Food molding system and food molding method

Abstract

To mold a food molded object with precision.SOLUTION: A discharge head 40 intermittently discharges a molding material which is a molding material for molding a food molded object and has fluidity when discharged. A data generation section 11 generates slice data for molding the food molded object. A discharge control section 13 controls discharging of the molding material by the discharge head 40 based on the slice data generated by the data generation section 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a food shaping system and a food shaping method.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, a 3D food printer that shapes a food product, which is an edible shaped object, by applying the technology of a 3D (Dimensional) printer is known. The 3D food printer shapes a food product by, for example, laminating an edible shaping material.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for shaping a food product using an extrusion method applying FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling). In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when forming each layer constituting the food product, a food composition with adjusted viscosity is extruded from a nozzle and deposited on the lower layer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the extrusion method described in Patent Document 1, the food composition is basically continuously discharged from the nozzle like a single stroke. Therefore, when laminating the shaping material using the extrusion method described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to accurately shape the food product. For this reason, a technique for accurately shaping a food product is desired.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a food shaping system and a food shaping method for accurately shaping a food product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the food shaping system relating to the first aspect of this disclosure is: A food molding system that molds food-shaped objects by layering molding materials, A dispensing head that intermittently dispenses a molding material for forming the aforementioned food-shaped object, which is fluid when dispensed, A data generation unit that generates slice data for creating the aforementioned food product, The system includes an ejection control unit that controls the ejection of the molding material by the ejection head based on the slice data generated by the data generation unit.

[0008] Equipped with multiple extrusion heads that extrude different types of molding materials, The data generation unit generates slice data for each of the plurality of molding materials, which includes at least one of raster data and vector data. The ejection control unit may control the ejection of each of the multiple molding materials by the multiple ejection heads based on the corresponding data of at least one of the above.

[0009] The plurality of ejection heads include a first ejection head for ejecting a first molding material and a second ejection head for ejecting a second molding material. The data generation unit generates slice data including first vector data which is vector data for the first molding material and first raster data which is raster data for the second molding material. The discharge control unit may control the discharge of the first molding material by the first discharge head based on the first vector data, and control the discharge of the second molding material by the second discharge head based on the first raster data.

[0010] The discharge control unit may control the first discharge head to discharge the first molding material into a first region, which is the region corresponding to the outer edge of the food molding, based on the first vector data, and control the second discharge head to discharge the second molding material into a second region, which is the region surrounded by the first region, based on the first raster data.

[0011] The viscosity of the first molding material is higher than the viscosity of the second molding material. The ejection control unit may, after controlling the first ejection head to eject the first molding material into the first region based on the first vector data, control the second ejection head to eject the second molding material into the second region based on the first raster data.

[0012] The data generation unit generates slice data including the first vector data, the first raster data, and the second raster data which is raster data for the first molding material. The ejection control unit may, after controlling the first ejection head to eject the first molding material into the first region based on the first vector data, perform the following processes: control the second ejection head to eject the second molding material into the second region based on the first raster data; and control the first ejection head to eject the first molding material into a third region which is surrounded by the first region and is different from the second region, based on the second raster data.

[0013] The plurality of discharge heads include a first discharge head for discharging a first molding material having a first viscosity, and a second discharge head for discharging a second molding material having a second viscosity lower than the first viscosity. The discharge control unit may, after controlling the first discharge head to discharge the first molding material, then control the second discharge head to discharge the second molding material.

[0014] The data generation unit generates slice data including raster data for each of the plurality of shaping materials. The discharge control unit may control the discharge of each of the plurality of shaping materials by the plurality of discharge heads based on the corresponding raster data.

[0015] The plurality of discharge heads are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction.

[0016] In order to achieve the above object, a food shaping method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is a food shaping method for shaping a food shaped object by laminating shaping materials, wherein a shaping material having fluidity during discharge, which is a shaping material for shaping the food shaped object, is intermittently discharged, slice data for shaping the food shaped object is generated, and based on the slice data, the discharge of the shaping material is controlled.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the present disclosure, a food shaped object can be accurately shaped.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] Configuration diagram of a food shaping system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 2] Perspective view of a moving mechanism included in a food shaping system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 3] Explanatory diagram of a method for discharging a shaping material [Figure 4] Explanatory diagram of a discharge area of a shaping material [Figure 5] Explanatory diagram of discharge control based on vector data for soybean paste [Figure 6] Explanatory diagram of discharge control based on raster data for soybean paste [Figure 7] Explanatory diagram of discharge control based on raster data for oil paste [Figure 8]Flowchart showing the food molding process performed by the food molding system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] (Embodiment) First, with reference to Figure 1, the configuration of the food molding system 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure will be described. The food molding system 100 is a system that applies 3D (dimensional) printer technology to mold food molded objects, which are edible molded objects. The food molding system 100 molds food molded objects by layering edible molding materials. As shown in Figure 1, the food molding system 100 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 21, a display unit 22, an operation reception unit 23, a communication unit 24, a viscosity adjustment mechanism 30, an ejection head 40, a head movement mechanism 51, and a table movement mechanism 52. The food molding system 100 may be realized by a single device or by the cooperation of multiple devices.

