Distinguishing abutting food product
First Claim
1. A method for automatically identifying a shared boundary between two abutting food product articles in a food processing system, the method comprising the steps:
- i. scanning a pair of food articles comprising a first food article abutting a second food article, wherein a shared boundary is defined between the first and second food articles to produce a scan data set;
ii. identifying from the scan data set a closed contour corresponding to a perimeter of the scanned pair of food articles, wherein the closed contour encloses the first and second food articles;
iii. analyzing the closed contour to estimate the location of the shared boundary between the first and second food articles.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for determining the boundary between abutting food product in a food processing system uses scan data of the food product to identify a perimeter of the abutting food product. Optionally, data from scanning the food product is first tested to determine or predict if more than one article is present. A perimeter of the abutting food product is generated from the scan data, and the perimeter information is manipulated to identify or estimate the boundary between the product. For example, the boundary may be eroded until it separates into two portions. The two portions are then expanded, constrained by the original perimeter, such that a region of interest includes overlapping portion that includes the boundary. The region of interest is analyzed to locate the boundary. In another method, a parametric shape is fit to the image to identify the individual articles. In another method, a shortest line or surface separating the perimeter into two substantial portions is found.
23 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for automatically identifying a shared boundary between two abutting food product articles in a food processing system, the method comprising the steps:
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i. scanning a pair of food articles comprising a first food article abutting a second food article, wherein a shared boundary is defined between the first and second food articles to produce a scan data set; ii. identifying from the scan data set a closed contour corresponding to a perimeter of the scanned pair of food articles, wherein the closed contour encloses the first and second food articles; iii. analyzing the closed contour to estimate the location of the shared boundary between the first and second food articles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for discriminating between abutting food product disposed on a conveyor comprising:
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i. scanning food product disposed on a conveyor as the food product passes by a scanning system; ii. predicting when a scanned food product comprises a plurality of articles, wherein the plurality of articles are touching such that at least one shared boundary is formed between the plurality of articles; iii. if a scanned food product is predicted to comprise a plurality of articles, then; (a) generating a closed contour corresponding to a perimeter of the plurality of articles; and (b) analyzing the closed contour to locate the shared boundary between the plurality of articles. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification