US-12623802-B2 - Food assembly and packaging robot

US12623802B2US 12623802 B2US12623802 B2US 12623802B2US-12623802-B2

Abstract

The technology described herein is directed to a food assembly and packaging robot for automating aspects of food assembly and packaging. The food assembly and packaging robot system may include a robot system include a conveyance system, a bowl dispenser, one or more food dispensers, one or more condiment dispensers, a lidder, and a bagger, and in some instances, other components. The bowl dispenser may be configured to deposit bowls onto the conveyance system. The one or more food dispensers may be configured to deposit one or more ingredients into the bowls and the one or more condiment dispensers may be configured to deposit one or more condiments into the bowls. The lidder may be configured to position lids atop the bowls and the bagger may be configured to place the bowls into bags.

Inventors

Eric Meyhofer
Vincent Perri
Neil Stegall
Sean Hyde
Morgan Jones
Jason MCMULLAN
Daniel Tascione
Julie Derence
Roger Boulet
Robert Russell
Joe Zatta
David Rice
Paul Smith
Chad Staller
Andrew Chellman
Robert Doll
Wesly Rice
Nick Letwin
Francisco Robert

Assignees

Lab 37 LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240926

Claims (20)

1 . A robotic system comprising: a conveyance system; a bowl dispenser configured to deposit bowls onto the conveyance system; one or more food dispensers configured to deposit one or more ingredients into the bowls; one or more condiment dispensers configured to deposit one or more condiments into the bowls; a lidder configured to position lids atop the bowls; and a bagger configured to place the bowls into bags.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the conveyance system includes a plurality of magnetic carriages configured to be magnetically attached to a plurality of carrier sleds.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of magnetic carriages are configured to traverse a path through the robotic system such that the attached plurality of carrier sleds traverse the path.
4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein each carrier sled of the plurality of carrier sleds includes an insert and is configured to receive a single bowl from the bowl dispenser.
5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein each carrier sled of the plurality of carrier sleds includes a load cell configured to measure the weight of a bowl deposited within the respective carrier sled and wirelessly transmit the measured weight.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bowl dispenser is configured to deposit a single bowl onto the conveyance system at a time, wherein each of the single bowls is retrieved from a stack of bowls stored within the bowl dispenser.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the bowl dispenser includes a reader configured to receive weight measurements.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more food dispensers stores an ingredient within a hopper.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the one or more food dispensers are configured to maintain the one or more ingredients at preset temperatures within respective hoppers.
10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein a first portion of the one or more food dispensers are connected to a chiller, steamer, and/or heater.
11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein each of the one or more food dispensers include: one or more augers, and a hopper outlet, wherein the one or more augers direct the ingredient within the respective hopper out of the hopper through the hopper outlet into a bowl on the conveyance system.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more ingredients include singular foods or food preparations.
13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more condiment dispensers are configured to store condiments within cups and the cups are stored in columns, wherein each column stores a particular condiment type.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the columns form a carousel and condiments are deposited into bowls from the bottom of the columns through an actuator door.
15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the lidder stores a plurality of lids in a stack such that the top of the lid is facing downwards towards the conveyance system.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the lidder comprises an end effector attached to an arm, wherein the end effector is configured to grasp a lid from a bottom of the stack and, wherein, after grasping the lid, the arm is configured to move the end effector downwards towards the conveyance system.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the arm is configured to rotate the end effector 180 degrees, such that the bottom of the top of the lid is facing upwards towards the stack of lids, and wherein the arm moves the end effector towards a bowl positioned on the conveyance system until the lid is on top of the bowl, whereupon the end effector is configured to release the lid.
18 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bagger is configured to place bowls from the same order into a bag.
19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bagger is configured to seal and label bags.
20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the bagger is configured to place sealed and labeled bags onto a conveyor.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE The present application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/540,590, filed Sep. 26, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Online ordering and delivery services have expanded the customer base of many restaurants and other such food suppliers. However, many restaurant kitchens are unable to handle the increase in orders that result from providing online ordering and/or partnering with delivery services. In this regard, kitchens are typically capable of handling food preparation for a set number of orders at a time, which is typically influenced by the size of the kitchen staff, food preparation space, and/or food storage space. Upticks in orders resulting from online orders and/or food delivery services may overwhelm kitchen staff, potentially causing order delays, incorrect order fulfillment, and missing orders. These issues may affect online and food delivery service orders, as well as orders placed by patrons within the restaurant. Restaurants may address these issues by hiring more staff and expanding the size of food preparation and storage space. However, such solutions may require significant renovation costs or the need for a restaurant to move to a new location. Restaurants often need to close or reduce working hours during renovations or when moving to a new location, resulting in lost revenue. BRIEF SUMMARY The present disclosure provides for a food assembly and packaging robot for automating aspects of food assembly and packaging. By automating assembly and packaging, the workload on kitchen staff may be reduced and order issues, such as delays, incorrect order fulfillment, and missing orders may be minimized or avoided altogether. One aspect of the disclosure is directed to a robotic system comprising: a conveyance system; a bowl dispenser configured to deposit bowls onto the conveyance system; one or more food dispensers configured to deposit one or more ingredients into the bowls; one or more condiment dispensers configured to deposit one or more condiments into the bowls; a lidder configured to position lids atop the bowls; and a bagger configured to place the bowls into bags. In some instances, the conveyance system includes a plurality of magnetic carriages configured to be magnetically attached to a plurality of carrier sleds. In some examples, the plurality of magnetic carriages are configured to traverse a path through the robotic system such that the attached plurality of carrier sleds traverse the path. In some examples, each carrier sled of the plurality of carrier sleds includes an insert and is configured to receive a single bowl from the bowl dispenser. In some examples, each carrier sled of the plurality of carrier sleds includes a load cell configured to measure the weight of a bowl deposited within the respective carrier sled and wirelessly transmit the measured weight. In some instances, the bowl dispenser is configured to deposit a single bowl onto the conveyance system at a time, wherein each of the single bowls is retrieved from a stack of bowls stored within the bowl dispenser. In some examples, the bowl dispenser includes a reader configured to receive weight measurements. In some instances, each of the one or more food dispensers stores an ingredient within a hopper. In some examples, each of the one or more food dispensers are configured to maintain the one or more ingredients at preset temperatures within respective hoppers. In some examples, a first portion of the one or more food dispensers are connected to a chiller, steamer, and/or heater. In some examples, each of the one or more food dispensers include: one or more augers, and a hopper outlet, wherein the one or more augers direct the ingredient within the respective hopper out of the hopper through the hopper outlet into a bowl on the conveyance system. In some instances, the one or more ingredients include singular foods or food preparations. In some instances, the one or more condiment dispensers are configured to store condiments within cups and the cups are stored in columns, wherein each column stores a particular condiment type. In some examples, the columns form a carousel and condiments are deposited into bowls from the bottom of the columns through an actuator door. In some examples, the lidder stores a plurality of lids in a stack such that the top of the lid is facing downwards towards the conveyance system. In some examples, wherein the lidder comprises an end effector attached to an arm, wherein the end effector is configured to grasp a lid from a bottom of the stack and, wherein, after grasping the lid, the arm is configured to move the end effector downwards towards the conveyance system. In some examples, the arm is configured to rotate the end effector 180 degrees, such that the bottom of the top of the lid is facing upwards towards the stack of lids, and wherein the arm moves the end effector towards a bowl positioned