JP7650516B2 - Stone milling machine - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act 76th National Tea Festival Kyoto, November 19, 2020 [Publications, etc.] https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=OFrx1m8UZB0, November 22, 2020 [Publications, etc.] https://www. yoshida-kyoto. co. jp/kyoten/mill. html, November 30, 2020

The present invention relates to a stone mill that grinds materials such as tencha tea and buckwheat seeds to produce powders such as matcha powder (matcha powder) and buckwheat flour.

Matcha powder is made by steaming the tea leaves that have been shaded for a certain period before picking, drying them without rolling, and refining them to produce tencha, which is then ground in a stone mill into powder after the stems and veins have been removed. In recent years, to save labor, electric stone mills that use a motor to rotate the upper mill have been used.

Patent Document 1 describes an electric stone mill that includes a tray, a millstone placed on the tray, and a motor located under the tray. The millstone consists of a circular lower mill and an upper mill of approximately the same shape placed on the lower mill, with numerous engraved lines on the lower surface of the upper mill and the upper surface of the lower mill. A rotating shaft that passes through the tray and lower mill is fixed to the center of the upper mill, and the motor rotates the upper mill via the rotating shaft, causing the upper mill to rotate relative to the lower mill, and the material to be ground is ground between the upper mill and the lower mill.

JP 2001-310136 A

"Matcha Sweets House Sawawa", [online], Nishiki Market Shopping Street, Kyoto, [Retrieved November 1, 2022], Internet <URL: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/sawawa/>

In the stone mill described in Patent Document 1, the matcha powder crushed by the stone mill falls onto a tray. In order to collect the matcha powder on the tray, it is necessary to first collect it with a brush or the like and then scoop it off the tray, which is time-consuming.

So far, we have taken the example of grinding tencha tea in a stone mill to produce matcha powder, but similar problems arise when grinding various materials to produce powder using a stone mill, such as grinding buckwheat seeds to produce buckwheat flour or grinding roasted soybeans to produce kinako (roasted soybean flour).

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a stone mill that can easily recover the ground powder.

The stone mill according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, is as follows:
a) a millstone comprising a lower mill and an upper mill rotatable relative to the lower mill;
b) a millstone fixing base disposed below the lower millstone;
c) a tray disposed between the lower mill and the stone mill fixing base so as to be removable and extending outward from the lower mill;
d) A rod-shaped lower mill fixing device is provided at a portion above the receiving tray for fixing the lower mill to the stone mill fixing base.

In the stone mill flour mill according to the present invention, the rod-shaped lower mill fixture fixes the lower mill, which is above the saucer, and the stone mill fixture base, which is below the saucer, with the saucer sandwiched between them. The stone mill fixture base may be larger or smaller than the saucer. If the stone mill fixture base is smaller than the saucer, the lower mill fixture bypasses the saucer and connects and fixes the lower mill and the stone mill fixture base. The rod-shaped portion of the lower mill fixture may be one or more. As long as the portion of the lower mill fixture part above the saucer is rod-shaped, the other portions may have other shapes. The lower mill fixture may be fixed directly to the lower mill, or the lower mill may be fixed to a lower mill base smaller than the lower mill, and the lower mill fixture may be fixed to the lower mill base. Alternatively, the lower mill fixture may be in close contact with the lower periphery of the lower mill and fix the thin plate fixed to the lower mill and the lower mill fixture base.

When using the stone mill according to the present invention, the material to be ground is placed between the upper and lower mills, and the upper mill is rotated relative to the lower mill, grinding the material between the two mills. The powder of the ground material is released from around the lower mill and falls onto the receiving tray. Some of it also falls onto the rod-shaped part of the lower mill fixture, but this can be easily removed by using a brush or the like to drop it onto the receiving tray. The powder of the material that has fallen onto the receiving tray can be easily collected by pulling out the tray. The upper mill can be rotated manually or electrically by a motor (see below).

The stone mill of the present invention further comprises:
A storage case that houses the millstone and has a top plate and transparent sides;
A supply passage for a material to be crushed penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface of the upper mill;
A funnel provided above the upper mill for introducing the material to be ground into the material supply passage;
The top plate may have an inlet for the material to be crushed located directly above the funnel.

In recent years, manufacturers and distributors of matcha powder, soba restaurants, and the like have been installing stone mills housed in storage cases with transparent sides in front of their stores to demonstrate how matcha powder, soba powder, and the like are released (falling and scattering around) from the sliding surface of the stone mill (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1 regarding matcha powder). In the stone mill mill of the present invention, by providing such a storage case as well as the above-mentioned supply path for ground material, funnel, and inlet, the ground material can be easily supplied from the inlet through the funnel and the supply path for ground material to the sliding surface of the stone mill.

