Device for cutting agricultural products and central processing unit with at least one data memory for controlling the device

Abstract

Device for cutting agricultural products (2) or foodstuffs, in particular for cutting fruit, with a cutting means (3) for cutting the agricultural product (2), with a guide device (4) for representing a relative movement between the cutting means (3) and the agricultural product (2), so that a cutting path (5) is possible on or in the agricultural product (2), with a control and / or regulating device (6) for controlling the guide device (4), with a device (7) for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural product (2) and converting the measured values ​​into a machine-readable code for the control and / or regulating device (6) for controlling the guide device (4), wherein the device (1) comprises a central processing unit (8) with at least one data memory (9), characterized in thatthat the central processing unit (8) is functionally connected to the control and / or regulating device (6) in such a way that the cutting process of the agricultural product (2) is controlled in accordance with quality characteristics of the agricultural product (2) stored in the data memory (9) and with material properties that are to be achieved after the cutting process.

Description

The invention relates to an apparatus for cutting agricultural products or foodstuffs, in particular for cutting fruits, having a cutting means for cutting the agricultural product, having a guide device for presenting a relative movement between the cutting means and the agricultural product, so that a cutting path is made possible on or in the agricultural product, having a control and / or regulating device for controlling the guide device, having a device for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural products and converting the measured values into a machine-readable code for the control and / or regulating device for controlling the guide device, wherein the apparatus comprises a central computing unit having at least one data memory, according to the preamble of claim 1.Cutting devices, among which peelers for fruits and the like are also intended to be subsumed, are used in various fields of food processing for cutting fruits or meat or products from these natural materials and are known from DE 42 28 068 A1 or DE 199 81 456 B4. Reference is made here to DE 10 2007 017 899 B4 of the applicant, which describes the cutting of food material with the aid of a cutting means from a high-pressure fluid jet or a high-energy light beam.The technique of water jet cutting, which is generally known from this, makes it possible to produce products having identical, defined geometric shapes, which, for example, significantly facilitates subsequent processing of the food or the fruits, for example during drying. Particularly in the case of fruits, there is often the desire of a processor or an end customer to cut a piece of fruit in a predetermined shape from a fruit slice or from an entire fruit. A geometric figure, such as a star or an outer contour of an object or an animal, is considered as a form, for example, in order to make fruits more attractive for children.It may also be the aim of a cutting operation to cut a pulp slice into several pieces of fruit which are as close as possible to the same size. In this case, for example, the diameter of an opening of a packaging container, such as a glass or a preservative, through which the fruit pieces must fit, can specify the size of the fruit pieces to be cut out.Under cutting, the process of peeling a fruit or the like is also involved.The method offers substantial advantages with regard to the precision of the cutting guidance and the hygiene compared to other cutting or peeling methods.To carry out the cutting with the device, a plurality of working steps, which have hitherto been only partially automated, are necessary. Thus, the agricultural products are presorted, they must be fed to the device and clamped or arranged in it in a defined manner.The agricultural products must then be optically recorded, in particular measured, and the data mentioned must be compiled into a machine-readable code.Subsequently, the agricultural product is cut and / or peeled according to a defined pattern. For peeling and cutting, the agricultural product is usually fixed manually in the guide device. The guide device permits a single-axis movement (rotation). The cutting beam is then moved by means of an x, y control in at least one axis, preferably in two axes, in such a way that the defined cutting sequence or the cutting sequence calculated by the device for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural product and / or the control and / or regulating device can be achieved. In this case, the agricultural product is rotated further incrementally in accordance with the position of the desired cuts.DE 10 2011 119 556 A1 describes a method for cutting harvested spar rods with a high-energy jet, in particular with a high-pressure water jet, which enables rapid and hygienic cutting of the spar rods.A cutting means of the device can be positioned relative to the rafter bars to be cut such that each