[0020] The control unit 10 controls the operation of the entire food molding system 100. The control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), RTC (Real Time Clock), etc. The CPU is also called a central processing unit, central computing unit, processor, microprocessor, microcomputer, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., and functions as a central computing unit that executes processing and calculations related to the control of the food molding system 100. In the control unit 10, the CPU reads programs and data stored in ROM and uses RAM as a work area to comprehensively control the food molding system 100. The RTC is, for example, an integrated circuit with a timing function. The CPU can determine the current date and time from the time information read from the RTC.

[0021] The storage unit 21 is equipped with non-volatile semiconductor memory such as flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and plays the role of a so-called secondary storage device or auxiliary storage device. The storage unit 21 stores programs and data used by the control unit 10 to execute various processes. The storage unit 21 also stores data generated or acquired by the control unit 10 as a result of executing various processes.

[0022] The display unit 22 displays various images according to the control of the control unit 10. The display unit 22 includes a touchscreen, liquid crystal display, etc. The operation reception unit 23 receives various operations from the user and supplies information indicating the content of the received operation to the control unit 10. The operation reception unit 23 includes a touchscreen, buttons, levers, etc.

[0023] The communication unit 24 communicates with various devices in accordance with the control of the control unit 10. The communication unit 24 communicates with various devices in accordance with various wireless communication standards or various wired communication standards. Examples of various wireless communication standards include Wi-Fi (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Zigbee (registered trademark). Examples of various wired communication standards include USB (Universal Serial Bus, registered trademark) and Thunderbolt (registered trademark). The communication unit 24 is equipped with a communication interface compliant with various communication standards.

[0024] The viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 is a mechanism for adjusting the viscosity of the extruded molding material according to the control of the control unit 10. The molding material is a molding material for molding food products and is fluid when extruded. Fluidity means that it flows and moves without being fixed. When extruded, this molding material is preferably gel-like or paste-like and has high viscosity.

[0025] The molding material can be any material that is capable of forming food-shaped objects. For example, soybean paste, oil paste, rice jelly, and tofu paste can be used as molding materials. In this embodiment, the food-shaped object is artificial meat 200, and the molding materials consist of two types: soybean paste for forming the lean portion and oil paste for forming the fatty portion.

[0026] The viscosity of the molding material changes depending on the temperature of the molding material. Therefore, the viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 adjusts the viscosity of the extruded molding material by adjusting the temperature of the extruded molding material. The viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 comprises a material flow path (not shown) through which the molding material flows, a heater (not shown) that heats the material flow path according to the control unit 10, a cooler (not shown) that cools the material flow path according to the control unit 10, and a temperature sensor (not shown) that measures the temperature of the molding material or the material flow path.

[0027] The viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 heats the molding material supplied to the discharge head 40 to reduce its viscosity. Alternatively, the viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 cools the molding material supplied to the discharge head 40 to increase its viscosity. The viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 sets the temperature of the molding material to a predetermined temperature so that its viscosity becomes a predetermined viscosity. The control unit 10 can, for example, identify the predetermined viscosity and predetermined temperature of the molding material by referring to material information stored in the memory unit 21. The material information is, for example, information indicating the predetermined viscosity and predetermined temperature for each molding material.

[0028] In this embodiment, the viscosity of the molding material is high during extrusion, and the molding material dries and hardens quickly after extrusion. Therefore, in this embodiment, a heater for drying the molding material after extrusion is not provided. The viscosity of the soybean paste is preferably about 700,000 cps, and the viscosity of the oil paste is preferably about 70,000 to 100,000 cps. In this embodiment, the viscosity of the molding material during extrusion is appropriately referred to simply as the viscosity of the molding material.

[0029] The discharge head 40 intermittently discharges the molding material according to the control of the control unit 10. Intermittent discharge means that the material is discharged repeatedly in short bursts. In other words, the discharge head 40 continuously discharges particulate molding material. The discharge head 40 discharges the molding material using, for example, a microdispenser system that outputs molding material with each rotation of the screw, or an inkjet system such as a piezo system or a thermal head system. The molding material flows through a material tank (not shown), a viscosity adjustment mechanism 30, and the discharge head 40.

[0030] The number of dispensing heads 40 can be adjusted according to the number of types of molding materials, the proportion of each molding material in the food molding object, etc. In this embodiment, the food molding system 100 is equipped with two dispensing heads 40: one for dispensing soybean paste and another for dispensing oil paste. The type of dispensing head 40 used can be adjusted as appropriate. For example, the VTK-VS-BA-048e manufactured by VERMES Microdispensing GmbH can be used as the dispensing head 40.

