Automatic food management system

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically placing food items on objects moving on a conveyor is provided, comprising: a housing that receives and stores food items to be dispensed, a shaft that is rotationally coupled to the housing and configured to receive torque from an external source such that the shaft rotates when the external source rotates, the shaft comprising an input configured to engage with the external source and receive torque from the external source, the input disposed at an off-center position on the shaft relative to a longitudinal axis of the shaft that passes through a center of the shaft such that rotation of the external source causes rotation of the shaft and reciprocating, linear motion of the shaft relative to the longitudinal axis that passes through a center of the external source.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese application 202080016296.X (Applicant: Taylor Commercial Food Service Co., Ltd., Invention Title: Automatic Food Management System), which entered the Chinese national phase of PCT international application PCT / US2020 / 019409 filed on February 24, 2020. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to a system suitable for receiving and storing cooked food, such as hamburger patties, from an automated cooking device. Background Technology

[0003] While automated cooking systems are generally beneficial in restaurants or culinary facilities requiring high output during continuous or peak hours, allowing for both automated task execution and consistent quality control, receiving and storing cooked food for further cooking or preparing it for sale to customers is often cumbersome, as cooked food needs to be stored and organized before it can be further processed or prepared for sale. Therefore, automated devices for storing cooked food in suitable environments are needed to realize the benefits of automated cooking processes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A first representative embodiment of this disclosure is provided. This embodiment includes an automated food management system. The system includes a housing configured to receive a plurality of stacked trays, and a lift configured to raise a tray from the plurality of stacked trays received within the housing to a position where the raised tray can receive cooked food. The housing also includes a fork that receives and rotates the cooked food thereon to allow the cooked food to fall into a positioned tray. A holding compartment having a shuttle longitudinally movable between a first position and a second position within the holding compartment, the second position being configured to support the raised tray in the position where cooked food is received from the fork, the holding compartment being capable of supporting a plurality of vertically arranged trays such that the lowest supported tray in the vertical arrangement is the tray most recently positioned within the holding compartment, and the highest supported tray in the vertical arrangement is the tray that has been positioned within the holding compartment for the longest time.

[0005] Another representative embodiment of this disclosure is provided. This embodiment includes a mechanism for automatically placing food onto an object moving on a conveyor. The mechanism includes: a housing that receives and stores food to be dispensed; and a shaft rotatably coupled to the housing and configured to receive torque from an external source, such that the shaft rotates as the external source rotates. The shaft includes an input configured to engage with the external source and receive torque from the external source, the input being disposed at an eccentric position on the shaft relative to a longitudinal axis passing through the center of the shaft, such that rotation of the external source causes rotation of the shaft and a reciprocating linear motion of the shaft relative to the longitudinal axis passing through the center of the external source.

[0006] The advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of preferred embodiments of the disclosure, which have been shown and described by way of illustration. It will be appreciated that the subject matter of the disclosure can have other and different embodiments, and that its details can be modified in various respects. Therefore, the drawings and description are to be considered illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an automated food management system.

[0008] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Another perspective view of the system shows the outer casing.

[0009] Figure 2a yes Figure 3 The view shows a portion of the heating compartment and the belts within it, with the side panels of the housing removed.

[0010] Figure 3 Is it possible to... Figure 1 A perspective view of a tray used in the system, the tray being configured to receive multiple stacks, each containing multiple cooked foods.

[0011] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A top view of the tray.

[0012] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of the system's shuttle, showing the shuttle in a first position, configured to position the tray within the heating compartment, which is removed in the figure.

[0013] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The view shows the shuttle in its second position, aligned with the tray to receive cooked food from the conveyor associated with the grill, as shown. Figure 22 and 23 As shown schematically.

[0014] Figure 7 This is another perspective view of the shuttle in the second position.

[0015] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Detailed view of A.

[0016] Figure 9 The view is depicted with solid lines showing the fingers of the elevator in the position of engaging and supporting a tray (not shown), with dashed lines showing the fingers in the retracted position to allow the tray to pass vertically through the fingers, and a shuttle without a tray resting on it is also depicted.

[0017] Figure 10 This is a front view of the shuttle and the elevator, showing the elevator support extending upwards from a tray resting on the shuttle.

[0018] Figure 11 yes Figure 10 The view shows the tray below the elevator and resting on the shuttle.

[0019] Figure 12 This is another perspective view of the shuttle and the elevator, showing the elevator descending to approach the tray resting on the outer shell floor.

[0020] Figure 13 This is a top view of the inner tray of the outer casing, showing the tracks set in the gaps formed at the corners of the tray.

[0021] Figure 14 This is another top view of the tray inside the housing, showing the tray sliding horizontally within the housing, with the outer edge of the tray pushing the front guide rail inward into the sidewall defining the housing to allow the tray to slide through.

[0022] Figure 15 It is a perspective view of the fork and associated rotating mechanism, showing the fork in the receiving position to guide the cooked food from the conveyor to the tray located below and to keep the cooked food in a basically horizontal orientation.

[0023] Figure 16 It is a side view of the fork and related mechanism in the receiving position.

[0024] Figure 16a This is a side view of another embodiment of the fork in the receiving position.

[0025] Figure 17 yes Figure 15 The view shows the fork in the released position to allow food to fall freely into the tray.

[0026] Figure 18 It is in the release position. Figure 16 The view schematically shows two trays, one tray positioned in a first position on the tray to receive cooked food, and the second tray positioned in a second position on the tray to receive cooked food.

[0027] Figure 18a This is a view of 16a, showing the fork in the released position.

[0028] Figure 19 This is a perspective view of a heated compartment, with some doors in the open position to allow trays placed inside the heated compartment and aligned with the open doors to be removed from the heated compartment.

[0029] Figure 20This is another perspective view of the heated compartment with one front panel removed.

[0030] Figure 21 It is a perspective view of the heated compartment, in which the frame and a set of doors have been removed, and the removed frame and set of doors are shown.

[0031] Figure 22 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system aligned to receive cooked food via a conveyor that is also aligned to receive cooked food from a grill and storage compartment, showing a fork in the receiving position.

[0032] Figure 23 yes Figure 22 The view shows the fork in the released position.

[0033] Figure 24 This is a front perspective view of the distributor, showing the torque receiving component.

