Multi-stage system for food topping assembly

Abstract

A multi-stage system for food topping assembly is provided. In certain embodiments, the system comprises a material transport tool configured to transport topping elements; a coarse topping patterning tool configured to arrange topping elements into a coarse pattern on the material transport tool; and a precision topping patterning tool configured to finalise the arrangement of topping elements on the material transport tool into a target pattern.

Description

MULTI-STAGE SYSTEM FOR FOOD TOPPING ASSEMBLYFIELD AND BACKGROUND

[0001] The present techniques relate to multi-stage approaches for food topping assembly. More particularly, but not exclusively, the disclosure describes a system and method for arranging food toppings where a first stage is configured to arrange topping elements into a coarse pattern and a second stage which refines this coarse pattern into a target pattern for the topping elements.

[0002] In recent years much of the world has faced persistent high inflation with manufacturers of packaged prepared meals suffering from a substantially increased cost base. At the same time consumers are finding themselves financially squeezed such that food manufacturers' ability to raise prices has been constrained. Accordingly, some manufactures have sought to reduce the cost of manufacturing their products.

[0003] One approach to doing so is to reduce the cost of the raw ingredients through switching to a lower grade of product or substituting ingredients with cheaper alternatives. Another approach to doing so is to simplify the product by modifying the layering of the ingredients to a more straightforward, and less appealing, structure that maybe susceptible to cheaper manufacture.

[0004] However, as identified by the present inventors, each of the approaches discussed above reduces customer satisfaction and may lead to a reduction in demand for the packaged prepared meal.

[0005] Another problem with the state-of-the-art approaches for topping food is that they are labour intensive.

[0006] At least certain embodiments of the present disclosure address one or more of these problems as set out above.SUMMARY

[0007] Viewed from one perspective, there is provided a multi-stage system for food topping assembly, the system comprising: a material transport tool configured to transport topping elements; a coarse topping patterning tool configured to arrange topping elements into a coarse19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026 pattern on the material transport tool; and a precision topping patterning tool configured to finalise the arrangement of topping elements on the material transport tool into a target pattern.

[0008] In other words, the present approach can be considered as a technique where the positioning of topping elements is performed in a two-stage process. At a first stage the topping ingredients are arranged into an approximate pattern that coarsely approximates a final desired target pattern using a coarse patterning tool. At the second stage the positioning of the topping ingredients can be refined into the desired target pattern using a precision topping patterning tool.

[0009] As identified by the present inventors, this multi-stage approach counterintuitively allows for lower resource consumption and higher throughput as compared to a single-stage approach to positioning topping ingredients. By way of illustrative example, the present techniques are able to do so as, for example, the coarse patterning tool can operate at a high throughput (which ordinarily might reduce precision of the placement of the topping ingredients) as it only needs to achieve a low placement precision at the first stage. Further, the precision topping patterning tool can operate at a high throughput as it only needs to perform relatively small refinements to the topping element positions i.e. as opposed to the throughput the precision topping patterning tool could operate at if it had to fully position the topping elements.

[0010] Viewed from one perspective, there is provided a multi-stage method for food topping assembly, the method comprising: arranging, using a coarse topping patterning tool, topping elements into a coarse pattern on a material transport tool; transporting, using the material transport tool, the topping elements in the coarse pattern, arranging, using a precision topping patterning tool, topping elements on the material transport tool into a target pattern, and optionally transferring, using a transfer element, the topping elements to a food base.

[0011] A further advantage of the present invention is that compared to previous methods it not only provides a precise positioning mechanism, but it provides it in a cost-effective way. This cost effectiveness on the one hand comes from the higher throughput, on the other hand also from the use of the most appropriate topping material.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026

[0012] Other aspects will also become apparent upon review of the present disclosure, in particular upon review of the Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description and Claims sections.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Examples of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0014] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a multi-stage system which can be used to implement teachings of the disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2A schematically illustrates arrangements of topping elements before patterning.

[0016] Figure 2B schematically illustrates arrangements of topping elements after coarse patterning.

[0017] Figure 2C schematically illustrates arrangements of topping elements after precise patterning.

[0018] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a first example multi-stage system for food topping assembly.

[0019] Figure 4 schematically illustrates a second example multi-stage system for food topping assembly.

[0020] Figure 5 schematically illustrates a third example multi-stage system for food topping assembly.

[0021] Figure 6A schematically illustrates target pattern arrangements of topping elements on food bases in a non-overlapping pattern.

