Dough Processing Workstation Ratio Control for Easier Line Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dough processing machines in the food industry face complexity in adjusting process conditions due to interdependent performance parameters of workstations, leading to cumbersome adjustments and susceptibility to errors, especially with increased complexity.
Innovation Solution
A dough processing machine with a control unit that adjusts performance parameters of consecutive workstations based on a single factor ratio, allowing operators to easily intervene while maintaining relative relationships between workstations, and a method to verify adjustments within permissible ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If performance parameters of individual workstations are adjusted independently to change process conditions, then process flexibility is improved, but device complexity and error susceptibility increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple performance parameters of consecutive workstations into a single control factor F = Ln/Lm. Instead of adjusting each workstation's performance parameter independently, the system merges them into one unified factor that represents the ratio between consecutive workstations' parameters. This reduces the number of independent adjustments from multiple individual parameters to a single factor, thereby reducing adjustment complexity while maintaining process flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The control factor F serves multiple functions simultaneously: it controls the relationship between consecutive workstations, maintains coordination between them, and enables flexible process adjustments. By making the adjustment mechanism universal, a single factor adjustment can influence multiple workstations in a coordinated manner, reducing the need for separate adjustment mechanisms for each workstation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple performance parameters are adjusted to change process conditions, then process adaptability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential relationship between consecutive workstations into a single control factor F = Ln/Lm. Instead of requiring operators to manage multiple performance parameters simultaneously, the system extracts the critical coordination relationship into one factor that can be adjusted independently. This extraction simplifies the operator's task while maintaining the ability to adapt process conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preliminarily establishes the relationships between performance parameters through predefined factors Fnm. These factors represent the coordination relationships between workstations and are set in advance. When process adjustments are needed, operators only need to modify the relevant factor rather than calculating and coordinating multiple individual parameters, making the adjustment process easier and more intuitive.
3Ease of operation
If centralized adjustment of a single performance parameter is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the overall process control into multiple independent factors Fnm, each representing the relationship between a specific pair of consecutive workstations. Instead of a single centralized parameter that controls everything, the system divides control into separate factors that can be adjusted independently. This segmentation allows operators to make targeted adjustments to specific parts of the process without affecting the entire system, thereby maintaining ease of operation while improving adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A dough processing machine for treating products in the food industry may comprise at least two workstations arranged consecutively along a transport path of products, where operation of the workstation, in a direction of transport being the first one, depends on a first performance parameter L1 and operation of the workstation, in the direction of transport being the second one, depends on a second performance parameter L2. The dough processing machine may further comprise a control unit which is connected to the workstations for adjusting the performance parameters, and an input device connected to the control unit via which a factorF=L1L2can be adjusted. The control unit is configured to adjust the performance parameters of the first workstation and the second workstation as a function of F and to leave all other factorsFnm=LnLmunchanged, where Ln, Lm are performance parameters of different workstations n, m.