A 3D printing-based ice cream intelligent forming and selling system and method
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202611213544.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-08-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-25
AI Technical Summary
[0006]因此,本发明提供了一种基于3D打印的雪糕智能成型售卖方法,解决了雪糕浆料停止主动供料后的实际出料情况难以确定,并且上一打印层的实际出料情况难以用于当前打印层主动供料路径长度计算和内部填充路径调整,导致雪糕用料偏差逐层累积的问题
[0023]本发明有益效果为:通过承载杯重量增加量控制首个打印层的雪糕浆料输出,并在停止主动供料后继续采集承载杯重量和记录喷头移动距离,使停料后继续流出的雪糕浆料及喷头经过的内部填充路径纳入首个打印层的实际出料情况;根据上一打印层的实际出料情况计算当前打印层停止主动供料前需要执行的路径长度,并按上一打印层的停料后移动距离调整当前打印层的内部填充路径,使上一打印层形成的用料差异和停料后出料路径传递至当前打印层,减少雪糕用料偏差逐层累积。
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Figure CN122821671A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated vending equipment control technology, and in particular to an intelligent ice cream molding and vending system and method based on 3D printing. Background Technology
[0002] With the development of vending machines, food additive manufacturing, and cryogenic molding technology, 3D printed ice cream is gradually being applied in unmanned retail scenarios. These devices typically consist of a slurry storage unit, a conveying channel, an extrusion nozzle, a motion mechanism, a cryogenic molding space, and a retrieval mechanism. Combined with order management, printing path control, temperature regulation, and status detection, they enable the automated production and self-service delivery of ice cream of different specifications, flavors, and shapes.
[0003] However, existing 3D printing waste handling methods typically control the nozzle movement after the discharge stops based on preset stop points, feeding delay times, or preset movement distances, mainly to reduce the stringing or impact of waste on the molded surface. When used for printing low-temperature ice cream slurry, after the feeding drive stops, the residual pressure in the ice cream slurry discharge channel and nozzle may still cause the ice cream slurry to continue flowing out. The actual weight of the ice cream slurry that continues to flow out and the path length traversed by the nozzle during the continued discharge will change with the actual discharge process. Relying solely on preset stop points, feeding delay times, or preset movement distances is insufficient to reflect the actual discharge situation after the stop. At the same time, each printing layer is usually executed independently according to predetermined feeding parameters. The actual discharge difference of the previous printing layer and the internal filling path traversed after the stop are difficult to transmit to the next printing layer, easily leading to the accumulation of ice cream material deviations layer by layer.
[0004] Existing 3D printed ice cream self-service equipment suffers from several industry shortcomings, including inaccurate metering of residual slurry after material discharge and the cumulative effect of material deviations in each printed layer. These include: traditional pre-molded ice cream equipment producing only standardized ice cream with fixed geometric boundaries, unable to generate arbitrarily complex three-dimensional structures based on user-defined ideas; conventional on-site pouring equipment only supporting surface sprinkling of auxiliary materials, resulting in a limited flavor profile; limited interactive modes with only basic flavor selection, leading to low user engagement; pricing mechanisms tied solely to flavor and basic design sales; poor equipment upgrade compatibility, with traditional DIY ice cream vending machines being unusable and replacement costs high; and a lack of food-grade, fully automated cleaning and multi-temperature zone independent temperature control safety management systems, resulting in insufficient standardized food maintenance capabilities. All of these shortcomings are addressed by the accompanying technical pain points of this invention's system solution. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention is proposed.
[0006] Therefore, this invention provides a smart ice cream molding and sales method based on 3D printing, which solves the problem that the actual output of ice cream slurry after the active feeding stops is difficult to determine, and the actual output of the previous printing layer is difficult to use for calculating the active feeding path length and adjusting the internal filling path of the current printing layer, resulting in the accumulation of ice cream material deviations layer by layer.
[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution:
[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing, comprising: receiving an ice cream order; obtaining the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream slurry outlet channel, and the printing path of each printing layer; allocating the amount of ice cream ingredients to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer; controlling the output of ice cream slurry for the first printing layer by controlling the increase in the weight of the carrier cup; controlling the nozzle to move along the printing path of the first printing layer; stopping active feeding when the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream ingredients for the first printing layer; and continuing to move along the internal filling path until the feeding stops and the feeding ends, thus forming the first printing layer. The actual output of each printing layer is calculated based on the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer and the actual output of the previous printing layer. The path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is calculated, and the internal filling path of the current printing layer is adjusted according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops feeding. After the active feeding stops, the nozzle is controlled to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path to form the actual output of the current printing layer. The ice cream slurry output and low-temperature setting of each printing layer are completed in sequence. After the last printing layer is completed, the cumulative actual amount of material used in the last printing layer is checked against the amount of ice cream used, and the ice cream is picked up and delivered.
[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D printing-based intelligent ice cream molding and vending method of the present invention, the step of receiving ice cream orders and obtaining the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream slurry outlet channel, and the printing path of each printing layer includes: receiving ice cream orders submitted by consumers through automatic ice cream vending machines; reading the ice cream specifications, flavors, and shapes from the ice cream orders; obtaining the amount of ice cream ingredients according to the ice cream specifications; matching the ice cream slurry outlet channel according to the flavor; and obtaining a printing path file according to the ice cream shape; obtaining the printing layer number, outer contour path, and internal filling path of each printing layer from the printing path file; and saving the outer contour path and internal filling path of each printing layer according to the printing layer number to obtain the printing path of each printing layer.
[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D printing-based intelligent ice cream molding and sales method of the present invention, the method of allocating the amount of ice cream material to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer includes: adding the lengths of all path segments in the outer contour path and the lengths of all path segments in the inner filling path of any printing layer to obtain the path length of any printing layer, and obtaining the path length of each printing layer in the same way; adding the path lengths of all printing layers to obtain the sum of the path lengths of all printing layers; comparing the path length of any printing layer with the sum of the path lengths of all printing layers to obtain the proportion of the path length of any printing layer; multiplying the amount of ice cream material by the proportion of the path length of any printing layer to obtain the amount of ice cream material for any printing layer; and associating and storing the amount of ice cream material for each printing layer with the printing path of each printing layer according to the printing layer sequence number.
[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D-printed intelligent ice cream molding and vending method described in this invention, the step of controlling the output of ice cream slurry for the first printed layer by increasing the weight of the carrier cup includes: collecting the weight of the carrier cup before the start of the first printed layer, reading the weighing resolution, response time, and sampling period, activating the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel for active feeding, controlling the nozzle to move sequentially along the outer contour path and the internal filling path of the first printed layer, and continuously collecting the current weight of the carrier cup according to the sampling period; active feeding means that the feeding drive keeps running and continuously pushes the low-temperature ice cream slurry. The material feeding process is as follows: the difference between the current weight of the carrier cup and the weight of the carrier cup before the start of the first printing layer is taken as the increase in the weight of the carrier cup; when the increase in the weight of the carrier cup first reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream material used in the first printing layer after the nozzle enters the internal filling path, and the nozzle has not yet reached the end of the internal filling path, the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is stopped, the weight of the carrier cup when the active feeding of the first printing layer is stopped is recorded, and the cumulative path length from the printing start point of the first printing layer to the stop of the active feeding position is taken as the active feeding path length of the first printing layer.
[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D printing-based intelligent ice cream forming and selling method of the present invention, the step of continuing to move along the internal filling path until the material discharge ends after stopping the material supply, forming the actual material discharge situation of the first printed layer, includes: after stopping the active material supply, controlling the nozzle to continue moving along the remaining internal filling path of the first printed layer, continuing to collect the weight of the carrier cup and accumulating the path length of the nozzle moving from the position where the active material supply stops; when the absolute value of the difference between the weights of the carrier cups at two adjacent weighing sampling times is not greater than the weighing resolution for the first time, starting from the next weighing sampling time, continuing to collect the weight of the carrier cups for at least one response time and at least one subsequent weighing sampling time; when the difference between the maximum weight of the carrier cup and the minimum weight of the carrier cup during the collection period is not greater than the weighing resolution, determining that the material discharge ends after stopping the material supply, recording the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the material discharge after stopping the material supply of the first printed layer, and moving the nozzle from the position where the active material supply stops to the position where the material discharge ends after stopping the material supply. The cumulative path length at the end of the material feeding position is used as the moving distance after the first printing layer stops feeding. The difference between the weight of the carrier cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding and the weight of the carrier cup before the first printing layer starts is calculated to obtain the active feeding weight of the first printing layer. The active feeding weight of the first printing layer is compared with the active feeding path length of the first printing layer to obtain the unit path output of the first printing layer. The difference between the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the first printing layer after feeding stops and the weight of the carrier cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding is calculated to obtain the output after the first printing layer stops feeding. The difference between the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the first printing layer after feeding stops and the weight of the carrier cup before the first printing layer starts is calculated to obtain the cumulative actual material consumption of the first printing layer. The unit path output of the first printing layer, the output after the first printing layer stops feeding, the moving distance after the first printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual material consumption of the first printing layer are associated and saved to form the actual output situation of the first printing layer.
