GB2574885A - Warewasher waste removal apparatus - Google Patents
Warewasher waste removal apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2574885A GB2574885A GB201810281A GB201810281A GB2574885A GB 2574885 A GB2574885 A GB 2574885A GB 201810281 A GB201810281 A GB 201810281A GB 201810281 A GB201810281 A GB 201810281A GB 2574885 A GB2574885 A GB 2574885A
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- Prior art keywords
- waste removal
- removal tool
- waste
- ware
- tool
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- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 284
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 24
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 19
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 14
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 13
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 10
- 238000013528 artificial neural network Methods 0.000 description 9
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 9
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 8
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 8
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 description 8
- 230000015654 memory Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000032258 transport Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 239000010794 food waste Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000001680 brushing effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001668 ameliorated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013527 convolutional neural network Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003707 image sharpening Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002401 inhibitory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000013526 transfer learning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000013618 yogurt Nutrition 0.000 description 1
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
- A47L15/37—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with crockery cleaned by brushes
- A47L15/39—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with crockery cleaned by brushes with brushes on movable supports
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
- A47L15/37—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with crockery cleaned by brushes
Landscapes
- Cleaning In General (AREA)
Abstract
An apparatus for removing waste 6 in a warewasher system comprises a waste removal tool 4 for removing waste 6 in the warewasher system. The waste removal tool 4 is adjustable between a waste removal configuration in which the waste removal tool 4 is operable to remove waste 6 from a surface in the warewasher system and an idle configuration in which the waste removal tool 4 is operable to allow wares 5 to pass without, or with reduced, waste removal from that surface. The apparatus also comprises means 1 for receiving information indicating that a ware 5 is approaching the waste removal tool 4 and means for controlling the waste removal tool 4 to adjust the waste removal tool 4 into, or maintain the waste removal tool 4 in, the idle configuration in dependence on the information indicating that a ware 5 is approaching the waste removal tool 4. The waste removal tool 4 is preferably a helical brush. A warewasher system and method of removing waste is also disclosed.
Description
Warewasher waste removal apparatus
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus and method for removing waste in a warewasher system. The invention has particular, although not exclusive, relevance for use as a system, apparatus and method for classifying wares in the warewasher and for applying a waste removal process to classified wares.
In large kitchens such as those found in hotels or hospitals there is a need to rapidly clean very large quantities of dining ware. In these high-volume environments, it is prohibitively time consuming to wash the objects (wares) by hand, and so the process is typically automated using a warewasher system.
Warewasher systems process large numbers of objects, such as crockery or glassware, to clean the objects of debris such as food waste. Due to the variety in shape and size of the wares that enter a warewasher, such systems often comprise several separate washing areas, each optimised for washing a different type of ware. Therefore, the objects that enter the machine are often separated into different types, so that a particular type of ware can be routed to the corresponding washing area. For example, crockery may be separated from glassware and other objects, and transported to an area of the machine optimised for washing crockery. In lowcapacity warewasher systems, objects may be manually separated by the user when placing the objects into the machine. High capacity warewasher systems on the other hand are highly complex machines able to process hundreds to thousands of objects per hour, and may separate the objects automatically. For example, objects may be automatically routed into different parts or lanes of the warewasher using gating mechanisms or other similar switching devices. However, ware separation systems often require large amounts of space in which to operate, which is a particularly undesirable characteristic when the warewasher is installed in a kitchen environment where the available space is limited.
The items present on the surface of a ware that enters a warewasher typically include cutlery, food debris and other waste such as napkins, yoghurt pots or receipts. Waste transported into a washing area and ingested into the drainage system may decrease the quality of the washing process, block filters and/or waste conduits, and increase the regularity with which the warewasher needs to be taken offline for maintenance purposes. This issue can, in theory, be ameliorated by providing a preparatory waste removal process to remove some of the larger waste items, prior to the washing process. However, a preparatory waste removal process suitable for cleaning a particular type of ware may not be suitable for cleaning other wares that enter the warewasher. For example, using a tool designed specifically for removing waste from a plate to clean a dish, bowl or an item of glassware may result in damage to the glassware or machinery, and possibly require interruption of the cleaning process to retrieve damaged wares. It can be seen that this may reduce the throughput of the system undesirably. To avoid this issue, such systems will typically require manual separation of different types of wares or may utilise additional automated modules to separate wares into different types, for separate pre-cleaning processes. However, such separation requires wares to be guided via different routes and different pre-cleaning stations thereby undesirably increasing the amount of space required by the machine.
