Robotic Cheese Rind Removal with Compliant Planer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for removing cheese rinds are labor-intensive for workers, require complex and space-consuming apparatuses, and pose hygiene challenges due to the spread of cheese chips, which necessitate frequent cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A method using a robot arm and a fixed-position mechanical planer with adjustable broaches that can compress or retract to follow cheese contours, allowing efficient rind removal with minimal space usage and reduced chip dispersal, utilizing a broach arrangement that takes up less space and effectively removes rind in parallel strips.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If hand removal with electrical manual planer is used, then the rind can be removed from cheese, but the worker experiences toil and fatigue due to the labor-intensive process
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm autonomously performs the rind removal operation without human intervention. The system self-regulates by using vision systems to detect cheese contours and automatically adjusts the planer depth and movement, eliminating worker fatigue while maintaining operational effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The manual electrical planer operation is replaced by an automated robotic system with computer-controlled planers. The robot arm manipulates the planer with precise control, substituting human mechanical operation with automated mechanical systems that eliminate physical strain on workers
2Productivity
If a linear guide with series of cutters and movable carriage is used, then the rind can be removed from cheese, but the apparatus requires complicated construction and takes relatively much space
Solution Approach 1:
The rind removal process is segmented into discrete operations performed by individual planers mounted on the robot arm. Each planer handles a specific portion of the cheese surface, allowing the system to achieve high productivity through coordinated sequential operations rather than requiring a complex integrated linear guide system
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static linear guide with fixed cutters to a dynamic robotic arm that can reposition planers in three-dimensional space. This dynamic capability allows the same apparatus to handle various cheese sizes and shapes, maintaining productivity while reducing overall system complexity and space requirements
3Productivity
If a linear guide with series of cutters and movable carriage is used, then the rind can be removed from cheese, but the chips end up on the guide and surfaces requiring thorough cleaning for food hygiene
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful effect of chip dispersal is extracted and isolated by positioning the planer operations away from fixed guides and surfaces. The robot arm performs rind removal in open space, allowing chips to fall into designated collection areas rather than contaminating extensive guide surfaces that would require cleaning
Solution Approach 2:
The cheese chips, which are harmful when dispersed, are converted into a manageable byproduct by directing them into controlled collection containers. The robotic positioning system ensures chips fall into designated areas, transforming the cleaning problem from a widespread surface contamination issue to a localized collection and disposal task
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple robot arms with cutters are used to follow cheese contours, then precise rind removal can be achieved, but the apparatus takes relatively much space causing chip dispersal on many surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
A single robot arm is designed to perform multiple functions by equipping it with different planer tools and adjusting its programming. The same arm that removes rind from one cheese can be repositioned to handle another cheese of different size or shape, eliminating the need for multiple specialized robot arms and reducing overall apparatus footprint while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves contour-following precision not through multiple arms in different spatial locations, but by adding dimensional freedom to a single arm through multi-axis movement capabilities. The robot arm operates in three-dimensional space, allowing it to approach the cheese from various angles and heights, effectively replacing the need for multiple arms with a single multi-dimensional tool
Data Source
Figure 1~2b
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AI summary
Method for the removal of the rind of cheeses (1), whereby use is made of an apparatus (13) with at least one robot arm (14) and with at least one mechanical planer (15), characterized in that the planer is arranged in the apparatus in a fixed position and is provided with means by which this can recede or compress when a force is exerted thereupon, whereby the robot arm picks up the cheese from a supply, holds this and moves this along the planer, and apparatus suitable for the application of the method.