Profile scanner and feed assembly for a high-speed food slicing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12427687-B2
Application number	US-202218048988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2022
Priority date	Oct 25, 2021
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A food slicing includes a forward conveyor assembly located proximal to the blade assembly and a rearward conveyor assembly configured to transport the food product to the forward conveyor assembly. The rearward conveyor assembly is located immediately upstream from the forward conveyor assembly and gap is formed laterally between the forward conveyor assembly and the rearward conveyor assembly, in the longitudinal direction. An upper scanner unit proximal the gap scans an upper surface of the food product while a lower scanner unit located below the forward and rearward conveyor assemblies scans a lower surface of the food product as the food product passes across the gap, to obtain contour information of the lower surface of the food product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A food slicing system comprising:
a frame;
a blade assembly coupled to the frame and configured to slice a food product;
a forward conveyor assembly coupled to the frame, including:
a lower forward conveyor configured to support a portion of the food product thereon; and
at least one upper forward conveyor located above a portion of the lower forward conveyor, wherein the at least one upper forward conveyor is configured to contact an upper surface of the food product;
wherein the forward conveyor assembly is configured to transport the food product to the blade assembly;

a rearward conveyor assembly coupled to the frame and configured to transport the food product to the forward conveyor assembly, and located immediately upstream from the forward conveyor assembly, wherein a gap is formed laterally between the forward conveyor assembly and the rearward conveyor assembly, in the longitudinal direction;
a control system configured to control and synchronize movement of the forward conveyor assembly and the rearward conveyor assembly;
an upper scanner unit located above the food product in a region proximal the gap and configured to scan an upper surface of the food product to obtain contour information of the upper surface of the food product;
a lower scanner unit located below the forward and rearward conveyor assemblies, and located below the food product, in a region proximal the gap, and configured to scan a lower surface of the food product as the food product passes across the gap, to obtain contour information of the lower surface of the food product; and
wherein the control system is configured to receive the contour information from the upper scanner unit and the lower scanner unit and generate a profile of the food product.

2. The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the lower forward conveyor and the at least one upper forward conveyor contact the food product on bottom and top surfaces thereof, respectively, and transport the food product in the forward direction, and wherein the lower forward conveyor and the at least one upper forward conveyor are controlled to move in synchronization by the control system.

3. The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the rearward conveyor assembly includes:
a lower rearward conveyor configured to support a portion of the food product thereon; and
an upper rearward conveyor located above a portion of the lower rearward conveyor, wherein the upper rearward conveyor is configured to contact an upper surface of the food product.

4. The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the lower rearward conveyor and the upper rearward conveyor contacts the food product on bottom and top surfaces thereof, respectively, and transports the food product in the forward direction, and wherein the lower rearward conveyor and the upper rearward conveyors are controlled to move in synchronization by the control system.

5. The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the upper scanner unit and the lower scanner unit each include a laser emitter and a corresponding laser receiver.

6. The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the upper scanner unit and the lower scanner unit emit an optical beam that laterally scans across a width of the food product, wherein the beam contacts the surface of the food product at an angle of between 4 degrees and 45 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis.

7. The food slicing system according to claim 6 , wherein the optical beam forms a scan line across a width of the food product, wherein the scan line on the food product is located at a distance of between 6 inches to 15 inches from the blade.

8. The food slicing system according to claim 7 , wherein synchronized forward movement of the lower forward conveyor and the at least one upper forward conveyor establishes a known distance from the scan line to the blade.

9. A food slicing system having a main frame, the system comprising:
a blade assembly coupled to the main frame and configured to slice a food product;
a forward conveyor assembly coupled to the main frame and configured to transport the food product to the blade assembly to be sliced, the forward conveyor assembly including:
a lower forward conveyor configured to support a portion of the food product thereon; and
at least one upper forward conveyor located above a portion of the lower forward conveyor, wherein the at least one upper forward conveyor is configured to contact an upper surface of the food product;

a rearward conveyor assembly coupled to the main frame and configured to transport the food product to the forward conveyor assembly, and located immediately upstream from the forward conveyor assembly, wherein a gap is formed laterally between the forward conveyor assembly and the rearward conveyor assembly, in the longitudinal direction;
an upper scanner unit located above the food product in a region proximal the gap and configured to scan an upper surface of the food product to obtain contour information of the upper surface of the food product; and
a lower scanner unit located below the forward and rearward conveyor assemblies, and located below the food product, in a region proximal the gap and configured to scan a lower surface of the food product as the food product passes across the gap, to obtain contour information of the lower surface of the food product.

10. The food slicing system according to claim 9 , further including a control system configured to control and synchronize movement of the forward conveyor assembly and the rearward conveyor assembly.

11. The food slicing system according to claim 9 , wherein the control system is configured to receive the contour information from the upper scanner unit and the lower scanner unit to generate a profile of the food product.

12. The food slicing system according to claim 9 , wherein the lower forward conveyor and the at least one upper forward conveyor contact the food product on bottom and top surfaces thereof, respectively, and transport the food product in the forward direction, and wherein the lower forward conveyor and the at least one upper forward conveyor are controlled to move in synchronization by the control system.

13. The food slicing system according to claim 9 , wherein the rearward conveyor assembly includes:
a lower rearward conveyor configured to support a portion of the food product thereon; and
an upper rearward conveyor located above a portion of the lower rearward conveyor, wherein the upper rearward conveyor is configured to contact an upper surface of the food product.

14. The food slicing system according to claim 9 , wherein the lower rearward conveyor and the upper rearward conveyor contacts the food product on bottom and top surfaces thereof, respectively, and transports the food product in the forward direction, and wherein the lower rearward conveyor and the upper rearward conveyors are controlled to move in synchronization by the control system.

15. The food slicing system according to claim 9 , wherein the upper scanner unit and the lower scanner unit each include a laser emitter and a corresponding laser receiver.

16. The food slicing system according to claim 9 , wherein the upper scanner unit and the lower scanner unit emit an optical beam that laterally scans across a width of the food product, wherein the beam contacts the surface of the food product at an angle of between 4 degrees and 45 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis.

17. The food slicing system according to claim 16 , wherein the optical beam

Assignees

• Provisur Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Torrenga Ryan Michael
• Severns Michael Scott

Classifications

• B26D7/01

  Means for holding or positioning work · CPC title

• B26D5/42

  with interrelated action between work feed and clamp (work clamping arrangements B26D7/02) · CPC title

• B26D2007/0018

  Trays, reservoirs for waste, chips or cut products · CPC title

• B26D7/0608

  by pushers (B26D7/0616, B26D7/0625 and B26D7/0641 take precedence) · CPC title

• B26D7/32

  for conveying or stacking cut product (means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18) · CPC title