[0034] Figure 25 yes Figure 24 A side sectional view of the dispenser, with the mode selector in the dispensing position.

[0035] Figure 25a yes Figure 24 The bottom perspective of the allocator, where the mode selector is in the allocation configuration.

[0036] Figure 26 yes Figure 25 The view, where the mode selector is in an isolated position.

[0037] Figure 26a yes Figure 25a The view, where the mode selector is in an isolated position.

[0038] Figures 27a-27d These are cross-sectional views of the shaft at different rotational positions relative to the housing.

[0039] Figure 28 It is a cross-sectional view of the connection between the input and the shaft at the first rotational position of the shaft.

[0040] Figure 29 yes Figure 28 The view shows the axis in the opposite rotational position. Detailed Implementation

[0041] Now go to Figure 1-23 An automated food management system 100 is provided. System 100 is configured to repeatedly receive cooked food 99 that is cooked and moved into the system. System 100 is described in detail herein as being used with cooked food cooked by grill 501, and the cooked food, after being cooked by grill 501, is conveyed by conveyor 502 (each in...) Figure 22 and 23 (Illustrated schematically) Moving to the system. Those skilled in the art who have fully read this disclosure will readily understand that the disclosed system can be readily used with other cooking appliances, such as bakers or ovens, and that cooked food can be moved to the vicinity of system 100 by any moving system, such as a robotic arm, a drive, etc. The system can also be used to receive food that has been frozen prior to processing near the system, and in those embodiments, it can be used to store frozen food. Although system 100 is discussed herein in relation to cooked food for the sake of brevity, the system can also process frozen food or even other food at room temperature or at another temperature or condition.

[0042] System 100 includes a housing 110 having a casing 120, a holding compartment 300, a lift 150 for vertically moving a tray 900 within the housing 120, and a shuttle 310 for receiving the lifted tray 900 from the lift 150. After the tray 900 receives one or more cooked foods, the shuttle 310 moves the tray 900 into a heating compartment 300, where the tray 900 is stored until removed by a chef. System 100 may also include a rotatable fork 210, which can rotate between a first receiving position interacting with cooked food 99 brought near system 100 and a release position allowing the cooked food 99 to fall into the tray 900 positioned beneath the fork. As described below, when cooked food 99 approaches system 100, for example, it moves to a conveyor 502 aligned to guide the cooked food to the fork 210. Figure 22 and 23 The placement and operation of the fork 210 at the end of the fork 99 helps to maintain the cooked food 99 in a substantially horizontal orientation, and the rotation of the fork 210 helps to maintain the cooked food 99 in a substantially horizontal orientation when it falls into the tray 900, as described below. The term "substantially horizontal" is defined herein as including a practically horizontal configuration in addition to an orientation that is not perfectly horizontal but forms an angle of no more than 10 to 20 degrees with respect to horizontal. This term is intended to ensure that even if the cooked food 99 is not perfectly horizontal, it will return to a horizontal orientation when it falls onto the tray 900 (or onto cooked food 99 already in the tray 900 to form a stack). It is desirable that the cooked food 99 remain substantially horizontal such that the food 4001 (described below and referred to) applied to the cooked food 99 before it reaches the fork 210... Figure 22-29 The food being cooked will remain on the tray 900 as it falls from a source assisted by fork 210 (e.g., conveyor 502).

[0043] Now go to Figure 3 and 4A tray 900 is provided for use with the system. The tray includes a bottom 901 and sidewalls 902 extending upward from the bottom. The height of the sidewalls 902 may be equal to or slightly greater than the total thickness of multiple cooked food items 900 that are desired to be stacked in the tray, for example, slightly greater than the height of three, four, or five cooked food items stacked on top of each other (e.g., cooked hamburger patties, cooked chicken breasts, or cooked sausage patties). In some embodiments, the tray 900 has a first position 910 and a second position 920, each configured to receive and support the stacked cooked food items. As described below, a shuttle 310 operates to align with the tray 900 to receive the cooked food items at the first or second position, as operated by a controller 800. Figure 22 , 23 (Illustratively shown), line X1 illustrates schematic communication between controller 800 and shuttle 310 to allow the relative position of shuttle 310 and tray 900 to be controlled to receive the next food item into the correct position within tray 900, so that shuttle 310 moves to a first position ( Figure 5 (To place the tray 900 inside the heating compartment 300) and work with the elevator 150 to position a new empty tray 900 to receive the next food to be cooked—each of these steps will be discussed further below.

[0044] The tray 900 also includes a top surface 930 and an edge 930a extending around the periphery of the top surface 930, the top surface 930 extending cantilevered from the side of the tray 900. In some embodiments, the top surface 930 defines a gap 940 at each of two or four corners of the tray to accommodate tracks 132, 134, 136, 138, as described below.

[0045] Now go to Figure 15-18 A fork 210 may be provided. The fork 210 may include a single tooth 210a or two or more teeth 210a, such as three or four teeth 210a or even more, each tooth being connected to an input 220. In some embodiments, the input 220 is rotatable, and rotation of the input 220 causes the teeth 210a of the fork 210 to be in a receiving position (…). Figure 15 , 16 ) and release position ( Figure 17 , 18 Rotation between ) . In some embodiments, the housing of the fork may include one or more slots 230 that receive pins 231 from input 220, wherein the movement of input 220 is limited by the shape and length of slots 230.

[0046] In some embodiments, sensor 240 is disposed near fork 210 and configured to sense the presence of food 99 being cooked above fork 210. In embodiments with sensor 240, sensor 240 causes an input rotation upon sensing food being cooked above or in contact with fork 210, causing fork 210a to rotate from a receiving position to a releasing position.

[0047] The rotation of the fork 210 toward the release position, preferably in a relatively rapid manner and preferably with an acceleration greater than the acceleration due to gravity, causes the fork 210a to no longer support the cooked food 99. This causes the cooked food to fall downwards in direction P and onto the tray 900 positioned below the fork 210. Figure 18 (Illustrated schematically).

