Apparatus and method for roasting coffee beans, and coffee machine
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsJingwei Tan, Jun Shi, Yanyan Wang, Jun Zhou, Declan Patrick Kelly
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Abstract
A apparatus (100) for roasting coffee beans is disclosed comprising a compartment (110) for holding coffee beans (10); a roasting element (140) for roasting the coffee beans in said compartment; and a processor (130) comprising a control unit (134) for controlling the roasting element. Wherein, the processor (130) is adapted to determine a weight loss rate of the coffee beans, and the control unit (134) is adapted to control the roasting element as a function of the determined weight loss rate. A coffee machine including such an apparatus and a method for roasting coffee beans are also disclosed.
Claims15
An apparatus for roasting coffee beans, the apparatus comprising:
- a compartment for holding coffee beans;
- a roasting element for roasting the coffee beans in the compartment;
- and
- a processor comprising a control unit for controlling the roasting element,
- wherein the processor is adapted to determine a weight loss rate of the coffee beans, wherein the weight loss rate of the coffee beans is a ratio of:
- a) a difference between a first weight measurement of the coffee beans and a subsequent weight measurement at which the first weight measurement of the coffee beans has reduced by a defined amount, and b) a time elapsed between the first weight measurement and the subsequent weight measurement, and wherein the control unit is adapted to control the roasting element as a function of the determined weight loss rate of the coffee beans.
A method of roasting coffee beans, the method comprising:
- roasting coffee beans in a compartment;
- determining a weight loss rate of the coffee beans during the roasting, wherein the weight loss rate of the coffee beans is a ratio of:
- a) a difference between a first weight measurement of the coffee beans and a subsequent weight measurement at which the first weight measurement of the coffee beans has reduced by a defined amount, and b) a time elapsed between the first weight measurement and the subsequent weight measurement;
- selecting a roasting profile for the coffee beans based on the determined weight loss rate;
- and
- completing the roasting of the coffee beans using the selected roasting profile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.