Tray Carousel Handling for Produce Inspection and Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Efficient handling and packaging of diverse produce items with varying shapes and sizes, while maintaining quality, poses a complex technological challenge due to degradation over time and the need for precise handling and environmental control.
Innovation Solution
A product handling system that includes a frame with a fork mechanism to transfer items from a carousel to packaging, utilizing robots and conveyor belts, with inspection and sorting capabilities, and controlled environmental conditions for trays, enabling rapid selection and packaging based on metadata and inspection results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling of diverse produce items is used, then flexibility in handling various shapes and sizes is maintained, but handling efficiency and productivity are low
Solution Approach 1:
The product handling system is designed to handle diverse produce items of varying shapes and sizes through a universal tray-based mechanism. The tray with standardized openings accommodates different product types, while the robotic end effector can adapt its gripping force and positioning to handle various items, achieving multi-functionality without requiring separate handling systems for each product type.
Solution Approach 2:
A tray serves as an intermediary between the robotic handling system and the produce items. The tray with specifically designed openings allows the robotic end effector to engage and manipulate products indirectly through the tray structure, facilitating automated handling while protecting the produce and enabling efficient transfer between storage and packaging stations.
2Manufacturing precision
If automated robotic handling is implemented, then productivity and handling precision are improved, but the cost and complexity of the system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic end effector is segmented into multiple fingers or grippers that can independently position and contact produce items through tray openings. This segmentation allows precise control over each item's handling while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, as each segment operates independently to achieve accurate positioning without requiring complex coordinated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical handling mechanisms with a robotic end effector controlled by software and sensors. The robotic system uses simplified mechanical grippers guided by visual inspection data and control algorithms to achieve precise handling, substituting complex mechanical linkages and actuators with more controllable robotic systems that offer precision through electronic control rather than mechanical complexity.
3Reliability
If produce items are stored without environmental control, then system simplicity is maintained, but quality degradation occurs over time
Solution Approach 1:
The storage carousel is designed to maintain controlled environmental conditions, potentially including modified atmosphere storage with adjusted oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. This creates an inert-like environment that slows down respiratory processes and degradation of produce items, extending shelf life and maintaining quality without requiring complex active cooling or heating systems for all storage locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary environmental preparation by controlling storage conditions in the carousel before produce items are dispatched for packaging. By pre-establishing optimal temperature, humidity, and atmosphere conditions in the storage area, the system prevents quality degradation before items leave storage, ensuring reliability without adding complexity to the packaging and handling processes themselves.
4Measurement precision
If inspection and sorting capabilities are added, then product quality and consumer selection are improved, but system complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system operates continuously as produce items move through the handling system, rather than requiring separate inspection steps. Visual inspection cameras and sensors scan items during their natural movement through the tray-based system, allowing quality assessment to occur simultaneously with handling and sorting operations, thereby maintaining high inspection accuracy without adding significant processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary inspection and sorting of produce items before they reach the packaging stage. By identifying and segregating items that require specific handling or packaging early in the process, the system avoids rework and delays later in the workflow, reducing overall processing time while maintaining high inspection accuracy through advance detection and classification.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.