Hormel Foods Corporation

William D Young

Lyndon R Leining

Eric S VanDenBerg

Kent L Simonson

Nathan A Kodesh

Carl Leroy Benttine

Apparatus and methods of evaluating packages are provided. In a vision evaluation system embodiment, the system includes a light source, a first and second camera and a control system. The light source provides polarized backlight. The first camera has a first lens positioned to image the polarized back light. A ninety degree polarized filter is positioned between the first lens of the first camera and the light source. The ninety degree polarized filter is polarized 90 degrees from the polarized back light of the light source. The second camera has a second lens that is positioned near the first lens of the first camera. The control system is coupled to control the first and second cameras to take simultaneous images at a given frequency. The control system is further configured to determine locations to analyze based on image data from the first camera. Moreover, the control system is still further configured to analyze the determined locations in associated image data from the second camera. Packages whose image fails the analysis are removed from a packing line.

Package vision evaluation system

Apparatus and method for slicing a food product having a non-uniform cross-sectional area. A laser line scanner scans the cut face of the food product. A line scan camera receives light reflected from the cut face of the food product. The line scan camera is positioned such that the line field of view of the line scan camera intersects the scanning line of the laser line scanner at the cut face of the food product. A controller determines an area of the cut face of the food product using the light reflected from the cut face of the food product and advances the food product to be cut by the cutting device by an amount such that a next slice of the food product cut by the cutting device will have a thickness such that the next slice will be of the predetermined weight based upon the area of the cut face.

Apparatus for slicing a food product and method therefore

An apparatus for removing skin from a torso of an animal using a rotatable drum having a circumference. A gripper is positioned at a point on the circumference of the rotatable drum adapted to engage a portion of the skin causing the torso of the animal to rotate as the rotatable drum rotates. A sharp blade is positioned near the point on the circumference of the rotatable drum for cutting the skin from the animal. A dull blade is spaced a dull blade gap distance away from the circumference of the rotatable drum and a setback distance away from the sharp blade opposite from the gripper, the dull blade adapted to contact the skin of the animal as the animal rotates. An adjustment arm is coupled to the dull blade for controlling the dull blade gap distance. A controller is coupled to the adjustment arm for automatically adjusting dull blade gap distance in accordance with a predetermined profile for the dull blade gap distance which varies around the torso of the animal.

Method for removing skin having variations in thickness from the torso of an animal

An automated cutting apparatus and method having a coordinated three axes of motion wherein one axis is designated as a master and provides a master time source and the other two axes are designated as slaves and more proportionately to the master axis. A controller and input device are coupled to the three axes to control the movement thereof. The input device preferably presents an operator with selectable input parameters that allow the operator to divide the piece of meat into groups and designate varying thicknesses for each group.

Optimized loin saw

A method and apparatus is provided for removing casings (15a) from elongated casing enclosed sausage sticks (15). An indexing conveyor (22) receives the casing-enclosed sausage sticks (15). An inflating mechanism is provided for inflating the casing-enclosed sausage sticks. An end cap removal section provides for the removal of the end caps. A casing slitting mechanism laterally slits the casings and the casings are then removed in a direction generally perpendicular to the length of the sausage sticks. Preferably a mechanism is provided for removal of the casings after they have been taken off from the sausage sticks by means of forced air.

Method and apparatus for stripping casings from sausages

A loin separation apparatus and method of operation therefor controls a loin knife assembly in a manner which simulates the anthropomorphic motions of a human operator during a loin pulling operation. The loin knife assembly includes a U-shaped knife blade which is mounted to an arm which is connected to the apparatus through a universal joint to permit lateral and vertical displacement of the knife blade. Moreover, the separation between the sides of the loin knife may be varied. The combination of lateral displacement and varying the separation between the sides of the blade enables the sides of the knife blade to follow separate profiles. The loin separation apparatus generates customized cutting profiles and/or modifies standard cutting profiles for the loin knife assembly, as well as for a scribe saw assembly which may also be included on the apparatus, based upon the particular dimensions, contours, etc. of a specific side of meat.

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Owatonna, MN, United States of America

William D Young