[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D printing-based intelligent ice cream forming and selling method described in this invention, the calculation of the path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding includes: taking the printing layer to be executed selected according to the printing layer sequence number after the first printing layer as the current printing layer, taking the printing layer adjacent to the current printing layer that has been completed as the previous printing layer, obtaining the unit path output of the previous printing layer, the output after the previous printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual material consumption of the previous printing layer; adding the ice cream material consumption from the first printing layer to the current printing layer to obtain the cumulative ice cream consumption required when the current printing layer is completed. The ice cream ingredient quantity is calculated by taking the difference between the cumulative ice cream ingredient quantity required to complete the current printing layer and the cumulative actual ingredient quantity of the previous printing layer. This yields the weight of ice cream slurry that still needs to enter the carrier cup before the current printing layer is completed. The difference between the weight of ice cream slurry that still needs to enter the carrier cup before the current printing layer is completed and the amount of ice cream discharged after the previous printing layer stopped dispensing is also calculated. This yields the weight of ice cream slurry that needs to be output before the current printing layer stops actively dispensing. The weight of ice cream slurry that needs to be output before the current printing layer stops actively dispensing is compared with the amount of ice cream discharged per unit path of the previous printing layer to obtain the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively dispensing.
[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D printing-based intelligent ice cream molding and sales method of the present invention, the step of adjusting the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops includes: obtaining the outer contour path length and the path length of the current printing layer; when the path length to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is greater than the outer contour path length of the current printing layer but less than the path length of the current printing layer, calculating the difference between the path length to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding and the outer contour path length of the current printing layer, to obtain the internal filling path length to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding; accumulating the path length from the starting point of the internal filling path of the current printing layer. The path length is calculated as follows: Insert a path point at the position where the cumulative path length reaches the length of the internal filling path to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding; use this inserted path point as the current printing layer's stop position. Continue accumulating the path length from the current printing layer's stop position; insert a path point at the position where the cumulative path length reaches the distance moved after the previous printing layer stops feeding; use this inserted path point as the expected end position after the current printing layer stops feeding. Divide the current printing layer's internal filling path according to the current printing layer's stop position and the expected end position after the current printing layer stops feeding, and connect the divided paths according to the original printhead movement sequence to form the adjusted internal filling path.
[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D-printed intelligent ice cream molding and sales method of the present invention, the step of controlling the nozzle to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path after stopping active feeding to form the actual output of the current printed layer includes: collecting the weight of the carrier cup before the current printed layer starts active feeding, obtaining the weight of the carrier cup before the current printed layer starts, starting the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel to actively feed, and controlling the nozzle to move sequentially along the outer contour path and the adjusted internal filling path of the current printed layer; when the cumulative path length moved by the nozzle reaches the path length that needs to be executed before the current printed layer stops active feeding, stopping the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel, and recording the weight of the carrier cup and the active feeding path length of the current printed layer when the current printed layer stops active feeding; after stopping active feeding... The nozzle is controlled to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path. The discharge after stopping the material in the current printing layer is judged according to the method for judging the end of discharge after stopping the material in the first printing layer. The weight of the bearing cup and the moving distance after stopping the material in the current printing layer are recorded. Based on the weight of the bearing cup before the start of the current printing layer, the weight of the bearing cup when the active feeding of the current printing layer stops, the weight of the bearing cup when the discharge after stopping the material in the current printing layer ends, and the length of the active feeding path of the current printing layer, the unit path discharge volume of the current printing layer, the discharge volume after stopping the material in the current printing layer, and the cumulative actual material consumption of the current printing layer are calculated. The unit path discharge volume of the current printing layer, the discharge volume after stopping the material in the current printing layer, the moving distance after stopping the material in the current printing layer, and the cumulative actual material consumption of the current printing layer are associated and saved to form the actual discharge situation of the current printing layer.
[0016] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D printing-based intelligent ice cream molding and sales method of the present invention, the step of verifying the cumulative actual material usage of the last printed layer against the ice cream usage after the last printed layer is completed, and completing the ice cream delivery, includes: reading the low-temperature setting temperature range and finished product setting time from the ice cream slurry setting process parameters stored in association with the ice cream slurry outlet channel, and reading the allowable deviation of ice cream usage from the ice cream specifications corresponding to the ice cream order; calculating the absolute value of the difference between the cumulative actual material usage of the last printed layer and the ice cream usage to obtain the material usage verification difference; when the material usage verification difference is greater than the allowable deviation of ice cream usage, the delivery is maintained. The loading port isolation door is closed and the ice cream order is updated to a production error status. When the difference in material verification is not greater than the allowable deviation of ice cream materials, the temperature of the low-temperature molding space is controlled to enter the low-temperature setting temperature range and the time is accumulated. When the accumulated time reaches the finished product setting time, the low-temperature setting of all printed layers is completed. The carrier cup is moved to the low-temperature picking position. After the carrier cup in-situ sensor detects that the carrier cup has arrived at the low-temperature picking position, the picking port isolation door is opened and the ice cream order is updated to a pending picking status. After the carrier cup in-situ sensor detects that the carrier cup has left the low-temperature picking position, the picking port isolation door is closed and the ice cream order is updated to a completed status, completing the ice cream picking and delivery.
[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the 3D printing-based intelligent ice cream molding and sales method of the present invention, the following steps are performed: before receiving ice cream orders, user modeling interaction and differentiated pricing steps are performed; during the printing process, multi-flavor composite printing, auxiliary material embedding, and molding visualization are performed simultaneously; and after the business hours, the whole machine is automatically cleaned to food-grade standards.
[0018] The user modeling interaction provides three modeling methods: cloud model library, block-style geometry editing, and AI sketch generation, enabling 360° preview and confirmation of the ice cream.
[0019] The differentiated pricing is based on the 3D complexity coefficient calculated from the total path length of the 3D model, the number of printing layers, and the proportion of suspended support, and combined with the estimated printing time and store time fluctuation value to generate the order price.
[0020] The multi-flavor composite printing uses a multi-channel ice cream slurry discharge channel for zoned discharge or dual-channel speed-adjusting mixing to achieve flavor gradient. The auxiliary materials are embedded in the designated printing layer height, the feeding is paused, and nuts and chocolate chips are added. The upper layer of slurry covers the internal material to complete the embedding.
[0021] The resulting visual displays include rectangular multi-screen sales counters in shopping malls, compact single-screen sales counters in convenience stores, rotating multi-screen sales counters in scenic areas, and large-screen interconnected sales counters in business district clusters.
[0022] Secondly, this invention provides a 3D-printed intelligent ice cream forming and vending system, comprising: an order configuration module for receiving ice cream orders, acquiring the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream slurry outlet channel, and the printing path of each printing layer, and allocating the amount of ice cream ingredients to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer; and a first-layer feeding control module for controlling the output of ice cream slurry for the first printing layer based on the increase in the weight of the carrier cup, controlling the nozzle to move along the printing path of the first printing layer, stopping active feeding when the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream ingredients for the first printing layer, and continuing to move along the internal filling path until the feeding stops and the discharging ends, forming the first layer. The actual output of the printing layer; the cross-layer compensation control module is used to calculate the path length that the current printing layer needs to execute before stopping active feeding based on the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer and the actual output of the previous printing layer, and adjust the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stopped feeding. After stopping active feeding, the nozzle is controlled to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path to form the actual output of the current printing layer; the finished product delivery module is used to complete the output of ice cream slurry and low-temperature setting of each printing layer in sequence, and to check the cumulative actual amount of material used in the last printing layer and the amount of ice cream used after the last printing layer is completed, and complete the ice cream delivery.
[0023] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: the output of ice cream slurry in the first printing layer is controlled by the increase in the weight of the bearing cup, and the weight of the bearing cup and the distance of the nozzle movement are collected and recorded after the active feeding stops, so that the ice cream slurry that continues to flow out after the feeding stops and the internal filling path traversed by the nozzle are included in the actual output of the first printing layer; the path length that needs to be executed before the active feeding stops in the current printing layer is calculated based on the actual output of the previous printing layer, and the internal filling path of the current printing layer is adjusted according to the distance of movement after the feeding stops in the previous printing layer, so that the material difference formed in the previous printing layer and the output path after the feeding stops are transmitted to the current printing layer, reducing the accumulation of ice cream material deviation layer by layer. Attached Figure Description
[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0025] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a 3D-printed smart ice cream molding and sales method.
[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a 3D-printed intelligent ice cream molding and vending system.
[0027] Figure 3 This is a flowchart for controlling the output of ice cream syrup for the first printed layer.
[0028] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the current printing layer cross-layer compensation control.
[0029] Figure 5 This is a graph showing the weight change of the support cup after the first printed layer was stopped.
[0030] Figure 6 A chart to verify the cumulative actual material usage for each printing layer. Detailed Implementation
[0031] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0032] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0033] Secondly, the term "one embodiment" or "embodiment" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of the present invention. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in different places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a single or selective embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments.
[0034] Reference Figures 1-6 This is one embodiment of the present invention, which provides a method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing, including the following steps:
[0035] S1. Receive ice cream orders, obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream syrup discharge channel, and the printing path of each printing layer, and allocate the amount of ice cream ingredients to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer.
[0036] Furthermore, when the automatic ice cream vending machine makes 3D printed ice cream, the carrier cup is placed at the printing position, and low-temperature ice cream slurry is output into the carrier cup through the nozzle. The ice cream slurry is then stacked layer by layer according to the printing path to form the ice cream. Consumers submit ice cream orders through the automatic ice cream vending machine, and the ice cream order records the ice cream specifications, flavors, and shapes selected by the consumer.
[0037] Among them, ice cream specification indicates the amount of ice cream selected by the consumer, and the automatic ice cream vending machine obtains the amount of ice cream ingredients according to the ice cream specification; ice cream flavor indicates the type of ice cream filling selected by the consumer, and the automatic ice cream vending machine matches the ice cream filling dispensing channel according to the ice cream flavor; ice cream shape indicates the shape of the ice cream selected by the consumer, and the automatic ice cream vending machine obtains the printing path of each printing layer according to the ice cream shape.