[0022] Figure 6B schematically illustrates target pattern arrangements of topping elements on food bases in an overlapping pattern.

[0023] Figure 6C schematically illustrates target pattern arrangements of topping elements on food bases in a geometrical pattern.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026

[0024] Figure 7 schematically illustrates a multi-stage method for food topping assembly.

[0025] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific example approaches are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood however that the drawings and detailed description attached hereto are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular form disclosed but rather the disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

[0026] It will be recognised that the features of the above-described examples of the disclosure can conveniently and interchangeably be used in any suitable combination.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a multi-stage system 100 which can be used to implement teachings of the disclosure. The system 100 has a material transport tool 110 configured to transport topping elements, a coarse topping patterning tool 120 configured to arrange topping elements into a coarse pattern on the material transport tool 110, and a precision topping patterning tool 130 configured to finalise the arrangement of topping elements on the material transport tool into a target pattern.

[0028] Figure 2 schematically illustrates arrangements of topping elements A: arranged 200A before patterning; B: arranged 200B after coarse patterning; C: arranged 200C after precise patterning. It will be appreciated that before patterning the topping elements are in a generally disordered arrangement 200A without any specific placement, that after coarse patterning the topping elements are arranged in a coarse pattern 200B where there is increased structure to their relative placement, and that after precise patterning the topping elements are arranged in a target pattern 200C. It will be appreciated that in some examples, that a coarse patterning tool can directly provide the topping elements into coarse pattern 200B without passing through a disordered arrangement 200A, for example, where feedstock of the topping elements are directly sliced into a coarse pattern 200B.

[0029] In some examples, the topping elements are slices / pieces of sausage, salami, bacon, cheese, vegetables, and / or fruit.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026

[0030] In some examples, the material transport tool 110 comprises a conveyor belt. Thereby a material transport tool 110 that is efficient at transporting large quantities of topping elements at a time is provided. In some examples, the material transport tool 110 comprises a magnetic conveyor or pallet conveyor. Thereby, the flexibility of the system is enhanced as a subset of the topping elements can be handled separately. This in turn can provide a mechanism to provide buffers in the assembly line or allow for differential processing and / or routes for different subsets of topping elements. In some examples, the differential processing allows for different ingredients (topping ingredients and / or food bases) to be handled on the same material transport tool.

[0031] In some examples, the coarse topping patterning tool 120 comprises a slicing tool configured to slice a topping feedstock into the topping elements and configured to deposit the topping elements in an array arrangement on the material transport tool 110. For example, when one or more topping feedstocks (e.g. a number of parallel sausages) are fed into the slicing tool and sliced over a moving material transport tool 110 the sliced topping elements (sausage disks) can be deposited into predictable positions on the material transport tool i.e. a coarse pattern. See, for example, coarse topping patterning tool 320 in figure 3 and coarse topping patterning tool 520 in figure 5. In some examples, these predictable positions are a grid or an array of the topping elements. Thereby a high throughput and efficient mechanism for arriving at a coarse pattern is provided that is integrated with a slicing process. In some examples, the slicing tool is configured to automatically load the topping feedstock. Thereby interruptions in the process flow can be avoided.

[0032] In some examples, the coarse topping patterning tool 120 comprises one or more barriers configured to align the topping elements into an array arrangement on the material transport tool. For example, the barriers can act to funnel the topping elements in one of a number of aligned channels a predetermined distance apart. See, for example coarse topping patterning tool 420 in figure 4. Thereby a high throughput and efficient mechanism for arriving at a coarse pattern which is simple to implement is provided.

[0033] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 comprises a robot arm. Thereby the precision topping patterning tool 130 has a large reach enhancing flexibility.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026

[0034] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 comprises a delta picker robot. Thereby high-precision corrections can be made, and in some examples the delta picker robot allows for individual topping elements to be separately placed.

[0035] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 comprises one or more suction grippers. Thereby a technique is provided for picking up the topping elements which minimises the risk of damage to them.

[0036] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 comprises a mechanical gripper. Thereby a technique is provided for picking up the topping elements that is mechanically secure.

[0037] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 is configured to arrange a plurality of the topping elements simultaneously. Thereby a resource efficient approach is provided which provides high throughput.

[0038] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 is configured to arrange one or more of the topping elements sequentially. Thereby precision arrangement of individual topping elements can be provided.

