WO2021147010A1

WO2021147010A1 - Foodstuff delivery system and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2021147010A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/073847
Authority: WO
Inventors: 犬塚良治; 小田原广造; 渡边展久; 金海峰; 李尚革
Original assignee: 北京瀛海智能自动化科技有限公司; 瀛海控股有限公司
Priority date: 2020-01-22
Filing date: 2020-01-22
Publication date: 2021-07-29
Also published as: CN113678152A

Abstract

A foodstuff delivery system (100) and a control method thereof, the foodstuff delivery system (100) comprising at least one delivery unit (10), each delivery unit (10) comprising: a first storage part (1) used to store a foodstuff to be delivered, the first storage part (1) having: an outer frame (11); a chute (12); a read device (13); and a first indicator lamp (14) disposed at a back surface (11B) of the outer frame (11), a number of first indicator lamps (14) being identical to a number of chutes (12), and a position of each first indicator lamp (14) corresponding to a position of each chute (12). The foodstuff delivery system (100) further comprises a controller (16) connected to the first indicator lamp (14) and in communication with the read device (13), the controller (16) controlling an illumination means of the first indicator lamp (14) according to information of a foodstuff to be delivered read by the read device (13).

Description

Food material distribution system and its control method

Technical field

This application relates to the field of automation, in particular to a food distribution system and a control method thereof.

Background technique

The catering industry is a traditional labor-intensive industry. With the advancement of science and technology, more and more automated equipment has been introduced into the catering industry. These automated equipment can perform customer ordering, catering, and delivery services in restaurants, thereby reducing the restaurant’s labor costs and effectively It reduces the labor intensity of employees in the catering industry and improves labor efficiency.

It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the convenience of a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of the present application, and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art. It should not be considered that the above technical solutions are well-known to those skilled in the art just because these solutions are described in the background art part of this application.

Summary of the invention

In the existing catering industry, after the ingredients arrive at the restaurant, the ingredients need to be sorted, stored and distributed, for example, different types of ingredients are stored in different positions of the storage rack. The inventor of the present application found that when there are many types of food materials or the outer packaging of different food materials is similar, it is easy to store the food materials in the wrong position of the storage rack, and then the phenomenon of wrong delivery of the food materials may occur.

The embodiment of the present application provides a food material distribution system and a control method thereof. A reading device and a first indicator light are provided on the back of the outer frame of the first storage part. When the reading device reads the information of the food material to be distributed, The first indicator light can be lit in a manner corresponding to the read information, thereby reducing the possibility of erroneous storage when storing the ingredients to be delivered in the first storage unit.

According to the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a food material distribution system, including at least one distribution unit, and each distribution unit includes:

The first storage part, which is used to store ingredients to be delivered,

The first storage unit has:

An outer frame, the outer frame has a front and a back that are arranged oppositely;

Slideways, which are arranged inside the outer frame and extend between the front and back sides of the outer frame, the number of the slideways is more than two, and one end of each slideway is located at the back of the outer frame The position is higher than the position of the slideway at the front end of the outer frame, and the two or more slideways are distributed horizontally and/or longitudinally inside the outer frame;

A reading device, which reads the information of the food to be delivered; and

The first indicator light is arranged on the back of the outer frame, the number of the first indicator light is the same as the number of the slideway, and the position of each first indicator light corresponds to the position of each slideway,

The food material distribution system further includes: a controller connected to the first indicator light and communicates with the reading device, the controller according to the information of the food material to be distributed read by the reading device , Control the lighting mode of the first indicator light.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a control method of a food delivery system, the method including:

According to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device, the lighting mode of the first indicator light corresponding to each chute is controlled.

The beneficial effect of the embodiment of the present application is that when the reading device reads the information of the food to be delivered, the first indicator light can be lit in a manner corresponding to the read information, and thus, the When the delivered ingredients are stored in the first storage section, the possibility of incorrect storage is reduced.

With reference to the following description and drawings, specific implementations of the present application are disclosed in detail, and the ways in which the principles of the present application can be adopted are indicated. It should be understood that the scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereby. Within the scope of the terms of the appended claims, the implementation of the present application includes many changes, modifications and equivalents.

Features described and/or shown for one embodiment can be used in one or more other embodiments in the same or similar manner, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments .

It should be emphasized that the term "comprising/comprising" when used herein refers to the existence of a feature, a whole, a step or a component, but does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, a whole, a step or a component.

Description of the drawings

The elements and features described in one drawing or one embodiment of the embodiment of the present application may be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. In addition, in the drawings, similar reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in several drawings, and may be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

The included drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, which constitute a part of the specification, are used to illustrate the embodiments of the present application, and together with the text description, explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the attached picture:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the food material distribution system of Embodiment 1 of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first storage part of Embodiment 1 of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the first storage part of Embodiment 1 of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic back view of the first storage part of Embodiment 1 of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the first storage part of Embodiment 1 of the present application;

6 is a schematic diagram of the display screen of the display screen of the food supplement indicating device of Embodiment 1 of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the food material distribution system of Embodiment 1 of the present application in the process of supplementing the food material to be distributed;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the control method of Embodiment 2 of the present application.

Detailed ways

With reference to the drawings, the foregoing and other features of this application will become apparent through the following description. In the specification and drawings, specific implementations of the application are specifically disclosed, which indicate some implementations in which the principles of the application can be adopted. It should be understood that the application is not limited to the described implementations. On the contrary, the present application is not limited to the described implementations. The application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Various embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These implementation manners are only exemplary, and not a limitation of the present application.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the terms, but they do not indicate the spatial arrangement or chronological order of these elements. These elements should not be used by these terms. Limited. The term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having" and the like refer to the existence of the stated features, elements, elements or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, elements or components.

