Method and system for controlling loading of food products in a food mixing unit

1. Method for controlling loading of food products in a food mixing unit, which loading occurs by means of at least one loader unit; the mixing unit comprising a weighing device, which comprises storage means to store at least one recipe comprising a list of food products to be loaded in the mixing unit and is suitable to check the weight of the food products of the recipe as they are loaded in the mixing unit; the loader unit being suitable to take each food product from at least one relative stocking area; the method being characterised in that it comprises the steps of:

identifying each stocking area by means of a respective set of points in space, each of them defined by the relative geographic coordinates;

associating to each food product of the recipe at least the set of points identifying said at least one relative stocking area;

storing in said storage means, for each food product of the recipe, the first geographic coordinates of the set of points associated to said food product;

acquiring, by the weighing device, for each food product of the recipe being loaded, second geographic coordinates identifying the place where the loader unit is located when it takes the food product from a stocking area, by means of at least one GPS receiver associated to the loader unit; and

comparing, by the weighing device, the second geographic coordinates with the first geographic coordinates associated to the food product being loaded in order to check whether the correct food product is being taken.

2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the set of points associated to each said food product of the recipe comprises at least three points; said step of comparing the second geographic coordinates with the first geographic coordinates associated to the food product being loaded comprising the step of checking whether the point defined by the second geographic coordinates is inside a polygon defined by the set of points associated to the food product being loaded.

3. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the loader unit is self-propelled in order to reach said stocking area and to carry the relative food product from the stocking area to the mixing unit; said GPS receiver being mounted on the loader unit.

4. Method according to claim 3 , wherein said loader unit comprises loading means to take a food product from said relative stocking area and to load the taken food product into said mixing unit; said step of acquiring, by the weighing device, for each food product of the recipe being loaded, second geographic coordinates identifying the place where the loader unit is located, comprising the steps of:

detecting, by weight detecting means connected to said loading means, the presence of the food product on the loading means;

if the food product is present on the loading means, querying said GPS receiver to obtain the second geographic coordinates; and

transmitting the second geographic coordinates from the loader unit to the weighing device by communication means mounted on the loader unit and on the weighing device.

5. Method according to claim 3 , wherein said step of acquiring, by the weighing device, for each food product of the recipe being loaded, second geographic coordinates identifying the place where the loader unit is located, comprises the steps of:

waiting for an operator of said loader unit to enter a first command by means of first man-machine interface means mounted on the loader unit;

querying said GPS receiver following entry of the first command in order to obtain the second geographic coordinates; and

transmitting the second geographic coordinates from the loader unit to the weighing device by communication means mounted on the loader unit and the weighing device.

6. Method according to claim 1 , wherein said mixing unit is self-propelled in order to reach said stocking area and comprises said loader unit to retrieve the food product directly from the stocking area.

7. Method according to claim 6 , wherein said weighing device comprises second man-machine interface means; said step of acquiring, by the weighing device, for each food product of the recipe being loaded, second geographic coordinates identifying the place where the loader unit is located, comprising the steps of:

waiting for an operator of said mixing unit to enter a second command by means of the second man-machine interface means;

querying said GPS receiver following entry of the second command in order to obtain the second geographic coordinates.

8. Method according to claim 1 , comprising the step of emitting at least one visual or acoustic error signal if the comparison between said second geographic coordinates and said first geographic coordinates associated to the food product being loaded reveals that an wrong food product is being taken.

9. System for controlling loading of food products in a food mixing unit, which loading occurs by means of at least one loader unit; the system comprising a weighing device, which is mounted on the mixing unit, comprises storage means to store at least one recipe comprising a list of food products to be loaded in the mixing unit and comprises processing means configured to check the weight of the food products as they are loaded in the mixing unit; the loader unit being suitable to take each food product of the recipe from at least one relative stocking area; the system being characterised in that said storage means are suitable to store, for each food product of the recipe, first geographic coordinates relative to a set of points which is associated to the food product and identifies the stocking area relative to the food product; in that it comprises at least one GPS receiver associated to the loader unit to detect second geographic coordinates identifying the place where the loader unit is located; and in that said processing means are configured to acquire the second geographic coordinates for each food product being loaded when the loader unit takes the food product from a stocking area and to compare the second coordinates acquired for the food product being loaded with the first geographic coordinates associated to the food product being loaded in order to check whether the correct food product is being taken.

10. System according to claim 9 , wherein the set of points associated to each food product of said recipe comprises at least three points; said processing means being configured to check whether the point defined by said second geographic coordinates is inside a polygon defined by the set of points associated to the food product being loaded.

11. System according to claim 9 , wherein said loader unit is self-propelled in order to reach said stocking area and to carry the relative food product from the stocking area to the mixing unit; said GPS receiver being mounted on the loader unit.

12. System according to claim 11 , wherein said loader unit comprises loading means to take a food product from said relative stocking area and to load the taken food product in said mixing unit; the system comprising: weight detecting means connected to said loading means to detect the presence of a food product on the loading means; control means which are mounted on the loader unit, are connected to the weight detecting means and to said GPS receiver and are configured to query the GPS receiver in case the food product is present on the loading means in order to obtain said second coordinates; and communication means mounted on the loader unit and on said weighing device to transmit the second geographic coordinates from the loader unit to the weighing device.

13. System according to claim 12 , wherein said communication means comprise a first wireless communication module, which is incorporated in said weighing device and is connected to said processing means and, at least one second wireless communication module, which is mounted on said at least one loader unit, is suitable to communicate with the first wireless communication module and is connected to said GPS receiver.

14. System according to claim 11 , comprising: first man-machine interface means mounted on said loader unit to allow an operator of the loader unit to enter a first command; control means, which are mounted on the loader unit, are connected to the first man-machine interface means and to said GPS receiver and are configured to query the GPS receiver following entry of the first command in order to obtain said second coordinates; and communication means mounted on the loader unit and on said weighing device to transmit the second geographic coordinates from the loader unit to the weighing device.

15. System according to claim 9 , wherein said mixing unit is self-propelled in order to reach said stocking area and comprises said loader unit to directly take the food product from the stocking area.

16. System according to claim 15 , wherein said weighing device comprises second man-machine interface means which are connected to said processing means and allow an operator of said mixing unit to enter a second command; said processing means being connected to said GPS receiver and being configured to query the GPS receiver following entry of the second command in order to obtain said second coordinates.

17. System according to claim 9 , wherein said weighing device comprises second man-machine interface means, which are connected to said processing means and are suitable to emit visual and/or acoustic signals; the processing means being configured to control the second man-machine interface means so that they emit at least one visual or acoustic error signal in the case in which the comparison between said second geographic coordinates and said first geographic coordinates associated to the food product being loaded reveals that a wrong food product is being taken.