[0031] The head movement mechanism 51 is a mechanism that moves the discharge head 40 according to the control of the control unit 10. The table movement mechanism 52 is a mechanism that moves the table 60 shown in Figure 2 according to the control of the control unit 10. The table 60 is a platform on which the molding material is discharged and on which the molded food product is placed. The movement mechanisms 50 of the food molding system 100 will now be described with reference to Figure 2. The movement mechanism 50 is a mechanism that changes the relative positional relationship between the discharge head 40 and the table 60.

[0032] In Figure 2, the Z-axis is an axis extending vertically, the X-axis is an axis perpendicular to the Z-axis, and the Y-axis is an axis perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Z-axis. In this embodiment, the X-axis direction is the primary scanning direction, and the Y-axis direction is the secondary scanning direction. The primary scanning direction is the direction in which the ejection head 40 moves along one line when extruding the molding material line by line in raster control. The secondary scanning direction is the direction in which the ejection head 40 moves when switching lines in raster control. The direction in which the X-axis arrow extends is the positive direction of the X-axis, and the opposite direction is the negative direction of the X-axis. The direction in which the Y-axis arrow extends is the positive direction of the Y-axis, and the opposite direction is the negative direction of the Y-axis. The direction in which the Z-axis arrow extends is the positive direction of the Z-axis, and the opposite direction is the negative direction of the Z-axis.

[0033] The moving mechanism 50 comprises a head moving mechanism 51A, a head moving mechanism 51B, and a table moving mechanism 52. The head moving mechanism 51A is a mechanism that moves the discharge head 40 along the X-axis direction according to the control of the control unit 10. The head moving mechanism 51B is a mechanism that moves the discharge head 40 along the Z-axis direction according to the control of the control unit 10. The table moving mechanism 52 is a mechanism that moves the table 60 along the Y-axis direction according to the control of the control unit 10.

[0034] The head movement mechanism 51 described above comprises a head movement mechanism 51A and a head movement mechanism 51B. The discharge head 40 described above is a collective term for discharge head 40A and discharge head 40B. Discharge head 40A discharges soybean paste. Discharge head 40B discharges oil paste. Discharge heads 40A and 40B are arranged along the main scanning direction.

[0035] The control unit 10 controls the head movement mechanism 51A to adjust the relative position of the discharge head 40 and the table 60 in the X-axis direction. The control unit 10 controls the table movement mechanism 52 to adjust the relative position of the discharge head 40 and the table 60 in the Y-axis direction. The control unit 10 controls the head movement mechanism 51B to adjust the relative position of the discharge head 40 and the table 60 in the Z-axis direction.

[0036] Each of the head moving mechanism 51A, head moving mechanism 51B, and table moving mechanism 52 includes, for example, a carriage (not shown), guide rails (not shown), a drive belt (not shown), a drive pulley (not shown), a driven pulley (not shown), and a drive motor (not shown). The carriage is mounted on an object to be moved, such as a discharge head 40 or a table 60. The guide rails guide the carriage to move in a predetermined direction. The drive belt is fixed to the carriage. The drive belt is wrapped around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. The drive motor rotates the drive belt via the drive pulley, moving the carriage in a predetermined direction. The predetermined direction for the head moving mechanism 51A is the X-axis direction, the predetermined direction for the table moving mechanism 52 is the Y-axis direction, and the predetermined direction for the head moving mechanism 51B is the Z-axis direction.

[0037] Next, the main functions of the control unit 10 will be described in detail. Functionally, the control unit 10 comprises a data generation unit 11, a discharge control unit 13, a viscosity control unit 12, and a position control unit 14. Each of these functions is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in the ROM or storage unit 21. The CPU then realizes each of these functions by executing the programs stored in the ROM or storage unit 21.

[0038] The data generation unit 11 generates slice data for creating food-shaped objects. Slice data is data obtained by dividing the 3D model of the finished food-shaped object into layers. For example, the data generation unit 11 slices the 3D model of the food-shaped object stored in the storage unit 21 and generates slice data that defines the locations where the molding material should be extruded in each layer. The type of data the slice data is can be adjusted as appropriate. For example, the slice data may include at least one of raster data and vector data for each of the multiple molding materials. In other words, the slice data may include only raster data, only vector data, or both raster data and vector data for each of the multiple molding materials.

[0039] Raster data is data composed of cells arranged in a grid of rows and columns. In other words, raster data is data in which a value is assigned to each cell, similar to bitmap data. Raster control, which is a type of extrusion control that uses raster data, allows for the extrusion of molding material cell by cell. Therefore, raster control enables highly accurate extrusion. Raster control is an image control that draws points at the dot level using coordinates, and is a control method suitable for finely shaping the inner parts of food-related objects. Raster data is prepared for each layer and for each molding material.

