US20100288093A1 - Apparatus and Methods for Cutting Food Products into Portions - Google Patents
Apparatus and Methods for Cutting Food Products into Portions Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20100288093A1 US20100288093A1 US12/779,195 US77919510A US2010288093A1 US 20100288093 A1 US20100288093 A1 US 20100288093A1 US 77919510 A US77919510 A US 77919510A US 2010288093 A1 US2010288093 A1 US 2010288093A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- cooker
- product
- controller
- portions
- signal
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
- B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
- B26D5/00—Arrangements for operating and controlling machines or devices for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
- B26D5/007—Control means comprising cameras, vision or image processing systems
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
- B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
- B26D5/00—Arrangements for operating and controlling machines or devices for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
- B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
- B26D7/00—Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
- B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
- B26D7/00—Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
- B26D7/27—Means for performing other operations combined with cutting
- B26D7/30—Means for performing other operations combined with cutting for weighing cut product
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
- B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
- B26D7/00—Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
- B26D7/27—Means for performing other operations combined with cutting
- B26D7/32—Means for performing other operations combined with cutting for conveying or stacking cut product
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T83/00—Cutting
- Y10T83/04—Processes
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T83/00—Cutting
- Y10T83/141—With means to monitor and control operation [e.g., self-regulating means]
- Y10T83/145—Including means to monitor product
Definitions
- the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for division of food products into separate portions prior to cooking thereof.
- Food products are often divided into portions and the portions then grouped together and packaged for sale to consumers. For example, bacon is usually cut into slices. In some cases these portions are cooked by the food processor prior to packing.
- the food product is typically cut into individual portions of a given thickness by a cutting machine.
- the fat in a food product liquefies during the cooking process and so a portion having a higher fat content will experience a greater weight reduction during cooking than a portion of the same initial volume but a lower fat content. Accordingly, to ensure that cooked portions are not under-weight, the cutting thickness needs to be set so as to ensure that those portions having the highest fat content still meet a minimum weight threshold after cooking. However, slices having a high lean content will exceed this minimum threshold to a significant extent, resulting in substantial “give-away” of product, that is, an excess of product in packs specifying a fixed minimum weight.
- the food product to be divided up by a cutting machine is usually presented in the form of an elongated food product log.
- the product itself may be in a naturally-occurring form, such as a side or belly of pork or beef. These natural products have discrete areas of lean and fat, and possibly bone or other constituent tissue types.
- products may be in a reconstituted form and comprise for example, chicken pieces packed together in a log or minced beef and so on. This relatively homogeneous material is then formed into a product log for slicing. Unlike a natural product, reconstituted products do not comprise discrete areas of material, because the constituents are inter-mingled.
- the present invention provides processing apparatus for use in the division of a food product log into separate portions prior to cooking of the portions, the apparatus including:
- the portion thickness can be adjusted such that the weight of the portion after cooking is at or close to the desired weight.
- Apparatus of the invention may also improve the uniformity of cooking of food portions.
- a slice with a greater fat content will differ in its crispness after cooking from a slice of the same dimensions having a higher lean content.
- the apparatus may cut a product region having a higher fat content into thicker portions which will then be cooked to a similar extent as thinner, leaner slices.
- the portion thickness calculations carried out by the controller therefore take into account the cross-section of the end of the product log and the value of the cook-out parameter.
- the cook-out parameter value is related to the proportion of the end of the product attributable to one or more, or at least two different constituents, such as fat, lean, bone and water, for example.
- the cook-out parameter value serves to adjust the portion size having regard to the proportion of the end of the product formed of a particular constituent (or the respective proportions associated with a number of constituents).
- the sensing arrangement may generate a signal which is indicative of a cross-sectional dimension of the product at the end from which the next portion is to be cut. For example, where a reconstituted product is to be sliced and its width and cross-sectional shape are substantially constant, sensing of its height may be sufficient to enable the controller to control the slice thickness sufficiently accurately.
- this signal generated by the sensing arrangement comprises an area signal which is indicative of the area of the end face.
