Method for evaluating food packaging and system for evaluating food packaging

Abstract

A method (300) for evaluating food packages, comprising the steps of: determining (302) an identity (220a, 220b, 220c) associated with a device (204a, 204b, 204c) coupled to an operator (202a, 202b, 202c) to perform one or more tasks related to the evaluation of the food packages; and issuing instructions (208a, 208b, 208c) related to the evaluation of the food packages to the identity (220a, 220b, 220c). and determining (308) food package evaluation data based on the measurements (212a, 212b, 212c).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of packaging technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to food package evaluation, such as food package integrity evaluation. [Background technology]

[0002] Food safety should be considered at every step of food production. To ensure that the food products produced are free of undesirable microorganisms, several quality assessment steps are included in the food production process. In addition to the food production, the packaging that contains the product also needs to comply with food safety standards to ensure that the product can be safely consumed.

[0003] Various types of tests are performed to ensure food safety. Various types of sensors are applied in food production facilities to ensure that the product is properly heat treated or that the fat content is within a preset interval. A visual sensor system may be used to ensure that packages are produced according to preset conditions. For example, a visual sensor may be used to capture image data indicative of the package, which can be processed so that it can be determined whether the shape of the package is within a preset interval, thereby providing information on whether the package is produced without deviations.

[0004] Although food safety parameters can be continuously monitored by using various kinds of sensors, there is still a need to perform further offline testing. For example, a package may be within a pre-set interval in terms of shape, but may still have problems, for example, in terms of package integrity. To ensure that these packages are not delivered to consumers, sample packages can be taken from the package and analyzed offline. If the sample package is identified as unsafe for consumption, packages from the same batch can be identified and recalled.

[0005] As mentioned above, there are currently processes and technologies in place to ensure food safety. However, there is still room for improvement in terms of efficiency. For example, a significant number of packages are wasted to ensure that packages that may contain harmful food products are not consumed. If the process of identifying food safety issues could be made more efficient, less packaging would be wasted, which would be environmentally and economically beneficial. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for assessing the integrity of food packages that is more time-efficient than currently available. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first aspect, there is provided a method for food package evaluation, the method comprising the steps of determining an identity associated with a device coupled to an operator to perform one or more tasks related to the food package evaluation, sending instructions related to the food package evaluation to the device associated with the identity, receiving measurements from the device in response to the instructions, and determining food package evaluation data based on the measurements.

[0008] The method may further include determining locations associated with a plurality of devices associated with the plurality of identities and determining an instruction-related location linked to the instruction, wherein determining an identity linked to the identification operator to perform one or more tasks related to the food package evaluation includes identifying a device associated with the identity having a location closest to the instruction-related location.

[0009] The method may further include receiving a package identity together with the measurements, the package identity being determined by the device.

[0010] The method may further include determining a package location by using the device, receiving the package location together with the measurement value, determining further instructions based on the measurement value, determining a further identity linked to a further operator based on the package location, sending the further instructions to the further operator, and receiving further measurements from the further operator, and the food package assessment may be based on the measurement value and the further measurements.

[0011] The method may further include receiving ambient conditions based on the package location.

[0012] Determining the package location may include scanning a package associated with the package identity by using a device, determining a device location relative to the device during the package scanning step, and setting the package location to the device location.

[0013] Food package evaluation may include incubation of the packages.

[0014] The method may further include comparing measurements from a device linked to the identity with other measurements from other devices linked to other identities, and sending a notification to the device linked to the identity if a deviation is found.

[0015] The method may further include analyzing the food package assessment data to identify food safety risks and, if a food safety risk is identified, sending a recall request and / or stopping food production.

[0016] According to a second aspect, there is provided a system for food package evaluation, the system including a plurality of devices associated with identities and coupled to an operator, and a server configured to determine an identity among the identities coupled to the operator to perform one or more tasks related to the food package evaluation, send instructions related to the food package evaluation to the devices associated with the identities, receive measurements from the devices in response to the instructions, and determine food package evaluation data based on the measurements.

