Robot Portioning System for Food Weight Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the food industry, creating uniform product portions from conveyed items like meat or cheese is challenging due to variations in product weight and dimensions, making it difficult for robots to meet specifications efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A device with parallel conveyor systems and designated sorting and portioning robots, where products are first sorted by weight or other criteria before being assembled into portions, ensuring optimal distribution and meeting target weight criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple robots work in parallel to increase transfer speed, then productivity is improved, but the ability to meet portion weight specifications deteriorates due to difficulty in sorting varied products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a sorting step before the portioning process. The first robot sorts products based on weight measurements taken before conveyance, categorizing them into different weight ranges. This pre-sorting enables subsequent robots to efficiently assemble portions meeting target weight specifications without compromising transfer speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the portion creation process into distinct phases: a first robot handles sorting of products into weight categories, while second and third robots handle the actual portion assembly. This segmentation of functions allows each robot to specialize in specific tasks, improving both speed and precision.
2Productivity
If products with varying weights are conveyed quickly through parallel conveyors, then productivity is improved, but the uniformity of product dimensions in portions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement and sorting of products by weight and dimensions before they are assembled into portions. The first robot measures product characteristics and sorts them into appropriate categories, ensuring that subsequent portion assembly uses products with consistent dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where product weight and dimension measurements are taken before conveyance, and this information is used to control the sorting process. The control unit receives measurement data and directs the first robot to sort products into appropriate weight ranges, creating a closed-loop system that ensures portion uniformity.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The device has robots (20-24) defining working areas (40-44), where one robot sorts a conveyed product (14) according to sorting criteria. Another robot sorts the product from a product conveyor (16) and stores the product in a storage location to generate a product portion (46) at the storage location, where the product portion fulfills target criteria. The latter robot is provided in a conveying direction (F). The product conveyor has conveying devices (18, 19) extending in the conveying direction parallel to each other through the working areas of the robots. An independent claim is also included for a method for generating portions of a food product.