Conveyor Sensor Tracking for Unmarked Meat Portions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for tracking products during meat processing, such as using barcodes or RFID tags, are not always feasible due to contamination risks or surface texture issues, making it difficult to trace the animal source of meat products.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses sensors along a conveyor to assign native identifiers to meat portions based on heuristics, such as spatial coordinates and images, without physical markings, and stores these identifiers in an append-only database associated with an animal identifier, enabling traceability through an append-only database.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If physical markings (barcode, RFID tag) are applied to meat products for tracking, then product identification and traceability are improved, but contamination risk and surface texture damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary tracking system using sensors and native identifiers that monitor meat products without direct physical contact or marking. The system uses sensors positioned along the conveyor to detect and track meat portions, assigning native identifiers based on sensor outputs and heuristics, thereby eliminating the need for physical markings that cause contamination or damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical markings (barcodes, RFID tags) with an optical/electronic sensing system. Instead of attaching physical identifiers to the meat, the system uses sensors to capture images and other characteristics, then assigns native identifiers through image processing and pattern recognition algorithms.
2Loss of information
If physical markings are applied to meat products, then traceability is improved, but the surface texture and product integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an intermediary tracking approach where sensors and software serve as the medium for identification rather than direct physical marking. The sensors capture visual and other data from the meat surface without contact, and native identifiers are assigned through processing this data, preserving the meat's surface texture and integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy or representation of the meat product's characteristics through sensor data and images. Instead of marking the physical object, the system captures its properties (shape, color, texture) and uses these digital representations for tracking and identification, leaving the original product unchanged.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sensors and native identifier assignment systems are implemented, then traceability without physical markings is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal tracking system where sensors serve multiple functions: identification, monitoring, and data collection. The native identifier assignment system integrates with existing conveyor and processing equipment, allowing the same infrastructure to support both traditional operations and advanced traceability without requiring entirely separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs automated sensor-based detection and heuristic-based native identifier assignment that operates without continuous human intervention. The sensors automatically capture data, the system processes images and sensor outputs, and assigns identifiers based on predefined heuristics, reducing the need for manual tracking operations and simplifying overall system management.
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprises: receiving meat having an animal identifier, transporting the meat or a first meat portion on a conveyor during a process, sensors being positioned along the conveyor, and the meat and the first meat portion not being physically marked with the animal identifier; receiving sensor outputs during the process each characterizing the meat or the first meat portion; assigning, by a frontend component implemented using a first processor and a first memory, native identifiers to the meat or to the first meat portion using the sensor outputs; defining, by the frontend component, events regarding the process, the events being defined based on heuristics about the meat or the first meat portion; and storing, by an identifier manager implemented using a second processor and a second memory, the events in an append-only database, wherein the append-only database associates the native identifiers with the animal identifier.