Apparatus and method for grading articles based on weight, and adapted computer program product and computer readable media

An apparatus for grading food articles based on at least one characteristics of the food articles, wherein the grading comprises building up portions of the food articles in containers where the portions are based on at least one characteristics, comprising:

• determining means for determining one or more characteristic parameters indicating the characteristics of the food articles,
• first conveyor for conveying the food articles along a closed-loop conveying path, the conveyor comprising a number of article holders attached to the conveyor for holding the food articles during the conveying along the closed-loop conveying path,
• arranging means for arranging the food articles onto the article holders, the article holders being adapted to preserve the arrangement of the food articles in the article holders during the conveying, said characteristic parameters including data indicating indicating the initial arrangement of the articles in the article holders,
• a processor for determining to which container a food article selected from said food article holders is to be fed based on the one or more characteristic parameters including said data indicating the initial arrangement of the articles in the article holders, and
• a container filling station removing means for controlling the removing of the food articles from the article holders determined by the processor to pre-fixed locations in the containers and thus control the location of the articles in the containers by using said characteristic parameters including said data indicating the initial arrangement of the articles-in the article holders;
• wherein the determining means comprises a weight determining means, and wherein the characteristic parameters indicating the characteristics of the food articles is the weight of the food articles;
• wherein the weight determining means is a grid-scale comprising a number of substantially horizontally and parallel extending rods arranged in an overlapping position to the closed-loop conveying path of the first conveyor.

An apparatus for grading food articles based on at least one characteristics of the food articles, wherein the grading comprises building up portions of the food articles in containers where the portions are based on at least one characteristics, comprising:

• determining means for determining one or more characteristic parameters indicating the characteristics of the food articles,
• first conveyor for conveying the food articles along a closed-loop conveying path, the conveyor comprising a number of article holders attached to the conveyor for holding the food articles during the conveying along the closed-loop conveying path,
• arranging means for arranging the food articles onto the article holders, the article holders being adapted to preserve the arrangement of the food articles in the article holders during the conveying, said characteristic parameters including data indicating indicating the initial arrangement of the articles in the article holders,
• a processor for determining to which container a food article selected from said food article holders is to be fed based on the one or more characteristic parameters including said data indicating the initial arrangement of the articles in the article holders, and
• a container filling station removing means for controlling the removing of the food articles from the article holders determined by the processor to pre-fixed locations in the containers and thus control the location of the articles in the containers by using said characteristic parameters including said data indicating the initial arrangement of the articles-in the article holders;
• wherein the determining means comprises a weight determining means, and wherein the characteristic parameters indicating the characteristics of the food articles is the weight of the food articles;
• wherein the article holders comprise shovel-shaped grids comprising a number of substantially horizontally and parallel extending rods, wherein in an overlap position between the grid-scale and the shovel shaped grids the rods of the shovel-shaped grids fall within the space between two adjacent rods in the grid-scale, thereby enabling the shovel-shaped grids when approaching the grid-scale from below to go through the grid-scale.

A method of grading food articles based on at least one characteristics of the food articles, wherein the grading comprises building up portions of the food articles in containers where the portions are based on at least one characteristics, comprising:

• determining one or more characteristic parameters indicating the characteristics of the food articles,
• conveying the food articles along a closed-loop conveying path, the conveyor comprising a number of article holders attached to the conveyor for holding the food articles during the conveying along the closed-loop conveying path,
• arranging the food articles onto the article holders, the article holders being adapted to preserve the arrangement of the food articles in the article holders during the conveying, said characteristic parameters including data indicating the initial arrangement of the articles in the article holders,
• determining to which container a food article selected from said food articles in the article holders is to be fed based on the one or more characteristic parameters including said data indicating the initial arrangement of the articles in the article holders, and
• controlling the releasing of the food articles from the selected article holders to pre-fixed locations in the containers and thus control the location of the articles in the containers by using said characteristic parameters including said data indicating the initial arrangement of the articles in the article holders.