Rotating Food Gripper for Low-Adhesion Portioning Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food portioning devices face issues with food adherence to the gripper, leading to hygiene problems and inaccurate measurement due to the high viscosity of certain foods.
Innovation Solution
A food portioning device equipped with a gripper that rotates while gripping food, utilizing a rotation mechanism and control unit to reduce adhesion by changing the position of the rotation axis and employing symmetrical gripper design and controlled rotation angles and directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a gripper is used to grip high-viscosity food, then the food can be portioned, but the food adheres to the outside of the gripper causing hygiene problems and measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is made rotatable about its longitudinal axis, transforming it from a static gripping structure to a dynamic one. This rotation capability allows the gripper to actively manage food adhesion by changing its orientation relative to the food mass, preventing food from adhering to the outer surface while maintaining grip on the portion being transferred.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper performs periodic rotation during the gripping process - rotating in a first direction to press against the food mass and prevent adhesion, then rotating in a second direction to release the grip. This periodic rotational action continuously prevents food from adhering to the gripper surface while maintaining control over the portioning operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the gripper rotates to reduce adhesion, then food adhesion is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism is integrated directly into the gripper assembly, merging the rotational function with the existing gripping structure. This integration allows the gripper to rotate about its longitudinal axis using a compact mechanism that combines with the gripper's own structural elements, rather than adding a separate, complex rotation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper is designed with rotational capability built into its structure, allowing it to dynamically adjust its orientation during operation. This dynamic design enables the gripper to prevent food adhesion through rotation while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that integrates the rotational mechanism with the gripping components.
3Measurement precision
If the gripper rotates while gripping food, then adhesion is reduced and measurement accuracy improves, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit monitors the gripping process and adjusts the rotation of the gripper based on feedback about food adhesion and portioning progress. By detecting when food adheres to the gripper surface or when the target portioning weight is approached, the control unit modulates the rotation speed and direction to maintain optimal gripping conditions and measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit implements periodic rotation of the gripper in controlled sequences - rotating in a first direction to press against the food mass, then rotating in a second direction to release. This periodic control pattern, managed by the control unit, systematically prevents adhesion and ensures accurate portioning measurements without requiring complex continuous control.
Data Source
AI summary
A food portioning device includes a gripper that grips a portion of food having an indefinite shape and provided in a container, a moving device that moves the gripper, a rotation device that rotates the gripper, and control circuitry that controls the rotation device to rotate the gripper while a position of a rotation axis is changed in a state where a portion of the food is retained inside the gripper and an outside of the gripper is in contact with another portion of the food.