In the configuration having the above-mentioned container case and funnel,
The funnel is fixed to the upper surface of the upper die with its center aligned with the center of rotation of the upper die,
The present invention may be configured to include a rod-shaped bridge prevention member that is non-rotatably inserted into the funnel from above.

In this way, the funnel is fixed to the top surface of the upper mill with its center aligned with the rotation center of the upper mill, so that the funnel and the material to be crushed fed into the funnel rotate around the center of the funnel together with the upper mill. On the other hand, the bridge prevention member does not rotate with the rotation of the upper mill, so the material to be crushed in the funnel receives a force from the bridge prevention member. This prevents the material to be crushed from forming an arch in the funnel and impeding the flow down from the funnel, and allows the material to be crushed to be reliably introduced into the material to be crushed supply path. The bridge prevention member is preferably inserted into the funnel near the axis passing through the rotation center of the upper mill and slightly inclined relative to the axis. If the bridge member is inserted in this state, the rotation of the material to be crushed is not significantly impeded by the bridge member, and the material to be crushed can be more reliably introduced into the material to be crushed supply path. The bridge member may be suspended from the top plate, or may be suspended from a lid provided on the inlet.

The stone mill of the present invention can further include a powder diffusion prevention plate that surrounds the lower mill and slopes inward from the top to the bottom.

By providing such a powder diffusion prevention plate, the powder released from the sliding surface of the millstone is prevented from diffusing widely to the sides, thereby preventing contamination of the surroundings of the millstone with the powder.

The stone mill of the present invention can also be an electric stone mill equipped with a motor that rotates the upper mill.

The electric millstone mill can be configured such that the motor is positioned below the millstone fixing base, and further includes a powder intrusion prevention member between the millstone fixing base and the motor.

By providing such a powder intrusion prevention member, powder can be prevented from entering the motor.

The electric mill can further include a timer that sets the time for which the motor rotates.

By providing such a timer, the millstone is prevented from operating for longer than necessary, thereby preventing so-called dry grinding, in which the upper mill is driven when there is no material to be ground on the sliding surface.

The millstone mill of the present invention makes it easy to recover the ground powder.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of a stone mill according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the millstone fixing table of the millstone flour mill of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a lower mill fixture of the stone mill of this embodiment. 1A is a front view showing a second power transmission member of the upper mill rotation mechanism of the stone mill flour mill of this embodiment and a side view showing its use, and FIG. 1C is a front view showing another use. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a powder intrusion prevention plate provided in the stone mill of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the stone mill of this embodiment housed in the housing case. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a modified example of the stone mill according to the present invention. 1A and 1B are a front view and a side view showing a modified example of the bridge prevention member, and FIG. 1C and a side view showing the operation of the modified example of the bridge prevention member.

Using Figures 1 to 8, we will explain an electric millstone mill 10, which is one embodiment of the millstone mill of the present invention.

(1) Configuration of the electric mill stone 10 of this embodiment As shown in FIG. 1, the electric mill stone 10 of this embodiment has a cylindrical millstone 11, a millstone fixing table 12, a receiving tray 13, a lower mill fixing device 14, an upper mill rotation mechanism 15, a powder diffusion prevention plate 16, a powder intrusion prevention plate (powder intrusion prevention member) 17, and a funnel 18.

The millstone 11 consists of an upper mill 111 and a lower mill 112. The lower mill 112 is fixed to the millstone fixing base 12 by a lower mill fixing device 14 as described below. A spindle 1121 is erected in the center of the upper surface of the lower mill 112, and a through hole 1111 is provided in the center of the upper mill 111. The spindle 1121 is cylindrical, but only the upper end is machined into a conical shape. The diameter of the through hole 1111 is larger than the diameter of the spindle 1121, and a gap is formed between the through hole 1111 and the spindle 1121. This gap becomes the material supply path 114 that supplies the material to be crushed to the sliding surface 113 between the upper mill 111 and the lower mill 112. The upper mill 111 can rotate on the lower mill 112 around a virtual rotation axis (a dashed line in FIG. 1) that is approximately perpendicular to the upper surface of the lower mill 112. As the upper mill 111 rotates in this manner, the upper mill 111 and the lower mill 112 slide on the sliding surface 113. The upper mill 111 can be separated from the lower mill 112 by lifting it up.