[0040] Vector data is data that numerically represents the coordinates of points or the lines connecting points. For example, vector data represents the trajectory of the material being extruded by the extrusion head 40. Vector control, which uses vector data for extrusion control, enables continuous extrusion of the material. Therefore, vector control can be expected to increase the printing speed. Vector control is a control method that draws lines and is suitable for quickly forming the outer walls of food-shaped objects. Vector data is prepared for each layer and for each material being printed.

[0041] The viscosity control unit 12 adjusts the viscosity of the molding material using the viscosity adjustment mechanism 30. Specifically, the viscosity control unit 12 heats or cools the material flow path of the viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 using a heater or cooler provided in the viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 so that the viscosity of the molding material supplied from the viscosity adjustment mechanism 30 to the discharge head 40 becomes a predetermined viscosity.

[0042] The ejection control unit 13 controls the ejection of the molding material by the ejection head 40 based on the slice data generated by the data generation unit 11. The ejection control unit 13 ejects the molding material from the ejection head 40 when the ejection head 40 is positioned over the area where the molding material should be ejected, as specified by the slice data. For example, if the slice data includes raster data, the ejection control unit 13 ejects the molding material from the ejection head 40 when the ejection head 40 is positioned over the cell where the molding material should be ejected, as specified by the raster data. Also, for example, if the slice data includes vector data, the ejection control unit 13 ejects the molding material from the ejection head 40 when the ejection head 40 moves along the trajectory where the molding material should be ejected, as specified by the vector data.

[0043] The ejection control unit 13 controls the ejection of each of the multiple molding materials by the multiple ejection heads 40 based on the corresponding raster data or vector data. For example, the ejection control unit 13 controls the ejection of soybean paste by ejection head 40A based on the raster data or vector data corresponding to the soybean paste. The ejection control unit 13 also controls the ejection of oil paste by ejection head 40B based on the raster data or vector data corresponding to the oil paste.

[0044] Here, with reference to Figure 3, the method of extruding the molding material will be described. The extrusion head 40 extrudes the molding material intermittently. That is, the extrusion head 40 continuously extrudes particles 41, which are particulate molding material. The extruded particles 41 are deposited as sediment 42 on the table 60 or in the lower layer. For example, the extrusion head 40A continuously extrudes soybean particles 41A, which are particulate soybean paste. The extruded soybean particles 41A are deposited as sediment 42A on the table 60 or in the lower layer. Also, the extrusion head 40B continuously extrudes oil particles 41B, which are particulate oil paste. The extruded oil particles 41B are deposited as sediment 42B on the table 60 or in the lower layer. The size of the particles 41 is adjusted as appropriate, for example, according to the viscosity. For example, the diameter of the particles 41 is preferably about 30 micrometers.

[0045] Furthermore, the food molding system 100 controls the extrusion of molding material for each layer, generating food molded objects layer by layer. Figure 3 shows the state in which layer 203 is being formed on top of layer 202, which is deposited on top of layer 201. Layer 201 is the first layer to be formed and is formed on the placement surface 61 of the table 60. Layer 202 is the second layer to be formed and is formed on top of layer 201. Layer 203 is the third layer to be formed and is formed on top of layer 202. In each layer, molding material is extruded in an order that corresponds to at least one of the extrusion material and the area.

[0046] The position control unit 14 controls the head movement mechanism 51A, the head movement mechanism 51B, and the table movement mechanism 52 to change the relative position between the discharge head 40 and the table 60. For example, the position control unit 14 controls the head movement mechanism 51A to move the discharge head 40 in the X-axis direction relative to the table 60. The position control unit 14 also controls the head movement mechanism 51B to move the discharge head 40 in the Z-axis direction relative to the table 60. Furthermore, the position control unit 14 controls the table movement mechanism 52 to move the table 60 in the Y-axis direction relative to the discharge head 40.

[0047] Specifically, for example, when the control unit 10 is fabricating the bottom layer, the deposition layer 201, the position control unit 14 of the control unit 10 controls the head movement mechanism 51B to adjust the height of the ejection head 40 to a height suitable for fabricating the deposition layer 201. Here, when the control unit 10 is performing vector control, the position control unit 14 controls the head movement mechanism 51A and the table movement mechanism 52 according to the vector data to move the ejection head 40 in the XY plane perpendicular to the Z axis. Meanwhile, the ejection control unit 13 of the control unit 10 controls the ejection head 40 according to the vector data to eject the fabrication material from the ejection head 40.

[0048] Furthermore, when the control unit 10 performs raster control, the position control unit 14 controls the head movement mechanism 51A to move the ejection head 40 little by little along the X-axis direction, which is the main scanning direction. Meanwhile, the ejection control unit 13 controls the ejection head 40 according to the raster data to eject the molding material from the ejection head 40. When the position control unit 14 completes scanning one line, it controls the head movement mechanism 51B to move the table 60 along the Y-axis direction, which is the sub-scanning direction, to the position corresponding to the next line. Similarly for the next line, the position control unit 14 moves the ejection head 40 little by little along the main scanning direction, and the ejection control unit 13 ejects the molding material from the ejection head 40 according to the raster data.