In the embodiments of the present application, the singular forms "a", "the", etc. include plural forms, which should be broadly understood as "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to the meaning of "a"; in addition, the term "the" "Should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, the term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on...", and the term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on...", unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following description of the embodiments of the present application, for the convenience of description, the side of the first storage unit where the ingredients to be delivered is put in is referred to as the "back", and the side of the first storage unit that takes out the ingredients to be delivered is referred to as " "Front", "Front" and "Back" are arranged oppositely; the two sides of the first storage part adjacent to the "Back" are called "sides".

Example 1

Embodiment 1 of the present application provides a food material distribution system.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the food material distribution system of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the food material distribution system 100 includes at least one distribution unit 10.

In this embodiment, each distribution unit 10 may include: a first storage unit 1. The first storage unit 1 may be used to store ingredients to be delivered.

2 is a perspective schematic view of the first storage unit 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the first storage unit 1, FIG. 4 is a schematic back view of the first storage unit 1, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the first storage unit 1. Front view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first storage unit 1 has: an outer frame 11, a slideway 12, a reading device 13 and a first indicator light 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer frame 11 may be a rectangular parallelepiped frame, and each side of the rectangular parallelepiped frame extends along the X, Y, or Z direction. The three directions of X, Y and Z are perpendicular to each other.

In this embodiment, the Z direction is called the longitudinal direction or the height direction, the X direction is the front-rear direction, and the Y direction is the lateral or left-right direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer frame 11 has a front surface 11F and a back surface 11B, and the front surface 11F and the back surface 11B are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slideway 12 is provided inside the outer frame 11 and extends between the front surface 11F and the back surface 11B of the outer frame 11. The number of slideways 12 is more than two, and the two or more slideways 12 are distributed in the horizontal direction and/or longitudinally in the interior of the outer frame 11.

In this embodiment, each chute 12 may be numbered, for example, the number is Kij, which means that the chute is: the i-th chute is counted from left to right in the horizontal direction, and the j-th chute is counted from the bottom up in the vertical direction. . In each slideway, there may be multiple storage locations, the multiple storage locations are distributed along the extension direction of one slideway, and each storage location in one slideway may also have a number. Thus, the storage location of the food material to be delivered in the chute in the first storage unit 1 can be determined through the number of the chute and the number of the storage location in the chute.

As shown in FIG. 3, the position of the end 121 of each slide 12 at the back of the outer frame 11 is higher than the position of the end 122 of the slide 12 at the front of the outer frame 11, that is, each slide 12 is relative to the horizontal direction. The inclined manner is set, and the food to be delivered can be slid along the slide 12 to the front end 122 after being put into the rear end 121 of the slideway 12 from the rear surface 11B of the outer frame 11. In addition, the first storage unit 1 may also have a tilt angle adjustment mechanism (not shown) that can adjust the tilt angle of each slideway 12 with respect to the horizontal direction. In addition, rollers or balls can be provided on the slide 12 to facilitate the sliding of the food to be delivered.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the reading device 13 reads the information of the food to be delivered. For example, the outer packaging of the food to be delivered is provided with an information carrying unit for carrying the information of the food to be delivered, and the information carrying unit may be a two-dimensional code, or a barcode, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip or the like. The reading device 13 has an information reading function corresponding to the information carrying unit, for example, a two-dimensional code reader, or a barcode reader, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip reader. The reading device 13 may be installed on the outer frame 11, or the reading device 13 may also be installed in another location.

In this embodiment, the information of the food material to be delivered may include: the type of the food material to be delivered. In addition, the information of the food material to be delivered may further include: the production date and/or shelf life of the food material to be delivered.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the first indicator lights 14 are arranged on the back of the outer frame 11. The number of the first indicator lights 14 is the same as the number of the slide rails 12, and the position of each first indicator 14 is different from that of each slide. The position of lane 12 corresponds. For example, the first indicator light 14 is located above the corresponding slideway 12, and the shape of the first indicator light 14 is a downward arrow, thereby indicating the corresponding slideway 12; for another example, the first indicator light 14 may be located on the corresponding slideway 12. Below the lane 12, the shape of the first indicator light 14 is an upward arrow, thereby indicating the corresponding slide lane 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the back surface of the outer frame 11 may have a plurality of first transverse spacers 111, and each first transverse spacer 111 extends transversely. The number of the first transverse spacers 111 is more than two, and the two or more first transverse spacers 111 may be distributed in the longitudinal direction and/or in the transverse direction. One end 121 (not shown in FIG. 4) of the back side of the slideway 12 is connected to the transverse spacer 111. The first indicator light 14 may be arranged on the first lateral partition 111: for example, the first indicator 14 may be embedded inside the first lateral partition 111, and the back of the first lateral partition 111 has a light-transmitting window, so that The light emitted by the first indicator light 14 can be observed from the back of the outer frame; for another example, the first indicator light 14 may be arranged on the outer periphery of the first lateral partition 111 or the like.

In addition, FIG. 4 also shows the food material 200 to be delivered stored in the chute 12. The food material 200 to be delivered may have a predetermined outer packaging, for example, the outer packaging is box-shaped.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first storage part 1 may also have a stopper 15 which is connected to the slideway 12 or the outer frame 11 and is used to prevent the distributed food 200 from sliding out of the front end 122 of the slideway 12. It should be noted that although the stopper 15 shown in FIG. 5 is provided at a position that blocks the upper part of the food 200 to be delivered, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the stopper 15 may also be provided at the lower part of the food 200 to stop the delivery. Alternatively, the stopper 15 may also be arranged at a position that blocks the upper and lower portions of the food material 200 to be delivered.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the food distribution system 100 may also have a controller 16. The controller 16 may include: a central controller 161 and a sub-controller 162. As shown in FIG. 1, the central controller 161 may be arranged in or outside the space where the food distribution system 100 is located. As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, the sub-controller 162 may be provided on each delivery unit 10, for example, on the outer frame 11 of each delivery unit. The central controller 161 may be, for example, a personal computer (PC), or a field programmable controller (PLC), or a control unit including a personal computer (PC) and a field programmable controller (PLC). The central controller 161 and each sub-controller 162 communicate in a wired manner or a wireless manner.

