Robot Food Portion Placement During Conveyor Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging systems experience performance limitations due to unproductive waiting times during the movement of the film web, particularly with large formats and longer preferred times, which negatively impact the throughput of food product packaging.
Innovation Solution
The method involves the conveyor device's cycle incorporating both a movement phase and a rest phase, where the robot picks up and places food portions during the movement phase, eliminating waiting times and allowing for more efficient use of the conveyor device's working time, and adjusting the conveyor and robot's parameters based on recorded characteristics to optimize performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the film web is moved continuously during the packaging cycle, then the productivity is improved, but the positioning precision of food portions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the conveyor device to alternate between movement phases and stop phases. During movement phases, the film web advances to position the next storage unit; during stop phases, the robot performs precise portion placement. This dynamic timing coordination allows continuous production while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device coordinates the conveyor movement and robot operation based on recorded characteristics from previous cycles. By monitoring and adjusting timing parameters based on feedback from actual cycle performance, the system optimizes both productivity and positioning precision adaptively.
2Loss of time
If the robot places portions during the movement phase, then the loss of time is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor device operates continuously without idle waiting time by coordinating its movement phases with the robot's portion placement. The film web moves during phases when the robot is preparing or has completed placement, eliminating unproductive waiting time and maintaining continuous useful action throughout the cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device uses recorded characteristics from previous cycles to optimize the coordination between conveyor movement and robot operation. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt timing parameters to minimize waiting time while managing the complexity of coordinating multiple devices.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for positioning at least one food product in or on a storage unit, in particular a part of a package, with a timed conveying device for moving the storage unit and with at least one robot configured to pick up the food product at a picking position, move it and place it in or on the storage unit, wherein one cycle of the movement of the conveying device comprises at least one movement phase and at least one rest phase; the robot picks up at least one portion of the food product and the robot places the at least one portion in or on the storage unit during the movement phase.