[0017] The server may be further configured to determine locations associated with a plurality of devices associated with a plurality of identities, determine a command-related location that is coupled to the command, and identify a device associated with the identity having a location closest to the command-related location.

[0018] The server may be further configured to receive a package identity along with the measurements, and the plurality of devices may be configured to determine the package identity.

[0019] The server may be further configured to receive a package identity and a package location along with the measurements, and the plurality of devices may be configured to determine the package identity and the package location.

[0020] The server may be further configured to receive the ambient conditions together with the measurements, and the plurality of devices may be further configured to receive the ambient conditions.

[0021] The plurality of devices may be further configured to scan a package associated with the package identity, determine a device location while scanning the package, and set the package location to the device location.

[0022] Further objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.

[0023] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] There are known systems for assessing food package integrity. [Diagram 2] 1 is a system according to the present invention. [Figure 3a-3b] 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for evaluating food packages. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Referring to Figure 1, a known system 100 for assessing food package integrity is illustrated. The known system 100 includes a reel 102 of packaging material and a tube 104 that feeds the packaging material and food product, respectively, to a filler 106 (also known as a wrapper). In the particular example illustrated in Figure 1, the packaging material is a carton-based packaging material and the filler 106 is a roll-fed filler. Other variations are a blank-fed filler or a PET bottling machine.

[0026] The filling machine 106 produces packages 108 filled with a food product (e.g., milk). After production, the packages 108 can be further processed by downstream equipment (e.g., cardboard wrappers, film wrappers, straw applicators, palletizers, etc.). In the particular example illustrated, the packages 108 are fed to a palletizer 110, which loads the packages onto pallets 112.

[0027] All equipment associated with packaging food products, in this particular example, filler 106 and palletizer 110 may be referred to as packaging line 114.

[0028] A sample package 116 may be taken from the package 108 by an operator 118 to assess package integrity, i.e., to assess whether the package 108 is sealed to prevent undesirable microorganisms or other external factors from spoiling the food produce. After receiving the sample package 116, the operator 118 performs a number of measurements on the sample package 116 and enters the information into a computer 120. The computer 120 may be a stand-alone computer or may be connected to other computers via a cloud service 122. If the operator 118 finds that the sample package 116 does not meet pre-set quality conditions, the operator 118 may request that further action be taken.

[0029] 2 illustrates a system 200 according to the present invention. Like the known system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the system 200 includes a packaging line 114 including reels 102, tubes 104, fillers 106, packages 108, palletizers and pallets 112.

[0030] Unlike the known system 100, the system 200 includes multiple operators 202a, 202b, 202c, each having a device 204a, 204b, 204c (e.g. a mobile phone or tablet communicatively connected to a server 206). Having such a setup, instructions 208a, 208b, 208c can be sent from the server 206 to the devices 204a, 204b, 204c as needed. Thus, instead of having a passive approach based on the operator 118 following a plan given to the operator as illustrated in Fig. 1, the system 200 gives the possibility of a proactive approach of giving instructions 208a, 208b, 208c to the operators 202a, 202b, 202c.

[0031] After sending the instructions 208a, 208b, 208c, which can be given to one or several of the operators 202a, 202b, 202c, the operators pick up the sample packages 210a, 210b, 210c and perform the tasks assigned to the instructions 208a, 208b, 208c. The instructions may include the location from which to extract the sample packages 210a, 210b, 210c. The measurements 212a, 212b, 212c obtained on the sample packages 210a, 210b, 210c can be transferred from the devices 204a, 204b, 204c to the server 206.

[0032] The measurements 212a, 212b, 212c may be processed by the server 206 itself or by the cloud service 214, or a combination thereof. Optionally, additional data may be received from another cloud service 216 associated with another packaging line so that the measurements can be more robustly evaluated. In a similar manner, data may be transmitted from the cloud service 214 associated with the server 206 to other cloud services 216.