The present invention seeks to provide a warewasher system, apparatus for use in a warewasher system, an associated method, and a program for addressing or at least partially ameliorating one or more of the above issues.
In a first aspect the invention provides an apparatus for removing waste in a warewasher system, the apparatus comprising: a waste removal tool for removing waste in the warewasher system, the waste removal tool being adjustable between a waste removal configuration in which, during operation, the waste removal tool is operable to remove waste from a surface in the warewasher system, and an idle configuration in which, during operation, the waste removal tool is operable to allow wares to pass without, or with reduced, waste removal from that surface; means for receiving information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool; and means for controlling the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or maintain the waste removal tool in, the idle configuration in dependence on the information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool.
The received information indicating that a ware is approaching may indicate the approaching ware to be at least one of a plurality of different classes of ware.
The means for controlling may be configured to control the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or maintain the waste removal tool in, the idle configuration when the received information indicates that the ware is a first class of ware; and the means for controlling may be configured to control the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or maintain the waste removal tool in, the waste removal configuration when the received information indicates that the ware is a second class of ware different from the first class of ware.
When the waste removal tool is in the waste removal configuration, the waste removal tool may be operable to remove waste from a surface of a ware of the second class.
When the waste removal tool is in the waste removal configuration, the waste removal tool may be configured to engage with a surface of at least one class of ware that passes through the warewasher system to remove waste from that ware.
When in the waste removal configuration the waste removal tool may be in a first position in which the waste removal tool extends, at least partially across a conveyor for transporting wares in the warewasher system, at a position in which the waste removal tool engages with a surface of the at least one class of ware when travelling on the conveyor past the waste removal tool; and when the waste removal tool is in the idle configuration, the waste removal tool may be in a second position in which the waste removal tool does not engage with wares travelling on the conveyor past the waste removal tool.
When the waste removal tool is in the first position the waste removal tool may be at a first spacing relative to the conveyor; and when the waste removal tool is in the second position, the waste removal tool may be at a second spacing relative to the conveyor, the second spacing being greater than the first spacing.
When the waste removal tool is in the first position the waste removal tool may extend a first distance across the conveyor; and when the waste removal tool is in the second position, the waste removal tool may be retracted relative to the first position, and may extend a second or no distance across the conveyor, the second distance being less than the first distance.
When the waste removal tool is in the first position the waste removal tool may extend across the conveyor; and when the waste removal tool is in the second position, the waste removal tool may be rotated relative to the first position.
The waste removal tool may be further configured, when in the waste removal configuration, to transport the waste that is removed from the surface to a waste receiving area.
The waste removal tool may comprise a brush.
The brush may be a rotary brush. The brush may comprise at least one brush part arranged in a helical configuration.
The brush may be a reciprocating brush.
The waste removal tool may be generally elongate with a longitudinal axis, wherein when the waste removal tool is in the waste removal configuration, the longitudinal axis may be aligned generally parallel to a ware transporting surface of the conveyor and at a non-zero angle with respect to a direction from which wares will approach in operation, whereby the non-zero angle may be set to cause waste with which the waste removal tool engages to move along the waste removal tool towards an edge of the ware transporting surface.
The waste removal tool may be a first waste removal tool and the apparatus may comprise at least one further waste removal tool; and the means for controlling may be configured to control the or each further waste removal tool between a corresponding waste removal configuration and an idle configuration, in dependence on the information indicating that a ware is approaching the apparatus.
The means for controlling may be configured to control the or each further waste removal tool independently of controlling the first waste removal tool, and the at least one further waste removal tool may be configured to be compatible with a different class of wares to said first waste removal tool.
