belt (1) extends into the chamber (14) beneath the grinder (3) in order to receive ground coffee samples (2) which stream down, and its other end extends beyond the chamber (14) and deposits samples into the second device. There is an opening (16) in the side walls (15) of the chamber (14) through which the conveyor belt (1) and its support bar (13) pass. It can be seen that as an alternative, the conveyor could be a scoop type conveyor into which ground coffee samples (2) are dropped and are then transported to and unloaded into the second device. Figures 5, 6, and 7 show the second device (II) in greater detail. It includes a straight vertical tube with smooth internal walls (4) and the following parts: a) There is a hopper (18) at its upper end which receives ground coffee samples dropped by the first device and drops them into the tube. The external diameter of the lower part of the hopper (18) is smaller than the internal diameter of the upper part of the tube (4), and forms the lower ring-shaped wall of a chamber (19) within a ring-shaped body (20) into which compressed-air from a supply source (31) flows. There are a number of holes (21) in the ring-shaped wall through which the compressed-air passes and then guides the still partly aggregated coffee grains down the tube. b) There is a second pressurized air chamber (22) in an intermediate position along the tube, which has a ring-shaped body (23) around the tube and a number of radial holes (24) which connect it to the interior of the tube (4). A current of air passes from the chamber to the tube at right-angles to the tube, and creates sufficient turbulence to completely break down any aggregates of ground coffee, so that no aggregated ground coffee reaches the laser beam (R) and compromises the accuracy of its reading. Figures 8 and 9 show the third device (III) in greater detail. It is designed to protect the lenses (25) of the laser beam test-meter (5), and creates a partly closed space around each lens formed by a casing (26) with two apertures (27 and 28). One aperture (27) is closed around the perimeter of the lens (25), and the other is open in front of the lens. A toriod-shaped duct (30) is positioned around the perimeter in front of the lens, and is connected to the compressed-air source (31) via a conduit (32). There are a number of holes (33) in the duct facing toward the second aperture (28), so that a current of air (shown by the arrows marked F3) is created which travels along the internal wall of the casing (26) from the lens to the open aperture (28) preventing any coffee grains from entering the casing (26). Figures 10 and 11 show the fourth device (IV) in greater detail. It includes an eddy-chamber (6) with a conduit (35) which arrives at an angle to its upper part through which coffee grains (2) falling from the third device (III) are delivered to the eddy-chamber. The upper part of the chamber (6) is closed off by a filter-baffle (36) creating an upper ground coffee-proof chamber (37) in which a compressed-air system controlled by solenoid-valves (schematically shown in Figure 1 by the letters EV) and a programmer (P) can create a vacuum or pressurize the chamber. There is a compressed-air coupling valve (38) at the lower end of the eddy-chamber in which a vacuum or pressure is alternately created using a solenoid-valve (schematically shown by the letters EV) controlled by the programmer (P), and connected to a compressed -air system, such as the compressed-air supply (31). Thus, the fourth device collects the coffee grains that have been analysed by the test-meter by suction caused by the vacuum that has been created in the ground coffee-proof chamber (37) by a vacuum pump (PV) that is controlled by the solenoid-valves, and transfers it to the eddy-chamber (6) via the filter-baffle (36). The coffee grains sucked into the the eddy-chamber loose their kinetic energy and the eddy effect causes them to fall to the bottom of the chamber which is closed off by the coupling valve (38). They accumulate for a set time after which the vacuum is relieved, compressed-air is let in and the coupling valve (38) simultaneously opens allowing the ground coffee to fall through the lower outlet (39) of the eddy-chamber (6) into the device (T) used to convey ground coffee to the packing machinery.