[0038] The amount of ice cream ingredients indicates the weight of ice cream mix that needs to be output into the container to complete an ice cream order. The ice cream mix outlet channel indicates the pipeline that delivers the ice cream mix to the nozzle. The printing path of each printing layer indicates the movement path of the nozzle as it moves and outputs the ice cream mix within each printing layer.
[0039] Furthermore, the automatic ice cream vending machine reads the ice cream specifications from the ice cream order; when the ice cream specifications record a specific weight, the recorded weight is used as the amount of ice cream ingredients; when the ice cream specifications are expressed as small, medium, or large, the amount of ice cream ingredients is obtained based on the specification weight information saved in the vending interface.
[0040] The automatic ice cream vending machine reads the ice cream flavor from the ice cream order, searches for the same flavor identifier among the flavor identifiers in multiple filling storage locations, and uses the conveying pipeline connected to the found filling storage location as the ice cream filling dispensing channel.
[0041] Furthermore, the automatic ice cream vending machine obtains a printing path file that matches the ice cream shape in the ice cream order, and then obtains the printing path for each printing layer from the printing path file.
[0042] The printing path file is generated before the ice cream shape is put on the shelf. Based on the 3D model file corresponding to the ice cream shape, the ice cream shape represented by the 3D model file is sliced and divided into multiple printing layers. The multiple printing layers are recorded in the order of stacking ice cream from the bottom of the container upwards. Each printing layer records the printing layer number, nozzle height, outer contour path and internal filling path.
[0043] The outer contour path is the path along which the printhead moves along the edge of the printed layer, representing the outer boundary of the current printed layer; the inner fill path is the path within the area enclosed by the outer contour path, representing the position of the ice cream syrup inside the current printed layer; both the outer contour path and the inner fill path record multiple path points according to the printhead movement sequence, and a path segment is formed between two adjacent path points; each path segment records the path segment length, or records the planar coordinates of two adjacent path points, and calculates the path segment length by the difference in the planar coordinates of two adjacent path points; the outer contour path, the inner fill path, and the path segment length are saved according to the printed layer sequence number.
[0044] Furthermore, the printing paths of each printing layer are processed according to the printing layer number; for any printing layer, the lengths of all path segments in the outer contour path are added together to obtain the outer contour path length; the lengths of all path segments in the inner fill path are added together to obtain the inner fill path length; then the outer contour path length and the inner fill path length are added together to obtain the path length of any printing layer.
[0045] It should be noted that when the print path file has already saved the path segment length, the path segment length is used directly; when the print path file saves the path point coordinates, the straight-line distance in the plane is calculated based on the difference in the lateral and longitudinal positions of two adjacent path points in the same print layer, and the straight-line distance in the plane is used as the path segment length; the path point coordinates include the lateral and longitudinal positions of the printhead in the print plane, the printhead height is saved in association with the print layer number, and the path length in the same print layer is calculated according to the distance the printhead moves in the print plane.
[0046] Furthermore, all printing layers are traversed in the same way to obtain the path length of each printing layer, and the path length of each printing layer is saved according to the printing layer number.
[0047] It should also be noted that the same nozzle is used for the same ice cream order during active feeding, and each printing layer uses the same nozzle movement speed and ice cream slurry delivery speed, with the same nozzle height difference between adjacent printing layers.
[0048] Furthermore, the path lengths of all printed layers are added together to obtain the total path length of all printed layers; for any printed layer, the path length of that printed layer is compared with the total path length of all printed layers to obtain the path length percentage of that printed layer; the path length percentage represents the proportion of the path length of any printed layer to the total path length of all printed layers.
[0049] Multiply the amount of ice cream ingredients by the proportion of the path length of any printing layer to obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients for any printing layer; traverse all printing layers according to the printing layer number to obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients for each printing layer, and save the amount of ice cream ingredients for each printing layer and the printing path of each printing layer according to the printing layer number.
[0050] It should be noted that the amount of ice cream used in each printed layer indicates the weight of ice cream mix that needs to be output to the container for each printed layer.
[0051] S2. Control the output of ice cream paste for the first printing layer by the increase in the weight of the carrier cup, control the nozzle to move along the printing path of the first printing layer, and stop the active feeding when the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printing layer, and continue to move along the internal filling path until the feeding stops and the feeding ends, thus forming the actual feeding situation of the first printing layer.
[0052] Furthermore, the carrier cup is placed at the printing position, which is located on the weighing bearing surface of the load cell, and the nozzle is moved to the starting point of the first printing layer. The weight of the carrier cup is collected before the ice cream slurry is output, thus obtaining the weight of the carrier cup before the start of the first printing layer. At the same time, the weighing resolution, response time, and sampling period are read from the technical parameters of the load cell. The weighing resolution represents the smallest mass change that the load cell can distinguish, the response time represents the time required for the load cell to complete the response to the change in the bearing mass, and the sampling period represents the time interval between two adjacent weight collections of the carrier cup.
[0053] The feeding drive of the ice cream mixture discharge channel is activated to actively feed the low-temperature ice cream mixture. Under the conveying action generated by the feeding drive, the low-temperature ice cream mixture enters the nozzle from the mixture storage location through the ice cream mixture discharge channel and is then output from the nozzle to the carrier cup. Active feeding refers to the feeding process in which the feeding drive keeps running and continuously pushes the low-temperature ice cream mixture to the nozzle.
[0054] During the active feeding process, the control nozzle moves from the printing start point of the first printing layer, first along the outer contour path of the first printing layer, and then along the internal filling path of the first printing layer; the weighing sensor continuously collects the weight of the bearing cup according to its own sampling cycle, and takes the weight of the bearing cup collected at any weighing sampling moment as the current weight of the bearing cup. At the same time, according to the order in which the nozzle passes through each path segment, the path length of the nozzle moving from the printing start point of the first printing layer is accumulated.
[0055] Specifically, the difference between the current weight of the carrier cup and the weight of the carrier cup before the first printing layer begins is taken as the increase in the weight of the carrier cup; the increase in the weight of the carrier cup represents the weight of the ice cream mixture that has been output and retained in the carrier cup from the start of printing the first printing layer to the current weighing sampling time.
[0056] Furthermore, during the movement of the printhead along the outer contour path of the first printed layer, the increase in the weight of the carrier cup is continuously compared with the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer; when the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer before the printhead enters the internal filling path, the active feeding is stopped, the printhead movement is stopped, and the printing of the current ice cream order is stopped; when the printhead completes the outer contour path and the increase in the weight of the carrier cup is still less than the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer, the printhead is controlled to enter the internal filling path and active feeding continues.
[0057] During the movement of the nozzle along the internal filling path, the increase in the weight of the carrier cup is continuously compared with the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer. When the increase in the weight of the carrier cup first reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer, and the nozzle has not yet reached the end of the internal filling path, the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is stopped. The weight of the carrier cup when the first printed layer stops actively feeding is recorded, and the cumulative path length of the nozzle from the printing start point of the first printed layer to the stop of active feeding is recorded. The cumulative path length is used as the active feeding path length of the first printed layer. When the nozzle reaches the end of the internal filling path, if the increase in the weight of the carrier cup is still less than the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer, or if the increase in the weight of the carrier cup first reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer at the end of the internal filling path, active feeding is stopped, nozzle movement is stopped, and printing of the current ice cream order is stopped.
[0058] It should be noted that when the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer before the nozzle enters the internal filling path, stopping the active feeding will result in the internal filling path of the first printed layer not being executed. However, continuing the active feeding will cause the actual weight of the output ice cream mixture to exceed the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer. When the nozzle reaches the end of the internal filling path, if the increase in the weight of the carrier cup is still less than the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer, it means that there is no remaining printing path to continue receiving the active feeding. When the increase in the weight of the carrier cup first reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer at the end of the internal filling path, stopping the active feeding will also result in no remaining internal filling path to receive the continuing flow of ice cream mixture. In all of the above situations, normal discharge cannot be completed along the printing path of the first printed layer, so the printing of the current ice cream order is stopped.
[0059] It should also be noted that the actual output of low-temperature ice cream mix varies with the viscosity of the ice cream mix, the conveying pressure, and the flow resistance of the nozzle. The feeding drive running time or nozzle movement distance that is not converted in conjunction with the actual output of the current ice cream order cannot directly reflect the weight of the ice cream mix that has been deposited in the carrier cup. Therefore, using the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaching or exceeding the amount of ice cream used in the first printed layer as the condition for stopping the active feeding can ensure that the stopping action occurs along with the actual ice cream mix output process. After the nozzle enters the internal filling path, the normal feeding stop is performed, which can also retain the internal filling area to receive the ice cream mix that continues to flow out after the active feeding stops, and prevent the ice cream mix that continues to flow out from accumulating on the outer contour path and changing the outer boundary of the first printed layer.
[0060] Furthermore, after stopping the active feeding, the nozzle movement is not stopped. The nozzle is controlled to continue moving along the remaining internal filling path of the first printing layer from the position where the active feeding stops. At the same time, the weight of the carrier cup is collected, and the path length of the nozzle movement from the position where the active feeding stops is accumulated.
[0061] Specifically, the weight of the bearing cup is continuously collected according to the sampling period of the weighing sensor. When the absolute value of the difference between the weights of the bearing cups at two adjacent weighing sampling times is not greater than the weighing resolution for the first time, the collection continues from the next weighing sampling time until the collection duration is not less than one response time and the weight of the bearing cup at at least one subsequent weighing sampling time is obtained. The maximum and minimum weights of the bearing cups between the next weighing sampling time and the end of the collection are also obtained. When the difference between the maximum and minimum weights of the bearing cups is not greater than the weighing resolution, the material discharge is stopped and the nozzle movement is stopped. When the difference between the maximum and minimum weights of the bearing cups is greater than the weighing resolution, the weight of the bearing cups is collected again and the judgment is re-evaluated. Record the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the feeding process after the material is stopped, and obtain the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the feeding process after the material is stopped for the first printing layer. The cumulative path length of the nozzle from the position where the active feeding is stopped to the position where the feeding process ends after the material is stopped is taken as the moving distance after the material is stopped for the first printing layer. When the nozzle reaches the end of the remaining internal filling path of the first printing layer, if the feeding process after the material is stopped is not yet finished, the nozzle movement is stopped and the printing of the current ice cream order is stopped.
