Food Item Imaging and Selective Processing on Conveyor Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern food processing systems face challenges in increasing processing speed, reducing workload, and improving efficiency while ensuring high-quality output.
Innovation Solution
A food processing device with a conveyor system, imaging system, and processor that determines a processing indicator for each food item, allowing selective forwarding of items needing further processing, thereby optimizing throughput and reducing unnecessary workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all food items are processed at workstations to ensure quality, then product quality is maintained, but processing speed decreases and workload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system performs preliminary inspection of food items before they reach the workstations, identifying characteristics and determining which items require processing. This preliminary action allows the system to prepare processing indicators in advance, so that only items needing processing are directed to workstations, maintaining quality while reducing unnecessary workload.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses automated imaging and processing indicators to self-identify which food items require processing, eliminating the need for manual inspection of all items. The imaging system automatically captures data, the processor determines processing indicators, and the identification structure directs items accordingly, allowing the system to serve itself in quality control while improving throughput.
2Reliability
If manual inspection of all food items is performed, then quality control is improved, but workload increases and processing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The manual mechanical inspection process is replaced with an automated imaging system that captures images of food items and a processor that analyzes the images to generate processing indicators. This substitution eliminates manual workload while maintaining quality control through automated identification of items needing processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of manually examining each food item, the imaging system creates optical copies (images) of the items for analysis. The processor then analyzes these copies to determine processing requirements, replacing direct manual inspection with analysis of replicated visual data, thereby reducing workload while maintaining quality control.
3Reliability
If processing stations process all incoming food items, then quality standards are met, but throughput decreases due to unnecessary processing
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies quality control selectively to local subsets of food items based on their individual characteristics. Rather than uniformly processing all items, the imaging system identifies specific items that deviate from quality standards and directs only those items to processing, maintaining quality standards while improving throughput by avoiding unnecessary processing of compliant items.
Solution Approach 2:
The food item stream is segmented into two groups: items requiring processing and items that do not. The imaging system and processor analyze each item's characteristics and generate processing indicators that segment the flow, directing only the necessary subset to workstations. This segmentation maintains quality standards while maximizing throughput by processing only what is necessary.
4Measurement precision
If imaging systems are used to identify food characteristics, then processing accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system serves multiple functions: capturing food item images, identifying characteristics, and providing data for processing indicator determination. By making the imaging system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate specialized devices, thereby improving processing accuracy while minimizing the increase in overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A food processing device comprising a conveyor, a processor configured for receiving image data representing images of the food items, and a plurality of workstations arranged along the conveyor system. The avoid time consuming processing of food items, the processor is configured to provide a processing indicator which indicates whether the food items need further processing or not and the device comprises an identification structure configured to identify food items which are selected for further processing such that they are distinguished from food items not being selected for further processing based on the processing indicator.