individual rafter bar can be cut with a defined length. At least one property, such as a sorting class of a rafter, is detected by a camera, for example, before cutting. Each rafter bar is fed to the cutting means by a feed device. Each rafter can thus be brought to a definable length regardless of its original length.After the cutting operation, a measuring means serves to check the cutting operation. The water jet can be interrupted at any time by a device provided for this purpose.DE 10 2009 017 837 A1 describes a food item produced and shaped by a cutting device. The apparatus has a control device for controlling a guiding device of a cutting beam.The cutting jet is guided through the food item in such a way that at least one inner separating surface is produced which delimits two cut material parts.The control unit is assigned a programming unit, by means of which a cutting pattern can be freely preset. The cutting pattern is freely predetermined by a programming unit with a data source. Any cutting pattern with a wide variety of geometries can thus be produced.The cutting jet can be represented by a high-energy water jet.Furthermore, the control device has means for recording an image of the cutting material. The data processing device can determine at least its outer contour on the basis of one or more images of the material to be cut and adapt a control signal set to the outer contour of the material to be cut.The previously known methods according to the prior art are distinguished by a complex programming of the control and / or regulating device and a long working time of the agricultural product. Defects on the agricultural product are also not always recognized.Proceeding from this prior art, the object of the invention is to specify a device of the type mentioned which enables precise, hygienic and reliable and rapid cutting of agricultural products, with which a cutting method can be produced which can be integrated overall into a production chain and which can be operated by an operator without special programming skills.The object is achieved with a device having the features of claim 1 and with a central processing unit having at least one data memory according to claim 23.Because the central computing unit of the device for cutting agricultural products comprises at least one data memory and the central computing unit is functionally connected to the control and / or regulating device for controlling the guiding device and the cutting means in such a way that the cutting process of the agricultural product is controlled in accordance with quality features of the agricultural product and / or material properties of the agricultural product which are to be achieved during and after the cutting process, a technical measure is specified for optimizing the entire cutting process so continuously by adapting the guiding of the cutting means and the operation of the device for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural product that a cutting process can be produced which takes a small amount of time overall, This is easier to guide by an operator because of its increased degree of automation and results in a precisely cut, hygienically harmless end product with an economically optimum use of the agricultural product.Preferred embodiments are evident from the dependent claims.In a preferred embodiment, the cutting operation of the agricultural product is controlled in accordance with physical properties of the agricultural product stored in the data memory.In a preferred embodiment, the device uses as cutting means a cutting beam of a high-energy light beam or a particle or liquid beam. In this case, the guide device has a nozzle which can be moved at least in two directions and from which the cutting jet issues. The guide device has a holding device for the agricultural product, with which the agricultural product can be moved about at least one axis which is oriented at an angle to the cutting jet.This improves the cut quality that can be achieved, and also allows individual cutting and minimal product losses.If the agricultural product is rotated about the axis with the aid of the guide device, entire fruits can be peeled. In this case, only the nozzle has to be moved in one plane.The device for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural products is programmed with an image recognition and processing algorithm which evaluates the image generated by the agricultural product or the digital data thereof. For example, the device can determine the position and extent of a fruit slice on the basis of the contrast difference between the fruit slice and a conveyor belt on which the fruit slice lies. The outer contour of the fruit disk is thereby known.If a certain shape is to be cut out of this fruit slice, for example a star, the cutting path calculated by the device corresponds to the outer contour of this star. The device for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural products changes the orientation of this star-shaped cutting path relative to the fruit disk in such a way that as little waste as possible is produced. If necessary, the size of the shape to be cut out can also be adapted to the extension of the fruit