[0048] After sensor 240 (or controller 800) determines that the food being cooked 99 has fallen under the fork 210, input 220 rotates the fork tines 210a in the opposite direction to return the tines to the receiving position, aligning the fork 210 to support another food being cooked 99, thereby maintaining it in a substantially horizontal orientation when the other food being cooked 99 contacts the fork 210, and then releasing it from the fork 210 as described above. In some embodiments, sensor 240 determines that the food being cooked 99 has fallen under the fork (due to directly sensing the vertical position of the food being cooked or by another sensing method), and then allows the fork (e.g., pushed by input 220) to return to the receiving position. In other embodiments, the fork 210 may be operated on a timer, for example, rotating the fork 210 to the release position and then returning the fork 210 to the receiving position after a predetermined delay after the fork has moved to the release position. In some embodiments, sensor 240 may be a laser that determines the presence of food being cooked because the food being cooked blocks the path of the laser. In other embodiments, the sensor may be an optical sensor or a thermal sensor (sensing the heat of the cooked food above ambient temperature) or other sensors known in the art for performing the function of sensing the position of the cooked food relative to the fork—and the types of sensors suitable for this application will be readily understood by those skilled in the art after a full reading of this disclosure.

[0049] In other embodiments, sensors may not be required to directly monitor the position of the food being cooked above the tines 210a of the fork 210. Instead, the fork can rotate based on sensors that sense the position of the food along the conveyor (502, Figure 22 23) The food being cooked is moving toward the fork 210, and the fork can be rotated after a predetermined delay time following this determination, based on the speed of the conveyor 502. In other embodiments, the fork 210 can rotate from the receiving position to the releasing position when a force of the food being cooked falling onto the fork 210a is sensed on the fork tines.

[0050] exist Figure 16a and18a In other embodiments shown, the fork teeth 211a of the alternative fork 211 can be in the accepting position ( Figure 16a ) and release position ( Figure 18a The food 99 initially moves horizontally between the fork tines 211a and 211a. When the falling food 99 initially lands on the fork tines 210a, the food 99 initially remains or returns to a basic horizontal configuration. The fork tines 211a then retract horizontally from below the food 99, allowing it to fall toward the tray 900 while maintaining its basic horizontal orientation. In some embodiments, a wall 215 may be positioned near where the food 99 lands on the fork tines 211a, against which the food 99 initially abuts as the fork tines retract horizontally from below to hold the food in place.

[0051] Now go to Figure 5-12 A shuttle 310 is provided. The shuttle 310 is configured to be in the first position ( Figure 5 ) and second position ( Figure 6-12 The tray 900 is moved between two positions: in a first position, the tray is positioned within the heating compartment 300; and in a second position, the tray 900 is positioned outside the heating compartment 300 and aligned to receive cooked food 99 (in some embodiments, such as assisted by fork 210) for storage. As discussed elsewhere herein, the shuttle 310 communicates with the controller 800 to maintain the tray aligned in the second position to receive cooked food until the tray is determined to be full, or until the user or controller 800 expects the tray to be moved to the heating compartment, for example, based on one or more recipes guided by controller 800 or based on the user's needs. In some embodiments, the tray 900 is configured to receive cooked food 99 in both positions on trays 910, 920, whether it is a single cooked food 99 or a stack of different numbers of cooked food 99. Figure 18 Two trays 900 are schematically aligned to receive food into two positions 910 and 920, which are located at... Figure 3 , 4 As shown in Figures 1 and 13. In this embodiment, the shuttle 310 is configured to slide a tray relative to the fork 210 to selectively receive cooked food 99 at two positions 910, 920.

[0052] The shuttle 310 may include a platform 308 on which the bottom 902 of the tray 900 rests. The shuttle 310 may include an end wall 305 extending upward from the platform 308 to provide positioning support for the tray 900, thereby preventing the tray 900 from sliding on the platform 308. The end wall 305 may be arched to match the end profile of the bottom of the tray end wall, thereby providing lateral support for the tray in all horizontal directions. In some embodiments, the platform 308 may include scalloped portions 309 on both sides thereof, which allow the ledges 350, 352 of the belts 340, 342 to move through when the shuttle 310 is in a first position within the heated compartment, allowing the ledges 350, 352 to lift the tray 900 away from the platform 308. The scalloped portions 309 also provide space for the fingers 170 and hub 178 of the lift to extend through as the lift 150 moves relative to the tray 900 and the shuttle 310.

[0053] The shuttle 310 can translate within the housing 110 between first and second positions (and between two or more tray alignment positions within the second position as described above) using a belt drive, chain drive, lead screw, linear actuator, piston, or another directional motion system 345. The controller 800 can communicate with the shuttle 310 to guide the movement of the shuttle, such as... Figure 22 and 23 The communication flow X2 in the diagram is shown schematically.

[0054] As discussed in detail below, the shuttle 310 can receive the tray 900 when the tray 900 is dropped from or otherwise positioned on the elevator 150. Figure 10 The pallet 900 is depicted positioned on the elevator 150 and vertically arranged above the platform 308. Figure 11 The following depicts a tray 900, positioned on platform 308, having fallen from elevator 150. (See reference...) Figure 11 It is understandable that, due to the space between the platform 308 and the arm 154 of the elevator 150, the shuttle 310 can slide from the second position to the first position, with the bracket located on it, and the arm 154 of the elevator 150 positioned above the bracket.

[0055] As described in this specification, the shuttle 310 moves to a first position in which the tray 900 on the shuttle is positioned within the heating compartment 300 (discussed below). In other embodiments, the heating compartment need not be included in this assembly, and the shuttle 310 can slide to remove the full tray 900 from under the fork 210 such that when the shuttle returns to the second position, another empty tray 900 can be positioned on the shuttle. In these embodiments, the system can be operated such that a user pulls the full tray off the shuttle 310, or the shuttle 310 guides the tray to another transport system, such as a conveyor to a food preparation station, or to a heated holding device disconnected from the system 100 including the shuttle 310.

[0056] Elevator 150 Figure 7-12 The best view is shown below. See reference... Figure 10 and 11 Understandably, the lift 150 is configured to lift the tray 900 disposed on the floor 121 of the housing 120, or to lift the top tray of a plurality of stacked trays 900 within the housing to a position where the tray 900 can be lowered or otherwise positioned on the platform 308 of the shuttle.