[0062] It should be noted that after the active feeding stops, the residual pressure in the ice cream slurry discharge channel and nozzle is gradually released, and the amount of ice cream slurry continuing to flow from the nozzle decreases accordingly. When the weight of ice cream slurry entering the carrier cup between adjacent weighing sampling times is not greater than the weighing resolution, the single weighing result may temporarily fail to reflect that the weight of the carrier cup is still increasing, and the slight vibration caused by the movement of the nozzle may also cause short-term fluctuations in the weighing result. By comparing the maximum and minimum carrier cup weights among multiple carrier cup weights collected continuously within at least one response time, the judgment of the end of discharging after the feeding stops covers the response process of the weighing sensor to the change in mass, avoiding misjudging the brief stability of adjacent weighing results as the end of discharging after the feeding stops.
[0063] Furthermore, when the first printing layer does not trigger the stop of printing the current ice cream order and completes the discharge process after the material stoppage, the actual discharge situation of the first printing layer is compiled based on the weight of the carrying cup before the first printing layer starts, the weight of the carrying cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding, and the weight of the carrying cup at the end of the discharge process after the first printing layer stops feeding. The difference between the weight of the carrying cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding and the weight of the carrying cup before the first printing layer starts is taken as the active feeding weight of the first printing layer. The active feeding weight of the first printing layer is compared with the active feeding path length of the first printing layer to obtain the unit path discharge amount of the first printing layer. The difference between the weight of the carrying cup at the end of the discharge process after the first printing layer stops feeding and the weight of the carrying cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding is taken as the discharge amount after the first printing layer stops feeding.
[0064] The difference between the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the first printing layer after the material discharge stops and the weight of the carrier cup before the start of the first printing layer is taken as the cumulative actual material usage of the first printing layer. The cumulative actual material usage of the first printing layer includes the weight of ice cream syrup entering the carrier cup during the active feeding period and the weight of ice cream syrup continuing to enter the carrier cup after the active feeding stops. The active feeding weight of the first printing layer and the discharge amount after the first printing layer stops are both formed based on the weight of the carrier cup continuously collected by the weighing sensor, and the weight of the carrier cup when the active feeding of the first printing layer stops is used as a common boundary. The sum of the two is equal to the cumulative actual material usage of the first printing layer.
[0065] The following data are associated and saved according to the printing layer number of the first printing layer: the weight of the cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding, the weight of the cup when the first printing layer stops feeding and ends discharging, the length of the active feeding path of the first printing layer, the discharging amount per unit path of the first printing layer, the discharging amount after the first printing layer stops feeding, the moving distance after the first printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual material usage of the first printing layer.
[0066] S3. Based on the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer and the actual output of the previous printing layer, calculate the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding, and adjust the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops feeding. After stopping actively feeding, control the nozzle to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path to form the actual output of the current printing layer.
[0067] Furthermore, the next printing layer selected according to the printing layer number after the first printing layer is taken as the current printing layer, and the printing layer adjacent to the current printing layer that has been printed is taken as the previous printing layer; the ice cream material consumption, outer contour path, internal filling path, outer contour path length and path length of the current printing layer are obtained, and the material output per unit path of the previous printing layer, the material output after the previous printing layer stops, the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops and the cumulative actual material consumption of the previous printing layer are obtained.
[0068] Add the ice cream amounts from the first printed layer to the current printed layer to obtain the cumulative ice cream amount required when the current printed layer is completed. Take the difference between the cumulative ice cream amount required when the current printed layer is completed and the cumulative actual amount of ice cream used in the previous printed layer as the weight of ice cream mixture that still needs to enter the carrier cup before the current printed layer is completed. Then calculate the difference between the weight of ice cream mixture that still needs to enter the carrier cup before the current printed layer is completed and the amount of ice cream discharged after the previous printed layer stopped feeding to obtain the weight of ice cream mixture that needs to be output before the current printed layer stops actively feeding.
[0069] The weight of ice cream syrup that needs to be output before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is compared with the output amount per unit path of the previous printing layer to obtain the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding. When the output amount per unit path of the previous printing layer is not greater than zero, or when the weight of ice cream syrup that needs to be output before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is not greater than zero, the printing of the current ice cream order is stopped.
[0070] It should be noted that the cumulative actual material usage of the previous printing layer has already included the ice cream mix actually entering the carrier cup during the period from the first printing layer to the previous printing layer's active feeding and after the active feeding stopped. By comparing the cumulative actual material usage of the previous printing layer with the cumulative ice cream mix usage required when the current printing layer is completed, the material usage difference generated in the previous printing layer can be carried over to the current printing layer. Furthermore, the weight corresponding to the output amount after the previous printing layer stopped feeding is reserved for the continued output after the current printing layer stops feeding, so that the active feeding process and the output process after the feeding stops together complete the weight of ice cream mix that still needs to be added to the current printing layer. Adjacent printing layers continuously use the same ice cream mix output channel and maintain the same nozzle movement speed and ice cream mix conveying speed. The unit path output amount of the previous printing layer can be used to calculate the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops feeding.
[0071] Furthermore, the path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is compared with the outer contour path length and the path length of the current printing layer. When the path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is not greater than the outer contour path length, the position where active feeding stops cannot enter the internal filling path of the current printing layer, and the printing of the current ice cream order is stopped. When the path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is greater than or equal to the path length of the current printing layer, the printing path of the current printing layer cannot retain an internal filling path to receive the material after the active feeding is stopped, and the printing of the current ice cream order is stopped.
[0072] When the path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is greater than the outer contour path length but less than the current printing layer's path length, calculate the difference between the path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding and the outer contour path length to obtain the internal filling path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding. Starting from the beginning of the internal filling path of the current printing layer, accumulate the path segment length according to the path point order. Insert a path point at the position where the accumulated path segment length reaches the internal filling path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding, and use the inserted path point as the position where the current printing layer stops actively feeding.
[0073] When the cumulative path segment length reaches the length of the internal filling path that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding within any path segment, calculate the ratio of the cumulative path length to the current path segment length when the length of the internal filling path that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding, and insert the position where the current printing layer stops actively feeding between the two path points of the current path segment according to the ratio.
[0074] Furthermore, starting from the current print layer's stop position for active feeding, the length of the path segment continues to accumulate along the internal filling path. A path point is inserted at the position where the accumulated path segment length reaches the distance moved after the previous print layer stopped feeding. This inserted path point is taken as the expected end position after the current print layer stops feeding. The path from the start point of the internal filling path to the current print layer's stop position for active feeding is taken as the internal filling path executed during active feeding; the path from the current print layer's stop position for active feeding to the expected end position after the current print layer stops feeding is taken as the internal filling path to continue executing after the stop of active feeding; the path from the expected end position after the current print layer stops feeding to the end of the internal filling path is retained. The divided paths are then connected according to the original printhead movement sequence to form the adjusted internal filling path.
[0075] When the path length from the current printing layer's stop feeding position to the end of the internal filling path is less than the movement distance after the previous printing layer stopped feeding, the remaining internal filling path of the current printing layer cannot fully carry out the feeding after the stop according to the actual feeding process of the previous printing layer, and the printing of the current ice cream order is stopped.
[0076] It should be noted that the distance traveled after the previous printing layer stopped recording the actual length of the internal filling path traversed by the nozzle during the continued flow of ice cream slurry after the active feeding stopped. The path to continue execution after the active feeding stopped is divided within the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the distance traveled after the previous printing layer stopped. This allows for checking whether the remaining internal filling path is sufficient to handle the discharge after the stoppage before printing begins on the current printing layer. The internal filling path after the expected end position after the current printing layer stops is retained. If the discharge duration after the current printing layer stops is longer than that of the previous printing layer, the nozzle can continue to move along the remaining internal filling path, preventing ice cream slurry from accumulating at the expected end position after the current printing layer stops.
[0077] Furthermore, the nozzle height is adjusted to the nozzle height recorded for the current printing layer, and the nozzle is moved to the printing start point of the current printing layer; the weight of the carrier cup is collected before the current printing layer begins active feeding, and the weight of the carrier cup before the current printing layer begins is obtained; the feeding drive is started to actively feed the low-temperature ice cream slurry, and the nozzle is controlled to move first along the outer contour path of the current printing layer, and then along the adjusted internal filling path; at the same time, the weight of the carrier cup is continuously collected according to the sampling period of the weighing sensor, and the path length of the nozzle moving from the printing start point of the current printing layer is accumulated.
[0078] When the cumulative path length of the nozzle reaches the path length required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding, the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is stopped. The weight of the cup when the current printing layer stops actively feeding is recorded, and the cumulative path length of the nozzle from the printing start point of the current printing layer to the position where the current printing layer stops actively feeding is taken as the active feeding path length of the current printing layer.
[0079] After the active feeding stops, the printhead continues to move along the adjusted internal filling path from the position where the active feeding of the current printing layer stops. At the same time, the weight of the carrier cup continues to be collected, and the path length of the printhead moving from the position where the active feeding of the current printing layer stops is accumulated. According to the method for judging the end of discharge after the first printing layer stops, it is determined whether the discharge after the stop of the current printing layer has ended. If it is determined that the discharge after the stop of ...