- the cutting machine is arranged to cut a plurality of separate products into portions simultaneously giving a higher throughput rate.
- each product is cut by a respective cutter, with the plurality of cutters operable in parallel.
- the cutting machine may feed lines of food portions cut from respective food products along corresponding output lanes feeding into a common cooker.
- the output from one or more lanes may be merged together to form a single lane.
- food portions cut from one food product may be fed into two or more output lanes feeding into a cooker.
- the controller may be operable to vary the rate at which portions from each of a plurality of products are outputted by the cutting machine independently of the rates for other products being cut into portions at the same time.
- the rate of product portion throughput through an oven may affect the cooking of each individual portion and so control of this rate (by adjusting the cutting rate and/or conveying speed through the oven) may be employed to improve the cooking performance.
- the controller may be arranged to take into account variation in the cooking performance associated with different lanes through a cooker in calculating the thickness of the next portion to be cut from the or each product log, by adjustment of the or each respective cook-out parameter value.
- the cooker may be a microwave oven in which the cooking intensity varies between the centre and sides of the oven interior.
- the controller may apply a different cook-out parameter in relation to each output lane of the cutting machine having regard to this variation.
- the or each cook-out parameter value employed by the controller is adjustable in response to user input. For example, an operator may inspect cooked portions emerging from the cooker, determine how close they are to the desired target weight and cook quality, and adjust the cook-out parameter (or the respective cook-out parameters for a plurality of lanes) so that the cooked portions are closer to the desired characteristics.
- the sensing arrangement of the processing apparatus may comprise a detector operable to generate a content signal which is dependent on the proportion of the end of the product (from which the next portion is to be cut) that is formed by at least one constituent of the product.
- the detector may be responsive to the amount of other constituents in the end, and include corresponding signals in the content signal output.
- the controller is arranged to determine the value of the respective cook-out parameter with reference to the content signal.
- the same detector may in some cases be employed to also generate the signal dependent on a cross-sectional dimension of the end face of the product.
- the content signal may represent a lean-to-fat ratio, for example. It may indicate the proportion(s) of the end face which is/are formed of fat, lean, bone and/or water, for example.
- the controller may be arranged to receive an input signal related to the proportion of the end of the product which is formed by a constituent of a product (or a plurality of signals related to the respective proportions associated with a number of constituents). It may then employ an algorithm to determine a cook-out parameter value based on the input signal(s). The cook-out parameter value is then used in the portion thickness calculations carried out by the controller.
- the controller may be arranged to receive a feedback signal from a weighing device downstream of the cooker, and adjust its portion thickness calculations with reference to the feedback signal, so as to minimize deviation from the predetermined target weight for cooked portions. Where multiple lanes pass through the cooker, the cooked portions may be fed to a common weighing device. Alternatively, a weighing device may be provided in relation to each lane. The use of electronic feedback from a weighing device reduces the need for operator involvement in the weight monitoring procedure.
- the controller may be operable to generate an output signal for transmission to a cooker downstream of the cutting machine, which signal relates to at least one performance characteristic of the cooker and/or at least one characteristic of a product to be sliced or being sliced, to adjust the operation of the cooker.
- This functionality provides a greater degree of control over the cooking process and the characteristics of the cooked portions.
- the signal outputted from the controller to the cooker may then influence the cooker's performance. More particularly, it could concern the oven conveyor belt speed, oven power, and/or microwave oven waveguide positions, for example.
- the controller may send an output signal to a cooker, having regard for example the dimensions and lean-to-fat ratio of a portion, which is then employed to adjust the cooker's performance and thus produce a more consistently cooked product.
- the controller may store data relating to the performance of a cooker associated with the processing apparatus, such as the cooker power, and calculate the expected change in the weight of a portion during cooking having regard to this information.
- the controller may be arranged to receive a cooker input signal from a cooker downstream of the cutting machine, which signal relates to at least one performance characteristic of the cooker, and the controller is then operable to adjust the or each cook-out parameter value with reference to the cooker input signal.
