Primary Conveyor Multi-Function Food Processing System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing systems face inflexibility and inefficiency due to the use of multiple conveyors for transporting different categories of meat and waste, which complicates system design, requires more space, and makes cleaning difficult, especially in smaller systems where space is limited.
Innovation Solution
A method where processed items can be returned to the primary conveyor, allowing for additional processing stages within the same system, eliminating the need for secondary conveyors and simplifying cleaning procedures, while maintaining traceability through a computer system that manages item allocation and tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple secondary conveyors are used to transport different categories of meat and waste away from workstations, then the processing system can handle multiple processing stages, but the system becomes more complex, requires more space, and becomes difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The primary conveyor is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the in-feed conveyor for delivering meat pieces to workstations and the out-feed conveyor for transporting processed items away from workstations. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate secondary conveyors for each function, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the functions of the in-feed conveyor and out-feed conveyor into a single primary conveyor system. By combining these previously separate functions into one unified conveyor, the system reduces the number of components needed, simplifies the overall structure, and decreases the space required while still enabling multiple processing stages.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple secondary conveyors are arranged underneath the tables for space considerations, then the processing system can accommodate multiple processing stages, but cleaning becomes considerably more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The primary conveyor serves dual purposes as both in-feed and out-feed conveyor, eliminating the need for separate secondary conveyors that would be arranged underneath the tables. This reduces the number of hard-to-reach areas and simplifies cleaning operations while maintaining the system's processing capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If processed items are transported away from the primary conveyor to secondary conveyors, then different processing stages can be performed, but the system becomes inflexible and requires more space
Solution Approach 1:
The primary conveyor is designed to handle both incoming and outgoing traffic for processed items, eliminating the need for separate secondary conveyor systems. This multi-functional approach reduces the overall space required while maintaining the flexibility to perform multiple processing stages through computer-controlled allocation to different workstations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses computer-controlled allocation to dynamically direct items to different workstations based on processing requirements. This dynamic control enables flexible processing sequences without requiring physical reconfiguration of conveyor systems, allowing the same primary conveyor to support multiple processing stages adaptively.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a second trim table or set of workstations is arranged at the out-feed secondary conveyor for additional processing, then more processing stages can be performed, but the system becomes more complex and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The primary conveyor serves as both the in-feed and out-feed conveyor, eliminating the need for a separate second trim table or set of workstations at the out-feed secondary conveyor. This multi-functional design allows additional processing stages to be performed at the same primary conveyor location, improving system efficiency by reducing the number of separate processing areas while maintaining the required processing capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a workstation of a food item processing system, said workstation comprising a food item reception area for receiving food items at the workstation, a food item dispatch area for returning processed food items to a primary conveyor means of said food item processing system, a computer registration device arranged for obtaining information about a return of a processed food item from said food item dispatch area to said primary conveyor means and sending said information to said computer system.