The stone mill fixing base 12 is disposed below the lower mill 112 and has a stone mill fixing portion 121 and a tray placement portion 122. The tray 13 is placed on the tray placement portion 122. The tray 13 is circular with a larger diameter than the stone mill 11 and has a size that expands outward more than the lower mill 112, and the tray placement portion 122 is also arranged to expand outward more than the lower mill 112 correspondingly. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the tray placement portion 122 consists of a disk portion 1221 and a band-shaped extension portion 1222 that extends in three directions at 120° intervals from the disk portion 1221. The diameter of the disk portion 1221 is smaller than the diameter of the tray 13, but the tip of the extension portion 1222 extends outward more than the tray 13 when the tray 13 is placed in the center of the tray placement portion 122. The millstone fixing parts 121 are columnar members erected one at each end of the three extension parts 1222 of the tray mounting part 122, and there are three of them spaced at 120° intervals across the entire millstone fixing base 12. The tray 13 can be inserted and removed from the tray mounting part 122 through the spaces between the millstone fixing parts 121.

The millstone fixing base 12 is attached to the upper end of a cylindrical support 123, and legs 124 are attached to the lower end of the support 123.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower mill fixing device 14 has a plate-shaped portion 142 having the same shape as the lower surface of the lower mill 112, and three rod-shaped portions 141 extending outward from the plate-shaped portion 142. The plate-shaped portion 142 has a hole 1421 through which a bolt 143 passes, and the lower surface of the lower mill 112 is fixed to the plate-shaped portion 142 by the bolt 143. The plate-shaped portion 142 has. The lower mill fixing device 14 has no members other than the rod-shaped portion 141 outside the plate-shaped portion 142, and the powder that is crushed by the millstone 11 and falls can pass through the parts other than the rod-shaped portion 141 as described later. Each of the three rod-shaped portions 141 is fixed to the corresponding millstone fixing portion 121 at the lower part of its tip. In this embodiment, a hollow square timber is used for the rod-shaped portion 141, and a circular plate is used for the plate-shaped portion 142, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, the rod-shaped portion 141 may be a solid square timber, or a cylindrical (hollow) or columnar (solid) rod. If weight reduction is important, a hollow rod may be used, and if strength is important, a solid rod may be used. The number of rod-shaped portions 141 may be four or more, or two or less (for example, one rod-shaped portion 141 may be used as a cantilever to support the plate-shaped portion 142). The plate-shaped portion 142 may have a shape smaller than the lower surface of the lower mill 112. Also, instead of providing the plate-shaped portion 142, the rod-shaped portion 141 may be connected in a Y-shape, a cross shape, or the like, and provided on the lower surface of the lower mill 112, and the lower mill 112 may be fixed to the rod-shaped portion 141.

The upper mill rotation mechanism 15 has a motor 151 arranged under the millstone fixing table 12, a first gear 152 attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 151, a second gear 153 meshing with the first gear 152, and a power transmission unit 154 attached to the second gear 153. The rotation shafts of the motor 151, the first gear 152, and the second gear 153 are all oriented approximately vertically. The rotation shaft of the second gear 153 is coaxial with the virtual rotation shaft of the upper mill 111.

The power transmission section 154 is composed of a first power transmission member 1541, which is a strip-shaped plate material bent at 90°, and a second power transmission member 1542, which is a strip-shaped plate material bent into a crank shape. The first power transmission member 1541 is fixed to the second gear 153 with one end side of the bent part facing approximately horizontally, and the other end side is arranged so that it faces upward from the bent part. Near the other end of the first power transmission member 1541, a hole (not shown) through which the support 123 passes is provided. The second power transmission member 1542 is arranged so that both ends of the crank face the up and down directions. As shown in FIG. 4, the plate material is cut near the upper end of the second power transmission member 1542 so that it is L-shaped when viewed from the plate surface side. The protrusion 1112 (see FIG. 1) provided on the side of the upper mill 111 abuts on the part corresponding to the vertical bar of the L-shaped part 1543 formed in this way from the direction corresponding to the right side of the L (FIG. 4(a)). The second power transmission member 1542 is not fixed to the upper mill 111, and when rotated by the motor 151 as described below, the second power transmission member 1542 pushes the protrusion 1112, causing the upper mill 111 to rotate. Instead of pushing the protrusion 1112 with the second power transmission member 1542, a ring 1546 connected to one end of the belt 1545 may be hung on the L-shaped portion 1543 of the second power transmission member 1542, and a ring 1547 connected to the other end of the belt 1545 may be hung on the protrusion 1112 of the upper mill 111, so that the second power transmission member 1542 pulls the protrusion 1112 (FIG. 4(c)). Also, instead of such a belt with a loop, a single loop made of a string or the like may be hung on the L-shaped portion 1543 and the protrusion 1112.

