Segmented Food Conveyor Layout for Faster Dish Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food and drink conveying systems face inefficiencies when conveying ordered dishes to customer seats, particularly with long routes, as the next dish cannot be placed on the conveyor until the current dish reaches the seat, leading to elongated operating times and decreased efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a main belt conveyor and an auxiliary belt conveyor that extends from the kitchen, allowing the next dish to be placed on the auxiliary conveyor while the main conveyor is in operation, with sensors and control units managing the conveyance to optimize dish placement and route changes, including a branch lane with rotatable rollers for smooth navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single belt conveyor is used to convey dishes from the kitchen to customer seats, then the conveying path is simple, but the operating time elongates and efficiency decreases when the route is long
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying system is divided into multiple independent belt conveyors (first belt conveyor, second belt conveyor, third belt conveyor) that operate in sequence. Each conveyor segment handles a portion of the total conveying path, allowing dishes to be transferred between segments without stopping the entire system, thus reducing overall operating time and improving productivity.
2Productivity
If the belt conveyor operates continuously to convey dishes, then the conveying path is maintained, but the next dish cannot be placed on the conveyor until the current dish reaches the seat
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying path is segmented into multiple independent conveyor sections with transfer points in between. This allows the system to maintain continuous operation while enabling dish placement at intermediate transfer points, improving both productivity and operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Intermediate transfer conveyors act as mediators between the main conveyor sections. These intermediary conveyors allow dishes to be loaded and transferred without interrupting the main conveying flow, enabling continuous operation while maintaining ease of dish placement.
3Ease of operation
If the belt conveyor is stopped to place the next dish, then dish placement is possible, but the conveying path operation is interrupted and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the conveying path into independent segments that can operate autonomously. This segmentation allows dish placement in one segment without interrupting conveyance in other segments, maintaining productivity while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Dishes are prepared and positioned on intermediate transfer conveyors in advance before the main conveying operation begins. This preliminary action allows seamless transfer to the main conveyor without interrupting its operation, maintaining both ease of operation and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
The ordered food and drink conveying apparatus includes: a main belt conveyor to form a conveying path leading to a customer seat from a kitchen side of a restaurant; an auxiliary belt conveyor to be provided in extension from the main belt conveyor on the kitchen side to elongate the conveying path; and a control unit to operate the auxiliary belt conveyor and the main belt conveyor upon a conveyance start operation being performed and to convey the dish of the food and drink placed on the auxiliary belt conveyor to the customer seat, the control unit setting the auxiliary belt conveyor in a stop state enabling placement of the dish to be conveyed next on the auxiliary belt conveyor before stopping the main belt conveyor upon the dish being transferred onto the main belt conveyor from the auxiliary belt conveyor by performing the conveyance start operation.