Method and system for processing sensor input data captured from sensors placed in a production line

Abstract

A method (400) for processing sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) captured from sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) placed in a production line (102). The method comprises: receiving (402) the sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) from the sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) placed in the production line through a variable generator (126), wherein the variable generator (126) comprises a first processor (302), a first data communication module (304) and a first memory (306); generating (404) a plurality of variables (128, 130) based on the sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) according to a variable generation scheme (142) ; transmitting (406) the plurality of variables (128, 130) to a key performance indicator (KPI) generator (146), wherein the KPI generator (146) includes a second processor (308), a second data communication module (310), and a second memory (312); generating (408) a plurality of key performance indicators (KPIs) (134, 136) based on the plurality of variables (128, 130) according to a KPI generation scheme (146); and transmitting (410) the plurality of KPIs to a user interface (UI) enabled device (138).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of food processing, such as liquid food processing and packaging. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for processing sensor input data captured from sensors placed in a production line. Background Art

[0002] Today's food processing lines are in most cases complex systems that include a number of different devices that can process food in various ways. The complexity comes from a number of reasons. One of the reasons is that in order to enable the production line to be cleaned during operation, some processing steps may be repeated. For example, two or more balancing boxes may be provided in the production line so that when one of the balancing boxes is serviced, one or more of the other balancing boxes can be used for production. This is advantageous from a production perspective because servicing in this way does not require shutting down the production line. Another reason for the complexity is that food manufacturers are interested in flexible production lines that can be used for a variety of different products. By having such a flexible production line, food manufacturers can process and / or package different products as needed. In addition, many of today's food processing lines have been upgraded many times over the years, resulting in production lines becoming increasingly complex.

[0003] In addition to the complexity of food processing lines, the level of complexity increases when the use of different sensors is taken into account. For example, some food manufacturers may prefer to have magnetic relays on each door to be able to detect when the door is opened or closed, which can be used as an input to determine when a machine interruption occurs. Other food manufacturers may choose not to install such relays on all doors, and instead prefer to rely on temperature sensors, conductivity sensors, flow transmitters, etc. for the same purpose, which are most often used for analytical operation or control purposes.

[0004] The complexity of food processing lines and the sensors used in food processing lines can affect the key performance indicators (KPIs) used to track line performance. Since lines may be set up differently and they may include different equipment as well as different types of sensors, setting up a structure for determining KPIs for food processing lines is challenging and time consuming. Therefore, there is a need for methods and systems that can reduce the time required to set up a system for reliably measuring KPIs. Summary of the invention

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art.In particular, it is an object to provide a method and system for efficiently and reliably setting up a structure for determining KPIs related to a food processing line.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a method for processing sensor input data captured from a sensor placed in a production line is provided, the method comprising: receiving the sensor input data from the sensor placed in the production line through a variable generator, wherein the variable generator comprises a first processor, a first data communication module and a first memory; generating a plurality of variables based on the sensor input data according to a variable generation scheme; transmitting the plurality of variables to a key performance indicator (KPI) generator, wherein the KPI generator comprises a second processor, a second data communication module and a second memory; and generating a plurality of key performance indicators (KPIs) based on the plurality of variables according to the KPI generation scheme.

[0007] Alternatively, the variable generator and the KPI generator may share the same processor, memory and data communications equipment.

[0008] Additionally, the method may include transmitting the plurality of KPIs to a user interface (UI) enabled device.

[0009] The variable generator and the KPI generator may be different physical entities.

[0010] The variable generation scheme may be shared among a first group of production lines, and the KPI generation scheme may be shared among a second group of production lines.

[0011] The second group may be a subset of the first group.

[0012] The modification of the variant generation scheme may be distributed to the production lines of the first group via the variant generation data center.

[0013] Modifications to the KPI generation scheme may be distributed to the second group of production lines.

[0014] The KPI generation solution may be shared among the second group via a secure data communication channel.

[0015] The production line may be a food production line, such as a liquid food production line.