A rectangular box-shaped connecting member 1544 having an opening on the bottom surface is attached to the lower end of the second power transmission member 1542. The first power transmission member 1541 and the second power transmission member 1542 are connected by inserting the upper end of the first power transmission member 1541 into the connecting member 1544 from this opening. In this way, the second power transmission member 1542 is not fixed to the upper mill 111, and the first power transmission member 1541 and the second power transmission member 1542 are connected simply by inserting the first power transmission member 1541 into the connecting member 1544, so that the second power transmission member 1542 can be easily attached and detached during maintenance. With the above configuration, when viewed as a whole, the power transmission section 154 is formed so that it extends from below the millstone fixing base 12 through the side of the millstone fixing base 12 and the side of the lower mill 112 to the upper mill 111.

The powder diffusion prevention plate 16 is made of a band-shaped plate material bent into a ring shape and placed on the lower mill fixture 14. The height of the powder diffusion prevention plate 16 is smaller than the height of the lower mill 112, and the diameters of the lower and upper ends are both larger than the diameter of the millstone 11, and the diameter of the lower end is smaller than the diameter of the receiving tray 13. The lower end of the powder diffusion prevention plate 16 has three notches (not shown) corresponding to the three rod-shaped parts 141 of the lower mill fixture 14. By fitting the rod-shaped parts 141 corresponding to each of these three notches, the powder diffusion prevention plate 16 is arranged so that the millstone 11 is located in the center. With this configuration, the powder diffusion prevention plate 16 surrounds the lower mill 112 below the sliding surface 113 of the millstone 11, and can guide the powder falling from the sliding surface 113 to the receiving tray 13. In this embodiment, the height of the powder diffusion prevention plate 16 is smaller than that of the lower mill 112 so that the powder being released from the sliding surface 113 can be visually observed from the side, but if there is no need for visual observation, the height of the powder diffusion prevention plate 16 may be made greater than that of the lower mill 112 in order to prevent the powder being released from the sliding surface 113 from diffusing and to guide more powder to the receiving tray 13.

The powder intrusion prevention plate 17 is for preventing powder from entering the motor 151, and is made of a rectangular flat plate-like member that is nearly square and is provided between the motor 151, the first gear 152, the second gear 153, and the stone mill fixing base 12 so as to extend outward from the stone mill fixing base 12. The four sides of the powder intrusion prevention plate 17 are supported by the upper end of the lower side plate 213 described below. The powder intrusion prevention plate 17 can be separated into two and removed during maintenance. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a circular hole 171 is provided in the center of the powder intrusion prevention plate 17, the diameter of which is larger than that of the support 123 and smaller than that of the disc part 1221 of the receiving tray mounting part 122, and the support 123 passes through this hole 171. Also, the approximately horizontal part of the first power transmission member 1541 described above is provided above the powder intrusion prevention plate 17, and is fixed to the second gear 153 by a bolt through the hole 171.

The funnel 18 is used to introduce the material to be crushed into the material supply passage 114, and is fixed to the upper surface of the upper mill 111 with its center aligned with the imaginary axis of rotation of the upper mill. Because the funnel 18 is fixed in this manner, the funnel 18 also rotates around its own center of rotation as the upper mill 111 rotates.

In this embodiment, the materials for the stone mill fixing base 12, the lower mill fixing device 14, the power transmission unit 154, the powder diffusion prevention plate 16, and the powder intrusion prevention plate 17 are all stainless steel. The material for the spindle 1121 is wood. The material for the funnel 18 is polypropylene. However, the materials for these parts are not limited to the examples given here.

The components described above are housed in a cubic housing 21, as shown in FIG. 6. Housing 21 has a rectangular top plate 211, four upper side plates 212, and four lower side plates 213. Top plate 211 and upper side plates 212 are made of a wooden frame 2112 with a transparent plate (glass plate) fitted in it so that the inside can be seen from the outside. Millstone 11 is located in a space surrounded by four upper side plates 212. One of the four upper side plates 212 is a door that is attached to the frame of the adjacent upper side plate 212 by a hinge 215 so that it can be opened and closed. A handle 214 is attached to the lower part of the door on the side opposite to the side where the hinge 215 is attached, so that the user can hold the handle 214 to open and close the door. The upper side plate 212 is provided vertically from directly below the top plate 211 to directly below the stone mill fixing base 12. The upper housing 210 consisting of the top plate 211, upper side plate 212, and frame 2112 is placed on the lower housing consisting of the lower side plate 213, and can be lifted up and removed.

