Optimization of blade portioner cutting speed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9983572-B2
Application number	US-201615004907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2016
Priority date	Jan 23, 2016
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A method and system ( 10 ) are provided for automatically portioning workpieces ( 14 ) using a rotating blade ( 22 ) passing through narrow gap ( 20 ) formed between the ends of adjacent conveyors ( 12 ) and ( 18 ). A scanning system ( 16 ) scans the workpieces ( 14 ) to physically characterize the workpieces and control the operation of the blade ( 22 ), including its rotational speed. The portioning of the workpiece can be carried out in accordance with one or more directly-controlled characteristics (parameter/specifications), such as a cutting path of the blade ( 22 ), the rotational speed of the blade ( 22 ), and the speed of the conveyor ( 12 ). The directly-controlled characteristics may be varied until an acceptable set of one or more indirectly-controlled characteristics is achieved, including, for example, the weight of the cut portions, the quality of the cuts achieved by the cutting blade, and the throughput of the portioning system ( 10 ).

First claim

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

1. A method for determining optimized parameters for cutting a workpiece with a blade cutter, the blade cutter rotated by a motor, said method comprising:
monitoring the rotational speed profile of the blade cutter about the revolution of the blade cutter by the motor;
monitoring data from the motor corresponding to operational parameters of the motor during rotation of the blade cutter;
monitoring the accuracy of desired physical specifications of the portions being cut;
monitoring the feed rate of the workpieces relative to the blade cutter;
optimizing at least one of the speed profile of the blade cutter during the revolution of the blade cutter and the feed rate of the workpieces, based on the one or more desired operational parameters of the motor and the desired accuracy of the one or more physical specifications of the portions being cut.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational parameters of the motor include at least one of the motor current usage profile, temperature of the motor, motor following error, and motor torque profile.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical specifications of the portions being cut comprise the weight of the portions cut from the workpiece, the mass of the portions cut from the workpiece, the thickness of the portions cut from the workpiece, and the quality of the cuts made on the portions.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising quantifying the quality of the cuts made on the portions.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the quality of the cuts made in the portions is quantified according to a numerical scale.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the motor rotational speed profiles include:
(a) stopping the rotation of the blade cutter between each cut made and then accelerating the blade cutter at the required time to make a cut;
(b) overshooting the normal rotational stop point of the blade cutter and retracting the blade cutter to a rotational position before the stop point at a time before the next cut is to be made;
(c) rotating the blade cutter at a substantially constant speed;
(d) rotating the blade cutter at an overspeed through the non-cutting rotational travel of the blade cutter and slowing the rotation of the blade cutter as the blade cutter cuts through the workpiece;
(e) rotating the blade cutter at a constant speed through the workpiece; and
(f) rotating the blade cutter at a non-constant speed through the workpiece.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the throughput of the workpieces and optimizing at least one of the speed profile of the blade cutter and the feed rate of the workpieces based on the desired operational parameters of the motor and the desired accuracy of the physical specifications of the portions being cut.

8. In a system for cutting food items into portions with a cutting blade rotated by a motor about a rotational path profile, a method for adjusting the operational parameters of the system comprising the rotational speed profile of the cutting blade and/or the feed rate of the food items relative to the cutting blade based on at least one of the desired physical characteristics of the portions to be cut from the food items and the desired throughput of the food items to be achieved, and the desired operational parameters of the system comprising:
determining an initial first set of operational system parameters, including the rotational speed profile of the cutting blade and the feed rate of the food items toward the cutting blade;
monitoring the operational parameters of the motor during rotation of the cutting blade;
monitoring the physical characteristics of the portion being cut;
monitoring the throughput of the food items;
adjusting the rotational speed of the cutting blade and/or the feed rate of the food item based on at least one of the monitored operational parameters of the motor, the physical accuracy of the portions being cut and the feed rate of the food items.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the physical characteristics of the portions being cut comprise weight, mass, thickness, area, and cut quality.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the operational parameters of the motor include current profile, torque profile, and motor following error.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the motor rotational path profiles are selected from the group consisting of:
(a) stopping the rotation of the cutting blade between each cut made and then accelerating the cutting blade at the required time to make the next cut;
(b) overshooting the normal rotational stop point of the cutting blade and retracting the cutting blade to a rotational position before the stop point at a time before the next cut is required to be made;
(c) rotating the cutting blade at substantially a constant speed;
(d) rotating the cutting blade at an overspeed through the non-cutting rotational travel of the cutting blade and slowing the rotation of the cutting blade as the cutting blade cuts through the workpiece;
(e) rotating the cutting blade at a substantially constant speed through the workpiece; and
(f) rotating the cutting blade at a non-constant speed through the workpiece.

12. A method of adaptive control of operational parameters of a blade slicing machine to slice workpieces into portions with a cutter rotated by a motor along a rotational speed profile, comprising:
selecting a first set of cutting parameters;
performing the slicing of the workpieces using the first set of selected cutting parameters;
during the slicing of the workpieces, measuring the operational parameters of the motor;
varying at least one of the cutting parameters and comparing successive measurements of the operational parameters of the motor;
determining the throughput at the selected operational parameters; and
setting the cutting parameters of the slicing machine based on the measured operational parameters of the motor and the desired throughput.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the cutting parameters comprise the rotational speed of the cutter and the feed rate of the workpieces.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the motor rotational speed profiles are selected from the group consisting of:
(a) stopping the rotation of the cutter between each cut made and then accelerating the cutter at the required time to make a cut;
(b) overshooting the normal rotational stop point of the cutter and retracting the cutter to a rotational position before the stop point at a time before the next cut is required to be made;
(c) rotating the cutter at substantially a constant speed;
(d) rotating the cutter at an overspeed through the non-cutting rotational travel of the cutter and slowing the rotation of the cutter as the cutter cuts through the workpiece;
(e) rotating the cutter at a substantially constant speed through the workpiece; and
(f) rotating the cutter at a non-constant speed through the workpiece.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the cutting parameters are selected from the group consisting of at least one of the physical specifications of the portions cut from the workpiece and the quality of the cuts made to the workpiece.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the physical characteristics of the portions cut from the workpiece are selected from the group consisting of weight, thickness, area, and cut quality.

17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the operatio

Assignees

• John Bean Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Pfarr Craig E
• Blaine George R

Classifications

• B26D5/007

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

• G05B2219/37336

  Cutting, machining time · CPC title

• B26D5/00

  Arrangements for operating and controlling machines or devices for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting · CPC title

• G05B19/4166 Primary

  Controlling feed or in-feed (G05B19/4163 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B2219/49077

  Control of feed and spindle, cutting speed · CPC title