Autonomous Food Station With Independent Temperature Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food vending machines and temperature-controlled lockers have limitations in the variety and quantity of food items they can offer due to space constraints and customer accessibility issues, particularly for hot foods, which restricts customer choice and expandsability.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous food station that allows customers to pre-order from a large menu of hot or cold items, with independent temperature control and storage, enabling flexible delivery and preparation times, and efficient use of space through an internal transport system and modular cubbies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional food vending machines are used, then the machine structure is simple and easy to operate, but the variety and quantity of food items are limited by machine size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-room vending machine to a multi-room distributed storage system. Food items are stored in multiple separate rooms (cold storage room, hot storage room, frozen storage room) that are spatially distributed but logically connected through the control system. This dimensional expansion allows the system to offer diverse food varieties without requiring a single large machine footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The vending system is segmented into multiple independent storage rooms, each dedicated to specific temperature requirements (cold, hot, frozen). Each room can be independently managed and accessed, allowing the system to scale food variety by adding or configuring different room types without increasing overall system complexity proportionally.
2Quantity of substance
If temperature-controlled lockers with multiple external doors are used, then food items can be stored and accessed, but the customer-accessible area becomes excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The control system serves as a universal interface that manages multiple storage rooms with different temperature requirements through a single customer interaction point. The system can handle cold, hot, and frozen food items, process payments, and control access to different rooms through one integrated control panel, eliminating the need for multiple separate access points.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary between the customer and the distributed storage rooms. Instead of customers directly accessing multiple external doors, they interact with the centralized control system which then manages the retrieval and delivery of selected items from the appropriate storage rooms.
3Ease of operation
If locker systems are limited to one row deep and approximately 6 feet tall, then customer access is convenient and safe, but the system has limited expandability and capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The system overcomes the single-row depth limitation by utilizing vertical and horizontal distribution across multiple rooms. Storage capacity is expanded not by making individual lockers taller or deeper, but by creating a network of multiple rooms that can be accessed through the centralized control system, effectively adding dimensions to the storage architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system configuration is dynamic and can be adjusted based on demand. New storage rooms can be added or existing rooms can have their capacity modified without requiring physical restructuring of the entire system. The control system can dynamically allocate and manage resources across different rooms to meet varying customer needs.
4Reliability
If food items are prepared and delivered immediately before consumption, then food freshness is maintained, but time constraints limit operational flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
Food items are prepared in advance and stored in appropriate temperature-controlled environments (cold, hot, or frozen rooms) before customer orders are placed. The system maintains food readiness through preliminary preparation and storage, allowing items to be quickly retrieved and delivered when ordered without requiring immediate preparation at the time of purchase.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system automatically maintains optimal temperature conditions for different food types without requiring continuous human intervention. Temperature-controlled rooms self-regulate to preserve food freshness, and the control system automatically manages item retrieval and delivery based on customer selections, reducing the need for manual preparation timing.
Data Source
AI summary
A novel food station comprises first and second pluralities of cubbies, each sized to enclose a food portion container, and a food collection hatch that is selectively externally accessible. A heating system can controllably heat one or more of the first plurality of cubbies independently of the first plurality of cubbies, and a cooling system can cool one or more of the second plurality of cubbies independently of the first plurality of cubbies. An internal transport system including an end effector that temporarily couples to the portion container carrier of a selected cooled cubby of the second plurality of cubbies and can controllably move the food portion container carrier to a selected heated cubby or to the food collection hatch.