In this embodiment, the controller 16 is connected to the first indicator light 14 and communicates with the reading device 13, and the controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 The way to light up. For example: each sub-controller 162 can communicate with each reading device 13 to receive the information read by the reading device 13 and send the information read by the reading device 13 to the central controller 161; the central controller 161 The control signal is generated according to the information read by the reading device 13; the central controller 161 sends the control signal to the sub-controllers 162; each sub-controller 162 is connected to the first indicator light 14 in the distribution unit 10, according to the control from the center The control signal received by the device 161 controls the lighting or extinction of the first indicator lamp 14.

According to this embodiment, when the reading device 13 reads the information of the food to be delivered, the first indicator light 14 can be lit in a manner corresponding to the information read by the reading device 13, so that In the process of storing the ingredients to be delivered in the first storage unit 1, the possibility of erroneous storage is reduced.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first storage unit 1 may also have a sensor 17, which is disposed inside the outer frame 11, and is used to detect whether an object is thrown into the slide from the back end 121 of the slide rail 12. Road 12. For example, the sensor 17 may have a light emitting part and a light receiving part which are separately provided, and the light emitting part and the light receiving part are opposed to each other. When there is an object between the two, the object will be detected. The number of sensors 17 can be multiple, and can detect whether an object is thrown in each slide 12.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the first storage unit 1 may also have: a first control switch 18. The first control switch 18 may be provided in the outer frame 11, and the present embodiment may not be limited to this, and the first control switch 18 may also be provided in other positions.

The first control switch 18 can communicate with the reading device 13 and control the reading device 13 to be in the first state or the second state. In the first state, the reading device 13 can read the information of the food to be delivered, for example, the function of the reading device 13 to read the information of the food to be delivered is activated. In the second state, the reading device 13 stops reading the information of the food to be delivered. For example, the function of the reading device 13 to read the information of the food to be delivered is disabled.

In this embodiment, when the reading device 13 is in the second state, if the first control switch 18 is pressed, the reading device 13 can be switched to the first state; when the reading device 13 is in the first state Next, if the first control switch 18 is pressed, the reading device 13 can be switched to the second state.

In this embodiment, when the first control switch 18 controls the reading device 13 to be in the first state, the reading device 13 can read the information of the food to be delivered, and the controller 16 can control the first indicator light. 14 Carry out the following lighting method.

The first point of light:

If the controller 16 determines that the slide 12 corresponding to the food to be delivered is a certain slide in the first storage unit 1 according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13, then the controller 16 makes the determination The first indicator light 14 corresponding to the chute is lit in the first way. The first way may be, for example, that the first indicator light 14 flashes at an interval of 1.0 second, thereby prompting the operator that the to-be-delivered The food is put into the chute corresponding to the flashing first indicator light 14.

Among them, the controller 16 may store the corresponding relationship between the slide 14 and the types of ingredients to be delivered (for example, which slides are stored in baby vegetables, which slides are stored in tofu, etc.). In the case of the information of the food to be delivered read by the fetching device 13, the controller 16 can determine which chute the food to be delivered should be put into according to the read information and the corresponding relationship.

In addition, when the sensor 17 detects that the food to be delivered is put into the chute 12 corresponding to the flashing first indicator light 14, the first indicator light 14 is extinguished.

Second lighting method:

If the chute where the food material to be delivered is actually put into is different from the chute determined by the controller 16, then at least the first indicator light 14 corresponding to the chute where the food material to be distributed is actually put into is the second indicator light 14 In the second mode, for example, the first indicator light 14 flashes in a shorter period than the first mode, and the period is, for example, 0.5 seconds. In a specific embodiment, centering on the first indicator light 14 corresponding to the chute where the food material to be delivered is actually put into, the first predetermined number of first indicators 14 in the horizontal direction and the second predetermined number of first indicators in the vertical direction are centered. The lamp 14 is lit in the second way, that is, the first indicator light 14 with a cross-shaped distribution centered on the first indicator light 14 corresponding to the chute where the food material to be delivered is actually put into is lit in the second way, The first predetermined number of first indicator lights 14 are, for example, a row of first indicator lights 14 in a horizontal direction, and the second predetermined number of first indicator lights 14 are, for example, a row of first indicator lights 14 in a longitudinal direction.

In addition, when the controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 to be lit in the second way, if the reading device 16 reads the information of the new food to be delivered, or the first control switch 18 is triggered to control the reading device 13 is in the second state, then the controller 16 turns off the first indicator light 14 lit in the second manner.

The third lighting method:

According to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13, the controller 16 determines that the food to be delivered can no longer be placed in all the slides corresponding to the food to be delivered, that is, the food to be delivered is fully loaded in the first storage unit 1, then The controller 16 causes the first indicator lights 14 of all the slides corresponding to the food to be delivered to light up in a third manner, for example, to keep the first indicator lights 14 on.

For example, the reading device 13 reads that the information of the food 200 to be delivered is baby cabbage, and the chute 12 for storing baby cabbage in the first storage part 1 is full of baby cabbage. In this case, the controller 16 The first indicator lights 14 corresponding to all the slides 12 for storing baby dishes in the first storage unit 1 are controlled to keep on.

