Abstract:

In this paper, one present the method of applying fuzzy logic in the creation of a controller to be used as an intermediary between the operator and the coffee roaster. The purpose of the controller is to provide data regarding the optimal operating conditions of the coffee roaster to obtain a specific type of roast, depending on the user's preference. The concept is intended so that it can be applied with an acceptable degree of accuracy by both a domestic and an industrial toaster. The controller is designed to provide information that also depends on the degree of expertise of the coffee roaster operator. Even though the roasting process has imprecisely defined steps and many variables, the controller user has the ability to define narrower or more comprehensive rule sets, depending on experience. Most professional roasters benefit from colorimeters, densimeters and other modern equipment to obtain the perfect roast, equipment that is difficult to procure being niche tools and having a very high price. The controller presented in this project is an autonomous device intended to be used before the initiation of the roasting process. Depending on the data entered at the inputs, it generates at the outputs the optimal operating parameters of the roaster, so as to obtain a specific type of roasting. The connection to the user experience resides in the number and type of data entered at the inputs. Thus, the operator can model the controller's rule set using the knowledge accumulated during previous roasts, knowledge acquired by the "trial-failure" model. The controller uses a generalized approach that does not take into account the type of equipment used for roasting, but only the reactions that take place in the coffee beans during roasting.