[0016] According to a second aspect, there is provided a system arranged to process sensor input data captured from a sensor placed in a production line, the system comprising: a variable generator arranged to receive the sensor input data from the sensor placed in the production line, and generate a plurality of variables based on the sensor input data according to a variable generation scheme, wherein the variable generator comprises a first processor, a first data communication module and a first memory; and a key performance indicator (KPI) generator arranged to receive the plurality of variables from the variable generator, and generate a plurality of key performance indicators (KPI) based on the plurality of variables according to a KPI generation scheme, wherein the KPI generator comprises a second processor, a second data communication module and a second memory.

[0017] Additionally, the KPI generator may be arranged to communicate the plurality of KPIs to a user interface (UI) enabled device.

[0018] The variable generator and the KPI generator may be different physical entities.

[0019] The variable generation scheme may be shared among a first group of production lines, and the KPI generation scheme may be shared among a second group of production lines.

[0020] The second group may be a subset of the first group.

[0021] The modification of the variant generation scheme may be distributed to the production lines of the first group via the variant generation data center.

[0022] Modifications to the KPI generation scheme may be distributed to the second group of production lines.

[0023] The KPI generation scheme may be shared among the second group via a secure data communication channel.

[0024] The production line may be a food production line, such as a liquid food production line.

[0025] Other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which

[0027] Figure 1 A system including a food production line provided with sensors is shown;

[0028] Figure 2 The variable generator and KPI generator are shown in more detail;

[0029] Figure 3 An example of a hardware setup for a variable generator and a KPI generator is shown;

[0030] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing sensor input data captured from sensors placed in a food production line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] refer to Figure 1 , a system 100 is shown. The system 100 includes a food production line 102, also referred to as a food processing line, which may be a food processing line including steps such as heat treatment, homogenization, filtering and separation, or a food packaging line or a combination thereof. Figure 1 In the example shown, the food production line 102 includes a filling machine 104, a cartoner 106 arranged to group packages and place them in a carton tray, and a film wrapper 108 arranged to provide a plastic film around the tray and the packages. For example, in order to monitor the performance of the food production line 102, first and second sensors 110, 112 are placed in the filling machine 104, a third sensor 114 is placed in the cartoner 106 and a fourth sensor 116 is placed in the film wrapper 108. The sensors 110-116 can be of various types. For example, in the case where the filling machine 104 is a roll-fed filling machine based on a carton, the first sensor 110 can be a temperature sensor for determining that sufficient heat is generated when forming a transverse seal; and the second sensor 112 can be an optical sensor for determining that the web of packaging material is properly aligned when forming a longitudinal seal. The third sensor 114 placed in the cartoner 106 can be, for example, a magnetic-based door sensor for determining whether the service door is open. Also as an example, the fourth sensor 116 may be an optical sensor configured to count packages entering the film wrapper 116 .

[0032] The sensor input data 118, 120, 122, 124 from the sensors 110, 112, 114, 116 may be fed to a variable generator 126, i.e., data that has been generated and fed from the sensors 110, 112, 114, 116. Based on the sensor input data, the variable generator 126 may be configured to determine a plurality of variables 128, 130 (in Figure 1var1 and var2 in the diagram). The variables may be determined in various ways and may take into account sensor input data from one or more sensors. For example, based on the sensor input data 122 from the third sensor 114, a variable called "time service door is opened" may be determined. More specifically, by recording when the service door is opened and the time point and when the service door is closed and the time point, it may be determined how long the service door is open. Additionally, the variable "packages produced" may be determined based on the sensor input data 124 from the fourth sensor 116.

[0033] The variables 128, 130 may be fed from the variable generator 126 to a key performance indicator (KPI) generator 132. The KPI generator 132 may be configured to determine KPIs 134, 136 based on the variables 128, 130. For example, a KPI called "time service door is opened per 1000 packages" may be determined by combining variables called "time service door is opened" and "packages produced." After the KPIs 134, 136 are determined, these may be sent to a user interface (UI) device 138, such as a personal computer, mobile phone, or tablet, so that the KPIs may be communicated to an operator.