The lower side panel 213 is made of an opaque material, and in this embodiment, a wooden one is used. The support 123, motor 151, first gear 152, and second gear 153, which are located below the stone mill fixing base 12, cannot be seen from the side by the opaque lower side panel 213. Four metal plates that make up the lower side panel 213 are provided to surround the support 123, etc., mentioned above. Note that materials other than wood may be used for the frames of the top panel 211 and upper side panel 212, and the lower side panel 213. If metal materials are used for these, it is recommended to print a wood grain pattern on the surface to enhance aesthetics.

The top plate 211 has an opening 216 for introducing the material to be crushed directly above the funnel 18, and a lid 217 for opening and closing the opening 216 for introducing the material to be crushed.

A ring-shaped hanging device 191 is provided on the underside of the lid 217, and a rod-shaped bridge prevention member 19 is hung (inserted) from the hanging device 191 into the funnel 18. The upper end of the bridge prevention member 19 is hook-shaped, and the hook is hooked onto the ring of the hanging device 191. The length of the bridge prevention member 19 is set so that the lower end is positioned between the conical part of the shaft 1121 and the through hole 1111 of the upper mill 111. In this embodiment, stainless steel is used as the material for the hanging device 191 and the bridge prevention member 19, but this is not limited to the example. Also, instead of hanging the bridge prevention member 19 from the hook on the underside of the lid 217, it may be fixed to the same surface.

The timer 22, the rotation speed setting device 23, and the main switch 24 are attached to the lower side panel 213. The timer 22 sets the time for operating the motor 151. The rotation speed setting device 23 sets the rotation speed of the motor 151. The main switch 24 has three positions and is operated by turning the knob from the center to either the left or right, or in the opposite direction. When the motor 151 is stopped, if the user turns the knob from the center to the right, the motor 151 operates continuously (the timer 22 does not operate), and when the user returns the knob to the center, the motor 151 stops. When the user turns the knob from the center to the left, the motor 151 operates for the time set by the timer 22, and the knob automatically returns to the center. When the set time has elapsed, the motor 151 automatically stops. In addition, the motor 151 can also be stopped by changing the set time of the timer 22 to a time shorter than the time that has elapsed after the start of operation. The knob of the main switch 24 has a built-in LED lamp, and whether it is in continuous operation or operation using a timer, the lamp is on while the motor 151 is operating and goes out when the motor 151 stops.

The door of the upper side panel 212 is provided with a door sensor 25 that detects that the door is closed. While the door sensor 25 detects that the door is closed, the motor 151 can be operated by the flow of a detection signal (current). On the other hand, when the door is open, the detection signal does not flow, so the motor 151 does not operate even if the user operates the main switch 24. In addition, when the door is opened while the motor 151 is operating, the detection signal does not flow, so the motor 151 stops, and when the door is closed again from this state, the operation of the motor 151 resumes. Furthermore, when the upper housing 210 is removed, the detection signal does not flow, so the motor 151 does not operate. As described above, safety is ensured by not operating the motor 151 while the door is open or the upper housing 210 is removed. In addition, a release switch for the door sensor 25 may be further provided in consideration of the need to operate the motor 151 with the door open or the upper housing 210 removed, such as when inspecting the electric stone mill 10. It is advisable to provide a cover or similar to prevent such release switches from being operated accidentally during normal operation.

In addition, a tray sensor 26 is embedded near the upper end of the support 123, and a hole (not shown) is provided in the tray mounting portion 122 directly above the tray sensor 26. The tray sensor 26 is a sensor that detects the tray 13 placed on the tray mounting portion 122 through the hole in the tray mounting portion 122. When the tray sensor 26 does not detect the tray 13, the detection signal (current) of the tray sensor 26 does not flow, and the motor 151 does not operate. This prevents the electric millstone mill 10 from operating without placing the tray 13 on the tray mounting portion 122, and prevents powder from falling onto the tray mounting portion 122, or even from falling to the motor 151 through the outside of the disc portion 1221 of the tray mounting portion 122 (the portion blocked by the tray 13 if the tray 13 is placed) and the hole 171 of the powder intrusion prevention plate 17. A release switch may also be provided for the receiving tray sensor 26. In this case, the door sensor 25 and the receiving tray sensor 26 may be released by a common release switch.