slice and can be correspondingly increased or decreased compared to the basic shape while maintaining the aspect ratios. The cutting path can also be adapted to the condition of the agricultural product or the fruit slice.If the agricultural product to be cut is fruit, areas of different nature can be formed, for example depending on the type of fruit, by the shell of the fruit, the pulp, by the fruit kernel or a middle area formed from a plurality of fruit kernels, or else by areas of lower quality which are present in the form of printing points or else in the form of areas which have already been lost.In the case of fruits with a fruit shell, there may be a desire, on the one hand, to cut an entire fruit into pieces in each case. On the other hand, in already cut fruit slices which still comprise the fruit shell and / or a part of the fruit kernel, the pulp is often to be separated from the fruit shell and / or the fruit kernel by cutting. Since the guiding device enables the rotation of a fruit, an entire surface image of the fruit can be generated, whereby, for example, flaw or printing spots are detectable.The color and color distribution on the fruit can be detected. In addition, the outer contour of a fruit can be calculated.By calculating corresponding cutting paths, the entire fruit can then be peeled by means of a cutting jet.In this case, further images of the fruit can be recorded at any time. It can thus always be checked whether the exposed fruit slice freed from the fruit shell still gives undesired regions. Of these, a further layer can then be removed with the cutting jet. Then, an image recording followed by a cut can be carried out again, and this can be repeated until the overall image of the surface of the fruit has a uniform appearance.The device for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural products determines the boundary course between the pulp and the shell of the fruit by means of the image recognition and processing algorithm using intelligent analysis methods, wherein this boundary course corresponds to both the outer contour of the pulp and the inner contour of the fruit switch. The contour cutting path should therefore be calculated in this case so as to extend somewhat further inwards than the actual boundary course between pulp and pulp shell.In this way it is ensured that no shell residue remains on the pulp after cutting. The contour cut path calculated to separate the portion of the pulp kernel from the pulp should accordingly be calculated to be somewhat more outward adjacent the outer contour of the pulp.If the pulp has deteriorated areas which cannot be further used, such areas appear in the recorded image of the material to be cut in a different color shade than other areas. This region or these regions can thereby be distinguished from the usable pulp or pulp regions by the device for measuring. Thus, the device can also calculate a corresponding cutting path with respect to the respective frustrated locations.The device for measuring and optically detecting agricultural products can have a CMOS sensor or a CCD sensor. In this way, digital images can then be used further for the control and / or regulation device.In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the device, during the cutting process of the agricultural product, a comparison of the desired data stored in the data memory for a respective cutting interval is carried out in the form of quality features (cutting tolerance) and / or physical properties and / or the material properties of the agricultural product and currently measured values of the cutting profile or peeling profile, and a control deviation is carried out at the end of a respective interval by the central processing unit and / or the control and / or regulating device.The control deviations are stored in the data memory and can be used as a basis for a machine learning function and in particular as a deep learning function of the cutting guidance of the guide device and of the guide device and of the holding device during a subsequent cutting or peeling operation.Statistical and mechanistic functions may be added to or replaced by. Thus, a self-optimization of the method carried out by the device takes place.Besides the low-tolerance cutting, quality features also include the homogeneity of the structure of the cut agricultural products, and therefore the acribical removal of defects of all kinds on the agricultural product, and also the resolution capacity of the image generating and processing device.If the measured parameters and properties of the cut or peeled agricultural product fall below a control deviation from the parameters and properties stored in the data memory over the processing period, the central processing unit and / or the control and / or regulating device does not change the cutting process.The control deviation can be determined by a further, second arithmetic unit instead of by the central arithmetic unit and can be stored in the data memory.In a preferred embodiment of the device, the measured control deviations of the individual parameters and properties of the agricultural product over the working time are stored in a data memory product-specifically