The present invention provides a food packaging machine comprising a packaging material supply module, a food supply module, a filling module. The food packaging machine further comprises a hardware data processor operably connected to the packaging material supply module, operably connected to the food supply module, so operable to create a food data transaction, and operably connected to a network data processing system. The hardware data processor is operable to send the food data transaction to the network data processing system for the data transaction to be appended to a packaged food production data hash tree. The present invention further provides a system for packaging food comprising a plurality of food packaging machines as well as methods for tracking food data transactions in a food packaging machine and in a system for packaging food.

A robotic pack station is disclosed. The robotic pack station automates the transfer of items from a tote or bin to a shipping container such as a box in a warehouse, storage or sales facility. The robotic pack station includes system and method components, and includes a work cell with a robotic arm, machine vision or sensing system, a conveyer and pack platform. Imaging of the contents of the tote with a scan tunnel and connectivity with a sorter device allows for the operation of multiple robotic pack stations, each with a specialized function such as a small box line, a medium box line, and the like.

A method for operating a robotic system includes determining a discretized object model representative of a target object; determining a discretized platform model representative of a task location; determining height measures based on real-time sensor data representative of the task location; and dynamically deriving a placement location based on (1) overlapping the discretized object model and the discretized platform model for stacking objects at the task location and (2) calculating a placement score associated with the overlapping based on the height measures.

An apparatus includes a product metering device, first and second container preparation systems, and a controller. The product metering device is configured to dispense a product. The first and second container preparation systems are configured to dispense first and second containers, respectively, for receiving the product from the product metering device. The first and second container preparation systems include first and second severed container material transporting devices, respectively, operable to transport the first and second containers, respectively, from the first and second container preparation systems, respectively, to the product metering device. The controller simultaneously controls (i) one of the first container preparation system and the second container preparation system to prepare one of the first container and the second container, and (ii) the product metering device to dispense the product into the other of the first container and the second container.

A packaging machine, comprising a control unit, at least one measurement device and a plurality of work units for different processes. One of the work units is designed as a sealing station which comprises at least one moisture sensor designed as the measurement device which is functionally connected to the control unit and is designed to detect moisture within the sealing station as a time-dependent measured variable during a program sequence of the sealing station. The program sequence may comprise an evacuation process, wherein the control unit is designed to calculate a rate of change in the moisture during the evacuation process of the sealing station. The control unit may abort the evacuation process performed on the sealing station, based on the rate of change, before reaching a target vacuum pressure within the sealing station, immediately or after a specified delay time elapses.

A packaging system according to an aspect is a packaging system formed by connecting an external server to a plurality of packaging apparatuses via a network. The external server stores control parameters for the packaging apparatuses to package an article to be packaged in an optimal state. The packaging apparatus communicates with the external server, downloads necessary control parameters, and controls a packaging operation by using the downloaded control parameters. Accordingly, a setting operation performed in each of the packaging apparatuses can be significantly reduced.

An apparatus includes a product metering device, first and second container preparation systems, and a controller. The product metering device is configured to dispense a product. The first and second container preparation systems are configured to dispense first and second containers, respectively, for receiving the product from the product metering device. The first and second container preparation systems include first and second severed container material transporting devices, respectively, operable to transport the first and second containers, respectively, from the first and second container preparation systems, respectively, to the product metering device. The controller simultaneously controls (i) one of the first container preparation system and the second container preparation system to prepare one of the first container and the second container, and (ii) the product metering device to dispense the product into the other of the first container and the second container.

A packaging apparatus and a method of operating the apparatus are provided. The apparatus comprises a support frame, a packaging station having a first tool, a second tool, and one or more actuators, operably coupled to at least one of the first tool and the second tool, to modify a position of the second tool with respect to the first tool; and a control unit operably coupled to the one or more actuators, wherein the one or more actuators have a first configuration, in which the first tool and the second tool are spaced from one another by a first distance, a second configuration, in which the first tool and the second tool are spaced from one another by a second distance, and a third configuration, in which the first tool and the second tool are spaced from one another by a third distance, and wherein the control unit is configured to operate in a first modality, wherein the control unit is configured to move the one or more actuators from the first configuration into the second configuration, to maintain the one or more actuators in the second configuration for a first time interval, and to move the one or more actuators from the second configuration into the first configuration.

A method, server device, and system obtaining packaging plant status data includes a data input interface which obtains a first instance of a packaging plant data switch, wherein the first packaging plant status data represent at least one first status value of a packaging plant. At least one first status value represented by the first packaging plant status data is stored in a persistent memory by a data storage interface. The first instance and each further instance of the packaging plant data switch is notified by the first instance that the first packaging plant status data representing at least the first status value have been obtained. Processing of the first packaging plant status data and/or of the first status value by the first instance and each further instance of the packaging plant data switch is carried out in response to the notifying.

A packaging system for high flexibility and speed box-last packaging comprises one or more dimensional scanning sensors that are configured to scan a group of one or more target products that are to be boxed and gather dimension information describing physical dimensions of the group of one or more target products. The system also comprises one or more packaging-production machines that are configured to generate custom-made packaging templates that conform to a pre-determined set of packaging template types. Additionally, the system comprises a packaging template buffer that comprises physically divided sections that contain multiple packaging templates selected from the pre-determined set of packaging template types that are generated by the one or more packaging-production machines. Each of the packaging templates are organized within the physically divided section based upon packaging template type.