WO1992005703A1

WO1992005703A1 - Method and device for cutting food products

Info

Publication number: WO1992005703A1
Application number: PCT/SE1991/000675
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ingemar Jonsson
Original assignee: Frigoscandia Food Process Systems Ab
Priority date: 1990-10-09
Filing date: 1991-10-08
Publication date: 1992-04-16
Also published as: AU8665491A; SE9003215D0

Abstract

In a method for cutting food products, a food product is scanned by detection, while utilising nuclear magnetic resonance or X-radiation. The distribution of different types of tissue in the product is determined on the basis of the signal information obtained in the scanning. The positions of suitable cuts in the product are determined on the basis of the distribution of tissue types in the product and the intended purpose of the cuts, and the cuts are performed in the positions as determined. A device for carrying out the method comprises detecting equipment (1), a signal-processing apparatus (4) and a cutting apparatus (5, 5').

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CUTTING FOOD PRODUCTS

The present invention relates to a method and a device for cutting food products. In the food industry, there is a need for automatic cutting of animal products, e.g. fish, chicken and meat, primarily for producing cut-up pieces which do not contai bone, fat, other types of tissue which are not suited for consumption, or completely foreign objects. There is a corresponding need also with regard to certain vegetable products.

In case of inspection only, use is primarily made of different types of fluoroscopy, see for example DE-C1- 3,524,906, but this is only useful for relatively thin cut-up pieces, such as fillets of fish and the like. More over, for such inspection the assistance of a checker is frequently required. The information received usually indicates merely the presence of a certain type of tissue and, thus, nothing about the position and extent thereof. Devices for fully automatic cutting are also known, see for example US-A-4, 557,019 which is incorporated by reference. These prior art devices use a TV-camera or the like for reproducing the product to be cut in combination with a computer for image processing and determining suitable cuts, and a cutting apparatus using mechanical cutting, water jet cutting or laser cutting for performin the cuts determined by the computer. In this context^ merely the outer contours of the object thus are taken into consideration, i.e. these devices are not suited for cutting where predetermined types of tissue should be re¬ moved.

Since the reproduction devices used cannot provide sufficient information on the presence and position of different types of tissue in the product to be cut, the desired cutting-up cannot be performed by the prior art technique. In practice, it thus is difficult to separate e.g. bone and fat, and further the cutting can only be performed with cuts extending along lines in one plane, i.e. two-dimensional cutting.

One object of the present invention is to provide a

_ method and a device of the type mentioned by way of intro- duction, which permit an accurate cutting for removing e.g. any undesired type of tissue in the object.

It is also desirable that the method and the device permit cutting with cuts in optional directions, i.e. three-dimensional cutting. According to the invention, these objects are achiev¬ ed by the method being characterised in that the food product is scanned by detection, while utilising nuclear magnetic resonance or X-radiation, that the distribution of different types of tissue (including foreign objects) in the product is determined on the basis of the signal information obtained in said scanning, that the positions of suitable cuts in the product are determined on the basis' of the distribution of tissue types in said product and the intended purpose of the cuts, and that said cuts are performed in the positions as determined.

According to the invention, the objects mentioned are also achieved by the device being characterised by equip¬ ment for scanning a product by detection, while utilising nuclear magnetic resonance or X-radiation, means for rela- tive movement of the product and the detecting equipment, a signal-processing apparatus which is adapted to determine, on the basis of signal information produced by the detecting equipment, the distribution of different types of tissue (including foreign objects) in the product, to determine the positions of suitable cuts in said product on the basis of the distribution of tissue types in said product and the intended purpose of the cuts, and to produce control information for performing said cuts, said control information corresponding to the determined positions, and a cutting apparatus connected to the signal-processing apparatus and adapted to perform the cuts according to the control information. By the information about the distribution of diffe¬ rent types of tissue, which is more extensive relative to prior art and which is obtained by the device according t the invention, the cutting apparatus can also be adapted to perform cuts in three dimensions, which results in a considerably greater freedom regarding the removal of parts, such as bone and fat, from e.g. an animal food pro duct and regarding the cutting thereof.

Both when using detecting equipment utilising nuclea magnetic resonance, and when using detecting equipment utilising X-radiation, the signal-processing apparatus ca determine, in a per se well-known manner, the distributio of different types of tissue in successive cross-sections of the product, i.e. transversely of the direction of motion thereof relative to the detecting equipment. In this context, reference is made to US-A-4, 707, 658 and the references stated therein which are herein incorporated b reference. When using X-radiation, the scanning can alter¬ natively be carried out at the same time in two different directions transversely of the direction of motion betwee the products and the detecting equipment.

The invention will now be described in more detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawing which schematically shows an embodiment of a device according t the invention.