In a second aspect the invention provides a warewasher system for identifying wares and removing waste, the system comprising: apparatus for removing waste according to the first aspect of the invention; and apparatus for identifying wares; wherein the apparatus for identifying wares comprises: means for identifying a ware; and means for generating the information indicating that a ware is approaching the apparatus for removing waste and for providing the generated information to the apparatus for removing waste.
In a third aspect the invention provides a method of removing waste in a warewasher system using apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising: receiving information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool; and controlling the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or to maintain the waste removal tool in, the idle configuration in dependence on the information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool.
In a fourth aspect the invention provides a computer implementable program product causing a programmable apparatus to perform the method of the third aspect of the invention.
Each feature disclosed in this specification (which term includes the claims) and/or shown in the drawings may be incorporated in the invention independently (or in combination with) any other disclosed and/or illustrated features. In particular but without limitation the features of any of the claims dependent from a particular independent claim may be introduced into that independent claim in any combination or individually.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the attached figures in which:
Figure 1a shows a simplified schematic diagram of ware identification and cleaning system;
Figure 1b shows a simplified schematic diagram of an apparatus for identifying and removing debris from wares;
Figure 1c shows a simplified schematic diagram of the apparatus of Figure 1b in operation when an incompatible ware is identified;
Figure 2 shows a simplified diagram of a waste removal tool;
Figure 3 shows a simplified block diagram of the control unit of Figure 1;
Figure 4 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an area in which an item is identified; and
Figure 5 shows a simplified diagram of an alternative configuration of the warewasher system of Figure 1.
Overview
Figure 1a shows, for illustrative purposes, a simplified schematic diagram of a ware identification and cleaning system generally at 100. The system 100 comprises a ware identification stage 10, a waste separation stage 20 and a conveyor 3.
In the example shown in Figure 1a, the conveyor 3 transports items such as plates 5, bowls 8 and debris 6, in the direction indication by arrow A, through the ware identification stage 10 and to the waste separation stage 20.
The waste separation stage 20 comprises a waste removal tool 4, a position adjustment mechanism for the position of the waste removal tool 4 relative to the conveyor 3, and a waste disposal area 2 for receiving waste removed by the waste removal tool 4. The adjustment mechanism is configured for moving the waste removal tool 4 between an operational position in which the waste removal tool 4 can engage with compatible wares for waste removal, and a retracted position in which the wares can move through the waste separation stage 20 without interaction with the waste removal tool 4.
The ware identification stage 10 comprises a vision system 1 for capturing images of items passing through the ware identification stage 10. Beneficially, the ware identification stage 10 identifies and classifies, based on images received via the vision system 1, wares on the surface of the conveyor 3. Specifically, the ware identification stage 10 classifies the identified ware to determine if the ware is compatible with the waste removal tool 4. When the identified ware is compatible with the waste removal tool 4, the ware identification stage 10 controls the adjustment mechanism to move the waste removal tool 4 to its operational position (or maintain the tool in the operational position). When the identified ware is not compatible with the waste removal tool 4, the ware identification stage 10 controls the adjustment mechanism to maintain the waste removal tool 4 in the retracted position (or move the tool to the retracted position) to allow the incompatible ware to pass safely through the waste separation stage 20.
In summary, therefore, a system and apparatus for classifying wares and removing waste is provided, that identifies and classifies wares prior to a waste removal stage 20. Beneficially, depending on the classification, the system controls the position of the waste removal tool 4 either to maintain it in a safe position to allow incompatible wares to pass the waste removal tool 4 unhindered or to move it into an operational position to remove waste from the ware. This reduces the risk of the incompatible wares or the waste removal tool 4 being damaged, and eliminates the need for the incompatible wares to be removed from the conveyor 3 prior to the waste removal stage 20, potentially reducing the need for additional ware separation modules and beneficially increasing the compactness of the machine.
Illustrative Examples
The ware identification and cleaning system 100 will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to Figures 1b to 5.
Figures 1b and 1c show the ware identification stage 10 and the waste separation stage 20 in more detail. The ware identification stage 10 comprises, in addition to the vision system 1, a control unit 7 for identifying and classifying wares based on input from the vision system. The vision system 1, in this example, comprises a digital camera positioned over the conveyor 3 for capturing images of items passing through the ware identification stage 10.
