Method for classifying a package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12287310-B2
Application number	US-202117792922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2021
Priority date	Aug 25, 2020
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

A method of classifying a package based on stiffness of the package, wherein the package includes carton and is filled with food product, the method including applying a force on the package, retrieving a sample value by measuring a deformation of the package caused by the force, determining a difference between the sample value and a reference value, and classifying the package as belonging to a first category if the difference is within a threshold interval, otherwise classifying the package as belonging to a second category.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of classifying a package based on stiffness of the package, wherein the package is made of a carton material and is filled with food product, said method comprises
applying a force on the package,
measuring a deformation of the package caused by the force,
detecting packages that have had water leak into the carton material based on the deformation, and
classifying the package as belonging to a first category if the deformation is within a threshold interval, otherwise classifying the package as belonging to a second category, to thereby distinguish packages in which water has leaked into the carton material from those packages that have been able to withstand the water;
wherein the carton material includes a cellulose based material which becomes softer when water leaks into the carton material to result in the deformation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the force is applied on a side panel of the package.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the force is applied on an edge portion of the package.

4. The method according to claim 2 , comprising
applying an opposite force on an opposite side panel of the package,
wherein the step of measuring the deformation is performed by measuring the deformation of the package caused by the force and the opposite force.

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
conveying the package,
wherein the step of applying the force on the package is performed in parallel with the step of conveying the package, such that the force is applied along the side panel of the package, in the direction by which the package is conveyed.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the step of applying the force is performed by pressing a first roll against the package as the package is conveyed past the first roll.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the package is formed as a rectangular cuboid, and the step of pressing the first roll against package as the package is conveyed past the first roll is performed by
pressing the first roll over a front edge portion of the package,
pressing the first roll over a mid-portion of the side panel, and
pressing the first roll over a rear edge portion of the package,
wherein the front edge portion comprises a front edge where the side panel joins a front panel, and the rear edge portion comprises a rear edge where the side panel joins a rear panel.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the step of measuring the deformation of the package caused by the force is performed during the step of pressing the first roll against the front edge portion and/or the step of pressing the first roll against the rear edge portion as the package is conveyed past the first roll.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the threshold interval is determined based on the deformation measured for previously classified packages classified as belonging to the first category.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the force is applied on an area of the package that is less than 3 cm 2 .

11. A method for producing packages filled with food product, said method comprising
packing the food product in the packages, wherein the packages comprises carton material,
heat treating the packages with the food product by subjecting the packages to steam or hot water, and
classifying the packages according to claim 1 .

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein an end section of the first arm is provided with a first roll and the first arm is arranged to engage with a side panel of the package via the first roll.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 , comprising
a second arm arranged to apply an opposite force on an opposite side panel of the package.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein an end section of the second arm is provided with a second roll and the second arm is arranged to engage with an opposing side panel of the package via the second roll.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the first arm is attached to the first shaft arranged to rotate around the first axis of rotation, the second arm is attached to a second shaft arranged to rotate around a second axis of rotation, and wherein the deformation is measured by the first rotary encoder connected to the first shaft in combination with a second rotary encoder arranged to measure a second angular position of the second shaft also representing the deformation of the package.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the package further comprises a front panel, a rear panel, two front edges, and two rear edges.

17. An apparatus for classifying a package made of a carton material based on stiffness of the package, said apparatus comprising
a conveyor system arranged to engage with a bottom of the package and to transport the package to an assessment area,
a first arm arranged to apply a force on the package, wherein the first arm is attached to a first shaft arranged to rotate around a first axis of rotation,
a first rotary encoder arranged to measure a first angular position of the first shaft, wherein the first angular position represents a deformation of the package caused by the package softening after water leaks into the carton material based on the deformation,
a memory holding a value representing a deformation threshold interval, and
a control unit configured to retrieve said value representing a deformation threshold interval from the memory, and classify the package as belonging to a first category if the deformation is within said threshold interval, otherwise classify the package as belonging to a second category, to thereby distinguish packages in which water has leaked into the carton material from those packages that have been able to withstand the water,
wherein the carton material includes a cellulose based material which becomes softer when water leaks into the carton material to result in the deformation.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the package further comprises a front panel, a rear panel, two front edges, and two rear edges.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Larsson Mikael
• Eriksson Andreas

Classifications

• G01N35/04

  Details of the conveyor system {(G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G01N3/06

  Special adaptations of indicating or recording means · CPC title

• B65B57/00

  Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices (registering wrapping or container-forming material fed from rolls B65B41/18) · CPC title

• B65B55/00

  Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging (by packaging under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions B65B31/00; devices for placing protecting sheets, plugs, or wads over contents B65B61/22) · CPC title

• B65B25/001

  of foodstuffs, combined with their conservation (B65B25/041, B65B25/062, B65B25/067 take precedence) · CPC title