[0034] In the event that one or more of the sensors 110, 112, 114, 116 are replaced by other sensors or if a piece of equipment in the food production line 102 is replaced by a new piece of equipment, the sensor input data 118, 120, 122, 124 will be changed and cause the variables 128, 130 to be determined in a different manner. By having a number of different ways to generate the variables stored in the variable generation data center 140, instead of manually setting how the variables are determined with other sensors or new equipment, this information can be downloaded from the variable generation data center to the variable generator 126 in the form of a variable generation scheme 142. If data related to the new equipment is not found in the variable generation scheme 142, and this is manually entered by an operator, this data can be uploaded to the variable generation data center 140 after it is entered. In this way, by sharing how variables are determined for different sensors and different equipment, the time to set up the system 100 can be shortened, and by sharing, the likelihood of discovering inaccuracies or errors is increased, which in turn provides greater reliability.

[0035] In a similar manner, the KPI generation data center 144 can be used to share how to determine KPIs, and the KPI generation scheme 146 can be used to download and upload information between the KPI generator 132 and the KPI generation data center 144. However, since the KPIs are closely related to how the food production line 102 can operate effectively, these may be considered by some food manufacturers as business-critical information that is not shared with everyone. To this end, the information stored in the variable generation data center 140 can be shared with multiple food production lines 148a-e (together forming a first group 150), and the information stored in the KPI generation data center 144 can be shared with the second group 152 (which is a subset of the first group, including food production lines 148d-e here). By separating the variable generation data center 140 and the KPI generation data center 144, it is possible to collaborate on how to generate variables rather than how to determine KPIs with variables (e.g., measurements based on different combinations of variables). Therefore, the time to set up the system can be shortened, and some information can still be retained within a limited group (e.g., food production lines owned by the same company).

[0036] The variable generator 126 and the KPI generator 132 may be configured in different ways. Figure 2 An example of a possible arrangement is shown. In a device 202, events may be recorded by a recorder 204, more specifically, by a data recorder connected to at least one sensor. The data recorded by the recorder 204 is parsed by a parser (here, as an example, a first and a second parser 204a, 204b) to identify different event types 208, such as a service door opening. The event types 208 identified by the data parsers 204a, 204b may be stored in a database 206. By combining the event types 208, variables 210 may be determined. The variables 210 may be transmitted to a formula calculation step 212, where a KPI is determined based on the variables 210. As shown, the variable generator 126 may include a device 202, which includes a recorder 204 and data parsers 204a, 204b, and the KPI generator 132 may include a database 206 and a formula calculation 212.

[0037] As described above, the variable generator 126 and the KPI generator 132 can be configured to share information with the first group 150 and the second group 152, respectively. To ensure that information is not over-propagated, the variable generator 126 and the KPI generator 132 can be different physical entities. For example, the variable generator 126 can include a first processor 302, a first data communication module 304, and a first memory 306, and the KPI generator 132 can include a second processor 308, a second data communication module 310, and a second memory 312.

[0038] Alternatively, the variable generator 126 and / or the KPI generator 132 may utilize the same processor, memory, and / or data communication module.

[0039] Figure 4 A flow chart 400 is shown, which includes steps for processing sensor input data 118, 120, 122, 124 captured from sensors 110, 112, 114, 116 placed in a food production line 102. In a first step 402, the sensor input data 118, 120, 122, 124 from the sensors 110, 112, 114, 116 placed in the food production line may be received by a variable generator 126. Thereafter, in a second step 404, a plurality of variables 128, 130 may be determined based on the sensor input data 118, 120, 122, 124 according to a variable generation scheme. In a third step 406, the plurality of variables 128, 130 may be transmitted to a KPI generator 146. In a fourth step 408, the plurality of KPIs 134, 136 may be generated based on the plurality of variables 128, 130 according to the KPI generation scheme 146. Optionally, in a fifth step 410 , the plurality of KPIs may be transmitted to a UI enabled device 138 .

[0040] Although the above production line is described in the context of food production, it should be understood that these principles and advantages can also be applied to other production areas.