and specifically for the various intervals of the cutting operation.The control deviations are preferably stored in the data memory of the central processing unit or in a data memory of the control and / or regulating device and / or the data memory of the second processing unit. This provides a redundant system for controlling the cutting operation and improves operational reliability.The parameters of the agricultural product measured during a cutting or peeling operation and the relevant cutting guidance thereof are preferably stored in the data memory or memories at least at discrete intervals. This results in a multidimensional matrix of value dependencies, which serves as a basis for the optimization or the execution of subsequent cutting processes and can be used by the control and / or regulation device or the central processing unit.Preferably, the recorded and stored values of the above-mentioned parameters are compared with the values preset for each cutting interval by the central processing unit and a subsequent cutting process or cutting course is adapted thereto.In order to be able to realize a further optimization step during the operation of the device according to the invention, it can be advantageous to compare and / or update the setpoint values of the parameters of the agricultural product stored in the data memories and the corresponding, ascertained control deviations with data available in a cloud (Internet of things) relating to the cutting process and the parameter guidance therein.It can therefore be advantageous, at least before carrying out a cutting method, to use parameter guides via a cutting process of interest partially or completely from sources of a cloud and to store them temporarily or permanently in the data memories or at least in the data memory of the central processing unit. A plausibility check of the stored data is provided before further use thereof.Before or during or after the agricultural product is cut, data relating to the control of the course of the machining are transmitted from the cloud or a server system.The quality characteristics or material properties of the agricultural product are geometric variables and / or defects and rotata and / or colors and color distributions of the agricultural product.The updating of these data can thus also be effected by the provision of data of one or many operations which carry out water jet or other cutting methods via the server system. The cloud can thus also be used to check the process quality.In a particularly preferred embodiment, the guide device for the agricultural products also comprises a robot which, for example, feeds or removes the agricultural products to the apparatus. The robot can also replace the guide means and the holding means, so that several processing steps, preferably all processing steps of cutting and / or peeling and upstream and downstream steps of processing the agricultural product can be carried out with the aid of the robot.It can also be formed merely as a collapsible robot, which supplements or partially replaces the guiding and / or holding device.The robot or the collaborative robot is controlled by the control and / or regulating device or the central processing unit, that stored quality features and geometric parameters of the cut guide in the agricultural product can be used to control the robot in a subsequent cutting course, and it can improve its working qualities in the sense of a machine-learning function. For example, the positioning speed at which it grasps the agricultural product and supplies it to the cutting nozzle can be increased, and thus the entire process flow can be shortened.The control and / or regulating device is advantageously connected to the central processing unit by a bus system or the like.The invention is described below with reference to an exemplary embodiment and explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a schematic vertical section, not to scale, through a device according to the invention for cutting agricultural products or foodstuffs, FIG. 2 shows a horizontal section of the cutting device of FIG. 1 along the section line I-I, FIG. 3 shows a schematic vertical section, not to scale, through a device according to the invention for cutting agricultural products or foodstuffs, wherein pulp is to be cut out of a fruit slice; and FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus as viewed from the line III--III in FIG. 3.FIG. 1 shows a vertical section of a device 1 for cutting agricultural products 2, here mango fruits. The device 1 has a gas-tight, cube-like housing 21 which defines a cutting space 22. The housing 21 has a feed region 23 on one side, via which mango fruits 2 can be introduced into the cutting space 22. In order to maintain the gas tightness of the housing 21, the feed region 23 is designed as a lock.Opposite the feed region 23, a discharge region 23' is arranged on the housing 21, through which cut mango fruits 2 can be discharged from the cutting space 22. The discharge region 23' is also designed as a lock for maintaining the gas tightness of the housing 21.Between the feed region 23 and the discharge region 23' there extends in the cutting space 22 a belt