Method and system for portioning workpieces to directly-controlled and indirectly-controlled specifications

A system for portioning a food workpiece into one or more final pieces, comprising:

• a scanner for scanning the workpiece;
• a cutter for portioning the workpiece;
• and
• a processor coupled to the scanner and the cutter, the processor controlled by computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:
• (a) receiving multiple acceptable specific combinations of two or more directly-controlled specifications and the resulting one or more indirectly-controlled specifications of a final piece to be portioned from each workpiece, said directly-controlled specifications each being a desired, predetermined physical specification of a final piece, and said indirectly-controlled specification, each being a desired, predetermined physical specification of a final piece that results from applying the two or more directly-controlled specifications to a workpiece;
• (b) wherein said specific combinations of two or more directly controlled specifications of the final piece and the resulting one or more indirectly controlled specifications resulting from applying the directly controlled specification to the workpiece, selected from the group consisting of;
• (i) the shape and mass of the final piece as directly controlled specifications and optionally the position of the final piece as directly controlled specifications and optionally the position of the final piece on the workpiece as an additional directly controlled specification and optionally the aspect ratio of the final piece as an additional directly controlled specification, and correspondingly one or more of the resulting length, width, and thickness of the final piece, as well as the avoidance of defects on the final piece, as indirectly controlled specifications, and
• (ii) the shape and size of the size of the final piece as directly controlled specifications and optionally the aspect ratio of the final piece as an additional directly controlled specification and optionally the position of the final piece on the workpiece as an additional directly controlled specifications, and correspondingly one or more of the resulting mass and thickness of the final piece, as well as the avoidance of defects in the final piece, as indirectly controlled specifications, wherein size as a directly controlled specification is selected from the group consisting of one or more of length, width, and are of the final piece;
• (c) controlling the scanner to scan a workpiece to obtain scanning information pertaining to the physical attributes for the workpiece;
• (d) simulating portioning the scanned-in workpiece according to specific combinations of two or more directly-controlled specifications and calculating the one or more indirectly-controlled specifications of the final piece to be portioned resulting from applying each of the specific combinations of the two or more directly-controlled specifications to the scanned workpiece;
• (e) using an algorithm to analyze the various specific combinations of the two or more directly-controlled specifications and the resulting one or more indirectly-controlled specifications from step (d) and based on the results of such analysis, selecting an acceptable specific combination of two or more directly-controlled specifications and the resulting one or more indirectly-controlled specifications based on said analysis;
• and
• (f) controlling the cutter to portion the workpiece according to the selected acceptable predetermined combination of two or more directly-controlled specifications and the resulting one or more indirectly-controlled specifications as determined in step (e) above.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions which, when loaded onto a computer, perform a method comprising:

• (a) simulating portioning a food workpiece according to specific combinations of two or more directly-controlled specifications and calculating the one or more resulting indirectly-controlled specifications of the final piece to be portioned from the workpiece according to the two or more directly-controlled specifications, said directly controlled specifications each being a desired, predetermined physical specification of a final piece, and said indirectly-controlled specification, each being a desired, predetermined physical specification of a final piece that results from applying the two or more directly-controlled specifications to a workpiece;
• (b) wherein said specific combinations of two or more directly controlled specifications of the final piece and the resulting one or more indirectly controlled specifications resulting from applying the directly controlled specifications to the workpiece, selected from the group consisting of:
• (i) the shape and mass of the final piece as directly controlled specifications and optionally the position of the final piece on the workpiece as an additional directly controlled specification and optionally the aspect ratio of the final piece as an additional directly controlled specification, and correspondingly one or more of the resulting length, width, and thickness of the final piece, as well as the avoidance of defects on the final piece, as indirectly controlled specifications, and
• (ii) the shape and size of the final piece as directly controlled specifications and optionally the aspect ratio of the final piece as an additional directly controlled specification and optionally the position of the final piece on the workpiece as an additional directly controlled specifications, and correspondingly one or more or the resulting mass and thickness of the final piece, as well as the avoidance of defects in the final piece, as indirectly controlled specifications, wherein size as a directly controlled specification is selected from the group consisting of one or more of length, width, and area of the final piece;
• (c) using an algorithm to analyze the various specific combinations of the two or more directly-controlled specifications and the resulting one or more indirectly-controlled specifications from step (b) and based on the results of such analysis, selecting an acceptable specific combination of two or more directly-controlled specifications and the resulting one or more indirectly-controlled specifications based on said analysis.