John Bean Technologies Corporation

Fmc Technologies, Inc.

Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud.baader Gmbh + Co Kg

Other

Alpine Engineered Products, Inc.

Jbt Marel Corporation

George R Blaine

Craig E Pfarr

Jon Almon Hocker

David A Below

Arthur William Vogeley, Jr

John R Strong

Alexander Steffens

Richard Daniel Stockard

David Faires

Robert L Bottemiller

Matthew F Falkoski

Aw Vogeley

David L McAdoo

Erick A Sorenson

Harrison T Gill

Robert T Zwaard

Jonathan Keogh

Hansong Jing

A W Vogeley, Jr

Calibrating the operation of a cutter used in a portioning system to cut workpieces into portions, wherein the work- piece is carried along a driven conveyance device past a scanner and then to a cutting apparatus. The calibration method employs a correction algorithm to correct for vari- ables or limitations in the condition of one or more com- ponents of the portioning system and/or variations or limi- tations in the operation or operational capabilities of the portioning system. The correction algorithm may also factor in the physical condition, configuration, or composition of the workpieces being portioned, as well as whether the workpieces move on the conveyance device prior to and/or during the portioning operation.

Blade portioner calibration

A systemfor analyzing and trimming irregularly shaped food products which are to be subsequently pressed into a three-dimensional shape (volume) and optionally thereafter sliced or otherwise portioned so as to achieve an optimum harvest, includes a conveyorfor carrying the workpieces (WP) to be trimmed past a scanning systemfor scanning the workpiece (WP) to ascertain the physical characteristics of the workpiece (WP), including, for example, its three-dimensional shape, as well as its position on the conveyor, and then past a cutting stationfor trimming the workpiece (WP) into a desired two-dimensional shape which represents an optimum shape for the workpiece for pressing the workpiece into a desired three-dimensional shape having at least one fixed or specified dimension or other physical specification. Thereafter, the workpiece can be transferred to a slicing station utilizing high speed cutters or slicers for portioning/slicing the workpiece.

Trimming work products to optimize pressing

A conveyor systemcarries work items, such as flexible, pliable, food products, through a scanning systemwhich generates data pertaining to various physical parameters of the food products. Thereafter, the food products are transported through a processing station which may be in the form of a portioning system. Next, the portioned food products are transported to a harvesting systemutilizing a actuatorto unload the food product portionsby vacuuming the portions into a nozzle. Such food products are transported to one or more desired locations through a hose/tube connected to a nozzle or may be launched through the air in a trajectory aimed at the desired placement location.

Pick and throw harvesting

A conveyance systemcarries food productspast the scanning systemfor scanning the food products and generating data pertaining to various parameters of the food products. Thereafter, the food productsare transported past a processing stationfor cutting, trimming, portioning, etc. using a cutting apparatusin the form of a robotic actuatoronto which is mounted a dual headed cutter assemblycapable of independently and simultaneously cutting/trimming/portioning two separate food products, for example, located in side-by-side lanes on the conveyance system or capable of independently and simultaneously cutting/trimming the opposite sides of the same food product.

Dual cutter head portioning and trimming

A method for processing food products () includes transporting the food products by a first conveyor (), an X-ray unit () positioned between the intake end and the discharge end of the first conveyor to acquire a first set of product-specific data relating to the food product transported. At least one first optical camera (), assigned to the first conveyor, is used to acquire a second set of product-specific data relating to the food product. A control unit () is used to receive and integrate the first and second data sets to analyze the composition of the food product and determine parameters for the food product. Based on the determined parameters of the food product, the food product is cut with a cutting unit, under the control of the control unit.