(2) Operation of the electric mill stone 10 of this embodiment When using the electric mill stone 10 of this embodiment, the user opens the door on the upper side panel 212 of the housing 21 and places the tray 13 on the tray placement section 122. The user also opens the lid 217 provided on the top panel 211 and supplies the material to be ground, such as tencha tea or buckwheat seeds, into the funnel 18 through the material to be ground inlet 216. After this operation, the user closes the door on the upper side panel 212 and the lid 217 (reattaching the upper housing 210 if it was removed).

Before supplying the material to be crushed into the funnel 18, the upper housing 210 may be removed, the upper mill 111 and the funnel 18 may be removed from the lower mill 112, and the material to be crushed may be placed on the upper surface of the lower mill 112. This ensures that the material to be crushed is already supplied to the sliding surface 113 when the millstone operation starts, thereby preventing empty grinding. Also, before supplying the material to be crushed into the funnel 18, the upper mill 111 may be placed on the lower mill 112 and the funnel 18 may be removed, and the material to be crushed may be packed into the material to be crushed supply path 114. This allows the material to be crushed in the material to be crushed supply path 114 to be supplied to the sliding surface 113 immediately after the millstone operation starts, thereby preventing empty grinding.

The user sets the rotation speed of the motor 151 using the rotation speed setting device 23. Furthermore, when the timer 22 is used, the user operates the timer 22 to set the drive time of the motor 151. Here, the drive time of the motor 151 is appropriately determined according to the amount of material to be crushed and the rotation speed so that the upper mill 111 is not driven when the material to be crushed is not present on the sliding surface. Normally, when the same type of material to be crushed is added in approximately the same amount, there is no need to change these drive times or rotation speeds.

Next, when the timer 22 is to be used, the user turns the knob of the main switch 24 to the left, and when the timer 22 is not to be used, the user turns the knob to the right, and the motor 151 starts. This causes the second gear 153 to rotate coaxially with the virtual rotation axis of the upper mill 111 via the first gear 152, and accordingly, the power transmission part 154 attached to the second gear 153 also rotates coaxially with the rotation axis. Then, the L-shaped part 1543 of the second power transmission member 1542 presses the protrusion 1112 of the upper mill 111, and the power to rotate the upper mill 111 around the virtual rotation axis is transmitted from the motor 151 to the upper mill 111. Furthermore, as the upper mill 111 rotates, the funnel 18 fixed to the upper surface of the upper mill 111 also rotates. As the funnel 18 rotates, the material to be crushed inside the funnel 18 also rotates, but the bridge prevention member 19 is positioned at a slight incline from the vertical without rotating, with its lower end contacting the conical portion at the upper end of the stem 1121 and/or the inner wall of the through hole 1111 of the upper mill 111. Therefore, the material to be crushed rotating inside the funnel 18 receives a force from the bridge prevention member 19, preventing the so-called bridging phenomenon from occurring. Therefore, the material to be crushed can be reliably introduced from the funnel 18 into the material to be crushed supply path 114.

The material to be crushed introduced into the material supply passage 114 is supplied to the sliding surface 113 and crushed on the sliding surface 113. The crushed powder falls from around the sliding surface 113. Some of the powder that falls is deposited on the rod-shaped portion 141 of the lower mill fixture 14, but most of the remaining powder passes between the rod-shaped portions 141 and is deposited on the receiving tray 13 placed on the receiving tray placement portion 122.

The powder diffusion prevention plate 16 prevents the powder from diffusing to the side of the receiving tray 13, thereby preventing the surroundings of the electric millstone flour mill 10 from being contaminated by the powder and directing the powder onto the receiving tray 13. The powder intrusion prevention plate 17 prevents the powder from entering the motor 151, thereby preventing the motor 151 from breaking down.

After the motor 151 is stopped by the operation of the timer 22 or by the user returning the knob of the main switch 24 to the center, the user opens the door of the upper side panel 212 and knocks the powder accumulated on the rod-shaped portion 141 onto the receiving tray 13 with a brush or the like. The user can then easily collect the powder accumulated in the receiving tray 13 by pulling out the receiving tray 13 from the receiving tray mounting portion 122.

(3) Modifications The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, an electric millstone flour mill is provided with an upper mill rotation mechanism 15 including a motor 151, but the upper mill rotation mechanism 15 may be omitted and the upper mill 111 may be rotated manually.