[0080] When the printhead reaches the expected end position after stopping the current printing layer, if the material output has not ended after stopping, the printhead will continue to move along the remaining path reserved in the adjusted internal filling path; when the printhead reaches the end of the internal filling path, if the material output has not ended after stopping, the printhead will stop moving and the printing of the current ice cream order will be stopped.
[0081] Furthermore, when the current printing layer does not trigger the stop of printing the current ice cream order and completes the material discharge process after the stop, the actual material discharge situation of the current printing layer is compiled based on the weight of the carrying cup before the start of the current printing layer, the weight of the carrying cup when the current printing layer stops actively feeding, and the weight of the carrying cup at the end of the material discharge after the stop. The difference between the weight of the carrying cup when the current printing layer stops actively feeding and the weight of the carrying cup before the start of the current printing layer is taken as the active feeding weight of the current printing layer. The active feeding weight of the current printing layer is compared with the active feeding path length of the current printing layer to obtain the material discharge per unit path of the current printing layer. The difference between the weight of the carrying cup at the end of the material discharge after the stop and the weight of the carrying cup when the current printing layer stops actively feeding is taken as the material discharge after the stop of the current printing layer. The difference between the weight of the carrying cup at the end of the material discharge after the stop and the weight of the carrying cup before the start of the first printing layer is taken as the cumulative actual material consumption of the current printing layer.
[0082] Save the following data in association with the current printing layer's printing layer number: the weight of the cup when the current printing layer stops actively feeding, the weight of the cup when the current printing layer stops feeding and finishes discharging, the length of the active feeding path of the current printing layer, the amount of material discharged per unit path of the current printing layer, the amount of material discharged after the current printing layer stops feeding, the distance moved after the current printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual amount of material used by the current printing layer.
[0083] After recording the current printing layer, if the current printing layer is not the last printing layer, proceed to the low-temperature setting process between the current printing layers; if the current printing layer is the last printing layer, proceed to the ice cream ingredient verification process.
[0084] S4. Sequentially complete the output and low-temperature setting of the ice cream paste for each printing layer, and after the last printing layer is completed, check the cumulative actual amount of material used in the last printing layer against the amount of ice cream used, and complete the ice cream delivery.
[0085] Furthermore, the printing position is located within a low-temperature forming space, which is a closed space that accommodates the carrier cup, the nozzle, and the dispensed ice cream mixture, and performs low-temperature shaping on the dispensed ice cream mixture. A temperature sensor and a refrigeration device are installed in the low-temperature forming space. The temperature sensor collects the temperature of the low-temperature forming space, and the automatic ice cream vending machine controls the operation of the refrigeration device based on the temperature of the low-temperature forming space to maintain a low-temperature environment in the low-temperature forming space.
[0086] The low-temperature setting temperature range, interlayer setting time, and finished product setting time are read from the ice cream slurry setting process parameters associated with the ice cream slurry outlet channel. The allowable deviation of ice cream ingredients is read from the ice cream specifications corresponding to the ice cream order. The ice cream product manufacturer provides the low-temperature setting temperature range, interlayer setting time, and finished product setting time based on the ice cream slurry formula and low-temperature setting characteristics, and associates and saves the ice cream slurry setting process parameters with the corresponding ice cream slurry outlet channel. The low-temperature setting temperature range consists of a lower temperature limit and a higher temperature limit, which indicates the temperature range that the output ice cream slurry can be maintained in when the low-temperature forming space sets the ice cream slurry. The interlayer setting time indicates the time that the ice cream slurry is maintained within the low-temperature setting temperature range after the ice cream slurry output is completed for the last printing layer. The finished product setting time indicates the time that the ice cream slurry is maintained within the low-temperature setting temperature range after the ice cream slurry output is completed for the last printing layer.
[0087] Ice cream manufacturers provide permissible deviations for ice cream ingredients based on the finished product quality requirements of the corresponding ice cream specifications, and save these permissible deviations in association with the ice cream specifications. The permissible deviations for ice cream ingredients are expressed as mass values, which are greater than zero and less than the amount of ice cream ingredients required for the corresponding ice cream specification. The permissible deviations for ice cream ingredients represent the maximum mass difference between the cumulative actual amount of ingredients used in the last printed layer and the total amount of ice cream ingredients allowed for the corresponding ice cream specification.
[0088] Furthermore, after the current printing layer completes the material discharge process and the actual discharge status of the current printing layer is saved, the nozzle is moved to the nozzle docking position. The projection of the nozzle docking position on the printing plane is outside the opening area of the carrier cup. When the current printing layer is not the last printing layer, the carrier cup is kept in the printing position. The automatic ice cream vending machine controls the operation of the refrigeration device according to the temperature of the low-temperature forming space, so that the temperature of the low-temperature forming space enters the low-temperature setting temperature range. The timing starts to accumulate when the temperature of the low-temperature forming space enters the low-temperature setting temperature range. If the temperature of the low-temperature forming space exceeds the low-temperature setting temperature range during the timing process, the timing is paused. When the temperature of the low-temperature forming space re-enters the low-temperature setting temperature range, the timing continues. When the accumulated time reaches the interlayer setting time, the low-temperature setting of the current printing layer is completed.
[0089] After the current printing layer completes low-temperature setting, the next printing layer is selected according to the printing layer number. Based on the unit path output, output after stopping, movement distance after stopping, and cumulative actual material consumption associated with the current printing layer, the path length to be executed before the next printing layer stops active feeding is calculated, and the internal filling path of the next printing layer is adjusted. Active feeding and output after stopping are completed for the next printing layer, and the actual output status of the next printing layer is associated and saved. The next printing layer that has completed the output process after stopping is taken as the new current printing layer. The interlayer low-temperature setting of the current printing layer is repeated. After the interlayer low-temperature setting is completed, a new next printing layer is selected. The path length to be executed before the new next printing layer stops active feeding is calculated, the internal filling path is adjusted, and the ice cream slurry output is completed, until the last printing layer completes the output process after stopping.
[0090] It should be noted that the freshly printed low-temperature ice cream mix is still fluid. If the next printing layer is printed directly, the weight of the newly printed ice cream mix and the local impact generated by the nozzle may cause the already formed shape boundary to sink or shift. Keeping the carrier cup in the printing position and completing the low-temperature setting between layers within the low-temperature setting temperature range will ensure that the printed layer after the ice cream mix is printed remains stable before receiving the next printing layer.
[0091] Furthermore, when any printing layer triggers the cessation of printing the current ice cream order, the output of ice cream syrup for the remaining printing layers will no longer be executed, the pick-up port isolation door will remain closed, and the ice cream order will be updated to a production error status.
[0092] After the last printing layer completes the material discharge process and the cumulative actual material usage of the last printing layer is saved, the absolute value of the difference between the cumulative actual material usage of the last printing layer and the ice cream material usage is calculated to obtain the material usage verification difference. This material usage verification difference is then compared with the allowable deviation of ice cream material usage. If the material usage verification difference is greater than the allowable deviation of ice cream material usage, the ice cream material usage verification is determined to have failed, the pick-up gate is kept closed, and the ice cream order is updated to a production error status. If the material usage verification difference is not greater than the allowable deviation of ice cream material usage, the ice cream material usage verification is determined to have passed.
[0093] Furthermore, after the ice cream ingredients are verified and approved, the carrier cup is kept in the printing position. The temperature of the low-temperature forming space is controlled and the time is accumulated according to the temperature control and timing method of low-temperature setting between layers. When the accumulated time reaches the finished product setting time, the low-temperature setting of all printed layers is completed.
[0094] It should also be noted that interlayer shaping occurs between the output of ice cream slurry from adjacent printing layers, allowing the printed layer that has been output to receive the next printing layer; finished product shaping occurs after the last printing layer is completed and verified by the ice cream ingredients, ensuring that the ice cream formed by all printing layers maintains the shape required for delivery.
[0095] Furthermore, the low-temperature pickup position is adjacent to the low-temperature forming space and separated from the external space by a pickup port isolation door. The low-temperature pickup position is equipped with a carrier cup in-situ sensor, a temperature sensor, and a cooling device. After all printing layers have completed low-temperature setting, the carrier cup is moved from the printing position to the low-temperature pickup position. When the carrier cup in-situ sensor detects that the carrier cup has arrived at the low-temperature pickup position, the temperature sensor collects the temperature of the low-temperature pickup position. The automatic ice cream vending machine controls the operation of the cooling device based on the temperature of the low-temperature pickup position to bring the temperature of the low-temperature pickup position into the low-temperature setting temperature range. After the temperature of the low-temperature pickup position enters the low-temperature setting temperature range, the pickup port isolation door is opened, and the ice cream order is updated to the pending pickup status. When the carrier cup in-situ sensor does not detect that the carrier cup has arrived at the low-temperature pickup position, the pickup port isolation door remains closed, and the ice cream order is updated to the production abnormal status.
[0096] Once the in-situ sensor detects that the ice cream container has left the low-temperature pickup location, the pickup port isolation door is closed, and the ice cream order is updated to the completed status, thus completing the ice cream pickup and delivery.