In the case that the sensor 17 does not detect that the food material to be delivered is put into any chute 12, if the reading device 13 reads the information of the next food material to be delivered, or the first control switch 18 is pressed (that is, the reading device 13 enters the first state), the controller 16 turns off the first indicator light 14 lit in the third way.

The fourth lighting method:

When the controller 16 determines that there is no chute corresponding to the food to be delivered in the first storage unit 1 according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13, the controller 16 makes the third storage in the first storage unit 1 The first indicator lights 14 of the predetermined number of slides 12 are lit in a fourth manner. Among them, the first indicator lights 14 of the third predetermined number of slideways 12 are, for example, all the first indicator lights in the first storage unit 1; the fourth way of lighting is, for example, to keep the first indicator lights 14 on.

For example, the reading device 13 reads that the information of the food material 200 to be delivered is baby dishes, and there is no chute 12 for storing baby dishes in the first storage unit 1. In this case, the controller 16 controls the first storage. All the first indicator lamps 14 in the section 1 remain lit.

In the case that the sensor 17 does not detect that the food material to be delivered is put into any chute 12, if the reading device 13 reads the information of the next food material to be delivered, or the first control switch 18 is pressed (ie, the reading device 13 enters the second state), the controller 16 turns off the first indicator light 14 that is lit in the fourth manner.

In this embodiment, when the first control switch 18 controls the reading device 13 to be in the second state, the function of the reading device 13 to read the information of the food to be delivered is prohibited. In this case, if When the sensor 17 of any slide 14 of the first storage unit 1 is blocked (for example, an object enters the slide, or an object stays at the entrance of the slide), the controller 16 controls the fourth storage unit 1 The predetermined number of first indicator lights 14 are lit in the fifth manner. Wherein, the fourth predetermined number of first indicator lights 14 may be all the first indicator lights 14 in the first storage unit 1, or other numbers of first indicator lights 14; the fifth mode is lit, for example, the first indicator The lamp 14 flashes at a 0.5 second cycle.

In addition, when the object blocking the sensor 17 is removed, the controller 16 causes the first indicator lamp 14 that is lit in the fifth manner to go out.

After the controller 16 determines the chute 12 corresponding to the food to be delivered according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13, and in the period before the reading device 13 reads the information of the next food to be delivered, the The position information of the chute where the first detected food material to be delivered is inserted is associated and stored with the information of the food material to be delivered read by the reading device 13. In addition, the controller 16 associates and stores the position information of the chute into which the food to be delivered is subsequently detected during the period and the information of the unknown food to be delivered. Wherein, the position information of the chute includes: the number of the chute and the storage location in the chute; the unknown food to be delivered information indicates that the information of the food to be delivered is not clear and cannot be delivered to customers.

For example, the reading device 13 reads the information of the Nth ingredient to be delivered as "baby cabbage; produced at 12:00 on January 1st; shelf life 1 day", and determines that the chute numbered K32 is the same as that of the Nth ingredient. The slide corresponding to the food to be delivered, before reading the information of the N+1th food to be delivered, if the sensor 17 corresponding to the slide with number K32 first detects that a certain food to be delivered is put into the number K32 Then, the controller 16 stores the information of the N-th food to be delivered and the position information of the chute numbered K32 in correspondence, where the position information of the chute numbered K32 includes: the number of the chute K32, and the Mth storage location in the slide; then, before reading the information of the N+1th food to be delivered, if the sensor 17 corresponding to the slide number K34 detects that there is a certain food to be delivered The ingredients are put into the slide number K34, then the controller 16 stores the information of the unknown ingredients to be delivered and the position information of the slide number K34 correspondingly.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first storage unit 1 further has: a status indicator 19. The status indicator 19 is connected to the controller 16, for example, the status indicator 19 is connected to the sub-controller 162. The status indicator 19 is used to indicate that it is forbidden to put ingredients to be delivered into the chute 12 of the first storage unit 1, or to allow the ingredients to be delivered into the chute 12 of the first storage unit 1 after a waiting time has elapsed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the status indicator 19 may have: a second indicator light 191, a third indicator light 192, a fourth indicator light 193, and a fifth indicator light 194.

Wherein, when the controller 16 determines that the food material to be delivered has passed the expiration date according to the information of the food material to be delivered read by the reading device 13, the controller 16 controls the second indicator light 191 to light up. When the reading device 13 cannot correctly read the information of the food to be delivered (for example, the two-dimensional code or RFID chip of the packaging box of the food to be delivered is damaged, etc.), the controller 16 controls the third indicator light 192 to light up. When the controller 16 determines that the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 cannot match the information in the database (for example, although the reading device 13 can read the QR code or RFID of the packaging box of the food to be delivered) The information in the chip, but the controller 16 determines that the information cannot match the information in the database), the controller 16 controls the fourth indicator light 193 to light up. When the sensor 17 fails in the first storage unit 1 or the time when the sensor 17 is triggered exceeds a predetermined time, the controller 16 controls the fifth indicator light 194 to light up.

As shown in FIG. 1, the food material distribution system 100 may further include: a food material supplement indicating device 20. The food supplement instruction device 20 is, for example, a tablet computer. The food supplement instruction device 20 may communicate with the controller 16, for example, the food supplement instruction device 20 communicates with the central controller 161. The food supplement indicating device 20 may have a display screen 20A (not shown in FIG. 1 ), and the display screen 20A can switch and display the storage status of the food to be delivered in each first storage unit 1 in the food delivery system 100.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the display screen of the display screen 20A. As shown in FIG. 6, the display screen of the display screen 20A may have a first display area 21, and the first display area 21 may display a list of food materials to be delivered stored in each first storage unit 1, and a sub-file corresponding to each food material to be delivered. The display area shows the number and name of the ingredient to be delivered. In addition, the first display area 21 can also display the quantity (not shown) of the food to be delivered in the first storage unit 1 that needs to be refilled. The more the food to be delivered needs to be refilled, the corresponding The smaller the number of the number. The display mode of the sub-display area corresponding to each food material to be delivered corresponds to the quantity of the food material to be delivered that needs to be supplemented. Among them, different display modes may refer to different display colors and/or different fonts. In this way, different display modes can intuitively indicate the quantity of various ingredients to be delivered. Wherein, the quantity of the food to be delivered can be calculated by the following method: the predetermined quantity of the food to be delivered minus the quantity of the food to be delivered remaining in the first storage unit 1, and the result of the subtraction is the The amount of ingredients to be delivered that need to be added.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6(A), when the first storage section No. 1 is selected, various ingredients to be delivered in the first storage section 1 are displayed in the form of a list in the first display area 21, where : For the sub-display area of the food to be delivered whose quantity needs to be supplemented is less than the first threshold, it is displayed in the first color, the first color is for example green; for the quantity that needs to be supplemented is greater than or equal to the first threshold and less than the first The sub-display area of the food to be delivered with the second threshold is displayed in a second color, for example, yellow; for the sub-display area of the food to be delivered whose quantity is greater than the second threshold, it is displayed in the third color, The third color is red, for example.

In addition, in the first display area 21, information such as the number, type, and quantity to be supplemented of each ingredient to be delivered in all the first storage parts 1 of the ingredient delivery system 100 can also be displayed.

In this embodiment, as shown in (B) of FIG. 6, the display screen of the display screen 20A of the food supplement indicating device 20 may further have a second display area 22. The second display area 22 can display the information of the food to be delivered corresponding to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13. In addition, the display mode of the second display area 22 can also be related to the quantity of the food to be delivered. Related. For example, in the first storage section No. 1, the ingredient number of the name 2 is #1, and the sub-display area of the food material is red, that is, it prompts the need to supplement the name 2 ingredients in the first storage section No. 1; When the reading device 13 of the first storage unit reads the information of the ingredient to be delivered with name 2, it transfers the ingredient with name 2 from the first display area to the second display area 22 for display, and the first display area 21 The remaining ingredients to be delivered are sorted and displayed according to the quantity that needs to be refilled again; when the controller 16 (for example, the central controller 161) determines that the number of ingredients of name 2 placed in the first storage section 1 is gradually increasing In the case of name 2, the number of ingredients to be delivered that need to be added gradually decreases, and the second display area 22 can turn yellow. When the number of ingredients of name 2 in the first storage section continues to increase, the second display area 22 can turn green.

In this embodiment, the information read by the reading device 13 can be transmitted to the sub-controller 162, and the sub-controller 162 sends the information read by the reading device 13 to the central controller 161, and the central controller 161 performs After judging or matching with the information in the database, a control signal is generated. The control signal is sent from the central controller 161 to the sub-controller 162, and the sub-controller 162 indicates the first indicator light 14 and the status indicator 19 according to the control signal. The lights are controlled. In addition, the center controller 161 communicates with the food supplement instruction device 20. For example, the center controller 161 controls the display screen of the food supplement instruction device 20 according to the information read by the reading device 13.

In the following, a specific example is used to illustrate the flow of the food material distribution system of this embodiment in the process of supplementing the food material to be distributed.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the process. As shown in Figure 7, the process includes:

Operation 701: The food supplement instruction device 20 displays a list of foods to be delivered in a certain first storage unit. For example, the first display area 21 of the display screen 20A displays: In the first storage section No. 1, the food material number of the name 2 is #1, the sub-display area of the food material is red, and the food materials numbered #2 and #3 The sub-display area of is yellow, and the sub-display areas of the ingredients numbered #4 and #5 are green;

Operation 702, the first control switch 18 of the first storage unit is pressed, and the reading device 13 of the first storage unit is in the first state. For example, the first display area 21 of the food supplement indicating device 20 indicates that the number of food materials with name 2 in the first storage part No. 1 is small and needs to be supplemented, so the operator presses the first control switch 18 of the first storage part No. 1;

Operation 703: The reading device 13 reads the information of the food to be delivered. For example, the operator moves the transfer box containing the ingredients to be delivered to the first storage section No. 1, takes out a copy of the ingredients to be delivered from the transfer box, and approaches the RFID chip on the packaging box of the ingredients to be delivered to the reading device 13. As a result, the reading device 13 performs the operation of reading the information of the food to be delivered;

In operation 704, the controller 16 determines whether the reading device 13 can read the information of the food to be delivered. If it can read the information, enter operation 706, and if it cannot read it, enter operation 705;

Operation 705, the controller 16 controls the third indicator light 192 to light up;

Operation 706: The controller 16 determines whether the information of the food material to be delivered read by the reading device 13 matches the information in the database, if it is possible, enter operation 706a, if not, enter operation 707;

Operation 707, the controller 16 controls the fourth indicator light 193 to light up;

In operation 706a, the controller 16 determines whether the ingredients to be delivered are expired, if yes (ie, expired), then enter operation 707a, if not (ie, not expired), then enter operation 708;

Operation 707a, the controller 16 controls the second indicator light 191 to light up;

In operation 708, the controller 16 determines whether the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 can correspond to a certain chute in the first storage unit (for example, the first storage unit No. 1), and enter Operation 710, go to operation 709 if it fails to correspond;

Operation 709: The controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 to light up in a fourth manner, for example, all the first indicator lights 14 in the first storage part No. 1 remain lighted;

In operation 710, the controller 16 determines whether the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 can be placed in the corresponding chute in the first storage unit. If it is possible, it will go to operation 712, and if it is not, it will go to the operation. 711;