[0041] From the above it can be seen that, although various embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, the invention is not restricted thereto but can also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method (400) for processing sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) captured from sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) placed in a food production line (102), the method comprising: receiving (402) sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) from the sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) disposed in the food production line (102) via a variable generator (126), wherein the variable generator (126) comprises a first processor (302), a first data communication module (304), and a first memory (306), wherein the sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) from the sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) represent measured performance data of the food production line (102); In response to one or more of the sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) being replaced by other sensors, a variable generation scheme (142) is downloaded from a variable generation data center (140) to a variable generator (126) according to a new combination of sensors disposed in the food production line (102), wherein the variable generation scheme (142) specifies how to generate a plurality of variables (128, 130) according to sensor input data (110, 112, 114, 116) from the new combination of sensors; generating (404) a plurality of variables (128, 130) by the variable generator (126) according to the downloaded variable generation scheme (142) and based on the sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124); transmitting (406) the plurality of variables (128, 130) to a KPI generator (132), wherein the KPI generator (132) includes a second processor (308), a second data communication module (310), and a second memory (312); Downloading a KPI generation scheme (146) from a KPI generation data center (144) to a KPI generator (132) based on the plurality of variables (128, 130), wherein the KPI generation scheme (146) specifies how to generate a key performance indicator (KPI) (134, 136) based on the plurality of variables (128, 130); generating (408) a plurality of key performance indicators (KPIs) (134, 136) based on the plurality of variables (128, 130) and the downloaded KPI generation scheme (146) according to the KPI generation scheme (146); and The plurality of key performance indicators (KPIs) (134, 136) are communicated (410) to a user interface (UI) enabled device (138) of an associated operator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable generator (126) and the KPI generator (132) are different physical entities.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the variable generation scheme (142) is shared among a first group (150) of food production lines (148a-e), and the KPI generation scheme (146) is shared among a second group (152) of food production lines (148a-e).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second group (152) is a subset of the first group (150).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the modification of the variant generation scheme (142) is distributed to the production lines (148a-e) of the first group (150) via a variant generation data center (140).

6. The method of claim 3, wherein modifications to the KPI generation scheme (146) are distributed to the production lines (148d-e) of the second group (152).

7. A system (100) arranged to process sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) captured from sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) placed in a food production line (102), the system (100) comprising: A variable generator (126) is arranged to receive sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) from the sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) placed in the food production line, and generate a plurality of variables (128, 130) based on the sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) according to a variable generation scheme (142), wherein the variable generator (126) includes a first processor (302), a first data communication module (304) and a first memory (306), wherein the sensor input data (118, 120, 122, 124) from the sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) are received by the sensor. 118, 120, 122, 124) represent measured performance data of the food production line (102), wherein, in response to one or more of the sensors (110, 112, 114, 116) being replaced by other sensors and according to a new combination of sensors arranged in the food production line (102), the variable generation scheme (142) is downloaded from the variable generation data center (140) to the variable generator (126), wherein the variable generation scheme (142) specifies how to generate a plurality of variables (128, 130) according to sensor input data (110, 112, 114, 116) from the new combination of sensors; A KPI generator (132) arranged to receive the plurality of variables (128, 130) from the variable generator (126), generate a plurality of key performance indicators (KPIs) (134, 136) based on the plurality of variables (128, 130) according to a KPI generation scheme (146), and transmit the plurality of KPIs (134, 136), wherein the KPI generator (146) comprises a second processor (308), a second data communication module (310) and a second memory (312), wherein the KPI generation scheme (146) is downloaded from a KPI generation data center (144) to the KPI generator (132) according to the plurality of variables (128, 130), wherein the KPI generation scheme (146) specifies how to generate key performance indicators (KPIs) (134, 136) according to the plurality of variables (128, 130); and Means for communicating (410) the plurality of KPIs to a user interface (UI) enabled device (138) of an associated operator.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the variable generator (126) and the KPI generator (132) are different physical entities.

9. The system according to any one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the variable generation scheme (142) is shared among a first group (150) of food production lines (148a-e), and the KPI generation scheme (146) is shared among a second group (152) of food production lines (148a-e).

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second group (152) is a subset of the first group (150).

11. The system of claim 9, wherein modifications to the variant generation scheme (142) are distributed to the production lines (148a-e) of the first group (150) via a variant generation data center (140).

12. The system of claim 9, wherein modifications to the KPI generation scheme (146) are distributed to the production lines (148d-e) of the second group (152).

Images