Oscillating Food Processing Machine Trigger System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing machines, such as pickling machines, lack flexibility in programming processes for each cycle, requiring cumbersome calculations and being inflexible with varying processing speeds and non-linear tool movements.
Innovation Solution
A trigger system with a signal generator, timer, and electronic control device that uses a displacement/time curve to determine and trigger actions based on programmable positions, allowing for flexible programming and adaptation to different processing speeds and tool movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional cam and cam follower triggering system is used, then the machine structure is relatively simple, but the programming flexibility and adaptability to varying processing speeds are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical cam and cam follower triggering system with an electronic control system comprising a microcontroller, timer, and sensor. This substitution enables software-based programming flexibility while maintaining hardware simplicity, allowing adaptive triggering actions at different processing speeds without mechanical reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic triggering system where the trigger timing is automatically adjusted based on the actual processing speed detected by the sensor. The microcontroller modifies the timer settings in real-time to maintain accurate triggering regardless of speed variations, providing adaptability without requiring complex mechanical adjustments.
2Productivity
If the processing speed is varied to accommodate different product thicknesses, then the productivity is improved, but the timing precision of triggering actions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a feedback mechanism where a sensor detects the actual processing speed and feeds this information back to the microcontroller. The microcontroller then adjusts the timer settings accordingly to maintain precise triggering timing, ensuring that triggering actions occur at the correct moments regardless of speed variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the timing parameters of the triggering system based on the processing speed. The microcontroller modifies the timer period and triggering thresholds as parameters according to the detected speed, allowing the system to maintain precision across a range of processing speeds without manual reconfiguration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the displacement/time curve is stored in the control device for different processing speeds, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity and memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-stores displacement/time curves for different processing speeds in the microcontroller's memory. These pre-calculated curves allow the system to quickly adapt to different speeds by simply selecting the appropriate stored curve, eliminating the need for complex real-time calculations and reducing computational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of the displacement/time relationship for different speeds and stores them in the control device. Instead of calculating the curve in real-time, the system retrieves pre-computed copies based on the detected speed, significantly reducing processing complexity while maintaining adaptability across different operating conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine for processing food products, includes a processing tool oscillatingly driven by a motor and a drive train, and a trigger system which, in each cycle of oscillating movement of the processing tool, triggers a predetermined action of the machine at a predetermined timing, the trigger system including a signal generator arranged in the drive train to deliver a reference time signal in each cycle, a timer measuring a time passed since the last occurrence of the reference time signal, and an electronic control device storing a displacement/time curve of the processing tool for at least one processing speed of the machine and in which a position of the processing tool is programmable at which the action shall be triggered, the control device determining on the basis of the displacement/time curve, the trigger timing corresponding to that position and triggering the action when the timer reaches this timing.