In operation 711, the controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 to light up in a third manner. For example, the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 is the information of the food to be delivered with the name 3, then the first indicator light 14 The first indicator lights 14 corresponding to all the slides for storing the food to be delivered with the name 3 in the storage part are kept on;

In addition, when the

above operations

705, 707, 707a, 709, and 711 are performed, the operator can replace a food to be delivered. Therefore, the reading device 13 can read the food to be delivered after the replacement. Get the information of the food to be delivered, that is, return to operation 703, and after the reading device 13 performs a new reading operation in operation 703, operation 705, operation 707, operation 707a, operation 709, and operation 711 stop, That is, the second indicator lamp 191 is off, the third indicator lamp 192 is off, the fourth indicator lamp 193 is off, the first indicator lamp 14 that is lit in the fourth manner is off, and the first indicator lamp 14 that is lit in the third manner is off. ；

Operation 712: The controller 16 determines a slide for the food to be delivered according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13, and makes the first indicator light 14 corresponding to the determined slide to point in the first way On, for example, flashes at a period of 1.0 second;

In operation 713, the controller 16 determines whether the sensor 17 detects that the food to be delivered in the chute has been dropped for the first time after operation 703, and if it is judged as yes, then it proceeds to operation 715, and if it is judged otherwise, it proceeds to operation 714;

In operation 714, the controller 16 associates the position information of the slide detected by the sensor 17 with the information of the unidentified food to be delivered. For example, the sensor 17 detects that the food to be delivered is put into the slide with the number K34. Therefore, the controller 16 Associate and store the information of the unknown ingredients to be delivered with the position information of the slide number K34;

In operation 715, the controller 16 determines whether the chute detected by the sensor 17 is the chute determined in operation 712, and if it is judged to be yes, then go to operation 716, and if judged to be otherwise, go to operation 717;

In operation 716, the controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 that is lit in the first way to go out, and associates the position information of the chute with the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 in operation 703. In addition, in operation 716, the food to be delivered put into the first storage portion is displayed in the second display area 22 of the display screen 20A of the food supplement indicating device 20, for example, the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 The information of the food to be delivered is the information of the food to be delivered with the name 1, which is put into the chute (for example, the chute numbered K32) determined by the controller 16, and the controller 16 uses the food to be delivered with the name 1 The information of is stored in association with the position information of the chute numbered K32, and the food to be delivered with name 1 is displayed in the second display area 22 of the food supplement indicating device 20, and the food to be delivered with name 1 is not displayed in the first display area 21 Ingredients to be delivered, in addition, when the quantity of ingredients to be delivered in name 1 reaches the first threshold or the second threshold, the display color of ingredients to be delivered in name 1 is changed;

In operation 717, the controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 to light up in the second manner, and compares the position information of the chute detected by the sensor 17 with the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 in operation 703 For associative storage, for example, the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13 is the information of the food to be delivered with name 1, and the chute determined by the controller 16 is the chute numbered K32, but the sensor 17 detects The food to be delivered is put into the chute numbered K33. Therefore, the controller 16 stores the information of the food to be delivered with the name 1 in association with the position information of the chute numbered K33, and makes the information of the chute numbered K33 The first indicator light 14 corresponding to the chute is lit in the second way, and the first indicator light having a "cross" distribution at the center, for example, flashes at a 0.5 second cycle;

Operation 718: Determine whether the reading device 13 has performed a new reading operation, if it is judged as yes, proceed to operation 719, if judged as otherwise, proceed to operation 720;

Operation 719, the controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 that is lit in the second way to go out, and then returns to operation 704;

Operation 720: Determine whether the first control switch 18 is pressed, if yes, go to operation 721, otherwise go back to operation 718;

Operation 721: The controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 that is lit in the second way to go out, and then enters operation 723;

Operation 722 and operation 722 are after operation 716. In operation 722, it is determined whether the first control switch 18 is pressed. If yes, the reading device 13 enters the second state, and the flow proceeds to operation 723, otherwise it returns to operation 703;

In operation 723, the controller 16 determines whether the sensor of any slide is blocked according to the detection result of the sensor 17 (for example, whether an object enters the slide, or whether an object stays at the entrance of the slide to block the sensor of the slide), If yes, go to operation 724, otherwise return to operation 702;

Operation 724: The controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 to light up in the fifth manner. For example, the controller 16 controls all the first indicator lights 14 in the first storage unit to flash at a 0.5 second cycle;

In operation 725, after the cover is removed, the controller 16 controls the first indicator light 14 to be turned off in the fifth mode, and then returns to step 702.

Above, the process of replenishing the ingredients to be distributed to the first storage unit has been described with reference to FIG. 7. Through the first indicator light, the status indicator, and the food supplement indicating device, the instructions can be intuitively and accurately performed, thereby reducing the possibility of incorrect storage.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, each distribution unit 10 may further include: a first sorting unit 2. The first sorting part 2 is used to move the food materials to be delivered stored in the first storage part 1 from the front of the outer frame 11 to a target position, where the target position is a position on a tray for containing the food materials to be delivered.

As shown in Fig. 1, the first sorting part 2 may be a manipulator, which can take out the food to be delivered from the chute.

In this embodiment, the first sorting unit 2 can take out the food to be delivered under the control of the sorting unit controller. Among them, the sorting part controller can control according to the order information. For example, the first sorting part 2 may have a first conveying part for transporting pallets (the first conveying part is, for example, a conveyor belt or a conveying roller, etc.). In the process that the tray is transferred from the starting point of the first transfer part to the delivery port 30, it passes through the predetermined position near each first sorting part 2 in turn, and each first sorting part 2 is picked up according to the sorting part controller. The control instruction is to grab the food to be delivered from the corresponding slide in the first storage unit 1 corresponding to the first sorting portion 2 and place the grabbed food to be delivered on the target position of the tray. In addition, in the case where the control instruction instructs the first sorting unit 2 not to perform picking, the first sorting unit 2 does not perform the picking action of the food to be delivered. The sorting part controller may be, for example, the controller 16, and in addition, the sorting part controller may be different from the controller 16.

