Automated Topping Dispensing System for Food Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The labor-intensive process of customizing hamburgers and sandwiches in restaurants often results in mishandled food and incorrect orders due to the need for human input in assembling toppings.
Innovation Solution
A system that automates the dispensing of toppings onto edible vehicles using a series of topping modules with hoppers, blades, and retaining plates, allowing for precise slicing and dispensing of toppings based on custom orders, with a conveyor system advancing vehicles through the modules to fulfill orders efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If human input is used to assemble custom hamburgers and sandwiches, then customization of toppings is achieved, but labor intensity increases and errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows the food assembly machine to automatically dispense and place toppings without human intervention. The controller directs the automated dispensing mechanism to deliver specific toppings to specific buns based on customer orders, eliminating the need for human workers to manually assemble each component while maintaining full customization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical assembly process with an automated mechanical system. A controller-based automated dispensing mechanism substitutes human hands and decision-making, precisely delivering toppings to the correct locations on buns according to programmed instructions, thereby maintaining customization while eliminating labor-intensive operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If human workers assemble toppings manually, then custom orders can be fulfilled, but food handling errors and incorrect orders increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a controller that receives customer order information and automatically directs the dispensing mechanism accordingly. The controller acts as a feedback system that ensures the correct toppings are dispensed to the correct buns based on the specific customer requirements, eliminating human error in interpreting and executing custom orders.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated dispensing mechanism replaces human manual assembly, eliminating variability in human performance. The mechanical system consistently executes the same dispensing actions with precision, ensuring that every topping is placed correctly according to the customer's custom order without the errors that occur in manual handling.
3Productivity
If automated topping dispensing is implemented, then labor intensity is reduced and accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated dispensing mechanism is designed to handle multiple types of toppings through a single unified system. The controller can direct the dispensing mechanism to deliver different toppings to different buns based on customer orders, allowing one piece of equipment to perform multiple functions and reducing the need for separate specialized devices for each topping type.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves as an intermediary between the customer's order requirements and the physical dispensing action. It translates order information into precise mechanical movements of the dispensing mechanism, simplifying the overall system architecture by using a single intelligent control layer rather than complex hardwired mechanisms for each possible topping combination.
Data Source
AI summary
One variation of a method for dispensing toppings onto topping vehicles includes: indexing a first topping vehicle to a first position adjacent a first topping module, the first topping module comprising a first hopper containing a first topping of a first topping type; indexing a second topping vehicle to a second position adjacent a second topping module comprising a second hopper containing a second topping of a second topping type; retracting a first blade of the first topping module; advancing the first blade through the first topping; retracting a first retaining plate to dispense a topping slice from the first topping onto the first topping vehicle according to a first topping order for the first topping vehicle specifying the first topping type, the first retaining plate offset from the first blade opposite the first hopper; advancing the first retaining plate; and indexing the first topping vehicle to the second position.