KR-102963360-B1 - APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COFFEE BEANS

KR102963360B1KR 102963360 B1KR102963360 B1KR 102963360B1KR-102963360-B1

Abstract

The present invention provides a coffee bean washing device capable of washing various contaminants contained in coffee beans and simultaneously classifying defective coffee beans having a density that has no commercial value. According to the present invention, by washing green beans using bubbles and simultaneously classifying defective green coffee beans, only green coffee beans with a certain degree of density and commercial value can be fed into the subsequent roasting process, thereby enhancing the taste and aroma of the coffee.

Inventors

명경화

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20240117

Claims (3)

Housing (10), A bubble generating unit (20) installed at the bottom of the above housing to generate bubbles in the coffee beans introduced inside and move them to a predetermined height, A pressurizing unit (30) that moves water inside the housing horizontally to transport defective coffee beans to the outlet, A storage unit (50) in which defective coffee beans discharged outside the housing through the discharge port are stored, A coffee bean guide (40) comprising a washing guide (43) connected vertically to a rotating shaft (42) to form a vertical discharge path so that coffee beans move toward the upper part of the housing, and a discharge guide (41) connected horizontally to a rotating shaft (43) to form a horizontal discharge path where defective coffee beans are formed by a pressurizing part (30). A coffee bean washing device comprising a control unit (80) that controls the bubble generating unit (20) and the pressurizing unit (30).
In Article 1, A coffee bean washing device characterized by the above-mentioned control unit reading an image acquired from a camera to determine whether foreign substances or defective coffee beans are detected or whether normal coffee beans are detected, and controlling a bubble generating unit.
In Article 1, A coffee bean washing device characterized by arranging multiple coffee bean washing devices in multiple stages, and then controlling the spraying force of each bubble generating unit and pressurizing unit using a normal coffee bean value preset in memory, thereby sequentially classifying normal coffee beans by density within the housing of each washing device.

Description

Coffee Bean Washing Apparatus {APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COFFEE BEANS} Apparatus for Cleaning Coffee Beans The present invention relates to a green coffee bean washing device, and more specifically, to a green coffee bean washing device capable of improving the taste of coffee by washing away various contaminants such as foreign substances, mold, harmful microorganisms, and pesticides attached to or contained in green coffee beans, such as soil, straw, and wood chips. Depending on the environment of the coffee production site, green coffee beans are spread out and dried on dirt, concrete, or asphalt surfaces, which may result in various foreign substances such as soil, straw, and wood chips adhering to the surface of the beans or being contained within the bags. Additionally, green coffee beans may become contaminated during transportation by the proliferation of microorganisms and molds, such as E. coli and Lazopus, and may also become contaminated by preservatives and disinfectants used to prevent the proliferation of such microorganisms and molds. Although microorganisms in these contaminated coffee beans can be removed by roasting them at high temperatures, it is insufficient to remove other contaminants, and these contaminated coffee beans have a significant impact on the taste and aroma of the coffee, which hinders the production of high-quality coffee beans. As prior art related to a coffee washing device, Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1963039 discloses a roasting machine including a green bean washing device that washes green coffee beans by a microbubble generating unit inside a housing containing distilled water. However, the said prior art merely washes green coffee beans and does not disclose a configuration for classifying green coffee beans according to density. Meanwhile, even within the same type of green coffee bean, they possess varying densities depending on their individual hardness. When green coffee beans are roasted to produce coffee, the roasting temperature is set according to the type and density of the beans, and this temperature is a crucial factor in bringing out the coffee's inherent taste and aroma. During the cultivation and processing stages, green coffee beans may be mixed with defective beans that have no commercial value, such as discolored beans, moldy beans, insect-damaged beans, or broken beans. Therefore, if these defective beans are included with commercially valuable green beans during roasting, it results in a problem that impairs the taste and aroma of the coffee. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a coffee bean washing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2a and 2b are schematic diagrams for explaining the process of classifying coffee beans according to density through two coffee bean washing devices according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a coffee bean washing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The following detailed description is merely illustrative and illustrates embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the principles and concepts of the present invention are provided for the purpose of being most useful and easy to explain. Accordingly, it is not intended to provide a structure more detailed than necessary for a basic understanding of the present invention, and various forms in which the invention may be implemented in substance are illustrated through the drawings by those skilled in the art. In the present invention, defective coffee beans refer to coffee beans that have no commercial value, such as beans that have changed color due to abnormality during the coffee cultivation and processing, beans that have mold, beans that have been eaten by insects, or beans that are broken; normal coffee beans refer to coffee beans that have a somewhat similar density and have been separated from defective coffee beans, and refer to a state in which defective coffee beans and normal coffee beans are mixed without being separated. The configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a coffee bean washing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A coffee bean washing device (100) may include a housing (10), a bubble generating unit (20) installed at the bottom of the housing to generate bubbles in coffee beans introduced inside and move them to a predetermined height, a pressurizing unit (30) that moves water inside the housing horizontally to transport defective coffee beans to an outlet (11), a storage unit (50) in which defective coffee beans discharged outside the housing through the outlet (11) are stored, and a control unit (80) that controls the bubble generating unit (20) and the pressurizing unit (30). The coffee bean washing device (100) can be washed by removing contaminants such