In addition, if the purpose is not to display the release of matcha powder, buckwheat powder, etc. from the stone mill 11, but only to produce powder from the ground material, a case made only of an opaque material may be used, or the case may be omitted. The powder diffusion prevention plate 16, powder intrusion prevention plate 17, funnel 18, bridge prevention member 19, etc. may also be omitted as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, the lower mill fixture 14 is attached to the underside of the lower mill 112, but as shown in FIG. 7, it may be attached to the side of the lower mill 112. In the example shown in FIG. 7, one end of the square bar-shaped lower mill fixture 14A is inserted into a hole provided on the side of the lower mill 112. The other end of the lower mill fixture 14A is fixed to the upper end of the millstone fixing part 121 of the millstone fixing base 12, as in the above embodiment. In this example, the powder diffusion prevention plate 16A is provided above the square bar of the lower mill fixture 14A. Note that although the housing 21 is not shown in FIG. 7, the millstone 11, etc. may be housed in the housing 21 in the example shown in FIG. 7, as in the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, a flat powder intrusion prevention plate 17 is placed between the stone mill fixing table 12 and the motor 151, but instead, a powder intrusion prevention member may be provided to surround the motor 151, the first gear 152, and the second gear 153.

Instead of the bridge prevention member 19 in the above embodiment, a bridge prevention member 19A shown in FIG. 8 can be used. In this bridge prevention member 19A, a vertical bar 192 and a horizontal bar 193 are formed in a cross shape, and a ring portion 194 is provided at the upper end of the vertical bar 192. The horizontal bar 193 is provided above the upper end of the funnel 18 and extends beyond the outer periphery of the funnel 18. The rod material constituting the ring portion 194 and the rod material constituting the ring-shaped hanging device 191 are passed through each other so as to pass through the other ring. Note that in FIG. 8(a), the ring portion 194 is viewed from the side, so only the ring of the hanging device 191 is shown, and in FIG. 8(b), the hanging device 191 is viewed from the side, so only the ring of the ring portion 194 is shown. With this configuration, the bridge prevention member 19A is prevented from rotating around the vertical bar 192 by the rod material of the ring of the hanging device 191. Furthermore, outside the outer periphery of the funnel 18, there is a contact portion 195 that is erected on the upper surface of the upper mill 111 via a footrest 182, is positioned inside the tip of the horizontal bar 193, and extends above the horizontal bar 193.

In a modified example having such a bridge prevention member 19A, the abutment portion 195 rotates together with the upper mill 111 and the foot stand 182 (FIG. 8(c)). When the abutment portion 195 abuts against one end of the horizontal bar 193, the end of the horizontal bar 193 on the abutment portion 195 side is pushed up, and the vertical bar 192 tilts accordingly (FIG. 8(d)). When the abutment portion 195 passes one end of the horizontal bar 193, the bridge prevention member 19A returns to its original position. When the abutment portion 195 abuts against the other end of the horizontal bar 193, the vertical bar 192 tilts in the opposite direction to the example shown in FIG. 8(d). In this way, the bridge prevention member 19A moves so that the vertical bar 192 tilts every time the abutment portion 195 rotates half a turn, and does not move at other times (therefore, the bridge prevention member 19A does not rotate). In this way, by tilting the vertical rod 192 without rotating, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a bridging phenomenon in the material to be crushed that rotates with the upper mill 111 and funnel 18. In addition, if the material to be crushed were to be agitated, it would break into smaller pieces inside the funnel 18, making it easier to pass through the material to be crushed supply path 114, which could result in a large amount of material to be crushed being supplied to the sliding surface 113 at the same time and making it impossible to crush the material sufficiently, but because the bridge prevention member 19A does not move except when the abutment portion 195 rotates half a turn as described above, the material to be crushed is prevented from being agitated, and the material to be crushed can be sufficiently crushed.

[Aspects]
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above-described exemplary embodiments are illustrative of the following aspects.

(Item 1) A stone mill according to one aspect of the present invention comprises:
a) a millstone comprising a lower mill and an upper mill rotatable relative to the lower mill;
b) a millstone fixing base disposed below the lower millstone;
c) a tray disposed between the lower mill and the stone mill fixing base so as to be removable and extending outward from the lower mill;
d) A rod-shaped lower mill fixing device is provided at a portion above the receiving tray for fixing the lower mill to the stone mill fixing base.

