Food Batching System Using Lean Degree Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing batching methods for solid food products, such as trimmed meat pieces, struggle to efficiently control the batching process, leading to contamination and reduced speed, particularly when dealing with significant differences in lean degree.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing a conveyor system with analyzing and measuring devices to determine the lean degree and weight of articles, which are then distributed into batcher heads to create batches within specified target ranges and intervals, ensuring non-contamination and efficient processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If articles with different lean degrees are batched together to meet target weight and lean degree ranges, then batching speed increases and productivity improves, but contamination occurs when articles with substantial differences in lean degree are mixed
Solution Approach 1:
The batcher heads are divided into multiple groups, where each group is assigned a specific target lean degree range. This segmentation allows articles to be distributed to appropriate groups based on their measured lean degree, enabling high-speed batching while preventing contamination by ensuring articles with substantially different lean degrees are not mixed together.
2Productivity
If multiple batcher heads are used to increase batching capacity, then productivity improves, but the complexity of selecting the correct combination of batcher heads to meet both weight and lean degree targets increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-defines multiple groups of batcher heads, with each group associated with a specific target lean degree range. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for complex real-time selection of batcher head combinations, as articles are automatically directed to the appropriate pre-configured group based on their measured lean degree, simplifying the control logic while maintaining high batching capacity.
3Manufacturing precision
If articles are batched to meet specific target ranges for weight and lean degree, then product quality and consistency improve, but articles that do not meet targets must be recycled, increasing processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The system measures the lean degree of each article and provides feedback to the distribution mechanism, which then directs the article to the appropriate batcher head group that can accommodate it within the target lean degree range. This feedback loop ensures high batching accuracy while minimizing recycling by matching articles to suitable batches in real-time based on their measured properties.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for batching articles constituted by solid food products having a first property and a first quantity. The first property may be lean degree and the first quantity may be weight. The method provides a conveyor system and a batcher having a plurality of batcher heads such that articles within the batcher heads may be selected and batched according to a first target range of the first property and a first target interval of the first quantity. The method may ensure that different grades of the first property may not contaminate each other.