[0097] It should also be noted that, in order to verify that the continued discharge of ice cream slurry after the active feeding is stopped can be included in the actual discharge situation, and to verify that the actual discharge situation of the previous printing layer can be transferred to the current printing layer to reduce the cumulative deviation of ice cream material usage layer by layer, a simulation experiment scenario for intelligent ice cream molding and sales based on 3D printing was constructed. In the simulation experiment, the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream slurry discharge channel, and the printing path of each printing layer are obtained around the same ice cream order. The amount of ice cream ingredients is allocated to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer. During the output of ice cream slurry in the first printing layer, the weight of the current carrier cup is collected to form the increase in the weight of the carrier cup. After the active feeding stops, the weight of the carrier cup continues to be collected, and the end of the feeding after the stop is determined by combining the weighing resolution, response time, and sampling period, forming the amount of material discharged after the first printing layer stops feeding, the moving distance after the first printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual material used in the first printing layer. Then, based on the unit path feeding of the previous printing layer, the feeding of the previous printing layer after the stop feeding, the moving distance after the stop feeding of the previous printing layer, and the cumulative actual material used in the previous printing layer, the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops active feeding is calculated, the internal filling path of the current printing layer is adjusted, and the cumulative actual material used in the current printing layer is formed.
[0098] Figure 5 This is used to demonstrate the relationship between the increase in the weight of the bearing cup and the difference in weight between adjacent weighing samples as the nozzle continues to move after the first printing layer stops actively feeding. Figure 5In the diagram, the horizontal axis represents the path length the nozzle travels from the point where active feeding stops; the left vertical axis represents the increase in the weight of the bearing cup; and the right vertical axis represents the absolute value of the weight difference between two adjacent weighing sampling points. Solid dots represent the increase in the weight of the bearing cup, dotted lines represent the absolute value of the weight difference between two adjacent weighing sampling points, the long vertical dashed line represents the point where active feeding stops, the vertical dotted line represents the end position of discharge after feeding stops, and the short horizontal dotted line represents the weighing resolution. Figure 5 It can be seen that after stopping the active feeding, the increase in the weight of the carrier cup did not immediately remain constant, but continued to rise as the nozzle continued to move along the remaining internal filling path of the first printing layer. Simultaneously, the absolute value of the weight difference between two adjacent weighing sampling times gradually decreased, approaching the weighing resolution in the latter part. This demonstrates that stopping the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is not equivalent to the ice cream slurry immediately stopping entering the carrier cup. This invention, by continuing to collect the weight of the carrier cup and recording the movement distance after the feeding stops, can incorporate the discharge volume after the feeding stops and the internal filling path traversed by the nozzle into the actual discharge situation of the first printing layer.
[0099] Figure 6 This is used to display the relationship between the cumulative ice cream consumption required to complete the current printing layer, the cumulative actual consumption of the current printing layer, and the absolute value of the difference in cumulative consumption under different printing layer numbers. Figure 6 In the graph, the horizontal axis represents the printing layer number, the left vertical axis represents the weight, and the right vertical axis represents the absolute value of the cumulative material usage difference. The bar chart represents the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer. Solid squares represent the cumulative amount of ice cream needed to complete the current printing layer, dashed circles represent the actual cumulative material usage of the current printing layer, and dotted triangles represent the absolute value of the cumulative material usage difference. From Figure 6 It can be seen that as the printing layer number increases, the cumulative actual material usage of the current printing layer generally follows the change in the cumulative ice cream material usage required when the current printing layer is completed. There is a slight difference between the two, but there is no cumulative deviation that continues to increase with the increase of the printing layer number; the absolute value of the cumulative material usage difference remains a small fluctuation between each printing layer. It can be seen that the present invention does not treat each printing layer as an independent material feeding process, but rather transmits the actual material output of the previous printing layer to the current printing layer. This causes the path length and the adjusted internal filling path required before the current printing layer stops actively feeding to change with the actual material output of the previous printing layer, thereby coordinating the active feeding process and the output process after stopping feeding, reducing the accumulation of ice cream material usage deviation layer by layer.
[0100] This embodiment also provides a 3D-printed intelligent ice cream forming and vending system, including:
[0101] The order configuration module is used to receive ice cream orders, obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream syrup discharge channel, and the printing path of each printing layer, and allocate the amount of ice cream ingredients to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer.
[0102] The first-layer feeding control module is used to control the output of ice cream paste for the first printing layer by the increase in the weight of the carrier cup. It controls the nozzle to move along the printing path of the first printing layer. When the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printing layer, it stops actively feeding and continues to move along the internal filling path until the feeding stops and the discharge ends, thus forming the actual discharge situation of the first printing layer.
[0103] The cross-layer compensation control module is used to calculate the path length that the current printing layer needs to execute before stopping active feeding based on the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer and the actual output of the previous printing layer. It also adjusts the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stopped feeding. After stopping active feeding, it controls the nozzle to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path to form the actual output of the current printing layer.
[0104] The finished product delivery module is used to sequentially output the ice cream slurry for each printing layer and perform low-temperature setting. After the last printing layer is completed, it verifies the cumulative actual amount of material used in the last printing layer against the amount of ice cream used, and completes the ice cream pickup and delivery.
[0105] In summary, this invention controls the output of ice cream slurry in the first printing layer by increasing the weight of the carrier cup, and continues to collect the weight of the carrier cup and record the nozzle movement distance after stopping active feeding. This incorporates the ice cream slurry that continues to flow out after feeding stops and the internal filling path traversed by the nozzle into the actual output of the first printing layer. Based on the actual output of the previous printing layer, the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops active feeding is calculated, and the internal filling path of the current printing layer is adjusted according to the movement distance after feeding stops in the previous printing layer. This ensures that the material usage difference formed in the previous printing layer and the output path after feeding stops are transmitted to the current printing layer, reducing the accumulation of ice cream material usage deviations layer by layer.
[0106] The second embodiment of this invention, based on the original order configuration, first-layer material supply control, cross-layer compensation control, and material deviation compensation control logic for finished product delivery, is fully equipped with a human-machine interaction module, a 3D printing molding module, a multi-channel material supply module, an intelligent warehousing module, a dynamic pricing module, a visualization display module, and a CIP automatic cleaning and temperature control module. This enables fully automated vending from user-designed products, differentiated pricing, multi-flavor embedded auxiliary material 3D printing, full-process visualization, low-temperature temporary storage of finished products, and automatic sterilization and cleaning of equipment. All hardware parameters, control steps, and linkage logic are fully disclosed.
[0107] The human-computer interaction module includes dual 10-inch capacitive touch screens, one on the bottom and one on the top. The bottom screen is the operation touch terminal, and the top screen is the information display screen. It has a built-in embedded edge computing GPU that supports local 3D model slicing calculations. It is equipped with a WebAR QR code generation unit, which allows users to preview the ice cream 360° stereoscopically simply by scanning the code with their mobile phone without having to download an APP.
[0108] The human-computer interaction module stores over 1000 pre-made 3D models locally, including cartoon IPs, holiday themes, and 3D text; it has a built-in geometric Boolean operation engine that supports dragging, scaling, merging, and hollowing out of cubes, spheres, and cylinders. The module also features a lightweight image recognition unit that receives user-drawn sketches and automatically generates embossed texture slice files after recognizing the outlines.
[0109] The interactive output terminal communicates with the order configuration module via RS485. After the user confirms the model, the ice cream specifications, flavor number, 3D slice file, and estimated printing time are simultaneously sent to the order configuration module.
[0110] The dynamic pricing module is equipped with pricing algorithm logic by a local edge computing unit. The input parameters include the total path length of the model, the number of printed layers, the proportion of suspended support paths, and the passenger flow level for the current time period.
[0111] The dynamic pricing module calculates the price based on the 3D complexity coefficient: Complexity coefficient = total fill path length ÷ basic standard ice cream path length + support layer number correction value; Order price = basic unit price × complexity coefficient + printing time unit price × estimated printing time + time-based floating premium / discount.
[0112] The information display screen shows the top-selling models of the day and the user DIY likes list in real time, and simultaneously displays the premium amount corresponding to each model. The pricing data is stored in the local storage unit along with the order.
[0113] The visualization module has four sets of 720P miniature camera units arranged at the four corners inside the low-temperature molding space. The top of the low-temperature molding space cavity has a built-in ring LED cold light source to supplement the light and avoid fogging in the low-temperature environment from obstructing the shooting. The video stream is synchronously transmitted to the local screen and the large cluster screen outside the store.
[0114] The equipment supports four standardized deployment forms, and the hardware structure can be directly mass-produced, including a rectangular multi-screen vending counter in a shopping mall island, a compact single-screen vending counter in a convenience store, a rotating multi-screen vending counter in a scenic area flagship, and a large-screen linkage type for business district clusters.
[0115] The shopping mall's rectangular multi-screen vending machine uses multiple 3D printed modules connected horizontally in parallel, paired with a long, integrated LED strip screen that displays real-time images from all printing stations. The convenience store's single-screen compact vending machine includes a single printhead and a single printing station, with an overall width ≤60cm and a basic, simple design printing time ≤90s. The scenic area's flagship rotating multi-screen vending machine features a servo-driven rotation mechanism at the bottom, allowing for 360° low-speed cyclic rotation, and a wraparound curved screen displaying the printing process without blind spots. The commercial district cluster's large-screen interconnected system networks up to 10 vending machines, with a central 43-inch screen centrally displaying live printing updates, creative lists, and real-time prices from all stations.
[0116] The motion platform of the 3D printing molding module uses a four-axis XYZR precision servo motion platform with a positioning accuracy of ±0.05mm. The nozzle is a food-grade 316L stainless steel quick-release nozzle with electrolytic polishing treatment on the inner wall of the flow channel, eliminating dead corners where slurry adheres. The 3D printing molding module comes standard with three quick-change nozzle diameters, including 0.8mm high-precision relief, 1.2mm standard printing, and 1.6mm high-flow rapid prototyping. The nozzle locking structure can be disassembled and assembled in ≤30s.
