Smart cutter for high speed produce processing
AssigneeAgile Innovation, Inc.
InventorSteven Richard Dragt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A produce cutting apparatus is utilized, among other things, for making single cuts in an elongated produce product to trim ends, segment the product into variable length segments, make fixed length segments, and cutting out undesirable portions of the produce product. Using a combination of a feed belt, sensor, radial cutter apparatus and programmable controller, the apparatus precisely locates each cut. The cutting blade makes a single cut with each rotation of the radial cutter apparatus. The apparatus may further have a piece removal system and a product holding system.
Claims11
A cutting mechanism for cutting a produce product traveling along a feed belt having a linear velocity, the cutting mechanism comprising:
- a drum member attached to a motor, the cutting mechanism further comprising a cutting blade which moves in a circular path offset from a rotational center of the drum member, wherein the cutting blade is moved about the circular path such that the cutting blade approaches the feed belt along a y axis, makes a cut in the produce product, instantaneously travels along an x axis, and is raised up from the circular path for another rotation, wherein the cutting blade makes a single cut in the produce product in each complete rotation of the drum member, wherein a desired length of a cut segment of the produce product is determined by an angular velocity of the cutting blade relative to the linear velocity of the feed belt.
A cutting mechanism for a cutting a produce product traveling along a feed belt having a liner velocity, the cutting mechanism comprising:
- a drum member attached to a motor;
- a lobe member rotationally attached to the drum member at a point offset to a center of the drum member;
- and
- a cutting blade affixed to the lobe member, wherein a rotation of the drum member results in a rotary motion of the lobe member, the rotary motion having a motion profile resolvable into a vector having an x component and a y component, wherein the cutting blade moves in a circular path offset from a rotational center of the drum member such that the cutting blade approaches the feed belt along a y axis, makes a cut in the produce product, instantaneously travels along an x axis, and is raised up from the circular path for another rotation of the drum member, wherein the cutting blade makes a single cut in each complete rotation, wherein a desired length of a cut segment of the produce product is determined by an angular velocity of the cutting blade relative to a linear velocity of the feed belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.