[0049] The control unit 10 repeats the above process until the ejection head 40 reaches the position corresponding to the final line and the deposited layer 201 is completed. When the control unit 10 is creating the second layer from the bottom, the deposited layer 202, the position control unit 14 controls the head movement mechanism 51B to adjust the height of the ejection head 40 to a height suitable for creating the deposited layer 202. The control unit 10 repeats the above process in the same way as when creating the deposited layer 201, and creates the deposited layer 202. The control unit 10 repeats the process of creating one layer at a time until the creation of the top layer is completed.

[0050] Next, with reference to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, the method by which the control unit 10 fabricates each layer will be described in detail. In this embodiment, the control unit 10 extrudes a high-viscosity soy paste into the region corresponding to the outer edge of the artificial meat 200, and then extrudes a soy paste and a low-viscosity oil paste into the region corresponding to the inner part of the artificial meat 200 to fabricate one layer. This will be described in detail below.

[0051] First, in this embodiment, the food molding system 100 includes a plurality of dispensing heads 40, including a dispensing head 40A for dispensing soybean paste and a dispensing head 40B for dispensing oil paste. The viscosity of the soybean paste is higher than that of the oil paste. The soybean paste is an example of a first molding material. The oil paste is an example of a second molding material. Dispensing head 40A is an example of a first dispensing head. Dispensing head 40B is an example of a second dispensing head.

[0052] Here, the data generation unit 11 generates slice data that includes vector data for the soybean paste, raster data for the oil paste, and raster data for the soybean paste. The vector data for the soybean paste is an example of first vector data. The raster data for the oil paste is an example of first raster data. The raster data for the soybean paste is an example of second raster data.

[0053] The discharge control unit 13 controls the discharge of soybean paste by the discharge head 40A based on vector data for the soybean paste. The discharge control unit 13 controls the discharge of oil paste by the discharge head 40B based on raster data for the oil paste. The discharge control unit 13 controls the discharge of soybean paste by the discharge head 40A based on raster data for the soybean paste.

[0054] Specifically, first, the discharge control unit 13 controls the discharge head 40A to discharge soy paste into a first region, which corresponds to the outer edge of the artificial meat 200, based on vector data for the soy paste. In Figure 4, region 301 is an example of the first region. Figure 5 shows an image of soy paste being discharged into the first region based on vector data for the soy paste.

[0055] Vector data, for example, is data that indicates the area where the molding material should be extruded by the path that the extrusion head 40 should take when extruding the molding material. Figure 5 illustrates how the vector data for soybean paste shows the path that the extrusion head 40 should take when extruding the soybean paste into the first area using four lines. In other words, Figure 5 indicates that the soybean paste should be extruded along the line connecting coordinates (x2,y2) and (x9,y2), along the line connecting coordinates (x9,y2) and (x9,y7), along the line connecting coordinates (x9,y7) and (x2,y7), and along the line connecting coordinates (x2,y7) and (x2,y2).

[0056] Note that the vector data shown in Figure 5 represents the vector data for one layer. In this embodiment, an example is described in which the line indicating the path is a straight line connecting two points, but the line indicating the path may also be a curve connecting two points. Also, in this embodiment, for ease of understanding, the area for one layer is shown as a region of 10 × 10 = 100, which is specified by 10 coordinates on the X axis and 10 coordinates on the Y axis.

[0057] The ejection control unit 13 controls the ejection head 40A to eject soybean paste into the first region based on vector data for the soybean paste, and then controls the ejection head 40 to eject the molding material into the second and third regions. Specifically, after controlling the ejection for the first region, the ejection control unit 13 executes a process to control the ejection head 40B to eject oil paste into the second region. Also, after controlling the ejection for the first region, the ejection control unit 13 executes a process to control the ejection head 40A to eject soybean paste into the third region.

[0058] The second region is the region enclosed by the first region. In Figure 4, regions 302A and 302B are examples of the second region. Regions 302A and 302B are collectively referred to as region 302 as appropriate. The third region is the region enclosed by the first region and is different from the second region. In Figure 4, region 303 is an example of the third region. The order in which the discharge control for the second region and the discharge control for the third region are executed can be adjusted as appropriate. In this embodiment, the discharge control for the first region is performed first, followed by the discharge control for the third region, and then the discharge control for the second region is performed.

[0059] Figure 6 shows an image of soybean paste being extruded into a third region based on raster data for the soybean paste. The raster data for the soybean paste is, for example, data that indicates the area where the soybean paste should be extruded using coordinates. Figure 6 illustrates an example where the raster data for the soybean paste indicates coordinates where the soybean paste should be extruded with a 1, and coordinates where the soybean paste should not be extruded with a 0. The raster data shown in Figure 6 is for one layer.

