Pneumatic Bun Dispensing and Slicing for Variable Bread Geometry
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bread dispensing and slicing systems are inefficient in handling variations in bread bun geometry and require complex mechanisms with multiple moving parts, leading to increased wear and reduced cleanability.
Innovation Solution
A bun dispenser system that uses a transparent hopper with a piston and permeable seal, driven by a gas supply, to sequentially dispense whole bread buns into a slicing mechanism, minimizing complexity and wear by using a single moving component and allowing for closed-loop feedback to adjust for varying bun sizes and types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If complex mechanisms with multiple moving parts are used to handle bread bun variations, then adaptability to different bun sizes and types is improved, but device complexity increases and component wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical indexing and positioning mechanisms with a gas pressure system. Gas is introduced into a chamber to gradually advance the piston and bread buns through the hopper without requiring mechanical indexing mechanisms, reducing moving parts while maintaining adaptability to handle different bun sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a gas supply system connected to a chamber behind the piston to advance bread buns through controlled gas pressure. This pneumatic mechanism eliminates the need for complex mechanical indexing systems, reducing device complexity while enabling smooth, wear-free advancement of buns of varying sizes and types.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex mechanisms with multiple moving parts are used, then adaptability to different bun sizes and types is improved, but reliability decreases due to increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates mechanical indexing mechanisms and replaces them with a gas pressure-driven piston system. This substitution removes multiple moving parts that would subject to wear, thereby improving reliability and component durability while still accommodating variations in bun sizes and types through controlled gas pressure advancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes complex indexing mechanisms and multiple moving parts from the system, retaining only the essential gas supply, chamber, and piston components. This extraction of unnecessary mechanical elements reduces wear points and improves overall system reliability while maintaining the capability to handle different bun variations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple moving parts are used in the dispensing mechanism, then adaptability to bun variations is improved, but ease of cleaning decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes complex indexing mechanisms and multiple moving parts from the dispensing system, leaving only the gas supply, chamber, and piston. This extraction of unnecessary components creates a simpler structure with fewer crevices and moving parts that could trap food residues, significantly improving ease of cleaning and maintenance while still accommodating bun variations through gas pressure control.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing mechanical indexing and positioning systems with a gas pressure system, the patent eliminates numerous moving parts and mechanical joints that would require cleaning. The resulting simplified structure with minimal moving components is much easier to clean and maintain, while the gas pressure mechanism continues to accommodate different bun sizes and types effectively.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently dispenses and slices bread buns of varying sizes and types with minimal component wear and high cleanability, integrating seamlessly into automated food assembly systems for precise and efficient bread preparation.
Implementation Method 1
a gas supply intermittently supplying gas into the closed volume to displace the piston toward the discharge end of the hopper
Implementation Method 2
the permeable seal configured to bleed gas from the closed volume toward the discharge end of the hopper
Data Source
AI summary
One variation of a method for slicing a type of whole bread buns includes: retracting a cutting block along a chute into a load position; dispensing a whole bread bun into the chute between the cutting block and a blade extending across the chute; advancing the cutting block along the chute toward the blade; detecting contact between the cutting block and the blade at a contact position; at a first time, advancing the cutting block into a pierce position offset from the contact position toward the blade by a pierce distance less than a common width of the type of whole bread buns; and, at a second time succeeding the first time by a pierce duration, advancing the cutting block from the pierce position into a slice position adjacent the blade to drive the whole bread bun fully through the blade.