The waste separation stage 20 comprises, in this example, an adjustment mechanism 9 for adjusting the height of the waste removal tool 4 above the conveyor 3 (i.e. between the operational and retracted positions). It will be appreciated that either position may be the ‘default’ position. However, beneficially, having the retracted position as the default position reduces the risk of inadvertent damage to the wares or the warewasher, in the event of a vision system failure arising for example from the camera lens becoming obscured.
The waste removal tool 4, in this example, comprises a rotary brush configured to remove food waste and other debris from crockery 5 that passes through the waste removal stage 20, and from the surface of the conveyor 3. The waste disposal area 2 receives the waste removed by the waste removal tool 4. The control unit 7 controls the adjustment mechanism 9 to adjust the height of the waste removal tool 4 above the surface of the conveyor 3. When the waste removal tool 4 is in the operational position, the waste removal tool 4 is at a position suitable for removing debris 6 from the surface of crockery 5 that passes through the waste separation stage 20. It will be appreciated that the removal of food waste and other debris from the crockery 5 and the surface of the conveyor 3 beneficially reduces the amount of debris ingested by a washing system that the wares may be transported into at a later stage of the warewasher.
In operation, the control unit 7 receives images from the vision system 1 and, based on the received images, identifies a ware on the surface of the conveyor 3. The control unit 7 classifies the identified ware to determine if the ware is compatible with the waste removal tool 4. When the identified ware is compatible with the waste removal tool 4, the control unit 7 controls the adjustment mechanism 9 to move the waste removal tool 4 to an operational height (or maintain the tool at the operational height) above the conveyor 3 to allow the ware to be brushed. When the identified ware is not compatible with the waste removal tool 4, the control unit 7 controls the adjustment mechanism 9 to maintain the waste removal tool 4 at a retracted height (or move the tool to a retracted height) above the conveyor 3 that allows the incompatible ware to pass safely below the tool 4. After the conveyor 3 has transported a compatible ware through the waste separation stage 20, the control unit 7 controls the adjustment mechanism 9 to move the waste removal tool 4 from the operational height, to return it to the retracted height.
Referring to Figure 2, this shows a simplified diagram of the waste removal tool 4. In this example, the waste removal tool 4 comprises a helical brush comprising at least one brush part 42 arranged on a cylindrical rod 41 in a helical manner. In operation, the helical brush rotates around the longitudinal axis of the rod 41 in the direction indicated by arrow B. The helical brush is arranged, as it rotates about the longitudinal axis of the rod 41, to transport items such as food debris in a direction, indicated by arrow C, generally perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 3. Hence, the items such as food debris are transferred from the conveyor 3 to the waste disposal area 2.
The waste disposal area 2 may be, for example, a storage area for storing the items removed by the waste removal tool 4. Alternatively, the waste disposal area 2 may comprise a conveyor or other transport means for transporting the removed waste to another area.
Referring to Figure 3, this shows a simplified block diagram of the control unit 7. The control unit 7 comprises at least one vision system interface 701, at least one adjustment mechanism interface 703, a transceiver circuit 702, a controller 704 and memory 705.
Software stored in the memory 705 includes, among other things, an operating system 706, a communication control module 707, an image processing module 708, an identification and classification module 709, a waste removal control module 710 and a location determination module 711. It will be appreciated that whilst, for ease of understanding, the controller 704 is described as operating under the control of a number of discrete software modules, the functionality attributed to these modules may be built into the overall operating system 706 or as separate code in such a way that the modules may not be discernible as discrete entities.
The transceiver circuit 702 is operable to transmit signals to, and to receive signals from, the vision system 1 via the vision system interface 701, and the adjustment mechanism 9 via the adjustment mechanism interface 703. The operation of the transceiver circuit 702 is controlled by the controller 704 in accordance with the software stored in the memory 705.
The communication control module 707 controls communication with the vision system 1 to receive image data from the vision system 1. The communication control module 707 also controls communication with the adjustment mechanism 9, for example to send instructions to the adjustment mechanism 9 to adjust the height of the waste removal tool 4.