Claims: System for controlling the grinding of roast coffee where a coffee grinder (3) is controlled by a programmer (P) connected to a test-meter (5) that uses laser beams (R) to analyse the granulometry of ground coffee samples taken from the grinder (3) and compare them with a granulometric reference sample, and where the above mentioned programmer (P) controls the position of the grinding wheels in the grinder (3), and there is a conveyor system (T) for transporting ground coffee to packing machinery, whereas the samples to be measured are introduced pneumatically to the test-meter characterized by the fact that: There is a first device (I) one of whose moving parts is designed to receive ground coffee samples (2) from the stream of ground coffee (2) coming from the grinder (3), and transport the above mentioned samples away from the grinder (3) and to drop them so into a second device (II) including a vertical tube (4) with a pressurized gas stream flowing down it; this gas stream enters the tube around the stream of ground coffee through apertures (20) in the perimeter of the tube, and guides the above mentioned coffee along the tube (4); a second pressurized gas stream enters the tube at right-angles to the tube through radial apertures (22) and breaks down any aggregates before the ground coffee falls into the test-meter (5); a third device (III) protects the above mentioned test-meter (5) by creating a pressurized area around each lens (25) which is partly open so that the laser beam (R) can freely pass, but which is pressurized to prevent coffee grains from entering the area, and a fourth device (IV) recovers the above mentioned coffee by using a suction device (PV) to draw the ground coffee from the analysis area and transfer it to a container (6) which holds it using a controlled valve (38), and periodically releases it onto the above mentioned conveyor device (T) which takes it to the packing machinery. System as per Claim 1, characterized by the fact that: The above mentioned first device (1) is a closed loop conveyor belt (1) with one end positioned under the grinder (3) so as to collect ground coffee samples from the stream (2) falling from the above mentioned grinder (3), and whose other end is positioned above the above mentioned second device (II) for breaking flown aggregates, so that the samples collected fall into the top end of the second device. System as per Claim 1, characterized by the fact that: The vertical tube (4) of the above mentioned second device (II) includes: a) A hopper (18) at its upper end for receiving samples dropped by the above mentioned first device (I); the lower external diameter of the hopper (18) is smaller than the upper internal diameter of the tube (4), and forms the lower ring-shaped wall of a chamber (19) into which compressed-air from a compressed-air source (31) flows; there is at least one aperture (21) in this wall through which the gas flows and guides the stream of still partly aggregated ground coffee flown the tube (4); b) There is a second chamber (22) around an intermediate section of the above mentioned tube (4), into which compressed-air from the compressed-air source (31) flows, and with apertures (24) at right-angles to the interior of the tube so as to create gas streams at right-angles to the tube which break flown any ground coffee aggregates. System as per Claim 1, characterized by the fact that: The pressurized area in the above mentioned third device (III) is within a casing (26) with two apertures (27 and 28); one aperture is closed around the edge of the laser lens (25), and the other is open opposite the lens; there is a toroid shaped duct (30) positioned around the perimeter in front of the lens (25) which is connected to a compressed-gas source (31), and there are a number of holes (33) in the wall of the duct facing the open aperture (28) so as to create a gas stream flowing along the internal wall of the casing (26) from the area around the lens (25) to the open aperture (28). System as per Claim 1, characterized by the fact that: The container (6) forming part of the above mentioned fourth device (IV) is an eddy-chamber with a conduit (35) through which ground coffee falling from the above mentioned third device (III) arrives; there is a filter (36) in the upper part of the container (6) which allows air to pass but prevents coffee from passing, and forms an upper chamber within the body of the container (6) into which coffee grains cannot enter; there are solenoid-valves (EV) controlled by the programmer (P) and air systems (PV and 31) connected to the coffee-proof chamber (37), which are alternately used in the chamber (37) to create a vacuum and suck coffee flown the conduit (35) into the chamber, or to pressurize it thus stopping the flow of coffee; there is a compressed-air coupling valve (38) connected to a compressed-air source (31) via a valve (EV) which is controlled by the programmer (P); the valve is positioned at the lower extremity of the container (6) and controls an outlet (39) above the conveyor (T) in such a way that a quantity of coffee held in the container (6) can be periodically released onto the conveyor (T) used to transport ground coffee to the packing machinery.

Inventors: ILLY ERNESTO C O ILLYCAFFE S P, ILLY, ERNESTO, C/O ILLYCAFFE' S.P.A.
Applicants: ILLYCAFFE SPA, ILLYCAFFE' S.P.A.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B02C25
IPC codes: A47J42, A23N12, G01N33