METHOD FOR OPERATING AN ASSEMBLY FOR PROCESSING LIQUID FOOD PRODUCTS

Abstract

Provided is a method for operating an assembly for processing liquid food products, where the operation of the assembly comprises automatically executable steps and steps to be executed manually for various elements of the assembly, where machine readable pieces of information are applied to at least one of the various elements the machine-readable pieces of information identifying the respective element, where the steps to be executed manually are in a processing unit each associated with an execution status which is set to executed under the condition that the machine-readable pieces of information are read out at at least one predetermined element by way of a mobile terminal, and where a control device controls the automatically executable steps taking into account the execution status.

Claims

1. A method for operating an assembly for processing liquid food products, where the operation of the assembly comprises automatically executable steps and steps to be executed manually for various elements of the assembly, where machine-readable pieces of information are applied to at least one of the various elements, the machine-readable pieces of information identifying at least one of the various elements, where the steps to be executed manually are each assigned an execution status in a processing unit, wherein the execution status is set to executed on the condition that the pieces of machine-readable information on at least one predetermined element of the various elements are read out by way of a mobile terminal, and where a control device controls the automatically executable steps taking into account the execution status of the steps to be manually executed.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the control device controls the automatically executable steps such that predetermined automatically executable steps are executed only after the execution status of predetermined steps to be executed manually has been set to executed.

3. The method according to claim 1, where the steps to be executed manually comprise connecting two predetermined elements of the various elements of the assembly, wherein the processing unit determines whether two pieces of machine-readable information read out in immediate succession using the mobile terminal identify the two predetermined elements of the various elements, and whether the two pieces of machine readable information have been read out in a predetermined time window.

4. The method according to claim 3, where the execution status for the step of connecting the two predetermined elements is set to executed, on the condition that the machine-readable pieces of information read out in immediate succession identify the two predetermined elements of the various elements, and wherein the information was read out in a predetermined time window, and wherein the execution status is otherwise set to not executed or executed incorrectly.

5. The method according to claim 4, where the mobile terminal outputs a warning if the condition is not satisfied.

6. The method according to claim 1, where the machine-readable pieces of information comprise optically readable pieces of information and/or electronically readable pieces of information.

7. The method according to claim 6, where an RFID tag or an NFC antenna containing the machine-readable pieces of information is applied to at least one of the various elements, and where the pieces of information are read out by way of a respective antenna of the mobile terminal.

8. The method according to one of the preceding claim 6, where a QR Code or a bar code is applied to at least one of the various elements and the pieces of information are read out by way of a camera of the mobile terminal.

9. The method according to claim 1, where a representation of at least some of the steps to be executed manually and the current execution status of the steps to be executed manually are shown on a display section of the mobile terminal.

10. The method according to claim 1, where determining, changing, and/or storing the execution status of the steps to be executed manually is done by use of the mobile terminal and the current execution status of one or more of the steps to be executed manually is then transmitted from the mobile terminal to the control device via a data connection.

11. The method according to claim 1, where the mobile terminal reads out the machine-readable pieces of information and transmits them by way of a data connection to the control device and the control device determines, changes, and/or stores said execution status.

12. The method according to claim 1, where the various elements of the assembly comprise a locking element to which identifying machine-readable information is applied, where the steps to be executed manually comprise locking two predetermined elements of the various elements of the assembly, by way of the locking element, and where the relative position of the machine-readable information identifying the locking element indicates whether the two predetermined elements of the various elements are locked.

13. The method according to claim 1, where the various elements of the assembly comprise a locking element, where the steps to be executed manually comprise locking two predetermined elements of the various elements of the assembly, by way of the locking element, where a photo of the locking element is created by way of a camera or a camera of the mobile terminal, where a user terminal or the processing unit, by way of an image processing method, compares the created photo to a stored photo showing a target state after the elements to be locked have been locked, and where, determined by the comparison of the two photos whether the step of locking has been executed correctly, the execution status is set to executed if the step of locking has been executed correctly.

14. A system with an assembly for processing liquid food products, where the assembly is adapted such that the operation of the assembly comprises automatically executable steps and steps to be executed manually for various elements of the assembly, where machine-readable pieces of information (are applied to the various elements, the machine-readable pieces of information identifying each respective element of the various elements, where the system, comprises a control device for controlling automatically executable process steps, where the system comprises a mobile terminal and where the control device is adapted to control the automatically executable steps taking into account an execution status of one or more of the steps to be executed manually, where the execution status reflects whether the machine-readable pieces of information on at least one predetermined element have been read out by way of the mobile terminal.