The image processing module 708 processes the image received from the vision system 1 to produce a processed image for use by the identification and classification module 709. This processing may include, for example, resizing or altering the contrast of the received image. The skilled person will appreciate that other forms of image processing such as image sharpening may also be performed. However, it will also be appreciated that if no such processing is necessary, then the image received from the vision system 1 may be used directly by the identification and classification module 709, without any additional image processing being performed.
The identification and classification module 709 identifies and classifies an object that is present in the image captured by the vision system 1. In other words, the identification module 709 determines that an item of potential interest is present in the image, and classifies the item, for example, as an item that is compatible with the waste removal tool 4, or as an item 8 that is incompatible with the waste removal tool 4. Referring to Figure 4, in this example the vision system has captured an image 30 of an area that contains a compatible item of crockery 5. The identification and classification module 709 identifies that an item of interest is present in the image, and classifies the item as a compatible item. It will be appreciated that the identification and classification module 709 may also be configured to identify other objects such as glassware or dining trays.
The location determination module 711 determines the approximate location of the item of crockery 5 identified by the identification and classification module 709. The location determination module 711 determines a bounding box 31 that contains at least a major portion of the identified crockery 5. In this example, the location determination module 711 determines the geometric centre of the bounding box 31, and assigns the geometric centre as the approximate position of the crockery 5. The approximate position may then be used by the waste removal control module 710 as an estimate of the position of the item of crockery 5. It will be appreciated that the bounding box can represent a region of the image that is significantly larger in area than an identified object within that region. For example, the bounding box may represent a region of the image that is 10% (or more) larger in area than an identified object within that region. Moreover, the bounding box can have a centre that is significantly offset relative to the centre of the identified object. Accordingly, the positional estimate provided using this technique can deviate significantly from an actual location of the object. For example, the estimate of the position of an object may typically deviate, on average, by approximately 10% of the size of the object from the actual centre of the object.
In operation, the identification and classification module 709 identifies a ware and determines if the ware is compatible with the waste removal tool 4. When the identified ware is compatible with the waste removal tool 4, the communication control module 707 controls communication with the adjustment mechanism 9 to send instructions to the adjustment mechanism 9 to adjust the position of the waste removal tool 4. The position of the waste removal tool 4 is adjusted from a retracted position to a operational position that allows the waste removal tool 4 to remove waste from the identified ware.
Beneficially, the identification and classification module 709 and the location determination module 711 utilise a neural network to identify the item and determine a bounding box 31 that contains the item. For example, a convolutional neural network may be used. The determination of a bounding box 31 to estimate the position of the item beneficially allows the detection system to process images at the relatively high speeds required in a warewasher system, so that the throughput of the warewasher system is not undesirably reduced. For example, the detection system may be able process at least 5 images per second (e.g. 60 images per second). In contrast, whilst greater positional accuracy may be achievable using an alternative algorithm, for example an algorithm that determines a precise centre of an object with sub-pixel precision based on precisely identifying the edges of an object, such algorithms would process images at relatively low speeds and would thus have a negative impact on the throughput of the warewasher system.
A further advantage of utilising a neural network to perform the object identification, classification and location determination is that the network is often able to accurately identify and classify objects even when there is a large variety in the types or styles of objects entering the machine, and when the objects are heavily contaminated by debris. For example, if a new style of crockery, such as a dining plate that has a shape not previously encountered by the neural network, is introduced into the warewasher system, the network is beneficially still able to identify and classify the object as an item of compatible crockery 5.
Whilst the location determination module 711 and the identification and classification module 709 have been described for clarity as separate modules in the present example, the skilled person will appreciate that the location determination and identification may be performed by a single neural network. In other words, a single neural network may be used to identify and classify an object, and determine the location of the object, in an integrated process in which the identification and location determination cannot necessarily be separated into separate software modules, albeit that the neural network will produce separate outputs for the purposes of identification and location determination.
Whilst a variety of neural networks could be adapted for use in the system of the present example, one particularly beneficial neural network based system uses a ‘You Only Look Once’ (‘YOLO’) based network, such as the YOL09000 real-time object detection system. The neural network of the YOLO9000 system may be pretrained to classify and detect objects using publicly-available datasets, and adapted using transfer learning for use in a warewasher system.
