Plate Delivery Conveyor System for Robot-Compatible Sequential Serving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic systems face challenges in retrieving plates from shelves and maintaining food at the proper serving temperature, as they require complex bending mechanisms and struggle to handle individual plate covers, leading to inefficiencies in automated food delivery systems.
Innovation Solution
A plate delivery system that stores plates in a first-in, last-out configuration, using spiral shafts and motors to move plates into and out of a staging area, maintaining orientation and temperature control, and can be transported to a dining area for sequential delivery by a robot or person, with optional enclosures to prevent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If a robot is designed to retrieve plates from lower or upper shelves of a cabinet, then plate storage capacity is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for bending mechanisms or elevators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the vertical storage dimension into a horizontal conveyor system. Plates are transported through a horizontal path at a constant elevated height, eliminating the need for vertical bending or elevation mechanisms while maintaining multi-plate storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
A conveyor belt acts as an intermediary mechanism between the kitchen staff and the robot. The conveyor receives plates from staff, transports them horizontally through an enclosed pathway, and delivers them to the robot at the appropriate height, simplifying the robot's design.
2Temperature
If individual plate covers are used to maintain food temperature, then food quality is improved, but device complexity increases due to the difficulty of handling covers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the plate and its cover into a single handled unit. The cover is attached to the plate rim, allowing the robot to grasp and manipulate both objects simultaneously through a single gripper interface, eliminating complex cover removal mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover automatically remains attached to the plate throughout the conveyor system, maintaining its protective function without requiring active management. The design allows the cover to serve itself by being structurally integrated with the plate.
3Temperature
If plates are stored in an enclosed environment with temperature control, then food quality is improved, but device complexity increases due to heating/cooling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an enclosed conveyor environment that protects food from contamination and maintains a controlled atmosphere. The enclosure itself serves as the primary protection mechanism, with temperature control as a secondary feature integrated into the existing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosed conveyor structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it protects food from contamination, maintains temperature through insulation, and provides a controlled environment for plate transport. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated temperature control mechanisms.
4Ease of operation
If plates are delivered sequentially to a robot at a fixed height, then ease of operation is improved, but storage capacity is reduced compared to multi-level shelving
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the vertical stacking arrangement into a horizontal conveyor sequence. Multiple plates are stored in sequence along the horizontal conveyor path, allowing the robot to access plates at a fixed height while maintaining the capacity to store multiple plates through the extended horizontal dimension.
Data Source
AI summary
A plate delivery system provides storage for plates in a first-in, last-out configuration. As the kitchen staff completes a meal (plated), the plate holding the meal is presented to the plate delivery system and the plate moves into the plate delivery system to be ready for the next plate. After a number of plates are stored in the plate delivery system, the plate delivery system is transported from the kitchen to the eating area (e.g., restaurant table or banquet table) and each plate is sequentially presented to a delivery mechanism (e.g., a robot or a waitperson) for final delivery to the table. In some embodiments, the plate delivery system is enclosed and has a cover mechanism to prevent food contamination by foreign matter and in some embodiments, the plate delivery system has heating/cooling mechanisms to help keep warm food warm or cool food cool.