Image recognition shuts out erroneous feeding of powder raw materials

Material Receiving and Powder Feeding Process

Type of industry	Food manufacturer
Introduced products	PV Checker

Background and problem

There is a limit to how much you can prevent erroneous feeding by visual inspection

When feeding powder raw materials into various pieces of equipment, the wrong type (flour, sugar, additives, etc.) was often encountered. Even if you put "Sugar in" on the feed port for the raw material, it will not completely prevent worker's careless mistakes because multiple types of powder are replaced several times a day. We were asked if we could somehow reduce the risk of workers making mistakes and having to stop feeding in a hurry.

TSUKASA’s response

Feeding permitted after image judgment of powder bag design

We proposed a "PV Checker" that captures an image of the surface of a bag with a camera before powder is fed into it, recognizes the design (letters, patterns, colors, etc.), and only unlocks the feed port when "OK" is selected. If an administrator takes a picture of the surface of a bag in advance and registers it from a computer or touch panel, it can automatically prevent incorrect feeding. In addition, judgments of "OK" and "NG" can be notified via the monitor screen or audio.

Combination device (example)

Automatic dividing and weighing equipment
Combine the "Divider Scale Terminal" and "PV Checker" to unlock the material stocker only when "OK". Even when weighing and mixing several types of powders, it is possible to prevent accidental human error.

Equipment for raw material feeding
In combination with the Dumping Server and LINESIFTER Integrated Model, where manual opening and feeding of raw materials is carried out, it is also possible to automatically switch transportation lines to downstream processing.

Automatic bag opening System
In combination with the "Depalletizer robo", which supplies powder bags to the automatic opening bag system, it is possible to check the type of bags stacked on a pallet with certainty.

Why TSUKASA was chosen

Great cost performance
QR codes and OCR (character recognition) are also used to prevent erroneous feeding. TSUKASA has developed its own image recognition software specialized in "identifying powder bag types", which has achieved significant cost reductions compared to other methods.

Ease of use without labeling
There is no need to apply a new label such as a QR code to the powder bag that has arrived at the plant. Since image recognition is possible as it is, no extra effort is required.

Can be installed on existing powder equipment
The "PV Checker" can be installed as a retrofit in the current line. There is no need to introduce new powder equipment.

Multiple powder bag designs can be registered
Multiple designs of powder bags that are judged as "OK" by the "PV Checker" can be registered. It can be used flexibly, such as "We accept flour from Company A, Company B, and Company C."

Results of introduction

Increase in production efficiency of the entire plant
Production efficiency of entire plants has been improved by preventing line stoppage due to erroneous feeding of powder raw materials, recleaning of equipment and devices; and the occurrence of raw material loss and waste.

Focus your attention on other tasks
There is no need for a visual inspection by an operator, so that attention and concentration can be directed to reduce errors in other tasks.