[0039] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 is configured to arrange the topping elements into the target pattern on the material transport tool 110 and the system 100 further comprises a transfer element 140 configured to transfer the topping elements to a food base. Thereby, the approach allows for efficient processing since the precision arrangement (performed by the precision topping patterning tool 130) and the transfer (performed by the transfer element) are handled by different components allowing for a high throughput.

[0040] In some examples, the food bases are pizza crusts, bread slices, tortillas, flat tacos, potatoes, mince, noodles and / or grains.

[0041] In some examples, the precision topping patterning tool 130 is configured to pick up and deposit the topping elements directly onto a food base. Thereby by directly placing the topping elements onto the food base a high degree of accuracy in the final positioning of the topping elements on the food base can be achieved.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026

[0042] In some examples, the transfer element 140 comprises a robot arm, delta picker robot, gantry robot or other robotic system. Thereby, the approach allows for flexibility in production line arrangement and placement.

[0043] In some examples, the material transport tool 110 comprises an end portion configured as the transfer element 140, the end portion configured to drop the topping elements onto the food base. For example, the end portion could be a slide that allows toping elements that reach the end portion to smoothly drop down onto a food base preserving the target pattern. Thereby a simple mechanical approach to transferring topping elements is provided that allows for high throughput.

[0044] In some examples, the system 100 includes a second material transport tool 150 configured to transport food bases. Thereby an efficient approach to transporting food bases is provided. In some examples, the second material transport tool 150 comprises a conveyor belt. Thereby a second material transport tool 150 that is efficient at transporting large quantities of food bases at a time is provided. In some examples, the second material transport tool 150 comprises a magnetic conveyor or pallet conveyor. Thereby, the flexibility of the system is enhanced as a subset of the food bases can be handled separately. This in turn can provide a mechanism to provide buffers in the assembly line or allow for differential processing and / or routes for different subsets of food bases. In some examples, the differential processing allows for different ingredients (topping ingredients and / or food bases) to be handled on the same material transport tool.

[0045] In some examples, system 100 has one or more sensors 160 configured to detect the position of the topping elements in the coarse pattern and to direct the movement of the precision topping patterning tool. Thereby the system is flexible and resilient against deviations in the actual position of the topping elements and can take into account real-world variations.

[0046] In some examples, the system 100 has one or more processor devices and one or more memory devices 170 configured to control the system 100. Thereby computerised control of the system 100 can be provided.

[0047] Figures 3, 4 and 5 schematically illustrate three example multi-stage systems. The last two digits of the reference numerals are shared between each of Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5 for similar elements.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026

[0048] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a first example of a multi-stage system 300 for food topping assembly. The system 300 has a material transport tool 310, a coarse topping patterning tool 320, a combined precision topping patterning tool and transfer element 330 + 340, and a second material transport tool 350. Also shown, are arrangements of topping elements 302, food bases 304 and topping feedstock 306. For clarity, only examples of arrangements of topping elements 302 and food bases 304 are explicitly labelled.

[0049] In system 300, the material transport tool 310 is a magnetic / pallet conveyor where arrangements of topping elements in a coarse pattern are separately transported from left to right. The second material transport tool 350 is a conveyor belt which transports food bases with and without topping elements from left to right. The coarse topping patterning tool 320 is a slicing tool which slices topping material feedstock 306 and deposits this as a rough grid / array (i.e. as the coarse pattern) on the moving material transport tool 310. The topping material feedstock 306 is automatically fed into the coarse topping patterning tool 320.

[0050] The precision topping patterning tool 330 is combined with the transfer element 340 such that the combined tool picks up arrangements of topping elements 302 in a coarse pattern from material transport tool 310 and deposits them as an arrangement of topping elements in a target pattern on a food base 304 being transported by second material transport tool 350 (shown as a dashed arrow). As an illustrative example, the combined precision topping patterning tool and transfer element 330 + 340 is able to rearrange the relative arrangement of topping elements while transferring them by picking up each of a plurality topping elements with a separate suction gripper (where the plurality of grippers are initially arranged in a grid / array pattern when picking up from the material transport tool 310) and collapsing the plurality of grippers to concentric circles before depositing the plurality of topping elements directly onto the food base 304 being transported by second material transport tool 350.

[0051] Figure 4 schematically illustrates a second example of a multi-stage system 400 for food topping assembly. The system 400 has a material transport tool 410, a coarse topping patterning tool 420, a precision topping patterning tool 430, a transfer element 440 and a second material transport tool 450. Also shown, are arrangements of topping elements 402 and food bases 404. For19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026 clarity, only examples of arrangements of topping elements 402 and food bases 404 are explicitly labelled.

