John Bean Technologies Corporation

Design Systems, Inc.

Fmc Corporation

Fmc Technologies, Inc.

Designs Systems, Inc.

Craig E Pfarr

George R Blaine

Norman A Rudy

John R Strong

Darren P Wattles

Arthur William Vogeley, Jr

Carlos Aromin Ordona

Daniel F Wilson

Jon Almon Hocker

David A Below

Robert L Bottemiller

Michael J Wierman

Aw Vogeley

A system () for cutting work product () into portions (P) and unloading the portions includes a conveyance system () for carrying the workpieces and portions, as well as a scanner () for scanning the work products. A cutter system () composed of cutter assemblies () carried by carrier systems () may be arranged in an array or series along the conveyance system for cutting, trimming, and portioning the work products () into end pieces (P) of desired sizes or other physical parameters. An unloading system () composed of one or more unloading assemblies/units/apparatus () are carried by the same carrier systems () used to carry the cutter assemblies () to pick up the portioned pieces (P) and either move them to a different location or replace the portioned workpieces back onto the conveyance system after the trim of the workpiece has been removed.

System for cutting and unloading portions

A system for measuring physical properties of a workpiece in motion which includes a conveyance assembly for conveying the workpiece, a scanning assembly for scanning the workpiece, and a measurement assembly for measuring at least one physical property of the workpiece while the workpiece is in motion.

System and method for assessment of a workpiece in a continuous flow process

A method and system () are provided for automatically portioning workpieces () using a rotating blade () passing through narrow gap () formed between the ends of adjacent conveyors () and (). A scanning system () scans the workpieces () to physically characterize the workpieces and control the operation of the blade (), including its rotational speed. The portioning of the workpiece can be carried out in accordance with one or more directly-controlled characteristics (parameter/specifications), such as a cutting path of the blade (), the rotational speed of the blade (), and the speed of the conveyor (). The directly-controlled characteristics may be varied until an acceptable set of one or more indirectly-controlled characteristics is achieved, including, for example, the weight of the cut portions, the quality of the cuts achieved by the cutting blade, and the throughput of the portioning system ().

Optimization of blade portioner cutting speed

A method and system are provided for automatically portioning workpieces, such as food products, by simulating portioning the workpieces in accordance with one or more directly controlled characteristics (parameters/specifications) and/or indirectly controlled characteristics (parameters/specifications). The workpiece is scanned to obtain scanning information, then simulating portioning of the workpiece is carried out in accordance with the one or more directly controlled characteristics (parameters/specifications), thereby to determine the one or more indirectly controlled characteristics of the one or more final pieces to be portioned from the workpiece. The simulated portioning of the workpiece is performed for multiple combinations of one or more directly controlled characteristics until an acceptable set of one or more directly controlled characteristics and/or one or more indirectly controlled characteristics is determined.

Method and system for portioning workpieces to directly-controlled and/or indirectly-controlled characteristics

A method and system are provided for automatically portioning workpieces, such as food products, by simulating portioning the workpieces in accordance with the one or more desired shapes of the final piece(s) as a directly controlled physical characteristic (parameter/specification) as well as one or more resulting indirectly controlled physical characteristics (parameters/specifications). The desired shape(s) of the final piece(s) are defined by a plurality of manipulatable reference coordinates. A workpiece is scanned to obtain scanning information, then portioning of the workpiece is simulated in accordance with the desired shape(s) of the final piece(s) defined by the directly controlled reference coordinates, thereby to determine the one or more indirectly controlled physical characteristics of the one or more final pieces to be portioned from the workpiece. The simulated portioning of the workpiece is performed for multiple combinations of directly controlled shapes as defined by the modified or edited reference coordinates and indirectly controlled physical characteristics until an acceptable set of a directly controlled shape and resulting one or more indirectly controlled physical characteristics is determined.

Method and system for portioning workpieces using reference shape as a directly controlled characteristic

A method is provided for classifying incoming products (e.g., chicken butterflies) to be portioned into two or more types of end products (e.g., sandwich portions, strips, nuggets, etc.) to meet production goals. The method includes generally five steps. First, information on incoming products is received. Second, for each incoming product, a parameter value (e.g., the weight of an end product to be produced from the incoming product) is calculated for each of the two or more types of end products that may be produced from the incoming product. Third, the calculated parameter values for the incoming products for the two or more types of end products, respectively, are normalized so as to meet the production goals while at the same time achieving optimum parameter values. Fourth, for each incoming product, the end product with the best (e.g., largest) normalized parameter value is selected as the end product to be produced from the incoming product. Fifth, each incoming product is portioned to produce the end product selected in the fourth step.

