Methods for calibrating portioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11475977-B2
Application number	US-201715832354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2017
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

The calibrating system 100 includes a conveyance system 102 for carrying work products 104 arranged in multiple lanes extending along the conveyor to be trimmed and/or cut into portions P. A scanner 110 scans the work product and a cutter system 120 consisting 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 150, 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 system 120 to portion the workpiece 104 according to the selected end product/pieces P.

First claim

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

1. A method of calibrating a processing system having a scanner positioned for scanning a workpiece carried on the belt of a longitudinally extending conveyor and a plurality of actuators comprising a set of at least three actuators located and configured to move relative to the conveyor, the system calibrating each of the actuators of the set relative to a datum simultaneously in a cross-belt offset direction and a down belt delay direction, the method comprising:
(a) loading at least one original target simulating a workpiece on the conveyor;
(b) scanning the original target for locating the original target on the conveyor and ascertaining physical parameters of the original target as the original target is transported by the conveyor;
(c) marking the original target with locations or paths of movement of each of the actuators of the set simultaneously in a cross-belt offset direction and a down belt delay direction relative to the same original target as the original target is being transported a single time past the set of actuators by the conveyor;
(d) removing the marked original target from the conveyor;
(e) reloading the marked original target on the conveyor;
(f) rescanning the marked original target to locate the locations or paths of movement of each of the actuators of the set relative to the same original target; and
(g) determining and implementing, with a computer processor, the repositioning, if any, of each of the actuators relative to the position of the scanner in a direction laterally of the conveyor and the repositioning, if any, of each of the actuators relative to the scanner in the direction along the length of the conveyor based on the location or path of movement of each of the actuators relative to the same original target.

2. The calibrating method of claim 1 , wherein the actuators are selected from a group consisting of a cutter, a water jet cutter, an injection needle, a printing head, a painting head, a stamping head, a drilling head, a piercing head, a nailing head, a stapling head, and a laser.

3. The calibrating method of claim 1 , wherein the marking of the original target is performed by a step selected from a group consisting of cutting the original target, cutting a shape in the original target, piercing the original target, applying indicia to the original target; forming an indicia on the original target, applying paint to the original target, applying a design to the original target, forming a hole in the original target; and drilling a hole in the original target, piercing the original target, and burning a shape in the original target.

4. The calibrating method of claim 1 , wherein the original target is composed of foamed plastic, foamed thermoplastic, foamed rubber, foamed synthetic rubber, polylactic acid, organic food-based materials, rubber, synthetic rubbers, paper, cardboard or corrugated cardboard.

5. A method of calibrating a plurality of cutters of a portioning system having a scanner located for scanning a workpiece carried on a longitudinally extending conveyor and the plurality of cutters positioned and configured to move laterally relative to the conveyor and along the length of the conveyor, wherein the cutters are simultaneously calibrated relative to a datum in a cross-belt offset direction and in a down belt delay direction, the method comprising:
(a) loading a plurality of targets simulating workpieces on the conveyor;
(b) initially scanning the targets for locating the targets on the conveyor and ascertaining physical parameters of the targets as the targets are transported by the conveyor;
(c) cutting each of the targets sequentially with each of the plurality of cutters in specific cutting patterns on each target purposefully at a different location on each target for each cutter as each target is being transported by the conveyor past the cutters;
(d) removing the cut targets from the conveyor;
(e) reloading the cut targets on the conveyor;
(f) rescanning the cut targets to analyze positions of the cutting patterns relative to the targets; and
(g) based on the position of the cutting patterns simultaneously determining and adjusting, with a computer processor, the calibration of each of the cutters relative to the position of the scanner in a direction laterally of the conveyor and the calibration of each of the cutters relative to the scanner in a direction along the length of the conveyor, based on the analyzed positions of the cutting patterns made by the plurality of cutters on each of the targets.

6. The calibrating method according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of targets are spaced apart along the length of the conveyor.

7. The calibrating method according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of targets are spaced apart across the width of the conveyor.

8. The calibrating method according to claim 5 , wherein the specific cutting patterns comprise shapes cut in each of the targets with the plurality of cutters.

9. The calibrating method according to claim 8 , wherein the shapes cut from the targets are arranged in a specific pattern on the targets.

10. The calibrating method according to claim 8 , wherein the shapes cut from the targets are arranged along the direction of travel of the conveyor.

11. The calibrating method according to claim 8 , wherein the shapes cut from the targets are arranged parallel to one side of the conveyor.

12. The calibrating method according to claim 8 , wherein the shapes cut in the targets are removed from the targets prior to reloading the targets on the conveyor.

13. The calibrating method according to claim 5 , wherein cutting of each of the targets with the plurality of cutters comprises cutting preselected shapes in the targets.

14. The calibrating method according to claim 5 , wherein each of the cutters cut a unique shape on the targets.

15. The calibrating method according to claim 5 , further comprising configuring the portioning system to recognize upon rescanning of the targets each specific target originally scanned by the scanner and then cut by each cutter.

16. The calibrating method according to claim 15 , wherein the portioning system recognizes one or more physical parameters of the targets ascertained by the portioning system when originally scanned by the scanner.

17. The calibrating method according to claim 16 , wherein the physical parameters comprise indicia located on the targets or aspects of the pattern cut into the targets.

18. The calibrating method according to claim 17 , wherein aspects of the pattern cut into the targets comprise unique patterns cut into each of the targets by each of the cutters.

19. The calibration method according to claim 16 , further comprising analyzing the physical parameters of the targets upon the rescanning of the targets to match the rescanned targets to the corresponding initially scanned targets.

20. The calibration method according to claim 16 , further comprising carrying out a transformation of the physical parameters of the targets ascertained during the initial scanning of the targets to the physical parameters of the targets ascertained during the rescanning of the targets to assist in analyzing the position of the cutting pattern relative to the targets.

21. The calibration method according to claim 5 , wherein calibrating the plurality of cutters comprises determining the positions of the cutters during cutting

Assignees

• John Bean Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Blaine George R

Classifications

• B26D2210/02

  for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers · CPC title

• B26D7/0658

  using fluid, e.g. hydraulic, acting directly on the work · CPC title

• B26D7/0625

  by endless conveyors, e.g. belts · CPC title

• G12B13/00 Primary

  Calibrating of instruments and apparatus (calibrating of measuring instruments G01) · CPC title

• B26D7/0616

  by carriages, e.g. for slicing machines · CPC title