[0057] The lift 150 includes first and second arms 154 that extend horizontally in a cantilever manner relative to the sidewalls 109 of the housing 110 defining the outer casing 120. Both the first and second arms 154 can be supported by upwardly and downwardly movable supports 155, such that the vertical positions of the first and second arms 154 move upward and downward accordingly. The supports 155 (and arms 154) can be moved by a belt drive, chain drive, lead screw, linear actuator, piston, or by another directional motion system 159. A controller 800 can communicate with the lift 150 via a signal path schematically depicted as X2 to allow the controller 800 to control the vertical position of the lift 150 and, in some embodiments, control the position of a plurality of fingers 170, as described below. The controller 800 can also receive a signal X3 representing whether the tray 900 is positioned between the first and second arms 154, as indicated by sensor 185. Figure 9 Monitoring. As discussed in detail below, in an embodiment where the operation of the grill 501 is controlled in conjunction with the operation of the system 100, the controller 800 may use the signal X3 to enable or prevent the operation of the grill 501.

[0058] The first and second arms 154 can each support one or two or more fingers 170 that are pivotable relative to the arm 154. For example... Figure 9 and 10As shown, the fingers 170 can be biased toward the position where they extend from the inner surface 154a of each arm. The fingers 170 can be retracted (either manually based on the force received thereon or automatically by means of a mechanism) such that the fingers 170 are recessed into the respective first and second arms 154, as schematically shown in dashed lines, and are designated as element 170a.

[0059] like Figure 10 As shown, each of the finger members 170 may include a cam surface 170z and a top surface 170y. When the corresponding finger member 170 is in the normal outward bias position ( Figure 9 When the solid line in the middle is visible, the top surface 170y extends horizontally, and the cam surface 170z extends from the outer edge 170x of the top surface 170y and extends inward toward the bottom of the finger 170.

[0060] like Figure 10 As shown, when the arm 154 of the lift 150 supports the tray, the surface 930 of the tray rests on the top surface 170y of the fingers. In some embodiments, the fingers 170 may automatically retract within the arm 154 (as indicated by a controller, e.g., via an illustrative signal X2), causing the fingers 170 to move outward from the outer edge of the surface 930, which allows the tray to fall onto the platform 308 of the shuttle 310. In other embodiments, the arm 154 may move downward in direction B to allow the tray 900 to rest on the platform 308 of the shuttle 310.

[0061] After the tray 900 has fallen from the arm 154 (by retracting the finger 170 to position 170a), or in other embodiments, the arm 154 descends to place the tray on the platform 308. The arm 154 may descend past and below the shuttle 310 and the tray 900, and continue to descend vertically through the housing 120 to approach the tray 900 resting on the floor 121 of the housing 120, or to approach the top tray 900 in a stack of trays (such as...). Figure 22 and 23 (Illustrative illustration).

[0062] As the lift approaches and initially contacts the tray 900 disposed within the housing 120, the fingers 170, and particularly the cam surfaces 170z of each finger 170, contact the outer edge of the tray surface 930. One or more fingers 170 from the opposing arm 154 simultaneously contact the outer edge of the surface 930 to maintain the alignment of the tray 900 within the housing 120. When the cam surfaces 170z contact the outer edge, due to the contact of the cam surfaces 170z with the outer edge and the application of a horizontal force to the fingers, each finger 170 is pushed inward into the arm 154, overcoming the outward biasing force of the fingers.

[0063] As arm 154 continues to move downward relative to tray 900, finger 170 continues to move inward within the arm (towards) Figure 9 (Depicted as position 170a), until the fingers 170 are positioned below the surface 930 of the tray, at which point the inward force on the fingers 170 is released, and the fingers are allowed to move outward to their normal outward biased position (in Figure 9 (Identified as 170). In this position, the top surface 170y of the finger is below the surface 930 of the tray 900, which allows the lift 150 to raise the tray upward through the housing 120 as the lift 150 rises within the housing 120. In some embodiments, although the tray 900 remains on the platform 308 of the shuttle 310 and the lift 150 has picked up a new tray from the housing, the lift 150 can be positioned within the housing 120 and close to the bottom of the shuttle 310 such that when the shuttle 310 moves to the first position to position its tray 900 within the heating compartment 300, the lift 150 only needs to move upward a short distance. Once the shuttle 310 has moved to the first position, the lift 150 moves to... Figure 10 The position allows the shuttle 310 to move to the gap of the second position, and when the shuttle 310 returns to the second position, the elevator releases its tray by retracting the finger 170 into the arm 154 as described above.

[0064] In some embodiments, when the arms 154 of the elevator are positioned around the tray 900, one or both arms 154 may support a hub 178, which has a gap 935 within the outer edge of the surface 930 of the tray 900. Figure 4 Alignment within the pallet 900. Hub 178 can provide lateral support for the pallet 900 on arm 154. In some embodiments, hub 178 can support sensor 185, which monitors when the lift is aligned with pallet 900. Sensor 185 can send a signal X3 representing this alignment to the controller. Figure 22 , 23 Due to the correct alignment of the tray and the lift 150, the controller can use signal X3 to stop the downward movement of the lift 150 within the housing 120. In some embodiments, sensor 185 is positioned such that when finger 170 is positioned below surface 930 of tray 900, the sensor establishes the correct position of lift 150 relative to the tray, so that when lift 150 begins to move upward within housing 120, lift 150 will lift tray 900 within housing 120.

[0065] exist Figure 13 and 14In some embodiments shown, the walls 108, 109 defining the housing may support a plurality of vertical tracks configured to align with the tray 900 such that they are aligned for lifting by the lift 150. Specifically, the first wall 108 may support the rear track 136 and the front track 132, and the opposing second wall 109 may support the rear track 138 and the front track 134. In some embodiments, all tracks 132, 134, 136, and 138 may be provided, while in other embodiments, only some of these tracks may be provided. Figure 3 and 4 As shown, a tray 900 configured for use with system 100 may include a plurality of gaps 940 positioned to allow tracks to extend through them, and a ledge has a forming portion 931 at its end to extend between tracks on each of the first wall 108 and the second wall 109.

