Conveyor Grill Plate Control for Uniform Cook-to-Order Grilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooking meat, vegan, vegetarian, and seafood is labor-intensive and often results in variations in the uniformity of the final product due to differences in cooking expertise and style, necessitating improvements in reducing labor and enhancing quality and uniformity.
Innovation Solution
A grill system with movable upper and lower grilling plates and a conveyor belt that adjusts distance for cooking, using actuators to control plate positions and cooking times, allowing for partial cooking and finishing in a warming oven to achieve uniform doneness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual cooking methods are used, then flexibility in cooking style is maintained, but labor intensity increases and product uniformity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking system is divided into multiple grill stations (first grill station with initial cooking plates, second grill station with final cooking plates) that perform different cooking functions. This segmentation allows automated control of each stage while maintaining overall cooking flexibility, resolving the contradiction between manual operation flexibility and labor efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses movable grill plates that can be positioned at different distances from the conveyor belt, allowing dynamic adjustment of cooking parameters. The grill plates can move between cooking positions and retraction positions, enabling flexible control of cooking intensity while being driven by automated mechanisms, thus maintaining cooking flexibility while improving labor efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual cooking methods are used, then cooking expertise can be applied, but product uniformity decreases due to variations in cooking style
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates temperature sensors and controllers that monitor and regulate the temperature of heating elements and grill plates. This feedback control ensures consistent cooking conditions are maintained throughout the process, achieving uniform product quality while eliminating the need for manual cooking expertise.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated grill system performs cooking operations autonomously through programmed control of conveyor belt speed, grill plate positioning, and heating element activation. The system serves itself by automatically adjusting parameters to achieve uniform cooking results without requiring human intervention or expertise, thereby improving product uniformity while reducing operational complexity.
3Productivity
If continuous cooking is performed, then productivity increases, but cooking quality control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking process is divided into discrete stages at different grill stations, with each station responsible for specific cooking tasks. This segmentation allows continuous throughput while maintaining quality control at each stage through automated temperature and timing management, resolving the contradiction between productivity and quality control.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor belt system enables continuous movement of food products through multiple grill stations without interruption. Heating elements and grill plates are continuously active, maintaining optimal cooking temperatures throughout the process. This continuous operation increases productivity while automated control systems ensure consistent quality standards are met throughout the continuous cooking process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system reduces labor while ensuring consistent cooking quality by allowing precise control over cooking techniques, such as pressure and temperature, to produce uniformly cooked food products.
Implementation Method 1
cooking the food product to a first selected degree of doneness
Implementation Method 2
cooking the food product to a second selected degree of doneness
Implementation Method 3
The conveyor belt may be movably attached to the rigid base structure through one or more biasing mechanisms
Data Source
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AI summary
A grill is provided. The grill comprising: an oven configured to maintain a holding temperature within the oven; one or more grilling stations located in the oven, each of the one or more grilling stations comprising: an upper platen assembly including an upper grilling plate; a lower platen assembly including a lower grilling plate opposite the upper grilling plate, the upper grilling plate being separated from the lower grilling plate by a distance; one or more actuators operably connected to at least one of the upper platen assembly and the lower platen assembly, wherein the one or more actuators are configured to adjust the distance; and a conveyor belt located between the upper grilling plate and the lower grilling plate, wherein the conveyer belt is configured to move a food product between the upper grilling plate and the lower grilling plate.