Classifying workpieces to be portioned into various end products to optimally meet overall production goals

A method and system are provided for automatically portioning workpieces, such as food products, by simulating portioning the workpieces in accordance with one or more directly controlled characteristics (parameters/specifications) and/or indirectly controlled characteristics (parameters/specifications). The workpiece is scanned to obtain scanning information, then simulating portioning of the workpiece is carried out in accordance with the one or more directly controlled characteristics (parameters/specifications), thereby to determine the one or more indirectly controlled characteristics of the one or more final pieces to be portioned from the workpiece. The simulated portioning of the workpiece is performed for multiple combinations of one or more directly controlled characteristics until an acceptable set of one or more directly controlled characteristics and/or one or more indirectly controlled characteristics are determined.

A support system () for stabilizing a high-pressure feed line () in a high-speed water jet food portioner, comprising a rigid span assembly () connected at one end to an extendable universal joint () that provides rotational motion around two axes () as well as linear freedom along a third axis (), and at the other end to a rod-end bearing () that permits motion about two axes at a fixed attachment point. The extendable universal joint () and the rod-end bearing () are each anchored to a fixed point, one on a portioner housing and the other on a cutting carriage such that the rigid span assembly () is allowed freedom at one end to move with the rapid and dramatically changing motion of the cutting carriage in order to provide support to the high-pressure feed line () mounted thereon, with minimal vibration.

Stabilization system for high-pressure water jet feed line

A method is provided for sorting incoming products (e.g., chicken butterflies) to be portioned into two or more types of end products (e.g., sandwich portions, strips, nuggets, etc.) to meet production goals. The method includes generally four steps. First, information on incoming products is received. Second, for each incoming product, a parameter value (e.g., the weight of an end product to be produced from the incoming product) is calculated for each of the two or more types of end products that may be produced from the incoming product. Third, the calculated parameter values for the incoming products for the two or more types of end products, respectively, are normalized so as to meet the production goals while at the same time achieving optimum parameter values. Fourth, for each incoming product, the end product with the best (e.g., largest) normalized parameter value is selected as the end product to be produced from the incoming product.

Sorting workpieces to be portioned into various end products to optimally meet overall production goals

A portioning system () includes a scanner () for scanning a passing poultry breast (). A cutting device (), a slicing device () and/or other equipment may be used to portion, trim, or otherwise process the poultry breast under the control of a computer (). The computer also utilizes the information from the scanner to determine position and the angular orientation of the poultry breast relative to a reference line by determining directional lines corresponding to physical attributes of the poultry breast. One directional line is related to the principal axis of the poultry breast, determined from the axis of least inertia of the poultry breast when analyzing the regions of the poultry breast above a selected elevation of the poultry breast.

Determining the position and angular orientation of food products

A portioning apparatus () includes a powered conveyor () for carrying workpieces (WP) past a scanning station () and past a cutting station (). Information from the scanning station pertaining to physical parameters of the workpiece is transmitted to a control system () which then determines an optimal cutting strategy for the workpiece, which strategy is implemented at the cutting station (). The length of time required to portion the workpiece is also determined, and this information is used to ascertain whether the speed of the conveyor () is optimal or should be changed.

Apparatus and method for portioning using automatic workpiece conveyance speed control

A conveyorincludes an infeed/scanning section () and a cutting/outfeed section (). Both sections have an endless belt () and () each driven by a friction drive roller () and (). Adequate frictional load is applied between the endless belts and corresponding drive rollers by tension assemblies, each having a tensioning roller (), () rotatably mounted on a pivot frame structure (), () allowing the weight of the tensioning roller to be applied to the return run of the endless belts. Dampeners () () are integrated with the tensioning rollers () () to dampen vibrations in the endless belts () ().

Friction drive conveyor

A conveyor () moves workpieces (WP) past a scanning station () to ascertain one or more physical parameters of the workpiece (WP) and to a portioning station () wherein the workpiece (WP) is portioned into desired smaller portions. Thereafter, the conveyor () carries a portioned workpiece (WP) to an unloading station () where one or more pickup devices () removes specific portioned workpieces (PP) from the conveyor and places the portioned workpieces onto take away conveyors () for other locations remote from the first conveyor. A control system, composed in part of a computer (), keeps track of the locations of the workpieces (WP) on the conveyor () and also optionally on the take away conveyor () so that portioned pieces (PP) are placed at specific desired locations remote from the conveyor () by the pickup devices ().

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Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Craig E Pfarr