[0066] In some embodiments, the front rails 132, 134 are movable relative to the respective walls 108, 109, wherein the rails 132, 134 are biased to extend into the housing 120, for example, to the same distance as the rear rails 136, 138 extend into the housing. The front rails 132, 134 can be advanced into the respective walls such that the tray 900 (or a stack of trays 900) can slide horizontally within the housing 120 over the front rails 132, 134. Figure 14 Then, as the pallet 900, and particularly the forming portions 931 at both ends of the pallet 900, pass over the front tracks 132, 134, the front tracks return to their normal positions extending into the housing, such that each track extends through the gap 940 in the surface 930 of the pallet 900. The extension of the tracks 132, 134, 136, 138 through the gap 940 holds the pallet (or stacked pallet) 900 in the position grasped by the lift 150 and translated upward within the housing 120.

[0067] In some embodiments, housing 120 may include sensor 180 (in Figure 2 (Illustrated schematically), it is configured to monitor at least one tray located on the floor 121 of the housing 120. In some embodiments, the sensor 180 is positioned or operable to additionally monitor whether at least one tray 900 is correctly positioned for being grasped and lifted by the lift 150. The sensor 180 may send a signal to the controller 800 ( Figure 22 , 23 In the case of X4), when sensor 180 detects a tray 900 on the floor 121 of housing 120, controller 800 can use the signal to allow grill 501 to continue cooking food, and prevent grill from cooking additional food when sensor determines that there is no tray 900 on the floor of housing 120.

[0068] Now go to Figure 19-21A heating housing 300 is provided. The heating housing 300 is configured to receive trays 900 filled with cooked food 99 (single, in a stack, or in two or more stacks) for storage, or for placement on food to be sold to a customer, before being transferred to another storage container for heated storage, or until being removed to be placed directly from the heating compartment 300 on food to be sold to a customer. The heating housing 300 can be arranged vertically to store multiple trays 900 and can be operated to move the trays within the heating compartment for organizational and / or storage purposes.

[0069] The heating housing 300 may include two belts 340, 342, which may be arranged vertically and positioned relative to each other such that the adjacent portions of the belts 340, 342 facing each other are slightly wider than the maximum width of the tray 900. The belts 340, 342 are configured to move in the same direction and at the same speed, which may be driven by the controller 800.

[0070] Each of the first and second belts 340, 342 includes a plurality of brackets 350, 352 disposed on its outer surface. The first and second plurality of brackets 350, 352 are disposed at equal intervals between adjacent brackets along the entire circumference of the belt and are aligned such that when the belts are respectively positioned such that the corresponding bracket is located on a belt portion facing the opposite belt portion, each bracket 350 on the first belt is vertically aligned with the corresponding bracket 352 on the second belt 352. Each bracket may include a flat surface facing upward when the bracket is in an adjacent portion of each belt, the adjacent portion moving vertically upward as the belt moves. The lengths of the ledges 350 and 352 may be similar to the length of the tray, and the tray 900 (when slid into the heating chamber 300 by the shuttle 310 in the first position) is configured such that as the first and second belts 940 and 942 move upward, the ledges 350 and 352 contact the bottom of the top surface 930, and with continued upward movement, the tray is lifted off the shuttle 310, which then returns to the second position. In some embodiments, the ledges 350 and 352 may include flat surfaces, while in other embodiments, the ledges 350 and 352 may include other structures, such as cylinders, fingers, or pins extending from the respective belts 340 and 342 and used to support the surface 930 of the tray 900 to lift the tray 900 within the heating chamber 300. The shelves 350 and 352 can also be discontinuous. For example, shelves 350 and 352 are combinations of different components that are fixed to different parts of the belt and support the tray 900 to keep the tray 900 in a supported and horizontal position within the cabinet 300.

[0071] Multiple wall shelves 350, 352 with a height Y greater than 900 of the tray ( Figure 20 The spacing Z( Figure 20The trays 900 are positioned on corresponding belts 340 and 342. The length of these belts extends above position P, where shuttle 310 conveys the trays into heating chamber 300, allowing multiple trays 900 to be stacked within the heating chamber, as shown in dimension W2. (See reference...) Figure 20 and Figure 23 Multiple trays can be stored within the heated compartment 300. In a representative embodiment, six trays are stored vertically on a belt and wall shelf at positions 900a-900f, wherein the height of the tray at the highest position 900f above the entrance position P is equal to the combined height of the six trays 900 and the five consistent intervals between them, thereby allowing sufficient space for air movement within the heated cabinet between vertically adjacent trays 900.

[0072] In some embodiments, a top sensor 392 may be provided, which identifies when the tray 900 is positioned at the top position 900f and sends a signal to the controller indicating whether the tray is in the top position, as schematically depicted as X5. In some embodiments, when the controller 800 receives the signal X5 indicating that the tray is in the top position 900f, the controller may take one or more of the following actions: 1) Illuminate a warning light 398, for example on the front 301 of the heated compartment ( Figure 19 ), 2) send a signal to the chef, 3) send a signal to the restaurant's order processing system or inventory system, 4) activate an audible alarm, or 5) send a signal to the feeder 504 (discussed below) to prevent further uncooked food 99a from entering the grill 501.

[0073] In some embodiments, a second sensor 391 may be provided that identifies when the tray 900 is positioned at the second to top position 900e, which may also send a signal to the controller via X5 or another flow path. In some embodiments, the identification of the tray at position 900e by the second sensor 391 may cause a warning light 397 to illuminate, sending a warning indication to the chef, or sending a warning message via the restaurant's order processing system, etc. The first and second sensors 392, 391 may be lasers, optical sensors, or other sensors known in the art to sense when an object is in or not in a specific relative position with respect to sensors 392, 391.

[0074] In some embodiments, the heating cabinet 300 may be heated using one or more heaters, which may operate based on feedback control to maintain a desired temperature within the heating compartment. In some embodiments, the heaters may be located within the internal spaces 341, 343 of each of the bands 340, 342. Alternatively, the heaters may be located elsewhere within the cabinet. In some embodiments, the cabinet 300 may include one or more fans to move air within the cabinet, thereby establishing a uniform temperature within the cabinet and convective heat transfer to the food within the tray 900.

[0075] In some embodiments, cabinet 300 may support a plurality of doors 370 positioned to align with each of positions 900a-900f within the cabinet, such that a door 370 or a group of doors 370a is aligned with one of positions 900a-900f, such that opening one or more doors 370 can open to allow access to a specific position 900a-900f, while other doors aligned with other specific positions remain closed.