It will be appreciated by the skilled person that although the use of networks that determine a bounding box 31 to estimate the position of an item allows images to be processed at the relatively high rate required in a warewasher system, the position determined for the item is relatively imprecise. However, since the waste removal tool 4 does not require precise positional alignment with respect to a ware, and needs only to be lifted to a safe height above an incompatible ware, only the approximate location of the incompatible ware is required.
Modifications and alternatives
An exemplary system and apparatus for identifying and classifying wares in a warewasher, and for removing debris from the wares in the warewasher, has been described above in detail. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, a number of modifications and alternatives can be applied in the above examples and variations whilst still benefiting from the inventions embodied therein.
For example, although in the above examples the waste removal tool 4 has been described as comprising a brush, the waste removal tool may comprise any other suitable waste removal means such as a fluid jet.
Although in the above examples the waste removal tool 4 has been described as comprising a helical brush, it will be appreciated that any other suitable type of brush may be used. For example, a reciprocating brush configured to oscillate in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 3 may be provided. Alternatively, a rotary (or other) brush may be provided such that the central axis of the rotary brush is aligned at a non-zero angle with respect to an axis perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor. As the rotary brush rotates, debris that is removed from the wares on the conveyor is transported to the waste disposal area 2, as a consequence of the non-zero angle.
In the above examples the waste removal tool 4 has been described as comprising a single helical brush. However, as illustrated in the example shown in Figure 5, the waste removal tool 4 may comprise a plurality of brushes of different size, bristle stiffness, height from the conveyor, helical pitch, and/or the like.
In the above examples the waste removing tool 4 has been described as being designed to clean waste from items of crockery 5, and being incompatible with other wares such as large dishes or bowls 8. It will be appreciated however, that the waste removing tool 4 may be designed to remove waste from dishes, bowls, glassware, or any other ware found in a warewasher system. Alternatively, a plurality of waste removal tools may be provided, such that each tool is designed to remove waste from a different type of ware, and the position of each tool may be independently controlled by the control unit 7.
In the above examples the control unit 7 has been described as controlling the waste removal tool 4 to rise to a retracted height above the conveyor 3 when an incompatible ware is identified. However, the control unit 7 may control the waste removal tool 4 to move in any suitable manner, to any suitable position, to allow the incompatible ware to pass the waste removal tool 4. For example, the control unit 7 may control the adjustment mechanism to move the waste removal tool 4, in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod 41, between the operational position and retracted position. Similarly, the control unit 7 may control the adjustment mechanism to move the waste removal tool 4 about a pivot point between an operational position that is horizontal relative to the surface of the conveyor, for waste removal, and a retracted position that is vertical or angled relative to the conveyor surface to allow incompatible items to pass.
In the above examples the waste removal tool 4 has been described as having a retracted position in which wares can move through the waste separation stage 20 without interaction with the waste removal tool 4. Alternatively, when the waste removal tool 4 is in the retracted position, the tool may operate in a reduced waste removal mode in which the waste removal tool 4 interacts with wares that move through the waste removal stage, but the amount of waste removed by the tool 4 is reduced. For example, when the waste removal tool 4 is a rotary brush and the tool 4 is controlled to move to the retracted position, the brush may be raised to a height above the conveyor 3 in which the brush may still engage with a ware that passes through the waste removal stage, but the intensity of the brushing is reduced.
In the above examples the ware identification stage 10 has been described as comprising a control unit 7 for identifying and classifying wares based on input from the vision system. Alternatively, the ware identification stage 10 may verify the location of a ware that has been identified in another area of the warewasher. For example, the ware identification stage 10 may comprise a light gate configured to detect that a previously identified ware is passing through the ware identification stage 10.
It will be appreciated that a lip may be provided on the side of the conveyor to ensure that wares do not move off the side of the conveyor (e.g. under the action of brushing). Any lip may have regular gaps to allow waste through whilst still inhibiting the movement of wares off the conveyor. Alternatively or additionally a vacuum grid may be provided to hold a ware in place during waste removal from the item as it passes through waste removal stage.