conveyor 24 with a conveyor belt 25 which is designed in the manner of a permeable, net-like structure. The conveyor belt 25 is thus provided with a plurality of openings.In the feeding region 23 of the housing 21, a feeding belt conveyor 26 is arranged, and in the delivery region 23' of the housing 21, a delivery belt conveyor 27 is arranged.Below the belt conveyor 24 there is provided a trough 28, the circumferential wall of which runs closely next to the walls of the housing 21.The housing 21 also has a connection 29 via which a protective gas in the form of, for example, nitrogen or carbon dioxide or a suitable noble gas can be supplied to the cutting space 22 from a protective gas source, not shown here, so that the cutting process can be carried out in the cutting space 22 under a protective gas atmosphere.The housing 21 has opposite side walls 30, 31 which extend perpendicularly and which in turn have the feed region 23 or the discharge region 23'. As shown in FIG. 2, a first part 32 and a second part 32' of a holding device 12 for the mango fruit 2 are provided on the side walls 30, 31 somewhat above the belt conveyor 24. Each part 32, 32' comprises a holding plunger 33, 33' which is arranged on the end face of a holding rod 34, 34', respectively. Each holding rod 34, 34' is in turn formed such that it can be moved in its longitudinal direction by means of a servomotor and can be rotated about its longitudinal axis. In addition, each holding rod 34, 34' can be moved in the vertical direction. The holding device 12, the holding rods 34, 34' and the holding punches 33, 33' are parts of a guide device 4 for illustrating a relative movement between a cutting means 3, in the form of a nozzle unit 11, and the agricultural product 2.The nozzle 11, or cutting means 3, is disposed above the supply portion 23 and the discharge portion 23' in the cutting space 22. The cutting means 3 comprises a housing 36 which can be moved in both directions along a guide rod 35 and for moving the housing 36 this has a servo motor. In addition, the housing 36 carries the nozzle 11, which is formed as a high-pressure nozzle and is connected to a compressor 38 via a fluid line 37. The fluid conduit 37 carries cutting fluid such as water, alcohol, or a mixture of both. The high pressure nozzle 11 discharges a cutting jet 10 suitable for cutting the agricultural product 2.The nozzle 11 can be moved by means of an electric motor in such a way that the cutting jet 10 can run within a cutting cone. The agricultural product 2 can rotate about the axis X, which is oriented at an angle β to the cutting jet 10.The cutting cone is indicated in FIG. 1 by the dotted lines flanking the cutting jet 10.The guide rod 35 on which the nozzle 11 is arranged extends perpendicularly to the housing walls 30, 31 of the housing 21 and is held at its opposite ends in each case by a guide member 39, 39', which in turn are arranged movably on a guide rod 40, 40'.For this purpose, the guide rods 40, 40' which extend between the walls of the housing 21 and perpendicular thereto are designed as threaded rods which can be rotated about their longitudinal axis by means of a respectively associated electric or servomotor 41, 41'.The guide members 39, 39' are seated with a corresponding thread on external threads of the guide rods 40, 40' so that they move along the guide rods 40, 40' when the guide rods 40, 40' are rotated accordingly.In order that the guide members 39, 39' rigidly connected to one another by the guide rod 35 cannot tilt, the electric motors 41, 41' are synchronized.The holding device 12 for the agricultural product 2 is part of the guide device 4, which also comprises the nozzle 11, the guide rod 35 with the guide members 39, 39', the guide rods 40, 40' and the electric or servo motors 41, 41'.The guide device 4 allows a controlled relative movement between the mango fruit 2 and the cutting jet 10 in order to be able to represent a cutting path 5 in the agricultural product 2.On the inside of the ceiling of the housing 21 (see FIG. 3 ), a device 7 for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural products 2 is arranged, which is equipped with a CMOS sensor or a CCD sensor and can generate a digital image. The device 7 has a recognition field indicated by dotted lines which captures the mango fruit 2 in the holding device 12.The device 7 communicates via a data line 42 with a central processing unit 8, which is functionally connected to a control and / or regulating device 6, which actuates the guide device 4.The central processing unit 8 has an intelligent image generation and processing device 19 with an image recognition and processing algorithm and recognizes the position and extension of the different fruit regions, namely the position and extension of the fruit slice 43 (cf. FIGS. 3 and 4 ), its fruit shell 44, a fruit kernel and a printing location or defect 18 in the fruit slice 43 on the basis of the digital images transmitted by the device 7 and generates on the basis thereof a control signal set for controlling the nozzle 11.The central processing unit 8 has a data memory 9, and is functionally connected to the control and / or regulating device 6 in such a way that the cutting