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

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.

A food slicing system having a main frame and a blade assembly configured to slice a food product, the system comprising:

• a forward conveyor assembly having upper and lower conveyors, the forward conveyor assembly located proximal to the blade assembly;
• a rearward conveyor assembly having upper and lower conveyors, 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.

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 and configured to transport the food product to the blade assembly, a front end of the forward conveyor assembly located proximal 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 upper scanner unit and the lower scanner unit emit an optical beam that laterally scans across a width 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.