[0052] In system 400, the material transport tool 410 is a conveyor belt where a plurality of arrangements of topping elements before patterning, after coarse patterning and after precision patterning, are transported from left to right. Coarse topping patterning tool 420 comprises one or more barriers configured to align the topping elements into an array arrangement (i.e. a coarse pattern) on the material transport tool. As can be seen the topping elements are channelled into four streams of topping elements. For clarity, only three barriers are depicted but it will be appreciated that in some examples the coarse topping patterning tool 420 can include further barriers, for example, between every separate topping element in the direction perpendicular to the travel direction of the material transport tool 410. An end portion of material transport tool 410 is configured as transfer element 440, which acts to drop topping elements arranged into the target pattern onto food bases 404 moving on the second material transport tool 450.

[0053] In system 400, the precision topping pattering tool 430 picks up arrangements of topping elements 402 in a coarse pattern from material transport tool 410 and deposits them back on the material transport tool 410 as an arrangement of topping elements in a target pattern (shown as a dashed arrow). Second material transport tool 450 is a conveyor belt which is partially located under material transport tool 410. It transports food bases 404 with and without topping elements from left to right.

[0054] Figure 5 schematically illustrates a third example of a multi-stage system 500 for food topping assembly. The system 500 has a material transport tool 510, a coarse topping patterning tool 520 and a precision topping patterning tool 530. Also shown, are arrangements of topping elements 502, food bases 504, topping feedstock 506 and a food base stack 508. For clarity, only examples of arrangements of topping elements 502 and food bases 504 are explicitly labelled.

[0055] Material transport tool 510 is a conveyor belt which transports arrangements of topping elements and food bases before and after patterning and assembly from left to right. The coarse topping patterning tool 520 is a slicing tool which slices topping material feedstock 506 and deposits this as a rough grid / array (i.e. as the coarse pattern) on the moving material transport tool19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026510. The topping material feedstock 506 is manually fed into the coarse topping patterning tool 520 and provides an alert to an operator when the feedstock is depleted to be topped up.

[0056] In system 500, the food bases 504 are deposited onto the material transport tool 510 from a food base stack 508. In some examples, this deposition is performed by a deposition tool. The precision topping patterning tool 530 picks up arrangements of topping elements 502 in a coarse pattern from material transport tool 510 and deposits them as an arrangement of topping elements in a target pattern on a food base 504 also being transported by the material transport tool 510 (shown as a dashed arrow). As an illustrative example, the combined precision topping patterning tool and transfer element 530 + 540 is able to rearrange the relative arrangement of topping elements by picking up each of a plurality toppingelements with a separate mechanical gripper such as a claw (where the plurality of grippers are initially arranged in a grid / array pattern when picking up from the material transport tool 510) and collapsing the plurality of grippers to a predetermined pseudorandom target pattern before depositing the plurality of topping elements onto the food base 504 being transported by second material transport tool 550.

[0057] Figure 6 schematically illustrates target pattern arrangements of topping elements on food bases in A: a non-overlapping pattern 600A; B: an overlapping pattern 600B; and C: a geometrical pattern 600C. In some examples, such as target patterns 600A and 600C, the target pattern is a non-overlapping arrangement of the topping elements. Thereby, an even flavour profile is provided that allows for an efficient coverage of the food base relative to the usage of topping ingredients. In some examples, such as target pattern 600B, the target pattern is an overlapping arrangement of the topping elements. Thereby, lower precision is required in the target pattern which can enhance throughput and further a technical solution is provided to producing a natural "hand-made" appearance of ingredients with variations in both flavour and texture. In some examples, such as target pattern 600C, the target pattern is a geometrical arrangement of the topping elements. Thereby, a technical solution is provided to producing an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of topping elements. In some examples, such as target patterns 600A, 600B, the target pattern is a pseudorandom (i.e. a pattern that is deterministic but appears random) arrangement of the topping elements. Thereby, a technical solution is provided to producing a natural "hand-made" appearance of ingredients.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026

[0058] Figure 7 schematically illustrates a multi-stage method 700 for food toping assembly, for example, for operating the multi-stage system of Figures 1, 3, 4 or 5.

[0059] At step 702, the method arranges, using a coarse topping patterning tool, topping elements into a coarse pattern on a material transport tool. The method then continues to step 704.

[0060] At step 704, the method transports, using the material transport tool, the topping elements in the coarse pattern. The method then continues to step 706.