process of the agricultural product 2 is controlled in accordance with physical product properties and / or material properties stored in the data memory 9, which are to be achieved after the cutting (cutting tolerances).The cutting operation thus takes place automatically and aligned with the characteristics and characteristics of the agricultural product 2.Apart from the possibility that the device 1 can free the mango fruit 2 from its fruit shell 44, the device 1 can also be used for further cutting slices of fruit 43 which are cut from a fruit with shell 44 and a part of the fruit kernel 45.FIG. 4 shows a section III-III in FIG. 3 and a plan view, inter alia, of two fruit slices 43. The fruit slices 43 still have the part of the fruit shell 44 surrounding them and a part of the fruit kernel 45; furthermore, the pressure point or defect 18 can be seen on a fruit slice 43, which pressure point or defect extends radially inward in the direction of the fruit kernel 45. The aim here is to separate the pulp from the fruit shell 44, the fruit kernel 45 and the region of the pressure or defect 18 so that after the cutting operation a slice is present which consists only of edible pulp.For this purpose, the fruit slices 43 are conveyed at a distance from one another onto the belt conveyor 24 into the measuring field of the device 7. The image recognition and processing unit 19 creates an image of the fruit slice 43 and sends it to the central processing unit 8, If agricultural products 2 are to be cut which correspond in the type and / or the optics of the fruit slice 43, it is generally sufficient if a single image is created.On account of the regions of the fruit shell 44, the defect 18, the fruit kernel 45 and the pulp that appear in different color tones, the image generating and processing device 19 programmed with the image processing and recognition algorithm recognizes, in addition to the geometric sizes a, b of the mango fruit 2 as a whole, the lengths and the extension of the different fruit regions, the position and the extension of the fruit kernel 45, the pulp, the defect 18 and the fruit shell 44.In order to separate the fruit kernel 45 from the pulp, the central computing unit 8 computes a cutting path 5 which runs somewhat radially outwards adjacent to the contour of the fruit kernel 45. This cutting path 5 is indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 4.Similarly, the central computing unit 8 recognizes the boundary between pulp and fruit shell 44 from image files created on the basis of the device 7. from this the central computing unit 8 computes a further cutting path which runs slightly radially inwardly offset with respect to the fruit shell 44. Correspondingly, the central computing unit 8 also recognizes the boundary between the pulp and the region of the defect 18 in which the denatured pulp is present and calculates for this purpose a third cutting path which extends offset inwards adjacent to the contour of the region of the defect 18.The control and / or regulating device 6 now controls the servo- or electric motors of the guide device 4, whereby the nozzle 11 above the fruit disk 43 follows the calculated cutting path. The cutting jet 10 thus separates the pulp from the fruit slice 43. Through the openings in the conveyor belt 25 of the belt conveyor 24, the liquid from which the cutting jet 10 consists can flow off into the trough 28.A laser beam can also serve as the cutting beam 10. In this case, a source of laser light is provided instead of the nozzle 11.In order to achieve an increase in the cut quality and to reduce the material loss on the agricultural product 2 during the cutting process, it is provided that at least one interval-like comparison of the quality losses (cut tolerances) stored in the data memory and / or of the physical properties and / or of the material properties of the agricultural product 2 and of currently measured values of these parameters and properties is determined-by a determination of the control deviations-by the central computing unit 8 and / or the control and / or regulating device 6. In this case, in particular, cutting parameters a, b of geometric type or of the nozzle 11 used, the pressure and the sequence of the jet guidance are also stored as parameters.If a defined control deviation of the measured parameters and properties of the cut or peeled agricultural product 2 from the parameters and properties stored in the data memory 9 is undershot over the processing period, the central computing unit 8 and / or the control and / or regulating device 6 does not carry out any change in the cutting operation. Thus, the final qualities of the cut agricultural product 2 can be achieved in an automatically controlled manner.To determine the control deviation, a further, second computing unit 13 is preferably provided. This stores the measured control deviations over the machining time in the data memory 9 in a product-specific manner. The control deviations can also be stored in a data memory 14 of the control and / or regulating device 6 and / or in a data memory 15 of the second arithmetic unit 13.The measured parameters of the agricultural product 2, such as the color distribution on its