In the above description, the control unit 7 is described for ease of understanding as having a number of discrete software modules. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality performed by part or all of the software may be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits for example using one or more dedicated integrated circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like. The use of software modules is, nevertheless, preferred as it facilitates the updating of the warewasher.
It will be appreciated that the controller 704 referred to in the description of the control unit 7 may comprise any suitable controller such as, for example an analogue or digital controller. Each controller may comprise any suitable form of processing circuitry including (but not limited to), for example: one or more hardware implemented computer processors; microprocessors; central processing units (CPUs); arithmetic logic units (ALUs); input/output (IO) circuits; internal memories / caches (program and/or data); processing registers; communication buses (e.g. control, data and/or address buses); direct memory access (DMA) functions;
hardware or software implemented counters, pointers and/or timers; and/or the like.
It will be appreciated that whilst in the example shown in Figure 4 a rectangular box has been used as the bounding box 31, any other suitable shape, such as a circle, could be used.
Various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not be 10 described in further detail here.
Claims (20)
1. Apparatus for removing waste in a warewasher system, the apparatus comprising:
a waste removal tool for removing waste in the warewasher system, the waste removal tool being adjustable between a waste removal configuration in which, during operation, the waste removal tool is operable to remove waste from a surface in the warewasher system, and an idle configuration in which, during operation, the waste removal tool is operable to allow wares to pass without, or with reduced, waste removal from that surface;
means for receiving information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool; and means for controlling the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or maintain the waste removal tool in, the idle configuration in dependence on the information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the received information indicating that a ware is approaching indicates the approaching ware to be at least one of a plurality of different classes of ware.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
the means for controlling is configured to control the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or maintain the waste removal tool in, the idle configuration when the received information indicates that the ware is a first class of ware; and the means for controlling is configured to control the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or maintain the waste removal tool in, the waste removal configuration when the received information indicates that the ware is a second class of ware different from the first class of ware.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the waste removal tool is in the waste removal configuration, the waste removal tool is operable to remove waste from a surface of a ware of the second class.
5. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein when the waste removal tool is in the waste removal configuration, the waste removal tool is configured to engage with a surface of at least one class of ware that passes through the warewasher system to remove waste from that ware.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein:
when in the waste removal configuration the waste removal tool is in a first position in which the waste removal tool extends, at least partially across a conveyor for transporting wares in the warewasher system, at a position in which the waste removal tool engages with a surface of the at least one class of ware when travelling on the conveyor past the waste removal tool; and when the waste removal tool is in the idle configuration, the waste removal tool is in a second position in which the waste removal tool does not engage with wares travelling on the conveyor past the waste removal tool.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein:
when the waste removal tool is in the first position the waste removal tool is at a first spacing relative to the conveyor; and when the waste removal tool is in the second position, the waste removal tool is at a second spacing relative to the conveyor, the second spacing being greater than the first spacing.
8. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein:
when the waste removal tool is in the first position the waste removal tool extends a first distance across the conveyor; and when the waste removal tool is in the second position, the waste removal tool is retracted relative to the first position, and extends a second or no distance across the conveyor, the second distance being less than the first distance.
9. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein:
when the waste removal tool is in the first position the waste removal tool extends across the conveyor; and when the waste removal tool is in the second position, the waste removal tool is rotated relative to the first position.
10. The apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 9, wherein the waste removal tool is further configured, when in the waste removal configuration, to transport the waste that is removed from the surface to a waste receiving area.
11. The apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 10, wherein the waste removal tool comprises a brush.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the brush is a rotary brush.
13. The apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 12, wherein the brush comprises at least one brush part arranged in a helical configuration.
14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the brush is a reciprocating brush.
15. The apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 14, wherein the waste removal tool is generally elongate with a longitudinal axis, wherein when the waste removal tool is in the waste removal configuration, the longitudinal axis is aligned generally parallel to a ware transporting surface of the conveyor and at a non-zero angle with respect to a direction from which wares will approach in operation, whereby the non-zero angle is set to cause waste with which the waste removal tool engages to move along the waste removal tool towards an edge of the ware transporting surface.
16. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the waste removal tool is a first waste removal tool and the apparatus comprises at least one further waste removal tool; and wherein the means for controlling is configured to control the or each further waste removal tool between a corresponding waste removal configuration and an idle configuration, in dependence on the information indicating that a ware is approaching the apparatus.
17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:
the means for controlling is configured to control the or each further waste removal tool independently of controlling the first waste removal tool, and wherein the at least one further waste removal tool is configured to be compatible with a different class of wares to said first waste removal tool.
18. A warewasher system for identifying wares and removing waste, the system comprising:
apparatus for removing waste according to any preceding claim; and apparatus for identifying wares;
wherein the apparatus for identifying wares comprises:
means for identifying a ware; and means for generating the information indicating that a ware is approaching the apparatus for removing waste and for providing the generated information to the apparatus for removing waste.
19. A method of removing waste in a warewasher system using apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 17, the method comprising:
receiving information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool; and controlling the waste removal tool to adjust the waste removal tool into, or to maintain the waste removal tool in, the idle configuration in dependence on the information indicating that a ware is approaching the waste removal tool.
20. A computer implementable program product causing a programmable apparatus to perform the method of claim 19.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201810281A GB2574885A (en) | 2018-06-22 | 2018-06-22 | Warewasher waste removal apparatus |
| PCT/EP2019/066554 WO2019243619A1 (en) | 2018-06-22 | 2019-06-21 | Warewasher waste removal apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201810281A GB2574885A (en) | 2018-06-22 | 2018-06-22 | Warewasher waste removal apparatus |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB201810281D0 GB201810281D0 (en) | 2018-08-08 |
| GB2574885A true GB2574885A (en) | 2019-12-25 |
Family
ID=63042532
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201810281A Withdrawn GB2574885A (en) | 2018-06-22 | 2018-06-22 | Warewasher waste removal apparatus |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2574885A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2019243619A1 (en) |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20020020435A1 (en) * | 2000-07-13 | 2002-02-21 | Fuuga-Controls Oy | Method and apparatus for washing items |
| US20060213543A1 (en) * | 2005-03-24 | 2006-09-28 | Jurgen Litterst | Conveyor-type dishwasher and method for it |
| KR20110069682A (en) * | 2009-12-17 | 2011-06-23 | 이정호 | A spoon washer |
| WO2018022832A1 (en) * | 2016-07-29 | 2018-02-01 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Warewasher with ultrasonic-based ware detection |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3520726A (en) * | 1967-10-27 | 1970-07-14 | William E Gay | Apparatus for automatically classifying,washing,sanitizing,and drying soiled dish and holloware items |
| SE446509B (en) * | 1985-05-14 | 1986-09-22 | Regionala Stiftelsen I Vermlan | DEVICE FOR SORTING FOOD DINING |
| FR2651695B1 (en) * | 1989-09-12 | 1991-12-06 | Hobart Corp | MACHINE FOR THE AUTOMATIC SORTING OF OBJECTS, ESPECIALLY CUTLERY. |
-
2018
- 2018-06-22 GB GB201810281A patent/GB2574885A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2019
- 2019-06-21 WO PCT/EP2019/066554 patent/WO2019243619A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20020020435A1 (en) * | 2000-07-13 | 2002-02-21 | Fuuga-Controls Oy | Method and apparatus for washing items |
| US20060213543A1 (en) * | 2005-03-24 | 2006-09-28 | Jurgen Litterst | Conveyor-type dishwasher and method for it |
| KR20110069682A (en) * | 2009-12-17 | 2011-06-23 | 이정호 | A spoon washer |
| WO2018022832A1 (en) * | 2016-07-29 | 2018-02-01 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Warewasher with ultrasonic-based ware detection |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2019243619A1 (en) | 2019-12-26 |
| GB201810281D0 (en) | 2018-08-08 |
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| COOA | Change in applicant's name or ownership of the application |
Owner name: ELIOR GROUP Free format text: FORMER OWNER: CAMBRIDGE CONSULTANTS LIMITED |
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| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |