Cutting apparatus for cutting food items conveyed on a conveyor including at least one conveyor belt

A cutting system for cutting food items of varying shape and size, the cutting system comprising:

• a single conveyor belt, the single conveyor belt being an endless conveyor belt configured to convey said food items, the single conveyor belt being a solid belt of a rubber or plastic material, the food items contacting the single conveyor belt at an upper surface level of the single conveyor belt;
• a cutter arranged above a gap that extends across the single conveyor belt, the cutter being a fluid pressure cutter, a laser beam cutter, or a high-pressurized gas cutter, the cutter being adapted for operating crosswise movement in a direction transverse to a conveying direction;
• an imaging system including an x-ray imaging system configured to image and produce x-ray image data of the food items to be processed while the food items are conveyed on said single conveyor belt;
• a support system including a first elongated support, a second elongated support, and a third elongated support,
• the second elongated support extending parallel to the first elongated support, the first elongated support and the second elongated support being arranged with a fixed arrangement relative to each other,
• the third elongated support being arranged below the first and second elongated supports,
• the third elongated support and the first and second elongated supports being positioned to create a bypass for the single conveyor belt by extending the single conveyor belt between the first and second elongated supports and around the third elongated support thereby defining the gap between the first and the second elongated supports, the gap extending across the single conveyor belt in the direction transverse to the conveying direction;
• and
• a control system including a computer system configured to receive input from the x-ray imaging system and output commands to the cutter and a control mechanism that controls movement of the support system;
• wherein the cutter is arranged above the gap such that a cutting path of the cutter continually extends into the gap, extending below a plane defined by the upper surface level of the single conveyor belt, such that the cutting path extends through the food items and the single conveyor belt is not contacted by the cutting path of the cutter,
• wherein the control system controls the cutter and first and second elongated supports to move back and forth in a direction parallel to the conveying direction while maintaining fixed the arrangement of the first and second elongated supports and the cutter,
• wherein the third elongated support is adjustable from being in a closed position such that the third elongated support is placed in a lowest position in relation to the first and second elongated supports and the single conveyor belt is in a stretched state and in an open position where the single conveyor belt is in a slack state.