Continuous Food Dough Weighing and Cutting System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for weighing and cutting continuous food dough are limited in cutting longer and heavier pieces due to the length of the conveying surface and movement range of the second weighing conveyor, restricting the precision and length of cut pieces.
Innovation Solution
A system with an inlet conveyor, a weighing conveyor device comprising a first and second weighing conveyor, and a controller that measures the weight of continuous food dough and cut pieces, allowing for precise cutting by stopping conveyors during measurement and adjusting the cutting weight based on actual weights measured by both conveyors, with a threshold value to determine which conveyor to use for longer pieces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pieces are measured while being carried forward on the second weighing conveyor, then the weighing process is continuous and efficient, but the length of the piece is limited due to the conveying surface length and movement range
Solution Approach 1:
The weighing conveyor is divided into two separate conveyors: a first weighing conveyor for measuring the continuous food dough before cutting, and a second weighing conveyor for measuring the cut pieces. This segmentation allows each conveyor to be optimized for its specific function, with the first conveyor capable of accommodating longer pieces during the weighing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The first weighing conveyor measures the weight of the continuous food dough before cutting occurs. This preliminary measurement allows the cutting apparatus to cut at the correct position to achieve the targeted cutting weight, ensuring that even long pieces can be properly measured and cut without exceeding the limitations of the second weighing conveyor's movement range.
2Device complexity
If only the second weighing conveyor measures the actual weight of cut pieces, then the system structure is simple, but weighing precision is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The weighing function is segmented between two conveyors: the first weighing conveyor measures the continuous dough weight before cutting, and the second weighing conveyor measures the cut piece weight. This division allows both measurements to be optimized, improving overall weighing precision while maintaining reasonable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller uses feedback from both weighing conveyors to correct the predetermined cutting weight. The first weighing conveyor provides feedback on the continuous dough weight, and the second weighing conveyor provides feedback on the actual cut piece weight. This dual-feedback mechanism improves weighing precision by allowing real-time corrections based on actual measurements from both stages of the process.
3Manufacturing precision
If the predetermined cutting weight is corrected based on weight differences, then pieces close to the targeted cutting weight can be cut, but the system requires complex correction calculations
Solution Approach 1:
The controller implements a feedback mechanism where the actual weight measured by the weighing conveyor is compared to the targeted cutting weight, and the predetermined cutting weight is corrected based on the difference. This feedback loop continuously refines the cutting weight to achieve higher manufacturing precision while keeping the control logic relatively simple through automated calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-correction of the cutting weight parameter based on actual measurements. The controller automatically calculates the difference between targeted and actual weights and adjusts the predetermined cutting weight accordingly, eliminating the need for manual intervention or complex external control systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
This invention provides a system and a method for weighing and cutting food dough that can improve weighing precision of pieces of food dough cut out from continuous food dough, and further can cut out the longer and/or heavier pieces of the food dough from the continuous food dough. The system 1 for weighing continuous food dough D and cutting it into pieces P of food dough having a targeted weight WT comprises: an inlet conveyor 3 for carrying forward the continuous food dough D, a weighing conveyor device 5 disposed adjacent to and at a downstream side, of the inlet conveyor 3, a cutting apparatus 9 for cutting out the pieces P from the continuous food dough D, and a controller 16 connected to the inlet conveyor 3, the weighing conveyor device 5, and the cutting apparatus 9, wherein the weighing conveyor device 5 has a first weighing conveyor 6 and a second weighing conveyor 7 disposed adjacent to and at a downstream side, of the first weighing conveyor 6, and the controller 16 measures a weight of the continuous food dough D being carried forward by the first weighting conveyor 6 and the second weighing conveyor 7, and further measures an actual weight WA of the piece P of the food dough cut out from the continuous food dough D by the first weighing conveyor 6 and the second weighing conveyor 7.