[0117] The nozzle consists of two independent extrusion paths: a main nozzle and an edible support nozzle. The main nozzle delivers the ice cream slurry, while the support nozzle delivers agar-based edible support material. The support material has a low-temperature solidification temperature of -10℃ and dissolves after printing by spraying with warm water for 3 seconds, leaving no residue.
[0118] The cryogenic molding space incorporates a semiconductor cooling chip and a combined air-cooled rapid freezing unit. Within 5-8 seconds of single-layer slurry extrusion, the surface temperature of the current printed layer is reduced to -25°C, forming a rigid support shell. The single-layer extrusion thickness is adaptively adjustable from 0.8mm to 2.0mm based on the slurry viscosity. A load cell weighing sensor with a resolution of 0.01g, a response time of 200ms, and a sampling period of 100ms is placed at the bottom of the cryogenic molding space. The sensor data is synchronized in real-time to the first-layer feeding control module for weight increment determination.
[0119] The multi-channel feeding module is equipped with six independent ice cream syrup dispensing channels. Each channel uses transparent medical-grade silicone tubing conforming to GB 4806.7 standards, facilitating visual inspection of syrup residue. Each channel is equipped with an independent stepper feed drive, which can be started and stopped independently. When dispensing syrup from both channels simultaneously, the flavor and color can be gradually changed by adjusting the ratio of the two drive speeds.
[0120] The multi-channel feeding module integrates an automatic auxiliary material spreading unit on the side, which stores three types of solid auxiliary materials: chocolate chips, nut pieces, and freeze-dried fruit. The spreading unit receives the edge calculation slice layer height signal, automatically pauses the nozzle extrusion at the designated printing layer, rotates the feeding unit to quantitatively add auxiliary materials, and resumes the upper layer slurry extrusion after the addition is completed, so that the auxiliary materials are completely embedded inside the ice cream and do not just adhere to the surface.
[0121] The intelligent storage module is divided into three independent temperature-controlled chambers, each equipped with dual-backup PT100 temperature sensor probes, ensuring that a single temperature failure does not affect the overall operation of the machine. After each layer of printing is completed and the finished product is finalized, a three-axis sliding rail robotic arm moves the carrier cup to the constant-temperature retrieval chamber. The retrieval port is equipped with an electric isolation door that opens only when the position sensor detects the carrier cup.
[0122] The independent temperature-controlled chamber includes a slurry cold storage chamber, an auxiliary material storage tank, and a constant-temperature retrieval compartment. The slurry cold storage chamber maintains a constant temperature of 2-6°C, storing liquid ice cream slurry and is sealed to prevent oxidation. The auxiliary material storage tank is a room-temperature dry, sealed compartment to prevent nuts and dried fruits from getting damp. The constant-temperature retrieval compartment maintains a constant temperature of -18°C and has a built-in infrared presence sensor for the carrying cup.
[0123] The CIP automatic cleaning temperature control module automatically triggers a closed-loop cleaning process at the end of business hours at 24:00 each day. The cleaning process includes high-pressure rinsing of all slurry discharge channels and nozzle cavities with clean water; circulating soaking of the pipeline with 0.5% food-grade sodium carbonate alkali solution for 10 minutes to dissolve fat residue; secondary rinsing with clean water to remove alkali residue; and continuous sterilization of the pipeline and nozzle with ≥85℃ high-temperature saturated steam for 15 minutes.
[0124] The cleaning process involves no manual disassembly, and the cleaning wastewater is recycled separately.
[0125] When the actual temperature of the CIP automatic cleaning temperature control module deviates from the set threshold by ±3℃ in any temperature zone, the module immediately shuts down all feeding drives and servo motion mechanisms, and at the same time, local audible and visual alarms are triggered and background maintenance SMS messages push fault information.
[0126] The complete sales implementation process includes user interaction, 3D model processing, layered material compensation control, dynamic pricing, visualization, and the entire chain of cleaning and maintenance.
[0127] Step 1: Consumers operate the lower screen touch terminal of the human-computer interaction module, select the modeling method to complete the shape, preview the finished ice cream effect, confirm the ice cream specifications, flavor, and toppings, and submit the order; read the ice cream slice parameters, calculate the 3D complexity coefficient and the total estimated printing time, add the store's current time-fluctuating price to generate the total order price, and simultaneously display the price details and the premium reference of similar popular creative models.
[0128] The modeling methods include, but are not limited to, cloud-based pre-made models, dragging and dropping geometric shapes to create self-assembled models, and uploading hand-drawn sketches to generate reliefs using AI.
[0129] Step 2: Receive ice cream orders, obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream syrup discharge channel, and the printing path of each printing layer, and allocate the amount of ice cream ingredients to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer.
[0130] Step 3: Control the output of ice cream paste for the first printing layer by controlling the increase in the weight of the carrier cup. Control the nozzle to move along the printing path of the first printing layer. When the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream paste used in the first printing layer, stop the active feeding and continue to move along the internal filling path until the feeding stops and the discharge ends, forming the actual discharge situation of the first printing layer.
[0131] Step 4: Based on the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer and the actual output of the previous printing layer, calculate the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding. Adjust the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops feeding. After stopping actively feeding, control the nozzle to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path to form the actual output of the current printing layer.
[0132] Step 5: Complete the output of ice cream syrup for each printing layer and low-temperature setting in sequence. After the last printing layer is completed, check the cumulative actual amount of material used in the last printing layer against the amount of ice cream used, and complete the delivery of the ice cream.
[0133] Step 6: After the business hours of the day, start the sterilization and cleaning of the entire pipeline and nozzles, and continuously monitor the temperature of the three sets of temperature zones (slurry cold storage, low temperature molding space, and constant temperature unloading chamber) with dual backup temperature probes. Monitor the temperature data throughout the process, and immediately lock the entire printing mechanism and sound an alarm in case of over-temperature or under-temperature faults to ensure food production safety.
[0134] This embodiment utilizes a four-axis motion platform and dual-nozzle edible support printing, breaking through the limitations of traditional fixed molds to achieve arbitrarily complex suspended three-dimensional shapes, suitable for scenic area IPs and cultural and creative customized ice cream. Secondly, multi-channel gradient printing and targeted embedding of auxiliary materials within the printed layer overcome the limitations of traditional equipment that can only sprinkle materials on the surface, greatly enriching the flavor profile. Furthermore, the dynamic pricing mechanism incorporates model complexity and printing time into the pricing, allowing highly creative DIY ice cream to achieve a 2-3 times premium on the average order value. The on-screen creative ranking list inherently possesses social media sharing attributes, reducing customer acquisition costs for stores. Finally, the entire process is visualized and live-streamed, and the equipment's multi-form adaptability to different scenarios such as shopping malls, convenience stores, and scenic spots enhances the user experience.
[0135] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing, characterized in that, include: Receive ice cream orders, obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream syrup discharge channel, and the printing path of each printing layer, and allocate the amount of ice cream ingredients to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer; The output of ice cream paste for the first printing layer is controlled by the increase in the weight of the bearing cup. The nozzle is controlled to move along the printing path of the first printing layer. When the increase in the weight of the bearing cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream paste used in the first printing layer, the active feeding stops and the nozzle continues to move along the internal filling path until the feeding stops and the discharge ends, thus forming the actual discharge situation of the first printing layer. Based on the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer and the actual output of the previous printing layer, calculate the path length that the current printing layer needs to execute before stopping the active feeding. Adjust the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops feeding. After stopping the active feeding, control the nozzle to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path to form the actual output of the current printing layer. The ice cream slurry for each printing layer is output and low-temperature set in sequence. After the last printing layer is completed, the actual amount of material used in the last printing layer is checked against the amount of ice cream used, and the ice cream is picked up and delivered.
2. The method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The process of receiving ice cream orders and obtaining the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream syrup outlet channel, and the printing path of each printing layer includes: Receives ice cream orders submitted by consumers through ice cream vending machines, reads the ice cream specifications, flavors, and shapes from the orders, obtains the amount of ingredients needed based on the specifications, matches the ice cream filling dispensing channel to the flavors, and obtains the printing path file based on the shapes. Obtain the print layer number, outer contour path, and inner fill path of each print layer from the print path file. Save the outer contour path and inner fill path of each print layer according to the print layer number to obtain the print path of each print layer.
3. The method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The method of allocating the amount of ice cream material to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer includes: Add the lengths of all path segments in the outer contour path and the lengths of all path segments in the inner fill path of any printing layer to obtain the path length of any printing layer, and obtain the path length of each printing layer in the same way. Add up the path lengths of all printed layers to get the total path length of all printed layers. Compare the path length of any printed layer with the total path length of all printed layers to get the proportion of the path length of any printed layer. Multiply the amount of ice cream ingredients by the proportion of the path length of any printing layer to obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients for any printing layer, and then associate and save the amount of ice cream ingredients for each printing layer with the printing path of each printing layer according to the printing layer number.
4. The 3D-printed intelligent ice cream forming and selling method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method of controlling the output of the ice cream slurry for the first printed layer by increasing the weight of the support cup includes: Before the first printing layer begins, the weight of the bearing cup is collected, the weighing resolution, response time, and sampling period are read, and the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is started to actively feed the slurry. The nozzle is controlled to move sequentially along the outer contour path and the internal filling path of the first printing layer, and the current weight of the bearing cup is continuously collected according to the sampling period. Active feeding refers to the feeding process in which the feeding drive keeps running and continuously pushes the low-temperature ice cream slurry to the nozzle. The difference between the current weight of the carrier cup and the weight of the carrier cup before the start of the first printing layer is taken as the increase in the weight of the carrier cup. When the nozzle enters the internal filling path, and the increase in the weight of the carrier cup first reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printing layer, and the nozzle has not yet reached the end of the internal filling path, the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is stopped. The weight of the carrier cup when the active feeding of the first printing layer stops is recorded, and the cumulative path length from the printing start point of the first printing layer to the stop of active feeding position is taken as the active feeding path length of the first printing layer.