The embodiment illustrated in the drawing comprises equipment 1 for scanning a product 2 by detecting nuclear magnetic resonance in the product, e.g. a fillet of fish. Alternatively, the equipment 1 can be a per se known X-ra machine which can be arranged for tomographic reproductio or for reproduction in two different directions through the product 2. The product 2 is continuously moved rela¬ tive to the detecting equipment 1 by means of a belt con¬ veyor 3. The detecting equipment which thus per se is well- known and need not be explained in more detail produces signal information which is supplied to a signal-process- ing apparatus 4. This is also per se well-known both for utilising X-rays and for utilising nuclear magnetic resonance _.and suitably comprises a processor and suitable software, whereby the signal-processing apparatus 4 can produce, on the basis of the signal information supplied, one or more images of the product 2. These pictures indicate the distribution, i.e. position and extent, of different types of tissue in the product 2. In tomographic reproduction, each image concerns a cross-section of the product 2 transversely of the direction of motion thereof relative to the detecting equipment 1.

It will be appreciated that, while using additional software and some sort of reference data, the signal- processing apparatus 4 can determine how to position cuts in the product 2 to make it possible to remove, for example, bones present therein, and how to position cuts in the product 2 for cutting thereof into suitable parts. Said reference data can, for example, comprise permissible intervals for the length, width, thickness and volume of the parts.

For carrying out the cutting operation, the signal- processing apparatus 4 is adapted to produce control in¬ formation which corresponds to the determined positions of the cuts and which is supplied to a cutting apparatus 5. An example of such a cutting apparatus is disclosed in the above-mentioned US-A-4,557,019. The cutting apparatus 5 is positioned after the detecting equipment 1 in the belt travelling direction of the belt conveyor 3 and comprises a cutting head 6 which is controllable for cutting in three dimensions according to the control information supplied by the signal-processing apparatus 4.

The cuts determined by the signal-processing appara¬ tus 4 may, in some cases, require turning of the product 2 to allow individual cuts to be performed, and therefore, a second cutting apparatus 5' with a cutting head 6' may prove useful, the product 2 reaching the cutting apparatus 5¹ after the first cutting apparatus 5 has been passed. It will be appreciated that the embodiment described above is but an example, and that a number of modifica¬ tions are feasible within the scope of the invention. For -•^{• "} example, the belt conveyor 3 can be replaced by other 5 means for relative movement between the product and the detecting equipment and also between the product and the cutting apparatus. Moreover, parts of the product, which are obtained in the cutting operation, can be further processed depending on their contents of one or more 10 predetermined types of tissue.

In the accompanying claims, by type of tissue are also meant foreign materials or objects, e.g. metal particles or parasites which thus can be detected and removed when cutting according to the invention. 15

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3b

Claims

1. Method for cutting food products, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that a food product is scanned by detection, while utilising nuclear magnetic resonance or X-radiation, that the distribution of different types of tissue in said product is determined on the basis of the signal information obtained in said scanning, that the positions of suitable cuts in the product are determined on the basis of the distribution of tissue types in said product and the intended purpose of the cuts, and that said cuts are performed in the positions as determined.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that parts obtained in the cutting operation are further processed depending on their contents of one or more predetermined types of tissue.

3. Method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d in that the detecting operation is carried out as tomographic reproduction of said product, the distribution of different types of tissue being determined in successive cross-sections of the product.

4. Device for cutting food products, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d by equipment (1 ) for scanning a product (2) by detection, while utilising nuclear magnetic resonance or X-radiation; a means (3) for relative movement of the product and the detecting equipment; a signal-processing apparatus (4) which is adapted to determine, on the basis of signal information produced by the detecting equipment, the distribution of different types of tissue in said product, to determine the positions of suitable cuts in said product on the basis of the distribution of tissue types in said product and the intended purpose of the cuts, and to produce control information for performing said cuts, said control information corresponding to the determined positions; and a cutting apparatus (5, 5' ) connected to said signal-processing apparatus (4) and adapted to perform the cuts according to said control information.

5. Device as claimed in claim 4, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d in that said detecting equipment ( 1 ) is arranged for tomographic reproduction of the product (2) , said signal-processing apparatus (4) being adapted to determine the distribution of different types of tissue in successive cross-sections of the product.

6. Device as claimed in claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d by equipment for further processing of parts obtained in the cutting operation, depending on their contents of one or more predetermined types of tissue.

7. Device as claimed in any one of claims 4-6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the cutting apparatus^' (5, 5' ) is adapted to perform cuts in three dimensions.

8. Device as claimed in any one of claims 4-7, c h a- r a c t e r i s e d in that the cutting apparatus (5, 5' ) is adapted to separate portions of the predeter- mined type(s) of tissue from the product.

9. Device as claimed in any one of claims 4-7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the cutting apparatus (5, 5' ) is adapted to cut up said product.