In this embodiment, the first sorting part 2 can be a robot, but this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the first sorting part 2 can also be a movable tray that can move at least in the up and down direction. When the mobile tray moves to the front side of the slide where the food to be delivered is located, the stopper 15 corresponding to the food to be delivered is opened, and the food to be delivered slides down onto the movable tray, thereby removing the food to be delivered from the slide Take out; for another example, each distribution unit 10 may not have the first sorting part 2, but manually take out the food to be distributed from the chute.

In addition, in this embodiment, a casing may be further provided outside the first storage portion 1, and the casing can accommodate the first storage portion 1, and the casing may include a heat insulation material, thereby providing a first storage unit. The ingredients to be distributed in part 1 are kept warm. The housing may have a door, and the door may cover the back of the outer frame. When the door is opened, the back of the outer frame 11 is exposed, and the food to be delivered can be put into the chute 12. The number of doors can be one or more than two, wherein the two or more doors can be distributed horizontally and/or longitudinally, for example, the number of doors is two, and the two doors are distributed along the longitudinal direction, that is, the The 2 doors include the first door and the second door.

In addition, the reading device 13, the first control switch 18, and the status indicator 19 may be housed in the housing or exposed from the housing.

In addition, the first storage unit 1 provided with the housing may also have a first door indicator light 19a and a second door indicator light 19b (as shown in FIG. 4), both of the first door indicator light 19a and the second door indicator light 19b It is connected to the controller 16 (for example, the sub-controller 162). In the case where the two doors include a first door and a second door (where the first door is located on the upper side, for example, and the second door is located on the lower side, for example), the first door indicator light 19a can indicate: read according to the reading device 13 For the information of the food to be delivered, the slideway corresponding to the food to be delivered is located in the slideway in front of the first door. The second door indicator light 19b may indicate that according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device 13, the chute corresponding to the food to be delivered is located in the chute in front of the second door.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first door indicator light 19a and the second door indicator light 19b can be set on the status indicator 19, but this embodiment is not limited to this, the first door indicator light 19a and the second door indicator light 19a 19b can also be arranged at other positions on the outer frame 11 that are not blocked by the first door and the second door.

In addition, the first storage unit 1 may also have a temperature control device 19c (as shown in FIG. 4) such as a refrigeration device or a heating device provided in the housing, and the temperature control device 19c is used to adjust the temperature in the housing, so that The food to be distributed stored in the first storage unit 1 reaches a certain temperature. The first storage portion 1 may also have a shielding door 19d (as shown in FIG. 4), and the shielding door 19d may be provided on the outer frame 11 and on the rear side of each slideway 12. The shielding door 19d may be opened and closed. For example, the shielding door 19d may be a sliding door that slides laterally. The shielding door 19d can be shielded by the door of the above-mentioned housing. When it is necessary to put the food to be delivered into the slide 12, the shielding door 19d corresponding to the slide 12 is opened, and the shielding doors 19d of other slides can be kept closed, so that the environment in the other slides can be insulated.

In addition, in the case where the first sorting unit 2 is a movable tray that can move at least in the up and down direction, the movable tray may also be provided in the housing, and a window may be formed on the front of the housing. The food to be distributed on the movable tray is conveyed out of the shell, where the window may have a shutter structure. Before the food to be distributed is sent out of the shell, the shutters are closed. When the food to be distributed is sent out of the shell, the shutters are opened and the food is to be dispensed. After sending out the shell, the shutters are closed.

In this embodiment, the number of delivery units 10 may be one or more than two. For example, FIG. 1 shows six. In the case of multiple delivery units 10, the delivery efficiency of the ingredients to be delivered can be greatly improved.

The food material distribution system 100 of this embodiment can be used for the distribution of food materials. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. That is, the food material distribution system 100 can also be used in other industries to perform delivery of other types of objects to be distributed. Distribution.

According to this embodiment, when the reading device reads the information of the food to be delivered, the first indicator light can be lit in a manner corresponding to the read information, so that when the food to be delivered is stored In the first storage unit, the possibility of erroneous storage can be reduced.

Example 2

This embodiment 2 provides a method for controlling the food material distribution system, and the method is used to control the food material distribution system of embodiment 1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the control method of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the method includes the following steps:

Step 801: Control the lighting mode of the first indicator light according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device.

For the detailed description of step 801, reference may be made to the description of the functions of the controller 16 and the grabbing controller in Embodiment 1, and the description will not be repeated here.

The controller described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention may be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules by using a field programmable gate array (FPGA), for example.

The software module can be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in the ASIC. The software module can be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal, or can be stored in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the electronic device uses a larger-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module can be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device.

The controller described in this embodiment can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA) or Other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any appropriate combination thereof. It can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with the DSP, or any other such configuration.

The application is described above in conjunction with specific implementations, but it should be clear to those skilled in the art that these descriptions are all exemplary and do not limit the scope of protection of the application. Those skilled in the art can make various variations and modifications to the application according to the spirit and principle of the application, and these variations and modifications are also within the scope of the application.