[0033] The output from processing the measurements is food package evaluation data 216. This data may be Boolean, indicating only whether the package 210a, 210b, 210c provided sufficient integrity or may include more detailed data, for example so that the root cause of the insufficient integrity can be identified.

[0034] The devices 204a, 204b, 204c may be associated with identities 220a, 220b, 220c. If the device is a mobile phone or tablet, the identity may be a MAC address, and an identity may be created specifically for this purpose. The advantage of having an identity for the device is that if a particular operator is associated with a particular device, operator-specific deviations in the measurements can be identified. The effect is that if it can be identified that a particular operator is not performing measurements accurately, this can be identified and training may then be given so that the reliability of the measurements can be improved.

[0035] Furthermore, cameras may be provided in the devices 204a, 204b, 204c to be able to scan optical marks (e.g. QR (Quick Response) codes) provided on the packages. The optical marks may contain package identity information, so that the package identity of the package being measured can be identified as well as the operator performing the task resulting in the measurements. The package identity 222a, 222b, 222c may be transmitted from the devices together with the measurements. By knowing the package identity, the server 206 may retrieve additional information, for example in the form of parameter settings used by the filling machine 106 when producing the packages, so that the analysis of the measurements can be improved.

[0036] Additionally, the devices 204a, 204b, 204c may be provided with a means for determining the location of the device, such as by GPS enabled or in any other manner. By having the location of the device, it is possible to determine where the measurements are made as the device is used to perform the measurements. This is especially true when the device is used to scan packages to determine package identity. In this manner, package location 222a, 222b, 222c may be transmitted along with the measurements.

[0037] Another advantage of having location information for devices 204a, 204b, 204c is that instructions can be sent to an operator who is close to where a package should be picked up. For example, if an operator is close to palletizer 110 and should pick up a package from the palletizer to be measured, instructions can be sent to the operator.

[0038] Additionally, having the location of the devices 204a, 204b, 204c, the conditions of the surroundings 222a, 222b, 222c can be identified and transmitted along with the measurements. These conditions may be captured by having sensors (e.g., temperature and humidity sensors) built into the device. However, the devices 204a, 204b, 204c can also determine the conditions indirectly by sending a request for the conditions along with the location data to and receiving the conditions from an external sensor. The external sensor may be, for example, a temperature and / or humidity sensor provided in the equipment housing the packaging line 114.

[0039] Since temperature and / or humidity can affect measurements, it is appropriate to identify ambient conditions, which may vary depending on the portion of the facility that houses the packaging line. For example, the packaging line 114 may be positioned such that the tubes 104 and reels 102 are in a cool area of ​​the facility (e.g., below 10° C.) and the palletizer 110 is in a hot area of ​​the facility (above 10° C.).

[0040] Although grouping package identity, package location, and ambient conditions is illustrated, it should be understood that package identity, package location, and ambient conditions may be further processed separately.

[0041] 2, sample packages 110a, 110b, 110c may be taken from the packaging line 114 as well as from the incubator 224. By holding the sample packages under controlled conditions for a period of time, a reliable assessment of package integrity can be performed. Additionally, although not shown, sample packages may be taken from a warehouse located at a different location from the packaging line or at a grocery store located at another location.

[0042] The advantage of using the above described approach is that assessment of packaging can be carried out more quickly and food safety risks can be identified more quickly, thereby further reducing the risk of food products that are unsafe to consume reaching consumers and food production can be stopped so that a lot of wasted packaging can be reduced.

[0043] Moreover, an advantage is that the evaluation is dynamic. For example, it may be pre-programmed in the server 206 which instruction to send as the next step when a certain measurement value is received. A dynamic approach is particularly useful when combined with several devices located in different locations. For example, if a sample package held in the incubator 224 indicates a possible food safety risk, an instruction may be sent to an operator located in a warehouse located in a different location to perform measurements on packages held in the warehouse that come from the same batch as the sample package held in the incubator.

