Method of determining the weight of food items
AssigneeJBT Marel Corporation
InventorsJon A. Hocker, Richard D. Stockard, George R. Blaine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Calibrating the operation of a cutter used in a portioning system to cut workpieces into portions, wherein the workpiece is carried along a driven conveyance device past a scanner and then to a cutting apparatus. The calibration method employs a correction algorithm to correct for variables or limitations in the condition of one or more components of the portioning system and/or variations or limitations in the operation or operational capabilities of the portioning system. The correction algorithm may also factor in the physical condition, configuration, or composition of the workpieces being portioned, as well as whether the workpieces move on the conveyance device prior to and/or during the portioning operation.
Claims55
A method for calibrating a cutting system for cutting variable-sized food workpieces into portions of selected physical parameters prior to operating the cutting system on a production basis, the cutting system having a conveyance device for conveying variable-sized sample food workpieces past a scanner used to physically characterize the variable-sized sample food workpieces and then to a cutting device to cut the variable-sized sample food workpieces into portions, the method calibrating the time span between when the variable-sized sample food workpieces are scanned by the scanner and the cutting of the variable-sized sample food workpieces with the cutting device, the method comprising:
- prior to the operation of the cutting system to cut variable-sized food workpieces on a production basis:
- a. scanning variable-sized sample food workpieces at a scanner while being transported on a conveyance device to produce data related to the physical condition and/or physical configuration and/or the physical composition of the variable-sized sample food workpieces;
- b. thereafter using the data from the scanner to physically characterize the scanned variable-sized sample food workpieces as well as the portions to be cut from the variable-sized sample food workpieces based on one or more selected physical parameters;
- c. thereafter portioning the representative variable-sized sample food workpieces using the cutting device in accordance with the one or more selected physical parameters while being transported on the conveyance device;
- d. physically measuring the cut portions for compliance with the one or more selected physical parameters;
- e. determining the variance between the one or more selected physical parameters of the cut portions as determined by the scanner and as physically measured;
- f. adjusting the calibration of the cutting device by adjusting the time span between the scanning of the representative variable-sized sample food workpieces and operation of the cutting device without altering the speed of the conveyance device, based on the variance of the one or more selected physical parameters of the cut portions as determined by the scanner and as physically measured;
- and
- g. maintaining the adjusted calibration of the cutting system during the subsequent cutting of the food workpieces on a production basis.
Calibrating a cutting system for cutting workpieces into portions as the workpiece is carried along a driven conveyance device, the calibration occurring prior to the production operation of the cutting system, comprising:
- prior to operating the cutting system to cut workpieces on a production basis:
- (a) determining the position of a representative non-production sample workpiece on a driven conveyance device;
- (b) physically characterizing the representative non-production sample workpiece;
- (c) based on the results of physically characterizing the representative non-production sample workpiece, operating a cutter to cut the representative non-production sample workpiece into portions which are carried along on the driven conveyance device;
- and
- (d) calibrating the cutting system to adjust the time span required for the non-production sample workpiece to travel on the conveyance device between the determined position of the representative non-production sample workpieces on the conveyance device and the operation of the cutter without altering the speed of the conveyance device based on one or more of:
- (i) variables or limitations in the condition of one or more components of the cutting system and/or in the operation or operational capabilities of the cutting system;
- (ii) the physical condition and/or physical configuration and/or physical composition of the representative non-production sample workpiece;
- (iii) the movement of the representative non-production sample workpiece relative to the conveyance device prior to and/or during the operation of the cutter;
- and
- (iv) maintaining the calibration of the cutting system during the production cutting of the workpieces.