Method for processing products of the food processing industry

A processing system () and corresponding method () are provided for processing workpieces (WP), including food items, to cut and remove undesirable components from the food items and/or portion the food items while being conveyed on a conveyor system (). An X-ray scanning station () is located on an upstream conveyor section () to ascertain size and/or shape parameters of the food items as well as the location of any undesirable components of the food items, such as bones, fat or cartilage. Thereafter the food items are transferred to a downstream conveyor () at which is located an optical scanner () to ascertain the size and/or shape parameters of the food items. The results of the X-ray and optical scanning are transmitted to a processor () to confirm that the food item scanned by the optical scanner is the same as that previously scanned by the X-ray scanner. Once this identity is confirmed, if required, the data from the X-ray scanner is translated or transformed onto the data from the optical scanner. Such translation may include one or more of the shifting of the food items in the X and/or Y direction, rotation of the food item, scaling of the size of the food item, and sheer distortion of the food item. Next, the location of the undesirable material within the food item is mapped from the X-ray scanning data onto the optical scanning data. Thereafter, the undesirable material is removed by a cutter(s) (). The food item may also (or alternatively) been portioned by the cutter(s) ().

Method for processing food item

The calibrating systemincludes a conveyance systemfor carrying work productsarranged in multiple lanes extending along the conveyor to be trimmed and/or cut into portions P. A scannerscans the work product and a cutter systemconsisting of one or more cutters are arranged in an array or series of cutter assemblies for cutting the work products into end pieces P of desired sizes or other physical parameters. A processor/computer, using a scanning program or portioning program, determines how the work product may be portioned into one or more end piece product sets. The processor/computer using the portioning software then functions as a controller to control the cutter systemto portion the workpieceaccording to the selected end product/pieces P.

Methods for calibrating portioning apparatus

A systemfor analyzing and trimming pork bellies and other three-dimensional food and non-food products which are to be subsequently portioned or sliced so as to achieve an optimum harvest of slices from the food product bearing in mind achieving a maximum yield together with a desired quality level of the portions/slices. The systemincludes a conveyorfor carrying the workpieces (WP) to be trimmed prior to subsequent slicing of the workpiece past a scanning systemfor scanning the workpiece WP to ascertain the physical characteristics of the workpiece, including, for example, its three-dimensional shape as well as its position on the conveyor. A cutting stationtrims the workpiece WP into a desired two-dimensional shape which represents an optimum shape for the workpiece that seeks to maximize the harvest of slices from the workpiece while maintaining a desired quality level for the slices. A slicing station uses high speed cutters or slicers for portioning/slicing the workpiece into portions/slices which have been simulated by a processing systememploying a processor or computer

Pork belly trimming

An animal ribcage primal cut having a bone array located therein is portioned into one or more sub primal cuts, each having at least one bone located therein. The primal cut is scanned at scanning stationwhile being conveyed on a conveyorto determine the physical characteristics of the primal cut. A processordetermines how to portion the primal cut into desired sub primal cuts in accordance with desired physical characteristics of the sub primal cut and production requirements for the sub primal cuts. A controller controls a cutter to divide the primal cut into one or more sub primal cuts according to the determination previously made on how to portion the primal cut into desired sub primal cuts.

Portioning/trimming of rib primal cuts

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 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

Cutting system () includes a conveyor () for carrying work products () past a scanner () and then past one or more cutting systems (). The cutting systems include one or more assembly/units/apparatus () arranged in an array or series for cutting continuous strip(s) from the work products (). The cutting assemblies () are carried by a powered system to move the cutter assemblies in spiral, serpentine, back-and-forth or other patterns to cut one or more continuous strips from the work product. The conveyor (), scanner (), and cutter systems () are coupled to and controlled by a computer ().

Portioning strips from a block work product

Workpieces WP are scanned at a scanning station () while being transported on a conveyor (). A control system () analyzes the scanning data to develop a three-dimensional model of the workpiece WP and determine how to portion or trim the workpiece as desired. The cutting/trimming paths made through the workpiece is compared with the predetermined cutting paths to quantify the correspondence (or deviance) of the actual cutting paths from the predetermining cutting paths. This information is reviewed to determine whether the system () is operating property. If the alignment of the actual cutting/trimming paths with the predetermined cutting/trimming paths are not within a predetermined set point, the control system () seeks to determine the cause of the deviation as well as determine what remedial steps to take to restore the alignment of the actual cutting/trimming paths with the predetermined cutting/trimming paths.

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Lake Stevens, WA, United States of America

George R Blaine