[0044] Although it is described above as associating each operator with a device, this need not be the case: there may be a group of operators using the same device, or the device may be shared between all operators.

[0045] 3a and 3b are a flow chart 300 illustrating a method for evaluating food packages.

[0046] In a first step 302, an identity associated with the device 204a, 204b, 204c may be identified.

[0047] In a second step 304, the instructions 208a, 208b, 208c may be transmitted to the device.

[0048] In a third step 306, measurements 212a, 212b, 212c may be received from the devices.

[0049] In a fourth step 308, food package evaluation data 218 may be determined.

[0050] A fifth step 310 may determine locations associated with multiple devices. A sixth step 312 may determine an instruction-related location. A seventh step 314, which may be part of the first step 302, may identify a device having a location closest to the instruction-related location. In other words, if an instruction is to be executed at a particular location, then the device closest to this particular location may be identified and the instruction may be sent to this device.

[0051] In an eighth step 316, a package identification may be received along with the measurement.

[0052] In a ninth step 318, the package location may be determined by the device.

[0053] In a tenth step 320, the package location may be received along with the measurements.

[0054] In an eleventh step 322, further instructions may be determined based on the measurements.

[0055] In a twelfth step 324, a further identity that is associated with a further operator may be determined based on the package location.

[0056] In a thirteenth step 326, further instructions may be sent to a further operator.

[0057] In a fourteenth step 328, further measurements may be received from further operators.

[0058] In a fifteenth step 330, ambient conditions determined based on the package location may be received.

[0059] The ninth step 318 may include a first substep 332 of scanning the package with a device, a second substep 334 of determining a device location during the scanning step, and a third substep 336 of setting the package location to the device location.

[0060] In a sixteenth step 338, the measurements from the device linked to the identity may be compared to other measurements from other devices linked to other identities. If a deviation is found (340), a seventeenth step 342 may send a notification to the device linked to the identity.

[0061] In an eighteenth step 344, the food package assessment data 218 may be analyzed to identify food safety risks. If a food safety risk is identified 346, a recall request may be sent in a nineteenth step 348 and / or food production may be stopped in a twentieth step 350.

[0062] Although illustrated and described in a particular order, it should be understood that the steps may be performed in other orders.

[0063] From the above, various embodiments of the present invention have been described and shown, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention may be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method (300) for evaluating food packages, the method (300) being executed on a server (206) of a system (200) for evaluating food packages including the server (206), Determining (310) locations associated with a plurality of devices (204a, 204b, 204c) associated with a plurality of identities (220a, 220b, 220c); determining (312) an instruction relative location associated with said instruction (208a, 208b, 208c); determining identities (220a, 220b, 220c) associated with devices (204a, 204b, 204c) coupled to operators (202a, 202b, 202c) to identify (314) the device associated with the identity having a location closest to the command related location to perform one or more tasks related to the food package evaluation; sending (304) instructions (208a, 208b, 208c) regarding the food package evaluation to the device (204a, 204b, 204c) associated with the identity (220a, 220b, 220c); receiving (306) measurements (212a, 212b, 212c) from said devices (204a, 204b, 204c) in response to said instructions (208a, 208b, 208c); determining (308) food package evaluation data (218) based on said measurements (212a, 212b, 212c); The method (300) comprising:

2. analyzing (344) the food package assessment data (218) to identify food safety risks; If said food safety risk is identified (346), sending a recall request (348) and / or stopping food production (350); The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of receiving (316) a package identity (222a, 222b, 222c) together with the measurements (212a, 212b, 212c), and determining the package identity by the device (204a, 204b, 204c).