[0061] At step 706, the method arranges, using a precision topping patterning tool, topping elements on the material transport tool into a target pattern. In some examples, the method continues to step 708.

[0062] At step 708, the method transfers, using a transfer element, the topping elements to a food base.

[0063] While a specific method 700 is described above it will be appreciated, that the method can perform any of the steps described throughout this description with the corresponding technical advantages.

[0064] The techniques discussed above may be performed under control of a computer program executing on a device. Hence a computer program may comprise instructions for controlling a device to perform any of the methods discussed above. The program can be encoded in a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium may include non-transitory type media such as physical storage media including storage discs and solid state devices. A computer- readable medium may also or alternatively include transient media such as carrier signals and transmission media. A computer-readable storage medium is defined herein as a non-transitory memory device. A memory device includes memory space within a single physical storage device or memory space spread across multiple physical storage devices.

[0065] In the present application, the words "configured to..." are used to mean that an element of an apparatus has a configuration able to carry out the defined operation. In this context, a "configuration" means an arrangement or manner of interconnection of hardware or software. For example, the apparatus may have dedicated hardware which provides the defined operation, or a processor or other processing device may be programmed to perform the function. "Configured to"19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026 does not imply that the apparatus element needs to be changed in any way in order to provide the defined operation.

[0066] Although illustrative teachings of the disclosure have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise teachings, and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026CLAIMS:

1. A multi-stage system for food topping assembly, the system comprising: a material transport tool configured to transport topping elements; a coarse topping patterning tool configured to arrange topping elements into a coarse pattern on the material transport tool; and a precision topping patterning tool configured to finalise the arrangement of topping elements on the material transport tool into a target pattern.

2. The multi-stage system of claim 1, wherein the material transport tool comprises a conveyor belt.

3. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the material transport tool comprises a magnetic conveyor or pallet conveyor.

4. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the precision topping patterning tool is configured to arrange the topping elements into the target pattern on the material transport tool and the system further comprises a transfer element configured to transfer the topping elements to a food base.

5. The multi-stage system of claim 4, wherein the transfer element comprises a robot arm, delta picker robot, gantry robot or other robotic system.

6. The multi-stage system of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the material transport tool comprises an end portion configured as the transfer element, the end portion configured to drop the topping elements onto the food base.

7. The multi-stage system of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the precision topping patterning tool is configured to pick up and deposit the topping elements directly onto a food base.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.040268. The multi-stage system of any of claims 4 to 7, further comprising a second material transport tool configured to transport food bases.

9. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the precision topping patterning tool comprises a robot arm.

10. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the precision topping patterning tool comprises a delta picker robot.

11. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the precision topping patterning tool comprises one or more suction grippers.

12. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the precision topping patterning tool comprises a mechanical gripper.

13. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, further comprising one or more sensors configured to detect the position of the topping elements in the coarse pattern and to direct the movement of the precision topping patterning tool.

14. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the precision topping patterning tool is configured to arrange a plurality of the topping elements simultaneously.

15. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the precision topping patterning tool is configured to arrange one or more of the topping elements sequentially.

16. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the coarse topping patterning tool comprises a slicing tool configured to slice a topping feedstock into the topping elements and configured to deposit the topping elements in an array arrangement on the material transport tool.19661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.0402617. The multi-stage system of claim 16, wherein the slicing tool is configured to automatically load the topping feedstock.

18. The multi-stage system of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the coarse topping patterning tool comprises one or more barriers configured to align the topping elements into an array arrangement on the material transport tool.

19. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, further comprising one or more processor devices and one or more memory devices configured to control the system.

20. The multi-stage system of any preceding claim, wherein the target pattern is a nonoverlapping arrangement of the topping elements.

21. The multi-stage system of any of claims 1 to 19, wherein the target pattern is an overlapping arrangement of the topping elements.

22. The multi-stage system of any of claims 1 to 21, wherein the target pattern is a geometrical arrangement of the topping elements.

23. The multi-stage system of any of claims 1 to 21, wherein the target pattern is a pseudorandom arrangement of the topping elements.

24. A multi-stage method for food topping assembly, the method comprising: arranging, using a coarse topping patterning tool, topping elements into a coarse pattern on a material transport tool; transporting, using the material transport tool, the topping elements in the coarse pattern,1519661-US-PSP / G207121 42244.04026 arranging, using a precision topping patterning tool, topping elements on the material transport tool into a target pattern, and optionally transferring, using a transfer element, the topping elements to a food base.

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