Food slicing and weighing system

• US 8,869,664 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2011
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Titan Slicer Limited (MHM Automation Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Titan Slicer Limited (MHM Automation Ltd.)
• Inventors: Eyles, Jonathan Thomas, Marr, Sean Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US13/185,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20130019722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 83/755, 83/77, 700/171
• US Class Current: 83/75.5
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2210/02 for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/30 for weighing cut product
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/32 for conveying or stacking cut product means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/04 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/145 Including means to monitor product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/155 Optimizing product from unique workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/182 With means to weigh product

Abstract

A food slicing and weighing system produces stacks of slices of food product. Each stack has a total number of slices or a weight greater than a predetermined minimum stack weight. The food slicing and weighing line comprises a slicing unit and a weighing unit. The slicing unit has a blade for cutting slices off a log of food and a control arrangement comprising a controller for setting the thickness of the slices. The weighing unit has a surface supported by a load sensor. The surface is positioned at the location the slices are cut off the log, each slice dropping onto the surface as each slice is cut from the log. The load sensor senses the weight of the slices as each slice is dropped onto the surface and provides a signal to the controller. The controller determines from the signal a measured combined weight of a number of slices less than the total number of slices and then a target thickness for a next slice to be added to the stack of slices based on the measured combined weight.

Claims

1. A food slicing and weighing system for producing groups of slices of food product, each group of slices having a total number of slices or a weight greater than or equal to a minimum predetermined group weight, the food slicing and weighing system comprising:

a slicing unit having a blade for cutting slices off a log of food, each slice having a slice thickness,

a weighing unit having a load sensor, the weighing unit positioned at the location the slices are cut off the log, the load sensor adapted to sense the weight of slices as each slice is received on the weigh unit, and the load sensor providing a signal, the signal relating to the weight of slices on the weigh unit, and

a controller receiving the signal or data based on the signal, the controller programmed to;

i) after each slice is received on the weigh unit for a group of slices determine based on the signal or the data a calculated thickness for a next slice to be cut from the log and received on the weigh unit,

ii) provide an output to the slicing unit to set the slice thickness to the calculated thickness,

iii) repeat steps i) and ii) until the group of slices has been completed, wherein the signal or the data provides an indication of the combined weight of slices received on the weigh unit for a group of slices or the controller calculates from the signal or the data an indication of the combined weight of slices received on the weigh unit for a group of slices, and in step i) the controller determines the calculated thickness based on the indication of the combined weight and the calculated thickness determined for the previous slice cut from the log and the weight of the previous slice cut from the log.

2. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein in at least 95 % of the groups of slices produced by the food slicing and weighing system the weight of each group of slices is less than 3 % heavier than the minimum predetermined group weight.

3. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the slicing unit comprises a camera for taking an image of the log and providing a camera signal, the controller receiving the camera signal or data based on the camera signal and based on the cameral signal the controller determining an indication of the cross sectional area of the log, or the data providing an indication of the cross sectional area of the log, and the controller determining the calculated thickness based on the indication of the cross sectional area, a density and the indication of the combined weight.

4. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the controller determines the density based on the camera signal.

5. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the food product is meat having a fat content and a non-fat content, and the controller estimates a fat and non-fat content for a slice to be cut from the log based on the camera signal and determines the density based on the estimated fat and non-fat content and a known fat density and a known non-fat density, or wherein

the food product has cavities and based on the camera signal the controller estimates the percentage of cavities in a slice to be cut from the log and the controller determines the density based on the estimated percentage of cavities and a known density for the food product without cavities.

6. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the weighing unit comprises a conveyor supported by the load sensor, the conveyor positioned at the location the slices are cut off the log for receiving the slices to be weighed by the load sensor.

7. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 6 wherein each slice drops from the log onto the conveyor after being cut from the log.

8. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 6 wherein once the cutting of a group of slices has been completed and the group of slices has been received on the weigh unit, the conveyor is controlled to transfer the group of slices from the weigh unit so that the conveyor is vacant for receiving a first slice of a next group of slices.

9. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the conveyor comprises a belt supported by two spaced apart rollers, and the weighing unit comprises a motor removably coupled to at least one of the rollers for driving the belt and a support frame for supporting the conveyor and the motor, the support frame being supported by the load sensor, and the conveyor resting on the support frame and being removable from the support frame without tools.

10. The food slicing and weighing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the slicing unit comprises a user interface allowing an operator to enter for use by the controller one or more of a user defined target slice weight, a user defined target slice thickness, the total number of slices and the predetermined minimum stack weight, and the controller determines the calculated thickness for at least a first slice of a group of slices based on one or more of the user defined target slice weight, the user defined target slice thickness, the total number of slices, the predetermined minimum stack weight, a calculated thickness and a weight of a slice from a previous group of slices.