4. determining (318) a package location by using said devices (204a, 204b, 204c); receiving (320) said package location together with said measurements (212a, 212b, 212c); determining (322) further instructions based on the measurements; determining (324) a further identity to be linked to a further operator based on the package location; sending (326) said further instructions to said further operator; receiving (328) further measurements from said further operator; Further comprising: The method of claim 3 , wherein the food package assessment is based on the measured value and the further measured value.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of receiving (330) ambient conditions based on the package location.

6. The step of determining the package location (318) comprises: Scanning (332) a package associated with said package identification by using said device (204a, 204b, 204c); determining (334) a device position relative to the device during the step of scanning the packages (210a, 210b, 210c); setting the package location to the device location (336); The method according to claim 4 or 5, comprising:

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the food package evaluation comprises incubation of the packages.

8. Comparing (338) the measurements from the device linked to the identity with other measurements from other devices linked to other identities; if a deviation is found (340), sending a notification to the device associated with the identity (342); The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

9. analyzing (344) the food package assessment data (218) to identify food safety risks; If said food safety risk is identified (346), submitting a recall request (348) and / or stopping food production (350); The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

10. A system (200) for evaluating food packages, comprising: a plurality of devices (204a, 204b, 204c) associated with an identity (220a, 220b, 220c) and coupled to an operator (202a, 202b, 202c); a server (206) configured to determine an identity among said identities (220a, 200b, 200c) coupled to an identification operator to perform one or more tasks related to said food package evaluation, to send instructions (208a, 208b, 208c) related to said food package evaluation to a device associated with said identity, to receive measurements (212a, 212b, 212c) from said device in response to said instructions, and to determine food package evaluation data (218) based on said measurements, The server (206) is further configured to determine locations associated with a plurality of devices (204a, 204b, 204c) associated with a plurality of identities (220a, 220b, 220c), determine command-related locations associated with the instructions (208a, 208b, 208c), and identify the device associated with the identity having a location closest to the command-related location. System (200).

11. The server (206) is further configured to analyze the food packaging assessment data (218) to identify food safety risks and, if the food safety risks are identified, to send a recall request and / or stop food production. The system of claim 10.

12. the server (206) is further configured to receive a package identification (222a, 222b, 222c) together with the measurements (212a, 212b, 212c); The system of claim 10 or 11, wherein the plurality of devices (204a, 204b, 204c) are configured to determine the package identity.

13. the server (206) is further configured to receive package identification and package location (222a, 222b, 222c) together with the measurements (212a, 212b, 212c); The system of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the plurality of devices (204a, 204b, 204c) are configured to determine the package identity and the package location.

14. the server (206) is further configured to receive a state of the surroundings (222a, 222b, 222c) together with the measurements (212a, 212b, 212c); The system of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of devices (204a, 204b, 204c) are further configured to receive a condition of an environment (222a, 222b, 222c).

15. The system of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the plurality of devices (204a, 204b, 204c) are further configured to scan a package associated with the package identity, determine a device location while scanning the package, and set the package location to the device location.

16. Processing the measurements (212a, 212b, 212c) by the server (206) itself or by a cloud service (214), or a combination thereof; Output from the processing of the measurements is the food packaging evaluation data (216); The food package evaluation data (216) is a Boolean indicating whether the food package (210a, 210b, 210c) provides sufficient integrity or includes detailed data that can identify the root cause of the insufficient integrity. The method of claim 1.

17. The device (204a, 204b, 204c) is equipped with a GPS-enabled or any other means for determining the location of the device. The method of claim 1.

18. Processing the measurements (212a, 212b, 212c) by the server (206) itself or by a cloud service (214), or a combination thereof; Output from the processing of the measurements is the food packaging evaluation data (216); The food package evaluation data (216) is a Boolean indicating whether the food package (210a, 210b, 210c) provides sufficient integrity or includes detailed data that can identify the root cause of the insufficient integrity. The system of claim 10.

19. The device (204a, 204b, 204c) is equipped with a GPS-enabled or any other means for determining the location of the device. The system of claim 10.

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