Methods for Calibrating Portioning Apparatus
AssigneeJohn Bean Technologies Corporation
InventorGeorge R. Blaine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The calibrating system 100 includes a conveyance system 102 for carrying work products 104 arranged in multiple lanes extending along the conveyor to be trimmed and/or cut into portions P. A scanner 110 scans the work product and a cutter system 120 consisting of one or more cutters are arranged in an array or series of cutter assemblies for cutting the work products into end pieces P of desired sizes or other physical parameters. A processor/computer 150, using a scanning program or portioning program, determines how the work product may be portioned into one or more end piece product sets. The processor/computer using the portioning software then functions as a controller to control the cutter system 120 to portion the workpiece 104 according to the selected end product/pieces P.
Claims25
A method of calibrating a processing system having a scanner for scanning workpiece carried on a conveyor and an actuator configured to move relative to the conveyor, the method comprising:
- (a) loading at least one target simulating a workpiece on the conveyor;
- (b) scanning the target for locating the target on the conveyor and ascertaining physical parameters of the target as the target is transported by the conveyor;
- (c) marking the target with the location or path of movement of the actuator relative to the target as the target is being transported by the conveyor;
- (d) removing the marked target from the conveyor;
- (e) reloading the marked target on the conveyor;
- (f) rescanning the marked target to locate the location or path of movement of the actuator relative to the target;
- and
- (g) calibrating the position of the actuator relative to the location of the scanner in the direction laterally of the conveyor and calibrating the position of the actuator relative to the scanner in the direction along the length of the conveyor based on the located position or path of movement of the actuator relative to the target.
A method of calibrating a portioning system having a scanner for scanning workpiece carried on a conveyor and at least one cutter configured to move laterally relative to the conveyor and along the length of the conveyor, the method comprising:
- (a) loading at least one target simulating a workpiece on the conveyor;
- (b) scanning the target for locating the target on the conveyor and ascertaining physical parameters of the target as the target is transported by the conveyor;
- (c) cutting the target with the at least one cutter in a specific cutting pattern as the target is being transported by the conveyor;
- (d) removing the cut target from the conveyor;
- (e) reloading the cut target on the conveyor;
- (f) rescanning the cut target to analyze the position of the cutting pattern relative to the target;
- and
- (g) based on the position of the cutting pattern calibrating the position of the at least one cutter relative to the location of the scanner in the direction laterally of the conveyor and calibrating the position of the at least one cutter relative to the scanner in the direction along the length of the conveyor, based on the analyzed position of the cutting pattern on the target.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.