System for automatically cooking and selling frozen food
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooked food vending machines face challenges such as complex operations, high costs, poor space utilization, limited food varieties, unsanitary conditions, and inefficiencies in refrigeration and maintenance due to their design and mechanical complexity, which hinder their commercial viability and effectiveness in preserving and processing quick-frozen foods.
Innovation Solution
A fully automatic CNC equipment with integrated low-temperature compatibility for comprehensive processing operations, including refrigeration, cooking, and vending, featuring a simplified mechanical system, efficient air-circulating and frost-removing systems, and a dynamic object-moving system to handle various food forms and containers, ensuring high-quality and sanitary food handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large gate area is used in the ice chamber for frequent food access, then food retrieval efficiency is improved, but frost condensation and malfunction of internal devices occur due to humid hot air infiltration
Solution Approach 1:
The gate structure is divided into multiple small gates instead of one large gate. This segmentation allows only the necessary small portion to open during food retrieval, minimizing the infiltration area of humid hot air while maintaining efficient access to stored foods.
Solution Approach 2:
A frost removal device is introduced as an intermediary component to actively remove frost condensation from the gate surface. This device prevents frost accumulation from causing gate malfunction, thereby maintaining reliable operation despite frequent opening/closing cycles.
2Device complexity
If simple structure with minimal gates is used in the ice chamber, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but refrigeration performance deteriorates and food spoilage occurs due to poor air circulation
Solution Approach 1:
Air circulation is enhanced through the gate structure by incorporating air inlets and outlets that promote preliminary air movement before food retrieval. This ensures continuous refrigeration airflow through the ice chamber, preventing food spoilage even with simple gate design.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate structure incorporates localized air circulation features (inlets and outlets) at specific positions to enhance refrigeration airflow. This local quality improvement ensures proper air circulation and food preservation without requiring complex overall gate mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple storage boxes with complex mechanisms are used to sell various food varieties, then food variety and adaptability are improved, but device complexity, cost, and maintenance requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A single gate structure serves multiple functions: it acts as both a retrieval gate and an air circulation control mechanism. The gate can be opened to different extents for different food items, and its air inlets/outlets serve both cooling and frost removal functions, eliminating the need for separate mechanisms for each food type.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate structure incorporates movable components that can dynamically adjust the opening extent and air flow paths based on the specific food retrieval needs. This dynamic capability allows a single gate to adapt to various food varieties and access patterns without requiring multiple fixed mechanisms.
4Productivity
If fixed food processing process like factory production line is used, then processing efficiency is improved, but the machine can only process small size food of particular shape and is difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The object moving system incorporates dynamic positioning and moving mechanisms that can adapt to different food sizes, shapes, and packaging types. The system can dynamically adjust its movement paths and handling methods, allowing efficient processing of diverse food items rather than being limited to fixed-size products.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for parameter changes in food placement, movement speed, and handling forces to accommodate different food types. This flexibility enables the same processing line to efficiently handle various food items from small to large sizes and different shapes, maintaining high productivity while improving versatility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient, automated, and cost-effective processing and vending of a wide range of foods, maintaining high quality and sanitation, while reducing maintenance needs and improving commercial potential by simplifying the structure and enhancing the operational efficiency of the vending machine.
Implementation Method 1
the storing temperature of the foods in the said low-temperature chamber is lower than the freezing temperature of the foods
Implementation Method 2
efficient air-circulating and frost-removing systems
Data Source
AI summary
A food-automatic-cook-and-processing system, which may be used in the automatic-cooking-and-processing vending system; a series of auto piercing food-processing devices have tunnel(s) to pierce the disposable food container(s) in the devices, heat the hot air inside and adjust the temperature, make it circulating and past the food in the food containers, finally cook the food.