[0060] Figure 7 shows an image of oil paste being dispensed into a second region based on raster data for the oil paste. The raster data for the oil paste is, for example, data that indicates the area where the oil paste should be dispensed using coordinates. Figure 7 illustrates an example where the raster data for the oil paste indicates coordinates where the oil paste should be dispensed as 1 and coordinates where the oil paste should not be dispensed as 0. The raster data shown in Figure 7 is for one layer.

[0061] Next, the food molding process performed by the food molding system 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 8. The food molding process is performed, for example, after the molding material has been filled into the material tank by the user and the system has received an instruction from the user to start the food molding process.

[0062] First, the control unit 10 of the food molding system 100 receives a designation of the food molding object (step S101). For example, the control unit 10 displays a screen on the display unit 22 that accepts the selection of the type of food molding object. Then, the control unit 10 identifies the type of food molding object specified by the user based on the operation received from the user by the operation reception unit 23. In this embodiment, the food molding object is artificial meat 200.

[0063] When the control unit 10 completes the processing in step S101, it generates a 3D model (step S102). For example, the control unit 10 generates a 3D model of a type of food object specified by the user based on the object information stored in the storage unit 21. The object information includes, for example, information indicating the shape of the food object, the size of the food object, and the types of molding materials that make up each part of the food object, for each type of food object.

[0064] After completing the processing in step S102, the control unit 10 generates slice data (step S103). For example, the control unit 10 divides the generated 3D model into planes extending horizontally and generates slice data for generating each layer that makes up the food product. This slice data is data that indicates the extrusion area of ​​each molding material for each layer and includes vector data and raster data.

[0065] After completing the process in step S103, the control unit 10 selects the bottom layer (step S104). That is, the control unit 10 adjusts the position of the discharge head 40 in the Z-axis direction so that it can generate the bottom layer, which is the sediment layer 201.

[0066] When the control unit 10 completes the processing in step S104, it extrudes the first molding material into the outer edge region by vector control (step S105). For example, the control unit 10 controls the position and extrusion of the extrusion head 40A based on vector data for the soybean paste to extrude the soybean paste into the region 301 corresponding to the outer edge region of the artificial meat 200.

[0067] When the control unit 10 completes the processing in step S105, it extrudes the first molding material into the inner region by raster control (step S106). For example, the control unit 10 controls the position and extrusion of the extrusion head 40A based on raster data for the soybean paste to extrude the soybean paste into the region 303 corresponding to the inner region of the artificial meat 200.

[0068] When the control unit 10 completes the process in step S106, it extrudes the second molding material into the inner region by raster control (step S107). For example, the control unit 10 controls the position and extrusion of the extrusion head 40B based on raster data for the oil paste to extrude the oil paste into the region 302 corresponding to the inner region of the artificial meat 200.

[0069] After completing the process in step S107, the control unit 10 determines whether or not there are any unformed layers (step S108). In other words, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the currently selected layer, that is, the layer formed immediately before, is the top layer of the food-shaped object.

[0070] If the control unit 10 determines that there is an unprinted layer (step S108: YES), it selects the next layer (step S109). That is, the control unit 10 raises the position of the ejection head 40 in the Z-axis direction by one layer so that it can generate the layer immediately above the layer that was printed most recently. After completing the process in step S109, the control unit 10 returns to step S105. If the control unit 10 determines that there is no unprinted layer (step S108: NO), it completes the food printing process.

[0071] In this embodiment, the discharge head 40 intermittently discharges a fluid molding material during discharge. Therefore, according to this embodiment, food-related objects can be molded with high precision. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the discharge of each of the multiple molding materials by the multiple discharge heads 40 is controlled based on corresponding raster data or vector data. Therefore, according to this embodiment, food-related objects can be molded with high precision using multiple molding materials.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the extrusion of the molding material is controlled based on vector data and raster data. Therefore, according to this embodiment, food-shaped objects can be molded quickly and accurately. In particular, in this embodiment, a first molding material is extruded into a first region corresponding to the outer edge of the food-shaped object based on vector data, and a second molding material is extruded into a second region surrounded by the first region based on raster data. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the outer edge portion of the food-shaped object can be molded quickly, and the inner portion of the food-shaped object can be molded with high accuracy.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a first molding material having high viscosity is extruded into the first region, and then a second molding material having low viscosity is extruded into the second region. Therefore, according to this embodiment, deformation of the second molding material having low viscosity after extrusion is suppressed by the first molding material having high viscosity, and food-shaped objects can be molded with high precision.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the first molding material is extruded into the first region based on the first vector data, a process is performed in which the second molding material is extruded into the second region based on the first raster data, and then a process is performed in which the first molding material is extruded into the third region surrounded by the first region based on the second raster data. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the outer edge portion of the food molding can be quickly molded, and the inner portion of the food molding can be molded accurately using multiple molding materials.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the extrusion of each of the multiple molding materials by the multiple extrusion heads 40 is controlled based on the corresponding raster data. Therefore, according to this embodiment, food molded objects can be molded with high precision using multiple molding materials. In addition, in this embodiment, the multiple extrusion heads 40 are arranged in line in the main scanning direction. Therefore, according to this embodiment, multiple molding materials can be efficiently extruded based on raster data.