[0076] In some embodiments, door 370 (370a) can be pushed into a closed position. One or more doors may include holes 373 aligned with a tray 900 located in a corresponding position near the door, allowing a user to access one or more fingers or cooking utensils (fork, spatula, hook) through the holes 373 and manipulate the tray 900 to pull the tray out of the heating compartment 300, wherein when the tray is pulled out of the cabinet, the tray 900 contacts door 370 (370) and pushes the door to an open position. Figure 19 As shown in the diagram (the doors associated with positions 900d and 900f)—the doors are shown open, but those skilled in the art will readily understand that pulling the tray out of the cabinet (through hole 373) forces the door to the open position. The size of hole 373 can be designed to minimize heat escaping from the heated compartment through hole 373, while still allowing the user to easily manipulate the tray by extending fingers or tools through hole 373. Door 370 can be configured to be transparent, allowing the user to see the tray behind door 370 when the door is closed (e.g., ...). Figure 19 (As shown in position 900b).

[0077] In some embodiments, each door 370 may be mounted on a frame 379, which may be attached to or removed from the front wall of the heated compartment 300, preferably without the use of any tools. Figure 21 The frame 379 is depicted as being removed from the front wall of the heating compartment 300.

[0078] In some embodiments, the heated compartment 300 may include a flowing air curtain ( Figure 20(Illustrated by arrow H), which flows through the opening into compartment 300. The air curtain H may be positioned across the opening to allow the user to easily grab and remove the tray from a location within compartment 300. The air curtain (heated air or potentially ambient temperature air) simultaneously prevents or minimizes heat loss from heated compartment 300 and prevents foreign matter (dust, insects, hair, dirt, or other debris) from entering heated compartment 300 from outside the kitchen area.

[0079] exist Figure 1-21 In the illustrated embodiments, system 100 can be configured to periodically and consistently receive cooked food 99 from two cooking food devices (e.g., two conveyors 502, or a single conveyor 502 capable of transporting two adjacent cooked foods). In these embodiments, two parallel systems are provided, namely two forks 210, two shuttles 310, two elevators 150, two heating compartments 300, etc. In other embodiments, system 100 can operate from a single cooking line or two or more cooking lines, depending on the restaurant or facility's needs for receiving and processing cooked food.

[0080] Special Reference Figure 22 and 23 The controller 800 controls the operation of the system 100 and, in some embodiments, controls the operation of cooking appliances, such as a grill 501 configured in conjunction with the system 100, so that the system receives cooked food 99 in a repetitive manner and operates to store the cooked food 99 in a tray 900 for use by the chef in restaurant activities.

[0081] The controller 800 can guide the operation of the following components based on signals received from various parts and sensors related to various parameters. Although the specification refers to the controller 800, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the system 100 may include one or more controllers 800 that can communicate and cooperate with each other and with cooking appliances.

[0082] In some embodiments, the controller 800 communicates with the cooking apparatus to send signals allowing or preventing the cooking apparatus from cooking more food 99a. For example, in some embodiments, the system 100 may be operated in conjunction with a grill 501 that automatically and periodically (e.g., in a repetitive manner, with a consistent delay time between the start of cooking a new food 99a, such as every 6 seconds, every 10 seconds, or another delay time sufficient to ensure sufficient space (both temporally and positionally) between adjacent foods being cooked, both for the proper continuous cooking of multiple tandem foods and for the system 100 to have sufficient delay time to operate, such as allowing the lift 150 and shuttle 310 to operate to move a full tray to the heating compartment 300, and allowing the shuttle 310 to return to a second position to receive a new tray 900 lifted by the lift 150 from trays stacked within the housing 120). The cooking apparatus may be a grill 501 that receives continuous feeding of uncooked food 99a, which may be pre-positioned within a freezer 503. The food 99a is moved from the freezer 503 to the grill 501 by a mover 504. In some embodiments, a controller 800 communicates directly with the mover 504 (schematically shown by signal path X6) or via a controller associated with the cooking apparatus. In these embodiments, the signal X6 from the controller 800 may prevent the mover 504 from inserting new food 99a into the grill 501 based on conditions discussed below; alternatively, the controller 800 may provide a signal allowing the mover 504 to insert new food 99a into the grill 501.

[0083] The controller 800 can prevent the mobile device from cooking additional food 99a if any of the following occurs: 1) as monitored by signal X1, no tray is located on platform 308 to receive food to be cooked; 2) as monitored by signal X4, no tray is located inside housing 120; 3) as monitored by signal X5, a tray is located at the top position 900f of heating compartment 300; 4) the user inputs to the controller 800 that no further cooking is required; 5) the user inputs to the controller 800 from facility POS, inventory monitoring or other systems that no further cooking is required.

[0084] In some embodiments, the controller receives a signal from the mover 504 via path X6 indicating that new food 99a has been placed in the grill 501. The controller 800 can then establish a clock that monitors elapsed time until a signal is received from the fork via path X7. Based on counts of the initial mover signal and the initial fork signal, the controller can track all food 99a that eventually enters the system 100 from the grill 501 by matching the expected fork signal X7 with the mover signal X6. If no fork signal for a specific food item tracked by the controller is received within the expected delay time (based on the programmed expected duration after the mover 504 inserts the food 99a into the grill 501, during which the food is cooked and moved to the fork), the controller 800 can send a signal or message to the operator, or illuminate a warning light or other notification, to prompt the user to investigate whether there is a problem with the cooking appliance.

[0085] In some embodiments, the controller 800 controls the position of the shuttle 310 and moves the shuttle 310 between first and second positions, and also moves the shuttle 310 to align the tray with first and second tray positions 910, 920 below the fork 210. The controller 800 is configured to count the number of cooked food items 99 received in each tray position and move the shuttle to establish two (or more, depending on the tray design) rows of cooked food items 99 on the tray. The controller 800 can count the number of cooked food items 99 received in the tray via signals from the sensor 240 associated with the fork 210. When the controller 800 determines the tray 900, the controller sends a signal X1 to cause the shuttle 310 to move the tray to the heating compartment 300, and then, when the shuttle 310 is in the first position, causes the first and second belts 340, 342 to move to lift the tray off the shuttle 310 and position the tray in the first position 900a in the heating compartment 300. The movement of belts 340 and 342 causes the tray previously placed therein to move upwards to the next higher position (900a to 900b, 900c to 900d, etc.). Based on the tray moving to the top position (900f) (signal X5), controller 800 sends a signal to the mover (X6) to cause mover 504 to stop moving food 99a to the grill, and controller 800 may also issue audible, visual, or other warnings or signals to the user or facility, notifying the operator that the tray needs to be removed from the top position 900f. Once the tray has been removed from the top position based on a change in sensor 392 via signal X5, controller 800 may send signal X6, which allows mover 504 to resume applying food 99a to grill 501.