15. The system according to claim 14, where the control device is adapted to receive read out machine-readable pieces of information from the mobile terminal and determines from the received machine-readable pieces of information whether the execution status of one or more of the steps to be executed manually must be changed and changes the execution status accordingly.

16. The system according to claim 14, where the control device is adapted to receive information identifying a step to be executed manually and the execution status of the step to be manually executed, and where the mobile terminal or an external processing unit is adapted to determine, change, and store the execution status of the step to be manually executed.

Description

[0058] Further features and advantages shall be explained below with reference to the FIGURE which shows a schematic representation of an embodiment not to scale.

[0059] The FIGURE shows an assembly 1 with elements of the assembly 2 to 7 and corresponding machine-readable pieces of information 2a to 7a which identify the respective element. In addition, the FIGURE shows a control device 8, a mobile terminal 9, presently, for example, in the form of a tablet or a cell phone which comprises a display section in the form of a display 9a, an NFC antenna 9b and a camera 9c. In addition, the FIGURE shows processing unit 10, which is presently shown as part of the terminal, but can also be part of the control device or can be present separately. Furthermore, a data connection 11 is shown between the control unit and the terminal and can be, for example, a wireless connection such as Bluetooth or WI-FI. It is understood that the control unit also comprises data connections with which it can perform its control function in the assembly. However, they are presently not shown and would be self-explanatory to the person skilled in the art. The FIGURE also shows a panel 12 and a tank 13.

[0060] In this example, the elements are illustrated by way of example as follows: Element 2 comprises a shut-off flap, elements 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are connections, for example, of hoses or pipes. In this example, connections 3 to 5 are, in particular, connections of a pipe or a hose, and connections 6 and 7 are connections at a panel. Reference numeral 2a denotes an NFC antenna, and reference numerals 3a to 7a denote bar codes 3a and QR Codes 4a to 7a, respectively.

[0061] For example, QR Codes or bar codes can be printed or glued on as labels. The NFC antenna can be formed in a tag or the like and clamped on or suspended at the respective location. It is also possible to use printed NFC antennas.

[0062] However, it is to be understood that any additional elements or further elements can be present in the assembly and that any of the above-mentioned machine-readable pieces of information can be applied to each of these elements. For example, only optical or only electronic pieces of information can be present.

[0063] The method according to the invention for operating an assembly for processing liquid food products shall be described below. For the sake of clarity, reference is made to the assembly described above, but this can also be any other assembly in which machine-readable pieces of information are applied to various elements identifying the particular element.

[0064] It is presently described by way of example how a cleaning method for an assembly is initiated, in which several lines, for example hoses or pipes, are connected to each other, to tanks and/or to panels, and flaps and valves are present as shut-off elements.

[0065] In doing so, some steps can be executed automatically. For example, valves to product tanks can be automatically closed and valves to cleaning agent tanks automatically opened. In addition, a pump for pumping cleaning medium from one of the cleaning agent tanks through lines to be cleaned can be started automatically. Actuators, for example electric motors, which are actuated by a control device can be used for this.

[0066] Other steps that are executed to initiate the cleaning process include, for example, manually opening or closing flaps and disconnecting lines from other lines, tanks, or panels, and establishing new connections. The connections can be, for example, threaded connections having suitable sealing properties.

[0067] These manual steps are executed for various elements and one step can be associated with one element (for example the flap) or two elements (for example two connection regions) or possibly even more elements. Machine-readable pieces of information are applied to the elements for which manual steps are executed, such as the flaps and connection regions of the lines, tanks and/or panels, the machine-readable pieces of information uniquely identifying said elements.

[0068] As described above, these pieces of information can be optically readable or electronically readable.

[0069] Steps to be executed manually and automatically executable steps are stored in a processing unit, which is for example part of the mobile terminal or the control unit or is present separately, and one respective execution status is associated with at least each step to be executed manually, and preferably with all steps that are executable with or at the assembly.

[0070] The user selects a specific operation, for example, initiating the cleaning operation, for example, at the control device directly or on the mobile terminal.