[0076] Although embodiments have been described above, various modifications and applications are possible. It is arbitrary which parts of the configuration, function, and operation described in the above embodiments are adopted. Furthermore, additional configurations, functions, and operations may be adopted in addition to those described above. Also, the configurations, functions, and operations described in the above embodiments can be freely combined.

[0077] (modified version) In the embodiment, an example of creating a food-shaped object using two types of molding materials was described. A food-shaped object may be created using one type of molding material, or it may be created using three or more types of molding materials. For example, it is preferable to create a food-shaped object with a desired taste or texture by using a number of molding materials that result in different tastes or textures when the food-shaped object is completed.

[0078] Furthermore, the same type of molding material with different viscosities may be used. For example, a soybean paste with high viscosity, a soybean paste with low viscosity, and a fat paste with low viscosity may be used. In this case, for example, the soybean paste with high viscosity may be extruded to the outer edge using vector data, and then the soybean paste with low viscosity and the fat paste with low viscosity may be extruded to the inner part using raster data.

[0079] In this embodiment, an example was described in which vector data and raster data are generated for soybean paste, and raster data is generated for oil paste. The data generated for each molding material can be adjusted as appropriate. In other words, it is sufficient for at least one of vector data and raster data to be generated for each molding material. For example, only vector data may be generated for soybean paste, or only raster data may be generated for soybean paste. Also, only vector data may be generated for oil paste, or both vector data and raster data may be generated for oil paste.

[0080] In the embodiment described, an example was given in which the outer edge portion is formed with a molding material having high viscosity. The outer edge portion may also be formed with a molding material having low viscosity. In order to make the shape of the food-shaped object less likely to collapse, it is preferable to form the first portion with a molding material having high viscosity, and then form the second portion surrounded by the first portion with a molding material having low viscosity.

[0081] In this embodiment, an example was described in which the discharge of oil paste using the first raster data is performed after the discharge of soybean paste using the second raster data. Alternatively, the discharge of soybean paste using the second raster data may be performed after the discharge of oil paste using the first raster data. Or, the discharge of soybean paste using the second raster data and the discharge of oil paste using the first raster data may be performed simultaneously.

[0082] In the embodiments described, an example was given in which the molding material dries quickly by natural drying. If the molding material does not dry quickly by natural drying, for example, a heater may be placed under the table, and the drying of the extruded molding material may be promoted by heating with the heater. Also, if the molding material is quickly fixed by laser irradiation, the extruded molding material may be irradiated with a laser. Furthermore, if the molding material is quickly fixed by mixing it with various liquid materials, the extruded molding material may be mixed with the liquid material.

[0083] Furthermore, in the embodiment described, an example was given in which the moving mechanism 50 includes a head moving mechanism 51A that moves the discharge head 40 in the X-axis direction, a table moving mechanism 52 that moves the table 60 in the Y-axis direction, and a head moving mechanism 51B that moves the discharge head 40 in the Z-axis direction. The moving mechanism 50 can be any mechanism that changes the relative positional relationship between the discharge head 40 and the table 60. In other words, the moving mechanism 50 may include a mechanism that moves at least one of the discharge head 40 and the table 60 in the X-axis direction, a mechanism that moves at least one of the discharge head 40 and the table 60 in the Y-axis direction, and a mechanism that moves at least one of the discharge head 40 and the table 60 in the Z-axis direction.

[0084] In the embodiment described, an example was given in which the lean portion formed by soybean paste and the fatty portion formed by oil paste are roughly separated. For example, when creating artificial meat 200 that imitates marbled beef, the lean portion formed by soybean paste and the fatty portion formed by oil paste may be intertwined. If the viscosity of the soybean paste is higher than that of the oil paste, it is preferable that the soybean paste be extruded before the oil paste in order to suppress deformation.

[0085] In the embodiment described, an example was explained in which the formation of the outer edge portion and the formation of the inner portion are repeated for each layer constituting the food-shaped object. The formation of the outer edge portion and the formation of the inner portion may be repeated for each of multiple layers. For example, the process of forming the outer perimeter of two layers with soy paste using vector data and the process of forming the inner portion of two layers with soy paste and oil paste using raster data may be repeated. Specifically, for example, the process of forming the outer perimeter of the first layer with soy paste, forming the outer perimeter of the second layer with soy paste, forming the inner portion of the first layer with soy paste and oil paste, and forming the inner portion of the second layer with soy paste and oil paste may be repeated until all layers are formed.