Calibrating a cutter system for cutting variable-sized workpieces into portions of one or more physical parameters by first cutting a variable-sized sample workpiece into portions as the representative variable-sized sample workpiece is carried along a driven conveyance device prior to the operation of the cutter system on a production basis, wherein the representative variable-sized sample workpiece is scanned while traveling on the conveyance device at a constant speed with the scanner at a location along the conveyance device, and then the representative variable-sized sample workpiece is cut into portions by a cutter positioned downstream from the scanning device while traveling on the conveyance device, a calibration method comprising, prior to the operation of the cutter system on a production basis, adjusting the time delay period occurring between the scanning of the representative variable-sized sample workpiece and the subsequent operation of a cutter without altering the speed of the conveyance device to accommodate variations in the physical condition of the cutter system components and limitations in the operation or operational capabilities of the cutter system, whereby the adjusted time delay is used during the subsequent production cutting of the workpieces, including with changes occurring to the belt speed for throughput purposes.
A method of calibrating a rotary cutter system for cutting variable-sized workpieces into portions of desired physical parameters by first cutting a representative variable-sized sample workpiece into portions as the representative variable-sized sample workpiece is carried along a driven conveyance device prior to operating the rotary cutter system on a production basis to cut workpieces, the rotary cutter system comprising a scanner for scanning the representative variable-sized sample workpiece being conveyed on the conveyance device and a rotary cutter positioned downstream from the scanner to cut the representative variable-sized sample workpieces while being carried by the conveyance device into portions, the scanner being in position along the conveyance device, the method comprising, prior to the operating of the rotary cutter system on a production basis, calibrating the rotary cutter system by:
- adjusting the time delay period occurring between the scanning of the representative variable-sized sample workpiece and the subsequent operation of the rotary cutter without adjusting the speed of the conveyance device;
- and
- using a weight adjustment algorithm employing one or more variables to accommodate the physical condition, configuration, and/or composition of the representative variable-sized sample workpiece, whereby the adjusted time delay period is used during the subsequent cutting of the workpieces by the rotary cutter system on a production basis, including with changes occurring to the belt speed for throughput purposes.
A method for determining the weight of food items by:
- utilizing sample food items determine a weight correction algorithm comprising:
- (a) scanning calibration food items for at least one physical parameter of the sample food items;
- (b) estimating the weight of the calibration food items based on the data regarding the at least one physical parameter of the sample food items obtained from the scanning;
- (c) weighing the calibration food items;
- and
- (d) determining a correction algorithm to match the weight of the calibration food items from the weighing of the calibration food items with the weight of the calibration food items estimated from the data corresponding to the at least one of the physical parameters of the calibration food items obtained from the scanning;
- and
- utilizing the determined weight correction algorithm to determine the weight of food items comprising:
- (e) scanning-food items for the at least one physical parameter;
- (f) estimating the weight of the scanned food items from the data regarding the at least one physical parameter of the food items obtained from the scanning;
- and
- (g) using the correction algorithm to adjust the weight of the food items estimated from the scanning data to arrive at a determined weight of the food items.
A weight determination device comprising circuitry configured to:
- during a calibration mode, set weight correction parameters based on one or more physical specifications of a plurality of individual food items from a set of calibration food items received from a scanning system and physically measured weights of each individual food items from the set of calibration food items;
- and
- during a production mode, estimate a weight of a food item based on one or more physical specifications of the food item received from the scanning system and determine a weight of a food item by correcting the estimated weight of the food item using the set weight correction parameters.
A computer implemented weight determination method, the method comprising a calibration mode and a production mode,
- wherein, during the calibration mode, the method comprises:
- scanning, at a scanning system, for one or more physical specifications of a plurality of individual food items from a set of calibration food items,
- physically measuring a weight of each individual food item from the set of calibration food items, and
- setting weight correction parameters based on the one or more physical specifications of the plurality of individual food items from the set of calibration food items and the physically measured weights of the food items from the set of calibration food items;
- and
- wherein, during the production mode, the method comprises:
- scanning, at the scanning system, for one or more physical specifications of a food item,
- estimating a weight of the food item based on the one or more physical specifications of a food item, and
- correcting the estimated weight of the-food item based on the set weight correction parameters, thereby determining a weight of the food item.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.