Portion control system for food products dispensed from frozen beverage and soft-serve ice cream equipment

A portion control method for food products dispensed from frozen beverage equipment and soft-serve ice cream equipment, the portion control method comprising the steps of:

• injecting a food product into a mixing cylinder and chilling the food product to a predetermined frozen malleable consistency, the mixing cylinder comprising at least one of an auger, at least one of a product inlet, and at least one of a dispense valve, an auger motor is interconnected with the auger, a control system comprising a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and a motor sensor, the temperature sensor is operationally related to the mixing cylinder, the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the food product inside the mixing cylinder, the pressure sensor is operationally related to the mixing cylinder and measures pressure inside the mixing cylinder, the auger is positioned inside the mixing cylinder and rotates at an auger motor RPM speed, the motor sensor is operationally related to the auger motor, the motor sensor measures an amperage draw or a torque of the auger motor resultant from resistance of rotating the auger through the food product;
• receiving a portion-controlled dispense amount volume indicating volume of the food product to dispense;
• if initially the auger motor RPM speed is zero:
• determining a dispense time and a dispense amount volume, the dispense time is determined based on current values of a plurality of dispense condition variables by interpolating between plurality of a dispense table record, the dispense table record comprises a dispense time, a dispense amount, and the auger motor RPM across a range of values of the plurality of dispense condition variables where the auger motor RPM is zero, the dispense amount volume is a surge amount of volume;
• opening the dispense valve for the dispense time, allowing the surge amount of volume of the food product, in the predetermined frozen malleable consistency, to be dispensed in portion control manner;
• determining the dispense time and the dispense amount volume, the dispense time is determined based on current values of the plurality of dispense condition variables by interpolating between plurality of the dispense table record, the dispense amount volume is equal to the portion-controlled dispense amount volume minus the surge dispense amount volume;
• starting the auger motor rotating;
• and
• opening the dispense valve for the dispense time, allowing the dispense amount volume of the food product, in the predetermined frozen malleable consistency, to be dispensed in portion control manner;
• if initially the auger motor RPM speed is greater than zero:
• determining the dispense time and the dispense amount volume, the dispense time is determined based on current values of the plurality of dispense condition variables by interpolating between plurality of the dispense table record, the dispense amount volume is equal to the portion-controlled dispense amount volume;
• and
• opening the dispense valve for the dispense time, allowing the dispense amount volume of the food product, in the predetermined frozen malleable consistency, to be dispensed in portion control manner.

A portion control method for food products dispensed from frozen beverage equipment and soft-serve ice cream equipment, the portion control method comprising the steps of:

• training the portion control system by:
• injecting a food product into a mixing cylinder and chilling the food product to a predetermined frozen malleable consistency, the mixing cylinder comprising at least one of an auger, at least one of a product inlet, and at least one of a dispense valve, an auger motor is interconnected with the auger, a control system comprising a memory, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and a motor sensor, the temperature sensor is operationally related to the mixing cylinder, the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the food product inside the mixing cylinder, the pressure sensor is operationally related to the mixing cylinder and measures pressure inside the mixing cylinder, the auger is positioned inside the mixing cylinder and rotates at an auger motor RPM speed, the motor sensor is operationally related to the auger motor, the motor sensor measures an amperage draw or a torque of the auger motor resultant from resistance of rotating the auger through the food product;
• varying at least one of a plurality of dispense condition variables, the plurality of dispense condition variables comprise a dispense time, a dispense amount volume, a food product viscosity, a mixing cylinder pressure, a dispense valve aperture size, a geometry of the auger, and an auger motor RPM speed;
• dispensing the food product in the predetermined frozen malleable consistency form;
• determining a volume of food product dispensed and a training dispense time in which the volume of food product was dispensed;
• storing in at least one of the dispense table record, in the memory or accessible on a remote data processing resource, the training dispense time duration as the dispense time, the volume of food product dispensed as the dispense amount volume, the product temperature, the mixing cylinder pressure, the auger motor RPM speed, and a food product viscosity based in part on an amperage draw or a torque of the auger motor, wherein the dispense table record is updated.