Method for detecting the amount of grains within a grinding device

A grinding device comprising:

• a rotating grinding member;
• an electric motor operatively associated with said rotating grinding member and suitable to move said rotating grinding member;
• a detector for detecting a period of rotation of the rotating grinding member, said detector being operatively associated with said rotating grinding member;
• a container arranged upstream of said rotating grinding member for containing grains to be powdered during a grinding cycle;
• and
• a processing and command unit connected to the detector and electric motor;
• characterized in that the detector and the processing unit are such as to carry out measurement and processing steps such that the grinding device carries out the steps of:
• controlling the electric motor to supply the rotating grinding member with a first driving torque during a first interval of a grinding cycle;;
• detecting a first value indicative of a period of rotation of said rotating grinding member at the first driving torque;
• controlling the electric motor to supply the rotating grinding member, during a second interval of said grinding cycle, with a second driving torque, said second driving torque being less than the first driving torque;
• detecting a second value indicative of the relative period of rotation of said rotating grinding member at said second driving torque;
• and
• processing the first value and the second value to generate information indicative of an amount of the grains within the container.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program having instructions for causing a processing unit of a grinding device, when loaded with the computer program, to exchange signals with a detector of a period of rotation of a rotating grinding member and with a motor of the rotating grinding member such as to carry out the steps of:

• controlling the motor to supply the rotating grinding member with a first driving torque during a first interval of a grinding cycle;;
• detecting a first value indicative of a period of rotation of said rotating grinding member at the first driving torque;
• controlling the motor to supply the rotating grinding member, during a second interval of said grinding cycle, with a second driving torque, said second driving torque being less than the first driving torque;
• detecting a second value indicative of the relative period of rotation of said rotating grinding member at said second driving torque;
• and
• processing the first value and the second value to generate information indicative of an amount of the grains within the container.