(2) The stone mill according to the second aspect of the present invention further comprises the following:
A storage case that houses the millstone and has a top plate and transparent sides;
A supply passage for a material to be crushed penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface of the upper mill;
A funnel provided above the upper mill for introducing the material to be ground into the material supply passage;
The top plate has an inlet for the material to be crushed located directly above the funnel.

(Clause 3) The stone mill according to Clause 3 is a stone mill according to Clause 1 or 2,
The funnel is fixed to the upper surface of the upper mill with its center aligned with the rotation center of the upper mill,
The funnel further includes a rod-shaped anti-bridge member that is non-rotatably inserted into the funnel from above.

(4) The millstone according to 4 is the millstone according to any one of 1 to 3, further comprising a powder diffusion prevention plate that surrounds the lower mill and is inclined inward from the top to the bottom.

(5) The millstone mill according to 5 is the millstone mill according to any one of 1 to 4, further comprising a motor for rotating the upper mill.

(6) The stone mill according to the 6th paragraph is a stone mill according to the 5th paragraph,
The motor is disposed below the stone fixing base,
Furthermore, a powder intrusion prevention member is provided between the stone mill fixing base and the motor.

(Clause 7) The millstone mill according to clause 7 is the millstone mill according to clause 5 or 6, further comprising a timer that sets the time for rotating the motor.

10... Electric millstone flour mill 11... Millstone 111... Upper millstone 1111... Through hole of upper millstone 1112... Protrusion 112... Lower millstone 1121... Axle 113... Slide surface 114... Supply path for material to be ground 12... Millstone fixing base 121... Millstone fixing portion 122... Receiving tray mounting portion 1221... Disc portion 1222... Extension portion 123... Support 124... Leg 13... Receiving tray 14, 14A... Lower millstone fixing device 141... Rod-shaped portion 142... Plate-shaped portion 1 421...Hole for passing the bolt 143...Bolt 15...Upper mill rotation mechanism 151...Motor 152...First gear 153...Second gear 154...Power transmission section 1541...First power transmission member 1542...Second power transmission member 1543...L-shaped section 1544...Connecting member 1545...Belt 1546, 1547...Ring 16, 16A...Powder diffusion prevention plate 17...Powder fall prevention plate (powder fall prevention member)
171...hole in powder fall prevention plate 18...funnel 182...footrest 19, 19A...bridge prevention member 191...hanging device 192...vertical bar 193...horizontal bar 194...annular portion 195...contact portion 21...housing 210...upper housing 211...top plate 212...upper side plate 213...lower side plate 214...handle 215...hinge 216...inlet for material to be crushed 217...lid 22...timer 23...rotation speed setting device 24...main switch 25...door sensor 26...receiver tray sensor

Claims (7)

a) a millstone consisting of a cylindrical lower mill and a cylindrical upper mill that can rotate relative to the lower mill;
b ) a lower die fixing device having a rod-shaped portion extending outward from a peripheral portion of the lower die;
c ) a millstone fixing base having a tray mounting portion disposed below the lower mill at a distance from the lower surface of the lower mill and having a size that expands outwardly from the lower mill, and a millstone fixing portion that is erected on the outer peripheral end of the tray mounting portion and supports the rod-shaped portion at the tip of the rod-shaped portion;
d ) A stone mill having a tray arranged in the tray placement section so as to be removable and extending outward beyond the lower mill. moreover,
A storage case that houses the millstone and has a top plate and transparent sides;
A supply passage for a material to be crushed penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface of the upper mill;
A funnel provided above the upper mill for introducing the material to be ground into the material supply passage;
2. The stone mill according to claim 1, further comprising an inlet for the material to be ground provided on the top plate directly above the funnel. The funnel is fixed to the upper surface of the upper mill with its center aligned with the rotation center of the upper mill,
moreover,
A lid attached to the insertion port;
A mandrel is provided on the upper surface of the lower mill, is inserted into a through hole passing through the rotation center of the upper mill with a gap between the through hole and the through hole, and has an upper end in the shape of a conical surface.
a rod-shaped bridge prevention member suspended from the lid into the funnel so that the lower end of the rod contacts the conical surface of the upper end of the core rod ;
3. A stone mill according to claim 2. The millstone mill according to any one of claims 1 to 3 further comprises a powder diffusion prevention plate that surrounds the lower mill and is inclined inward from the top to the bottom. The millstone mill according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a motor for rotating the upper mill. The motor is disposed below the stone fixing base,
Further, a powder intrusion prevention member is provided between the stone mill fixing base and the motor.
6. A stone mill according to claim 5. The mill stone mill of claim 5 further comprises a timer that sets the time for rotating the motor.

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