- the at least one performance characteristic may be selected from: the speed of the conveyor carrying the food portions through the cooker; the power of the cooker; differences in the cooker performance with respect to different lanes through the cooker; and the positions of microwave waveguides in the cooker.
- the sensing arrangement may comprise at least one of: a visible and/or non-visible light detection arrangement; an x-ray analysis arrangement; an MRI arrangement; and an ultrasound analysis arrangement.
- the sensing arrangement may be responsive to the properties of the end portion or end face of the product from which slices are being cut during the slicing process.
- the controller may be operable to adjust the slice thickness during slicing in response to properties detected at the end of the product as the slicer progresses through the product.
- a light detection arrangement may be configured to acquire an image of the end face from which the next portion is to be cut. This image data may then be processed to determine the cross-sectional area of the end face and provide a measure of the area of one or more constituent parts visible in the end face.
- An x-ray analysis arrangement may be employed to detect discrete regions of one or more constituents in a product log. It may also detect the cross-sectional area at the end of the product. In further embodiments, an x-ray analysis arrangement may scan a substantial proportion or the whole of a food product log prior to cutting to assess the content throughout and the variation in the cross-sectional area along the scanned length of the product.
- the cutting machine may be a slicing machine for cutting slices from the end face of a food product, for example.
- the present apparatus may be used by a food processor to slice logs of belly bacon in the production of packs of pre-cooked bacon slices of a given weight.
- the present invention further provides a method of controlling processing apparatus to divide a food product log into separate portions prior to cooking of the portions, the apparatus including a machine for cutting portions from an end of the product log, a controller for controlling the operation of the cutting machine, and a sensing arrangement, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
- FIG. 1 is a plan view of a food processing system comprising processing apparatus embodying the invention in combination with a microwave oven;
- FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a side view of some components of the slicing machine of FIGS. 1 and 2 .
- the system of FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a slicing machine 2 which is arranged to slice up to four logs of food product simultaneously.
- the logs are loaded onto four infeed beds 1 .
- the slices are fed along a conveyor 3 in four parallel output lanes towards a microwave oven 4 .
- the cooked food product then emerges from the downstream end of the oven and is carried along a conveyor 6 towards a packaging station (not shown).
- FIG. 2 includes a representation of an individual bacon slice 18 having substantial fat content 20 , and lean content 22 .
- FIG. 3 shows some components of the slicing machine 2 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 including one of the four product infeed beds 1 .
- a sensing arrangement 30 is able to generate a signal dependent on the area of the end face 31 of a log 32 of food product loaded into the slicing machine 2 .
- These signals are fed into a controller 34 , in the form of a programmed computer, for example, which determines the thickness of the next portion to be cut from the end face with reference to this signal and a stored cook-out parameter value, such that the portion has a predefined target weight after it has been cooked.
- the cook-out parameter value may be adjustable by a user by means of a display 36 and keypad 38 of the controller 34 .
- the sensing arrangement 30 is also able to detect the proportion (or respective proportions) of the end of the product 32 attributable to one or more constituent parts of the product and the controller 34 calculates the cook-out parameter value having regard to this information.
- the sensing arrangement is operable to provide information in its output signal related to the size of one or more of these discrete areas. As noted above, this may be achieved by detection of visible and/or non-visible light emanating from the end face, or by other forms of detection. If different constituents are mixed together in the product to be sliced, the sensing arrangement may detect the proportion of the end of the product formed by one or more of these constituents.
- a motor 40 is provided to rotate a blade 42 .
- the blade may be selected from the range of known types, such as involute, planetary rotating circular, and sickle knives, for example.
- a slice is cut from the end face of the product, it falls onto an output conveyor 44 .
- the product is moved towards the blade via a motor driven track in the infeed bed 1 .
- it may be urged towards the blade by a pusher or gripper which engages the end of the product opposite to the blade.