[0071] The processing unit then determines which step to be executed manually and which automatically executable steps are associated with the selected operation and must be executed and whether this must be performed in a particular sequence. For this purpose, the processing device can access stored data defining this. Alternatively or additionally, however, a user can also enter and/or select certain steps and, where appropriate, their sequence. Determining which steps to execute comprises determining which steps require the execution status to be set to executed.

[0072] The execution status for all steps can be set to not executed at the beginning of the procedure, which corresponds to a reset operation. However, it is conceivable that some steps have already been executed depending on the previous operation. In this case, their execution status can already be set to executed at the beginning.

[0073] When the user starts the operation, the control device verifies which automatically executable steps can be executed regardless of the execution status of other processes, and controls the corresponding elements such that these steps are executed. The execution status of these elements is set to executed after successful completion. For example, certain valves can be closed by an actuator immediately at the beginning of the operation.

[0074] In addition, the user can now be indicated by way of the mobile terminal which steps he must execute manually and, where appropriate, in which sequence. However, such indication is optional.

[0075] For example, a first step to be executed manually can be to close a flap. The user can do this and confirm the execution by reading out the machine-readable pieces of information on the flap using the mobile terminal. For example, he can use the camera of the terminal to take a photograph of a bar code or a QR Code or read out pieces of information from an RFID tag or an NFC antenna using a suitable antenna of the terminal. The user is there not bound to reading out the pieces of information only after the execution, but can also read out the pieces of information directly prior to execution.

[0076] The pieces of information read out are then processed. It is determined which element is identified by the pieces of information read out and which step was to be executed for that element. The execution status of this step can then be set to executed.

[0077] Since the user is not bound to executing the step prior to reading out the pieces of information, a predetermined delay between the readout and setting the execution status to executed can optionally be provided. Values for the delay can be stored in a storage medium. The values can be different for different steps, for example, if experience has shown that one step takes longer than another.

[0078] If the steps to be executed manually comprise that the user connects certain line ends, then machine-readable information, such as a code or an antenna, can be applied to each of these ends. The user can read the pieces of information at the two ends directly in succession using the mobile terminal, where the readout can be effected, for example, as described above.

[0079] The processing unit verifies whether the two elements identified satisfy certain conditions. The processing unit verifies whether a step of the operation to be executed manually is associated with exactly these two line ends, i.e. for example, whether a step to be executed manually represents connecting these line ends. In addition, it can optionally be verified whether both readout operations occur within a predetermined time interval.

[0080] If the condition(s) is(are) not satisfied and if one or both line ends are each associated with a step to be executed manually, then the latter is respectively set to not executed. Alternatively, the execution status can also be set to executed incorrectly. In this case, the terminal can also output an indication, for example a warning tone or a message on the screen of the terminal.

[0081] If the condition(s) is (are) satisfied, then the execution status of this step can be set to executed, possibly with a predetermined delay, as discussed above.

[0082] Especially for steps in which a connection must be established correctly, it can be useful to specify a generous delay, because the user can then first read out the two pieces of information, then wait to see whether this connection is correct, i.e., whether the execution status can be set to executed, and can then actually establish the connection. Disconnecting and connecting connections unnecessarily can then be avoided.

[0083] An analogous procedure can be followed when a line end is connected to a connection on a panel, in which case the line end and the connection are each provided with machine-readable pieces of information.

[0084] For example, the processing unit can verify at predetermined intervals whether further automatically executable steps, whose enabling depends on the execution status of predefined steps to be executed manually having been set to executed, have been enabled, and the control device can then initiate these enabled automatically executable steps. These automatically executable steps can optionally be enabled with a predetermined delay with respect to setting the execution status of the predetermined steps to executed.

[0085] This means, the control device controls the automatically executable steps taking into account the execution status.

[0086] For example, opening certain valves to tanks of cleaning fluid and starting pumps that pump cleaning fluid through the lines can be enabled only when the execution status of all steps separating the lines from the food tanks and establishing the correct connections to the tanks of cleaning fluid and possibly to waste water tanks or drains has been set to executed.

[0087] In all cases mentioned above, the mobile terminal can optionally output an indication once the execution status for one step is or has been set to executed. It can also display a list of steps to be executed and their respective current execution status, where the steps are preferably displayed in the sequence in which they must be executed, if such a sequence has been predetermined. The user can also be shown instructions on how to execute the step. The user can then follow the instructions.

[0088] It is understood that the features mentioned in the embodiments described above are not restricted to these specific combinations and are also possible in any other combination.