[0086] In some embodiments, the controller 800 may store in its memory the quantity of food in each tray placed within the heating compartment 300, and may update a display providing various indications. The display may be located on the heating compartment. Figure 21 The controller 800 (component 720) and / or may be remote, for example, on a screen where the user prepares food for a customer. The controller 800 may also provide display information to the user remotely or via an application, such as through known Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Indications provided by the display may include 1) the time the tray has been in the heating compartment, 2) the time since the first receipt of cooked food from the tray, 3) the quantity of cooked food set in the tray, 4) the type of food in the tray, and 5) whether the food in the tray is based on a special order, etc.

[0087] In some embodiments, the controller 800 also communicates with the mover 504 to determine whether there is food 99a currently being cooked, i.e., food that has been transferred to the grill 501 by the mover 504 and is still within a pre-programmed delay time until the food 99 is expected to reach the fork 210. If the controller 800 senses that there is no food 99a in the grill 501 or traveling on the conveyor 502, the controller moves the shuttle 310 (X1) to a first position within the heating compartment 300, and then the belts 340, 342 lift the tray from the shuttle—before the shuttle returns to a second position, the lift 150 grabs the new tray 900 from the housing 120 and lifts it above the shuttle 310. When this functionality of the controller is provided, the time that the food 99 remains on the tray 900 outside the heating compartment 300 can be minimized.

[0088] Now go to Figures 24 to 29 And continue to refer to Figure 22-23 A dispenser 400 is provided for applying a substance to a food object moving relative to the dispenser 400. In some embodiments, the dispenser 400 may be configured to apply the substance by dropping a plurality of chopped onions (4001, schematic) onto the cooked food object 99 as it moves beneath the dispenser 400 via a conveyor 502. Those skilled in the art will understand upon thorough reading of this disclosure that the dispenser can be used to apply various foods (onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese) and can be optimized in size and shape to perform the task with only conventional optimization.

[0089] The dispenser 400 includes a housing 410 that receives a volume of food for application as needed. The housing 410 includes an opening 412 at its bottom through which food falls during operation. A housing supports a shaft 430 extending through its central axis 1001. The shaft 430 is freely rotatable within the housing and may be supported by the housing using one or more bearings or other anti-friction components. The shaft 430 may include one or more threads 440, such that the shaft 430 acts as a auger within the housing and, upon rotation, agitates and mixes the food 4001 within the housing, causing a volume to fall through the opening 412 as the shaft 430 rotates.

[0090] The housing 410 movably supports the control device 460, which includes two or more positions for controlling the operation of the dispenser 400, such as... Figure 25-26a As shown schematically. In some embodiments, the control device 460 may be in a first position F1 relative to the housing. Figure 25 , 25a ) and second position F2 ( Figure 26 , 26a The control device 460 rotates between the opening 464 and the opening 412 in the housing 410. In the first position F1, the hole 464 of the control device 460 is aligned with the opening 412 in the housing 410 to allow food to fall from the opening 412 in the housing. In the second position F2, the control device 460 moves relative to the housing 410 such that the hole 464 is no longer aligned with the opening 412 in the housing (e.g., ...). Figure 26a (Schematic illustration at component 413), and the wall 461 of the control device 460 is aligned with the opening 412 (as shown). Figure 26a (Opening 412 is shown by the dashed line). In some embodiments, the control device 460 is rotatable relative to the housing 410, and the control device 460 is supported by the shaft 430 or the support structure of the housing 410 supporting the shaft 430.

[0091] In some embodiments, the control device 460 may include a third position (F3) relative to the housing 410. Figure 25a , 26a When positioned in this way, the third position allows the control device 460 to be removed from the housing 410. In some embodiments, when the control device 460 is removed from the housing 410, the shaft 430 can also be removed from the housing 410, which allows the dispenser to be disassembled, for example, for cleaning without any tools.

[0092] In some embodiments, the dispenser 400 may be supported by an output shaft 600, which may be cantilevered. The output shaft 600 may be supported by the housing of the cooking apparatus (not shown) and may be controlled to rotate when the controller of the cooking apparatus determines that food associated with the dispenser should be applied to the food. Figure 22 and 23 In the illustrated embodiment, and described herein as cooked food 99, but in other embodiments, it could be uncooked food 99a. In some embodiments, sensor 490 (illustrated) Figure 22 , 23 It can be set upstream of dispenser 400 to identify when food approaches dispenser 400. Figure 22 For example, in some embodiments, sensor 490 may be located at a known distance upstream of dispenser 400 above conveyor, and when sensor 490 detects that food on conveyor 502 is approaching the dispenser, controller 801 ( Figure 23The output shaft 600 can be rotated after a set delay time (based on the known speed of the conveyor 502 and the known distance between the sensor 490 and the dispenser 400) via illustrative signals X8 and X9 (or the controller 800 associated with the system 100 described above). This causes the shaft 430 to rotate and maintains the rotation of the shaft 430 based on the known time it takes for the food to travel below the dispenser 400. Figure 23 As shown, when the shaft rotates, food 4001 falls onto food 99 traveling below the dispenser.

[0093] Sensor 490 may be a thermal sensor, an optical sensor, a laser sensor, or other known sensor capable of determining the position of an object relative to the sensor.