- the blade is rotated and the product moved past the blade under the control of controller 34 to cut each slice with a thickness calculated in the controller.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Forests & Forestry (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
- Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)
- Food-Manufacturing Devices (AREA)
- Perforating, Stamping-Out Or Severing By Means Other Than Cutting (AREA)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/939,461 US10350779B2 (en) | 2009-05-15 | 2015-11-12 | Method for cutting food products into portions |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP20090160398 EP2251158B9 (de) | 2009-05-15 | 2009-05-15 | Vorrichtung und Verfahren zum Schneiden von Lebensmittelprodukten in Portionen |
EP09160398.5 | 2009-05-15 |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/939,461 Continuation US10350779B2 (en) | 2009-05-15 | 2015-11-12 | Method for cutting food products into portions |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20100288093A1 true US20100288093A1 (en) | 2010-11-18 |
Family
ID=41202440
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/779,195 Abandoned US20100288093A1 (en) | 2009-05-15 | 2010-05-13 | Apparatus and Methods for Cutting Food Products into Portions |
US14/939,461 Active 2031-01-03 US10350779B2 (en) | 2009-05-15 | 2015-11-12 | Method for cutting food products into portions |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/939,461 Active 2031-01-03 US10350779B2 (en) | 2009-05-15 | 2015-11-12 | Method for cutting food products into portions |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US20100288093A1 (de) |
EP (1) | EP2251158B9 (de) |
AT (1) | ATE548166T1 (de) |
ES (1) | ES2385920T3 (de) |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20140050824A1 (en) * | 2012-08-15 | 2014-02-20 | Aspect Imaging Ltd. | Integrating analysis and production of a food product |
US20160165906A1 (en) * | 2013-03-21 | 2016-06-16 | Gea Food Solutions Germany Gmbh | Line without checkweigher between slicing and packaging machine |
US9950869B1 (en) | 2017-01-04 | 2018-04-24 | Provisur Technologies, Inc. | Belt tensioner in a food processing machine |
US10160602B2 (en) | 2017-01-04 | 2018-12-25 | Provisur Technologies, Inc. | Configurable in-feed for a food processing machine |
US10345251B2 (en) | 2017-02-23 | 2019-07-09 | Aspect Imaging Ltd. | Portable NMR device for detecting an oil concentration in water |
US10350779B2 (en) * | 2009-05-15 | 2019-07-16 | Thurne-Middleby Ltd. | Method for cutting food products into portions |
US10639798B2 (en) | 2017-01-04 | 2020-05-05 | Provisur Technologies, Inc. | Gripper actuating system in a food processing machine |
US10836065B2 (en) | 2017-01-04 | 2020-11-17 | Provisur Technologies, Inc. | Exposed load cell in a food processing machine |
US11300531B2 (en) | 2014-06-25 | 2022-04-12 | Aspect Ai Ltd. | Accurate water cut measurement |
WO2022147355A1 (en) * | 2020-12-31 | 2022-07-07 | Edge Exponential LLC | Slicing apparatus |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CA3122898A1 (en) * | 2018-12-12 | 2020-06-18 | Marel Salmon A/S | A method and a device for estimating weight of food objects |
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2009
- 2009-05-15 EP EP20090160398 patent/EP2251158B9/de active Active
- 2009-05-15 ES ES09160398T patent/ES2385920T3/es active Active
- 2009-05-15 AT AT09160398T patent/ATE548166T1/de active
-
2010
- 2010-05-13 US US12/779,195 patent/US20100288093A1/en not_active Abandoned
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2015
- 2015-11-12 US US14/939,461 patent/US10350779B2/en active Active
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20160059431A1 (en) | 2016-03-03 |
EP2251158B1 (de) | 2012-03-07 |
ATE548166T1 (de) | 2012-03-15 |
US10350779B2 (en) | 2019-07-16 |
EP2251158B9 (de) | 2012-08-01 |
ES2385920T3 (es) | 2012-08-03 |
EP2251158A1 (de) | 2010-11-17 |
ES2385920T9 (es) | 2013-03-07 |
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