5. The method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The actual discharge situation of continuing to move along the internal filling path until the material stops and the discharge ends, forming the first printed layer, includes: After the active feeding stops, the nozzle continues to move along the remaining internal filling path of the first printing layer, continues to collect the weight of the bearing cup and accumulates the path length of the nozzle from the position where the active feeding stops; when the absolute value of the difference between the weights of the bearing cups at two adjacent weighing sampling times is not greater than the weighing resolution for the first time, the weight of the bearing cups is collected from the next weighing sampling time for at least one response time and at least one subsequent weighing sampling time. When the difference between the maximum weight of the bearing cup and the minimum weight of the bearing cup during the collection period is not greater than the weighing resolution, it is determined that the material discharge after the material stoppage ends, the weight of the bearing cup at the end of the material discharge after the material stoppage of the first printing layer is recorded, and the cumulative path length of the nozzle from the position where the active feeding stops to the position where the material discharge ends after the material stoppage is taken as the moving distance after the material stoppage of the first printing layer. Calculate the difference between the weight of the carrier cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding and the weight of the carrier cup before the first printing layer starts, to obtain the active feeding weight of the first printing layer. Compare the active feeding weight of the first printing layer with the active feeding path length of the first printing layer to obtain the unit path output of the first printing layer. Calculate the difference between the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the first printing layer's output after feeding stops and the weight of the carrier cup when the first printing layer stops actively feeding, to obtain the output after the first printing layer stops feeding. Calculate the difference between the weight of the carrier cup at the end of the first printing layer's output after feeding stops and the weight of the carrier cup before the first printing layer starts, to obtain the cumulative actual material usage of the first printing layer. Associate and save the unit path output of the first printing layer, the output after the first printing layer stops feeding, the movement distance after the first printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual material usage of the first printing layer to form the actual output situation of the first printing layer.
6. The method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The calculation of the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding includes: The next printing layer selected according to the printing layer number after the first printing layer is taken as the current printing layer. The printing layer that is adjacent to the current printing layer and has been completed is taken as the previous printing layer. The unit path output of the previous printing layer, the output after the previous printing layer stops, and the cumulative actual material consumption of the previous printing layer are obtained. Add the ice cream amounts from the first printed layer to the current printed layer to get the cumulative ice cream amount required when the current printed layer is completed. Calculate the difference between the cumulative ice cream amount required when the current printed layer is completed and the cumulative actual amount of ice cream used in the previous printed layer to get the weight of ice cream mixture that still needs to enter the container before the current printed layer is completed. Calculate the difference between the weight of ice cream syrup that still needs to enter the carrier cup before the current printing layer is completed and the amount of syrup discharged after the previous printing layer stopped discharging. This gives the weight of ice cream syrup that needs to be output before the current printing layer stops actively discharging. Compare the weight of ice cream syrup that needs to be output before the current printing layer stops actively discharging with the amount of syrup discharged per unit path of the previous printing layer to get the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively discharging.
7. The intelligent ice cream molding and sales method based on 3D printing as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops includes: Get the outer contour path length and path length of the current printing layer; when the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding is greater than the outer contour path length of the current printing layer but less than the path length of the current printing layer, calculate the difference between the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding and the outer contour path length of the current printing layer, and obtain the internal filling path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops actively feeding. Starting from the beginning of the internal fill path of the current print layer, accumulate the path segment length. Insert a path point at the position where the accumulated path segment length needs to be executed before the current print layer stops actively feeding. Use the inserted path point as the position where the current print layer stops actively feeding. Starting from the current printing layer where active feeding stops, continue to accumulate the path segment length. When the accumulated path segment length reaches the distance moved after the previous printing layer stopped feeding, insert a path point and use the inserted path point as the expected end position after the current printing layer stops feeding. The internal filling path of the current printing layer is divided according to the current printing layer's stop feeding position and the expected end position after the current printing layer stops feeding. The divided paths are then connected according to the original nozzle movement sequence to form the adjusted internal filling path.
8. The intelligent ice cream molding and vending method based on 3D printing as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The step of controlling the printhead to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path after stopping active feeding, forming the actual output of the current printing layer, includes: Before the current printing layer starts active feeding, the weight of the carrier cup is collected to obtain the weight of the carrier cup before the current printing layer starts. The feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is started to actively feed the ice cream. The nozzle is controlled to move along the outer contour path and the adjusted internal filling path of the current printing layer in sequence. When the cumulative path length of the nozzle reaches the path length that needs to be executed before the current printing layer stops active feeding, the feeding drive of the ice cream slurry outlet channel is stopped, and the weight of the carrier cup and the active feeding path length of the current printing layer are recorded when the current printing layer stops active feeding. After stopping the active feeding, control the nozzle to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path. Determine whether the current printing layer has finished feeding after stopping, according to the method for judging the end of feeding after stopping the first printing layer. Record the weight of the bearing cup and the moving distance after stopping the current printing layer when feeding ends. Based on the weight of the bearing cup before the start of the current printing layer, the weight of the bearing cup when the current printing layer stops actively feeding, the weight of the bearing cup after the current printing layer stops feeding and the length of the active feeding path of the current printing layer, calculate the unit path output of the current printing layer, the output after the current printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual material usage of the current printing layer. Then, associate and save the unit path output of the current printing layer, the output after the current printing layer stops feeding, the moving distance after the current printing layer stops feeding, and the cumulative actual material usage of the current printing layer to form the actual output situation of the current printing layer.
9. The intelligent ice cream molding and vending method based on 3D printing as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The process of verifying the cumulative actual material usage of the last printed layer against the ice cream usage after the last printed layer is completed, and then picking up and delivering the ice cream, includes: The low-temperature setting temperature range and finished product setting time are read from the ice cream slurry setting process parameters stored in association with the ice cream slurry discharge channel, and the allowable deviation of ice cream ingredients is read from the ice cream specifications corresponding to the ice cream order; Calculate the absolute value of the difference between the cumulative actual material usage of the last printed layer and the amount of ice cream used to obtain the material usage verification difference; when the material usage verification difference is greater than the allowable deviation of ice cream material usage, keep the picking port isolation door closed and update the ice cream order to a production abnormal status; when the material usage verification difference is not greater than the allowable deviation of ice cream material usage, control the temperature of the low-temperature forming space to enter the low-temperature setting temperature range and accumulate the time. When the accumulated time reaches the finished product setting time, complete the low-temperature setting of all printed layers. The delivery cup is moved to the low-temperature pickup location. After the delivery cup presence sensor detects that the delivery cup has arrived at the low-temperature pickup location, the pickup port isolation door is opened, and the ice cream order is updated to the pending pickup status. After the delivery cup presence sensor detects that the delivery cup has left the low-temperature pickup location, the pickup port isolation door is closed, and the ice cream order is updated to the completed status, thus completing the ice cream pickup and delivery.
10. The method for intelligent molding and selling ice cream based on 3D printing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Before receiving ice cream orders, user modeling and differentiated pricing steps are performed. During the printing process, multi-flavor composite printing, ingredient embedding, and visual display of the finished product are performed simultaneously. After the business hours, the entire machine undergoes food-grade automatic cleaning. The user modeling interaction provides three modeling methods: cloud model library, block-style geometry editing, and AI sketch generation, enabling 360° preview and confirmation of the ice cream. The differentiated pricing is based on the 3D complexity coefficient calculated from the total path length of the 3D model, the number of printing layers, and the proportion of suspended support, and combined with the estimated printing time and store time fluctuation value to generate the order price. The multi-flavor composite printing uses a multi-channel ice cream slurry discharge channel for zoned discharge or dual-channel speed-adjusting mixing to achieve flavor gradient. The auxiliary materials are embedded in the designated printing layer height, the feeding is paused, and nuts and chocolate chips are added. The upper layer of slurry covers the internal material to complete the embedding. The resulting visual displays include rectangular multi-screen sales counters in shopping malls, compact single-screen sales counters in convenience stores, rotating multi-screen sales counters in scenic areas, and large-screen interconnected sales counters in business district clusters.
11. A 3D-printed intelligent ice cream forming and vending system, based on the 3D-printed intelligent ice cream forming and vending method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, include: The order configuration module is used to receive ice cream orders, obtain the amount of ice cream ingredients, the ice cream syrup discharge channel and the printing path of each printing layer, and allocate the amount of ice cream ingredients to each printing layer according to the path length of each printing layer; The first-layer feeding control module is used to control the output of ice cream paste for the first printing layer by the increase in the weight of the carrier cup, and to control the nozzle to move along the printing path of the first printing layer. When the increase in the weight of the carrier cup reaches or exceeds the amount of ice cream used in the first printing layer, the active feeding stops, and the nozzle continues to move along the internal filling path until the feeding stops and the discharge ends, thus forming the actual discharge situation of the first printing layer. The cross-layer compensation control module is used to calculate the path length that the current printing layer needs to execute before stopping active feeding based on the amount of ice cream used in the current printing layer and the actual output of the previous printing layer. It also adjusts the internal filling path of the current printing layer according to the moving distance after the previous printing layer stops feeding. After stopping active feeding, it controls the nozzle to continue moving along the adjusted internal filling path to form the actual output of the current printing layer. The finished product delivery module is used to sequentially output the ice cream slurry for each printing layer and perform low-temperature setting. After the last printing layer is completed, it verifies the cumulative actual amount of material used in the last printing layer against the amount of ice cream used, and completes the ice cream pickup and delivery.