[0094] Now go to Figure 24 , 28 In conjunction with 29, the distributor 400 can be mounted relative to the output shaft 600 such that the distributor is agitated when the output shaft 600 rotates. The output shaft 600 may include a drive 602, for example, featuring one or more flat portions, and the distributor shaft 430 may include a corresponding drive 422 to engage the output shaft 600 and receive torque therefrom. The drives of the distributor shaft 422 can be aligned such that the axis 1002 passing through the drive 422 is aligned with the axis 1003 passing through the output shaft 600, the axis 1003 being offset from the central longitudinal axis 1001 of the distributor shaft 1001. Because the distributor shaft 1001 is rotatably supported by the housing when the output shaft 600 rotates (to allow the shaft 430 to rotate relative to the housing 410, but to prevent relative vertical and horizontal movement relative to the housing 410), the housing moves up and down relative to the axis 1003 of the output shaft 600, as... Figure 28 , 29 As indicated by arrows N and M. During rotation, this cyclical vertical upward and downward movement of the housing 410 (under constant gravity) causes the contents of the food 4001 within the housing 410 to be agitated, which has been experimentally observed to prevent the food 4001 from clumping within the housing 410. It has also been observed that this contributes to a consistent amount of food 4001 falling out of the housing 410 as the shaft 430 rotates and landing on the food 99 moving below the dispenser 400.

[0095] like Figure 27a-29 As best illustrated, in some embodiments, the rod 450 is fixed to the shaft 430 at a first end 451 and has an opposing end 452 extending cantileveredly from the shaft 430. The rod 450 may be flexible, such that the orientation of the rod 450 can be changed (by interacting with the wall of the housing 410, as described below), but when the rod 450 is released from contact with the housing 410, the rod 450 returns to its normal shape.

[0096] In some embodiments, the rod 450 is fixed to the housing at its first end 451, making face-to-face contact with the shaft at a contact surface, and the rod extends from the shaft along a fundamental tangent to the contact surface of the shaft 430. The term "fundamental tangent" is defined herein as also referring to a geometric tangent, and extends plus or minus 25 degrees above or below the geometric tangent. Figure 27d The basic tangent orientation is depicted, wherein the range of positions falling within the basic tangent definition is depicted as the range between ii and iii. In some embodiments, the rod 450 may have a slight bend along its width and along its length, which may help the rod return to its normal basic tangent position upon release from the housing (e.g., ...). Figure 27c (As shown).

[0097] like Figure 27a As shown, shaft 430 rotates in direction Q, rod 450 approaches and contacts the inner surface of housing 410 near shaft 430, and through this contact, housing 410 compresses the second end 452 of rod 450 toward shaft 430. Figure 27b As shown, with continued rotation, the second end 452 of the rod 450 has been damaged beyond the inner wall of the housing 410 by a certain distance, and food 4001 (illustrated) that may have previously adhered to the inner wall of the housing 410 has also been damaged. Figure 27b ).exist Figure 27c In the process, after further rotation, the second end 452 detaches from the inner wall of the housing 410 and springs back along its fundamental tangent, which tends to "bounce" the food 4001 away from the housing 410, as schematically shown by arrow 4001'. As the shaft 430 continues to rotate, the rod approaches the inner wall 410 again, as... Figure 27d As shown.

[0098] While the preferred embodiments disclosed have been described, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and modifications can be made without departing from this disclosure. For example, it is conceivable that the system described above could be used to receive and store various types of food in a tray for later use. Alternatively, only a portion of this design may be used independently in an automated food handling system, or in conjunction with components of other types of food handling systems not disclosed herein, such as forks and lifts, or lifts and shuttles, or shuttles and heating compartments, as described above. The dispenser discussed above may be used in conjunction with one or more of the forks, lifts, shuttles, and heating compartments, or may be used alone on a conveyor or other system for repeatedly applying the same food to food passing below the dispenser. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and all means falling within the meaning of the claims, whether literally or equivalently, are intended to be included therein.

Claims

1. A mechanism for automatically placing food onto an object moving on a conveyor, comprising: A housing for receiving and storing food to be dispensed, the housing being configured to be disposed above a conveyor, the housing including an outlet opening disposed above the conveyor; A shaft, rotatably coupled to a housing and configured to receive torque from an external source, such that the shaft rotates as the external source rotates, the shaft including an input configured to engage with and receive torque from the external source to allow rotation of the shaft relative to the housing but prevent relative vertical and horizontal movement relative to the housing, the input being positioned eccentrically on the shaft relative to a longitudinal axis passing through the center of the shaft, such that rotation of the external source causes rotation of the shaft and reciprocating linear motion of the shaft relative to the longitudinal axis passing through the center of the external source.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The housing includes a control device movably supported by the housing, wherein the control device can be positioned in a first position to align a hole in the control device with an outlet hole in the housing, thereby allowing food to fall through the outlet hole in the housing below the shaft, wherein the control device can be moved to a second position in which a wall of the control device blocks the outlet hole in the housing to prevent food from falling out of the housing through the outlet hole, wherein the control device also includes a selector that allows the user to manually move the control device between the first and second positions.

3. The mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, The selector can be rotated to a third position to allow the shaft to be removed from the housing, thereby allowing the mechanism to be disassembled without any tools.

4. The mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, The control device also includes a screen disposed below the hole.

5. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The shaft is a spiral drill with helical teeth extending at least a portion of the shaft's length, wherein the shaft also supports a flexible rod extending outward from the axial direction, wherein the flexible rod rotates with the rotation of the shaft, wherein, during a first arc length of the shaft's complete rotation, the flexible rod contacts and slides on the inner wall of the housing, and during a second arc length forming the remaining portion of the shaft's complete rotation, the flexible rod does not contact the inner wall of the housing.

6. The mechanism according to claim 5, wherein, The flexible rod is offset toward a position where it extends substantially along the tangent of the outer surface of the shaft, wherein when the flexible rod contacts the inner wall and slides on the inner wall of the housing, the flexible rod bends into an arc configuration, and when the flexible rod disengages from contact with the inner wall of the housing, the flexible rod springs back to a substantially tangential configuration.

7. The mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The shells are aligned to dispense food onto objects moving on the conveyor.

8. The mechanism according to claim 7, wherein, The object is a second food item cooked on a grill, and the food item is dispensed by dropping the food item onto the second food item as the second food item moves under the housing via a conveyor.

9. The mechanism of claim 7, further comprising a sensor disposed upstream of the housing and above the conveyor, wherein the sensor identifies an object moving on the conveyor as it approaches the housing, wherein, When the object is identified, the sensor causes the axis to rotate.

10. The mechanism according to claim 9, wherein, The sensor is either a thermal sensor or an optical sensor.

11. The mechanism according to claim 9, wherein, The sensor is a laser sensor.

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