Cutting apparatus for cutting food items conveyed on a conveyor including at least one conveyor belt

Abstract

This invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting food items conveyed on a conveyor including at least one conveyor belt. A cutter is arranged above a gap extending across the at least one conveyor belt. The cutter is positioned in relation to the gap such that the cutting path of the cutter extends through the food items and the gap and below the surface level of the at least one conveyor belt. The cutter is adapted to be connected to a control mechanism for operating crosswise movement of the cutter along the gap. The gap is formed between adjacent elongated supporting means such as rollers with a fixed internal arrangement, where the adjacent elongated supporting means and the cutter is adapted to be connected to a control mechanism for operating back and forth movement of the adjacent elongated supporting means and the cutter parallel to the conveying direction while maintaining the internal arrangement of the adjacent elongated supporting means and the cutter fixed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting food items conveyed on a conveyor including at least one conveyor belt and further to a food processing system comprising such cutting apparatus.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Undesired objects such as tissues or bones in food items such as fish fillets, poultry fillets and meat may be removed in an automatic way via cutting, where the cutting is performed in accordance to images taken of the food items that identify the locations of the tissues / bones to be cut and removed. Today, the food items are often moved or placed on a first conveyor that may include a thin solid belt where the imaging, e.g. x-ray imaging, takes place while the food items are being conveyed. Since the cutting involves implementing cutting procedure such as high pressure water jet that extends below the surface of the conveyor belt the objects must me moved onto a special cutting belt, typically a stainless steel con...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]Accordingly, in case that the imaging equipment is a x-ray machine, there is no longer need for using two separate conveyors, i.e. one as a x-ray conveyor and one as a cutting conveyor since one and the same conveyor may be used for both conveying the food items during imaging and also during cutting. Thus, any errors in the displacement of the items and thus in the cutting due to the transferring between x-ray conveyor and cutting conveyor has been eliminated. Also, the cutting may take place on a thin solid belt instead of e.g. a stainless steel conveyor. This has several advantages such as easier cleanability of the belt compared to such steel belts that they have alot of hinges and the like. Also, the costs relating to using such belts is typically much lower compared to such cutting belts. Further, similar type of belt may be implemented for this cutting apparatus as in the remaining conveyors in the food processing system which results in e.g. lowers costs. Additionally, the food items may be imaged at all times, e.g. shortly before the cutting starts and also during the cutting, but such an imaging, e.g. x-ray imaging, is not possible on a such cutting belts. The apparatus thus facilitates that monitoring of the cutting compared to said prior art cutting apparatus that uses stainless steel belts.

[0044]Accordingly, a food processing system is provided that may utilize a “unified” x-ray and cutting conveyor with the above mentioned advantages. This does not only make the system as such more compact but also enhances the accuracy in e.g. trimming since it is now possible to use a single conveyor meaning that the error caused when transferring the foot items from one conveyor to the next is no longer an issue.

Problems solved by technology

Also, the costs relating to using such belts is typically much lower compared to such cutting belts.

Further, similar type of belt may be implemented for this cutting apparatus as in the remaining conveyors in the food processing system which results in e.g. lowers costs.

Additionally, the food items may be imaged at all times, e.g. shortly before the cutting starts and also during the cutting, but such an imaging, e.g. x-ray imaging, is not possible on a such cutting belts.

Images