[0086] In the embodiment, the control unit 10 functioned as the respective components shown in Figure 1 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM or storage unit 21. However, in this disclosure, the control unit 10 may be dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware includes, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. If the control unit 10 is dedicated hardware, each function of each component may be realized by separate hardware, or the functions of each component may be realized together by a single piece of hardware. Furthermore, some of the functions of each component may be realized by dedicated hardware, and other parts by software or firmware. In this way, the control unit 10 can realize the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0087] It is also possible to make an existing personal computer or information terminal or other computer function as the food shaping system 100 according to this disclosure by applying an operating program that defines the operation of the food shaping system 100 according to this disclosure to the computer. Furthermore, the distribution method of such a program is arbitrary; for example, it may be distributed by storing it on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk ROM), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), MO (Magneto Optical Disk), or memory card, or it may be distributed via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0088] This disclosure allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of this disclosure. In other words, the scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent significance of the disclosure are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10 Control Unit 11 Data Generation Unit 12 Viscosity Control Unit 13 Discharge control unit 14 Position Control Unit 21 Memory section 22 Display section 23 Operation Reception Section 24 Communications Department 30 Viscosity adjustment mechanism 40, 40A, 40B discharge head 41 particles 41A Soybean particles 41B Oil particles 42,42A,42B deposit 50 Moving mechanism 51, 51A, 51B Head movement mechanism 52 Table movement mechanism 60 tables 61 Placement plane 100 Food Forming Systems 200 Artificial meat 201,202,203 Sedimentary layer 301,302,302A,302B,303 area

Claims

1. A food molding system that molds food-shaped objects by layering molding materials, Multiple dispensing heads that intermittently dispense multiple molding materials, each having fluidity during dispensing, for forming the aforementioned food-shaped object, A data generation unit that generates slice data for creating the food product, which includes data for at least one of raster data and vector data for each of the plurality of molding materials, The system includes an ejection control unit that controls the ejection of each of the multiple molding materials by the multiple ejection heads based on at least one of the data included in the slice data generated by the data generation unit, The plurality of discharge heads include a first discharge head for discharging a first molding material and a second discharge head for discharging a second molding material. The data generation unit generates slice data including first vector data which is vector data for the first molding material and first raster data which is raster data for the second molding material. The discharge control unit controls the first discharge head to discharge the first molding material into a first region, which is the region corresponding to the outer edge of the food molding, based on the first vector data, and controls the second discharge head to discharge the second molding material into a second region, which is the region surrounded by the first region, based on the first raster data. Food shaping system.

2. The viscosity of the first molding material is higher than the viscosity of the second molding material. The ejection control unit controls the first ejection head to eject the first molding material into the first region based on the first vector data, and then controls the second ejection head to eject the second molding material into the second region based on the first raster data. The food shaping system according to claim 1.

3. The data generation unit generates slice data including the first vector data, the first raster data, and the second raster data which is raster data for the first molding material. The ejection control unit controls the first ejection head to eject the first molding material into the first region based on the first vector data, then controls the second ejection head to eject the second molding material into the second region based on the first raster data, and controls the first ejection head to eject the first molding material into a third region which is surrounded by the first region and is different from the second region, based on the second raster data. The food shaping system according to claim 2.

4. The plurality of discharge heads include a first discharge head for discharging a first molding material having a first viscosity, and a second discharge head for discharging a second molding material having a second viscosity lower than the first viscosity. The discharge control unit controls the first discharge head to discharge the first molding material, and then controls the second discharge head to discharge the second molding material. A food shaping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The data generation unit generates slice data including raster data for each of the plurality of molding materials, The ejection control unit controls the ejection of each of the multiple molding materials by the multiple ejection heads based on the corresponding raster data. A food shaping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The plurality of discharge heads are arranged in line in the main scanning direction. The food shaping system according to claim 5.

7. A food molding method for forming food-shaped objects by layering molding materials, A plurality of molding materials for forming the aforementioned food-shaped object, which are fluid when extruded, are intermittently extruded from a plurality of extrusion heads. Slice data for creating the food object is generated, which includes at least one of raster data and vector data for each of the plurality of molding materials. Based on the data included in the slice data, the extrusion of each of the multiple molding materials by the multiple extrusion heads is controlled. The plurality of discharge heads include a first discharge head for discharging a first molding material and a second discharge head for discharging a second molding material. Slice data is generated that includes first vector data, which is vector data for the first molding material, and first raster data, which is raster data for the second molding material. Based on the first vector data, the first dispensing head is controlled to dispense the first molding material into a first region which is the area corresponding to the outer edge of the food molding object, and based on the first raster data, the second dispensing head is controlled to dispense the second molding material into a second region which is the area surrounded by the first region. Food modeling method.

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