Blade portioner calibration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10471619-B2
Application number	US-201615004909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2016
Priority date	Jan 23, 2016
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

Calibrating the operation of a cutter used in a portioning system to cut workpieces into portions, wherein the workpiece 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 variables or limitations in the condition of one or more components of the portioning system and/or variations or limitations 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.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method for calibrating a cutting system for cutting variable-sized food workpieces into portions of selected physical parameters prior to operating the cutting system on a production basis, the cutting system having a conveyance device for conveying variable-sized sample food workpieces past a scanner used to physically characterize the variable-sized sample food workpieces and then to a cutting device to cut the variable-sized sample food workpieces into portions, the method calibrating the time span between when the variable-sized sample food workpieces are scanned by the scanner and the cutting of the variable-sized sample food workpieces with the cutting device, the method comprising:
prior to the operation of the cutting system to cut variable-sized food workpieces on a production basis:
a. scanning variable-sized sample food workpieces at a scanner while being transported on a conveyance device to produce data related to the physical condition and/or physical configuration and/or the physical composition of the variable-sized sample food workpieces;
b. thereafter using the data from the scanner to physically characterize the scanned variable-sized sample food workpieces as well as the portions to be cut from the variable-sized sample food workpieces based on one or more selected physical parameters;
c. thereafter portioning the representative variable-sized sample food workpieces using the cutting device in accordance with the one or more selected physical parameters while being transported on the conveyance device;
d. physically measuring the cut portions for compliance with the one or more selected physical parameters;
e. determining the variance between the one or more selected physical parameters of the cut portions as determined by the scanner and as physically measured;
f. adjusting the calibration of the cutting device by adjusting the time span between the scanning of the representative variable-sized sample food workpieces and operation of the cutting device without altering the speed of the conveyance device, based on the variance of the one or more selected physical parameters of the cut portions as determined by the scanner and as physically measured; and
g. maintaining the adjusted calibration of the cutting system during the subsequent cutting of the food workpieces on a production basis.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more selected physical parameters are the weight of the portions cut from the variable-sized sample food workpiece.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising using a weight correction algorithm to correct for variations between the scanned weight of a portion cut from a variable-sized sample food workpiece and the physically measured weight of the cut portion.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the weight correction algorithm considers one or more physical specifications of the variable-sized sample food workpiece that are other than the measured weight of the variable-sized sample workpieces.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the weight correction algorithm considers one or more physical specifications of the variable-sized sample food workpiece selected from the group consisting of the length of the variable-sized sample food workpiece, the width of the variable-sized sample food workpiece, the maximum height of the variable-sized sample food workpiece, the length of each portion to be cut from the variable-sized sample food workpiece, the distance along the variable-sized sample food workpiece from the front of the variable-sized sample food workpiece to the location along the variable-sized sample food workpiece wherein the portioning cut is being made, variations in the thickness of the variable-sized sample food workpiece, and the temperature of the variable-sized sample food workpiece.

6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the weight correction algorithm corrects for one or more of:
the density of the variable-sized sample workpiece, the length of the variable-sized sample food workpiece, and the distance along the variable-sized sample food workpiece at which a cut of the variable-sized sample food workpiece is being made;
the density of the variable-sized sample food workpiece based on the height of the portion being cut by the cutting device;
the volume of the variable-sized sample food workpiece, the length of the variable-sized sample food workpiece, and the distance along the variable-sized sample food workpiece at which a cut of the variable-sized sample food workpiece is being made;
the volume of the variable-sized sample food workpiece based on the height of the portion being cut by the cutting device;
the delay between the scanning of the variable-sized sample food workpiece and the operation of the cutting device based on the overall length of the variable-sized sample food workpiece and the distance along the variable-sized sample food workpiece at which a cut of the variable-sized sample food workpiece is being made.

7. Calibrating a cutting system for cutting workpieces into portions as the workpiece is carried along a driven conveyance device, the calibration occurring prior to the production operation of the cutting system, comprising:
prior to operating the cutting system to cut workpieces on a production basis:
(a) determining the position of a representative non-production sample workpiece on a driven conveyance device;
(b) physically characterizing the representative non-production sample workpiece;
(c) based on the results of physically characterizing the representative non-production sample workpiece, operating a cutter to cut the representative non-production sample workpiece into portions which are carried along on the driven conveyance device; and
(d) calibrating the cutting system to adjust the time span required for the non-production sample workpiece to travel on the conveyance device between the determined position of the representative non-production sample workpieces on the conveyance device and the operation of the cutter without altering the speed of the conveyance device based on one or more of:
(i) variables or limitations in the condition of one or more components of the cutting system and/or in the operation or operational capabilities of the cutting system;
(ii) the physical condition and/or physical configuration and/or physical composition of the representative non-production sample workpiece;
(iii) the movement of the representative non-production sample workpiece relative to the conveyance device prior to and/or during the operation of the cutter; and
(iv) maintaining the calibration of the cutting system during the production cutting of the workpieces.

8. Calibrating a cutting system according to claim 7 , wherein the variations or limitations in the condition of components of the cutting system and/or the operation or operational capabilities of the cutting system include one or more variables selected from the group consisting of:
(i) variations in the speed of the conveyance device;
(ii) variations in the speed at which the conveyance device is driven;
(iii) whether the conveyance device is of continuous construction or composed of a plurality of sections or segments; and
(iv) inaccuracies in determining, or limitation in being able to determine, the position of the representative non-production sample workpiece on the conveyance device.

9. Calibrating a cutting system according to claim 7 , wherein the physical condition and/or configuration and/or composition of the workpieces is selected from the group consisting of:
(i) the type of representa

Assignees

• John Bean Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Hocker Jon A
• Stockard Richard D
• Blaine George R

Classifications

• G01B15/02

  for measuring thickness · CPC title

• B26D5/007 Primary

  Control means comprising cameras, vision or image processing systems · CPC title

• B26D5/34

  scanning being effected by a photosensitive device · CPC title

• G01B11/06

  for measuring thickness {; e.g. of sheet material (thickness measurement by thermal means G01B21/085)} · CPC title

• B26D5/32

  with the record carrier formed by the work itself · CPC title