Claims

A food material distribution system includes at least one distribution unit, wherein each distribution unit includes:

The first storage part, which is used to store ingredients to be delivered,

The first storage unit has:

An outer frame, which has a front and a back that are arranged oppositely;

Slideways, which are arranged inside the outer frame and extend between the front and back sides of the outer frame, the number of the slideways is more than two, and one end of each slideway is located at the back of the outer frame The position is higher than the position of the slideway at the front end of the outer frame, and the two or more slideways are distributed horizontally and/or longitudinally inside the outer frame;

A reading device, which reads the information of the food to be delivered; and

The first indicator light is arranged on the back of the outer frame, the number of the first indicator light is the same as the number of the slideway, and the position of each first indicator light corresponds to the position of each slideway,

The food material distribution system further includes:

A controller, which is connected to the first indicator light and communicates with the reading device, and the controller controls the first indicator light according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device The way to light up.
The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein:

The first storage unit further has:

A first control switch, which is used to control the reading device to be in the first state or the second state,

Wherein, in the first state, the reading device reads the information of the food material to be delivered, and in the second state, the reading device stops reading the information of the food material to be delivered.
The food delivery system according to claim 2, wherein:

The controller determines the chute corresponding to the food to be delivered according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device, and makes the determined first indicator light corresponding to the chute in the first manner Light up.
The food delivery system according to claim 3, wherein:

When the chute into which the food to be delivered is put is different from the determined chute, at least the first indicator light corresponding to the put chute is lit in the second way.
The food delivery system according to claim 4, wherein:

When the chute into which the food to be delivered is placed is different from the determined chute, the first predetermined number of first indicator lights in the transverse direction centered on the first indicator light corresponding to the chute into which the food is placed And the second predetermined number of first indicator lamps in the longitudinal direction are lit in the second manner.
The food delivery system according to claim 4, wherein:

In the case that the chute into which the food to be delivered is put is different from the determined chute, and at least the first indicator light corresponding to the put chute is lit in the second way,

In the case that the reading device reads the information of the new food to be delivered, or the first control switch is triggered to control the reading device to be in the second state, the controller The first indicator light that is lit in the second manner is controlled to go out.
The food delivery system according to claim 2, wherein:

According to the information of the food material to be delivered read by the reading device, the controller determines that the food material to be delivered can no longer be placed in all the slides corresponding to the food material to be delivered, so that all the food materials corresponding to the food material to be delivered slide The first indicator light of the road lights up in the third way.
The food delivery system according to claim 2, wherein:

When the controller determines that there is no chute corresponding to the food to be delivered in the first storage unit according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device, it causes the first storage unit to The first indicator lights of the third predetermined number of slides in the chute are lit in a fourth manner.
The food material delivery system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein:

In the case that it is not detected that the food material to be delivered is put into any slide, the reading device reads the information of the next food material to be delivered, and the controller makes the lighted in the third or fourth way The first indicator light goes out.
The food delivery system according to claim 3, wherein:

After the controller determines the chute corresponding to the food to be delivered according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device, and the reading device reads the information before the next food to be delivered During the period,

The controller associates and stores the position information of the chute where the food to be delivered is first detected and the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device.
The food delivery system according to claim 10, wherein:

The controller associates and stores the position information of the chute into which the food to be delivered is subsequently detected during the period and the information of the unknown food to be delivered.
The food delivery system according to claim 2, wherein:

When the reading device is in the second state, when it is detected that any sensor of the slideway is blocked, the fourth predetermined number of first indicator lights in the first storage part are lit in a fifth manner.
The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein:

The first storage unit further has:

The status indicator is connected to the controller, and the status indicator is used to indicate that it is forbidden to put food to be delivered into the chute of the first storage part, or, after a waiting time has elapsed, it is allowed to send to the first The chute of the storage department puts ingredients to be delivered.
The food delivery system according to claim 13, wherein:

The status indicator has:

The second indicator light, when the controller determines that the food material to be delivered has passed the expiration date according to the information of the food material to be delivered read by the reading device, the controller controls the second indicator light to light up;

The third indicator light, when the reading device cannot correctly read the information of the food to be delivered, the controller controls the third indicator light to light up;

The fourth indicator light, when the controller determines that the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device cannot match the information in the database, the controller controls the fourth indicator light to light up; and

A fifth indicator light. The controller controls the fifth indicator light to light up when the sensor set in the slideway in the first storage part is faulty or the time the sensor is triggered exceeds a predetermined time.
The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein:

The food material distribution system further includes:

The food supplement indicating device communicates with the controller. The first display area of the food supplement indicating device displays the quantity of the food to be delivered in each first storage part that needs to be supplemented, wherein each food to be delivered corresponds to The display mode of the sub-display area corresponds to the quantity of the food to be delivered that needs to be replenished.
The food delivery system according to claim 15, wherein:

The second display area of the food supplement indicating device displays the type of the food to be delivered corresponding to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device.
The food material distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit further comprises:

The first sorting part is arranged on the front side of the outer frame, and the first sorting part grabs the food to be delivered from the end of the slideway located on the front of the outer frame, or The first sorting part contains the food to be delivered that slides out from the end of the slideway located on the front of the outer frame.
A method for controlling a food material distribution system, wherein the food material distribution system includes at least one distribution unit, characterized in that each distribution unit includes:

The first storage part, which is used to store ingredients to be delivered,

The first storage unit has:

An outer frame, the outer frame has a front and a back that are arranged oppositely;

Slideways, which are arranged inside the outer frame and extend between the front and back sides of the outer frame, the number of the slideways is more than two, and one end of each slideway is located at the back of the outer frame The position is higher than the position of the slideway at the front end of the outer frame, and the two or more slideways are distributed horizontally and/or longitudinally inside the outer frame;

A reading device, which reads the information of the food to be delivered;

The first indicator light is arranged on the back of the outer frame, the number of the first indicator light is the same as the number of the slide rails, and the position of each first indicator light corresponds to the position of each slide rail; and

A controller, which is connected to the first indicator light and communicates with the reading device,

The control method includes:

The controller controls the lighting mode of the first indicator light according to the information of the food to be delivered read by the reading device.