surface, their dimensions, weights, density distribution and the like, can also be stored in the data memories 9, 14 and 15 at discrete time intervals.The control deviations can serve as a basis for a machine learning function and in particular as a deep learning function of a control and / or control algorithm for controlling the physical parameters of the process, i.e. for self-optimizing the cutting method carried out by the apparatus 1.Statistical and mechanistic functions may be added to or replaced by.By implementing a cloud system 16, the parameters and properties of the agricultural product 2 stored in the data memories 9, 14, 15 can be compared or made available according to the cutting or peeling method with data present in the cloud 16 or a server system 17 connected thereto or only in a server system 17. The updating of this data can also be effected by the provision of data of one or many operations which operate such a device 1. As a result, a cutting or peeling process carried out with the device 1 becomes more efficient and can be optimally adapted to a customer's desire.The cloud 16 can also be used to monitor the process quality of the cutting method.The guide device 4 can also include a robot 20 with image processing matched to the system, for example. This robot 20 can replace or support the feeding belt conveyor 26 and / or the discharging belt conveyor 27 by presorting or advancing agricultural products 2 after cutting. In this embodiment, it is a collapsible robot 20, but it can be generally used for performing substantially more tasks than robot 20 and thereby replace the guide device 4 and the holding device 12 or temporarily or permanently take over their tasks.In a particularly preferred embodiment of the apparatus 1, the device 7 for measuring is formed in such a way that presorting of the agricultural products can be omitted, since incorrect and digested areas 18 are also directly detected and taken into account. It is incorporated into the machine-learning function or the deep-learning function supported by the cloud 16 or the server system 17.Agricultural products 2 also include, for example, fruit leather, dough or other foods, such as cheese and the likeList of reference characters1 Device for cutting 2 product, agricultural, food 3 cutting means 4 guiding device 5 cutting path 6 control and / or regulating device 7 device for measuring 8 central computing unit 9 data memory 10 liquid jet, cutting jet 11 nozzle 12 holding device 13 computing unit, second 14 data memory, v. 6 15 data memory, v. 13 16 cloud 17 server system 18 defect 19 image generating and processing device, intelligent 20 robot, collaborative robot 21 housing 22 cutting space 23 feed region 23' delivery region 24 belt conveyor 25 conveyor belt 26 feed belt conveyor 27 delivery belt conveyor 28 trough 29 connection 30 side wall 31 side wall 32 part, first 32' part, second 33 holding punch 33' holding punch 34 holding rod 34' holding rod 35 guide rod 36 housing 37 fluid line 38 compressor 39 guide member 39' guide member 40 guide rod 40' guide rod 41 electric motor 41' electric motor 42 data line 43 fruit disk 44 fruit shell 45 fruit kernel a size, geometric b size, geometric X axis β angle, between X and 10

Claims

Apparatus for cutting agricultural products (2) or foodstuffs, in particular for cutting fruits, having a cutting means (3) for cutting the agricultural product (2), having a guide device (4) for representing a relative movement between the cutting means (3) and the agricultural product (2), so that a cutting path (5) is made possible on or in the agricultural product (2), having a control and / or regulating device (6) for controlling the guide device (4), having a device (7) for measuring and optically detecting the agricultural product (2) and converting the measured values into a machine-readable code for the control and / or regulating device (6) for controlling the guide device (4), the apparatus (1) comprising a central computing unit (8), having at least one data memory (9), characterized in that, the central computer unit (8) is functionally connected to the control and / or regulating device (6) in such a way that the cutting process of the agricultural product (2) is controlled in accordance with quality characteristics of the agricultural product (2) stored in the data memory (9) and with material properties which are to be achieved after the cutting process.Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the cutting operation of the agricultural product (2) is controlled in accordance with physical properties of the agricultural product (2) stored in the data memory (9).Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cutting means (3) is formed by at least one particle or liquid jet (10) or by a cutting jet of high-energy light.Apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that the guide device (4) has a nozzle (11) which can be moved at least in two directions and from which the cutting steel (10) opens out, and in that the guide device (4) has a holding device (12) for the agricultural product (2), with which the agricultural product (2) can be moved about at least one axis (X) which is aligned at an angle (β) to the cutting jet (10).Device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cutting process of the agricultural product (2) is controlled by the central computer unit (8) and / or the control and / or regulating device (6) by means of at least one interval-like comparison (control deviation) of the quality features (cutting tolerances) stored in the data memory (9) and / or of the physical properties and / or of the material properties of the agricultural product (2) and currently measured values of these parameters and properties.Device according to claim 5, characterised in that when a defined control deviation of the measured parameters and properties of the cut or peeled agricultural product (2) is undershot from the parameters and properties stored in the data memory (9), no changes to the cutting operation are carried out by the central computing unit (8) and / or the control and / or regulating device (6) over the machining period.Device according to one of Claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the control deviations of the parameters and properties of the agricultural product (2) are determined by a further, second arithmetic unit (13) and are stored in the data memory (9).Device according to one of Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the measured control deviations of the parameters and properties of the agricultural product (2) over the working period are stored in the data memory (9) in a product-specific manner.Device according to one of Claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the control deviations are stored in the data memory (9) of the central arithmetic unit (8) or in a data memory (14) of the open-loop and / or closed-loop control device (6) and / or in a data memory (15) of the second arithmetic unit (13).Device according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the measured quality features and geometric parameters of the agricultural products (2) are stored in the data memory (9, 14, 15) at least at discrete time intervals.Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the quality features and geometric parameters of the cutting guidance in the agricultural product (2) stored at intervals or continuously are used (machine learning) for controlling a subsequent cutting course by the control and / or regulating device (6) or the central processing unit (8).Device according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the quality features of the cutting guide of the agricultural product (2) and / or the physical properties and / or the material properties of the agricultural product (2) are compared at least with the target parameters of the cut agricultural product (2) stored in the data memory (9) of the central processing unit (8) and their control deviations with data available in a cloud (16) or a server system (17).Device according to claim 12, characterised in that the parameters and properties of the agricultural product (2) stored in the data memory (9) of the central processing unit (8) and their deviations in control are compared with data available in the cloud (16).Device according to one of Claims 12 or 13, characterized in that the parameters and properties of the agricultural product (2) stored in the data memory (9) of the central computing unit (8) come at least partially from the cloud (16) or the server system (17) (IoT, Internet of things).Device according to one of Claims 1 to 14, characterized in that geometric variables (a, b) and / or flaws and rota locations (18) and / or colours and colour distributions of the agricultural product (2) are determined as quality features or material properties of the agricultural product (2).Device according to one of Claims 12 to 15, characterized in that data relating to the open-loop and / or closed-loop control of the machining profile are transmitted from the cloud (16) or the server system (17) to the data store (9, 14, 15) before and / or during and / or after the cutting of the agricultural product (2).Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the device (7) for measuring the agricultural products (2) is formed in the manner of a digital image generating and processing device (19).Device according to claim 17, characterised in that the agricultural product (2) is sorted by the device (7) for measuring the agricultural product (2) at least according to criteria such as colour, colour distribution, size and size distribution.Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the guide device (4) comprises at least one robot (20).Apparatus according to claim 19, characterised in that the robot (20) substantially or completely forms the holding device (12).Device according to claim 19, characterised in that the robot (20) is formed as a collapsible robot which is associated with the guiding device (4), that several processing steps of cutting and / or peeling and upstream and downstream steps of processing the agricultural product (2) are carried out with the aid of the collaborative robot (20).Device according to one of Claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the robot (20) or the collaborative robot (20) is controlled by the control and / or regulating device (6) or the central computing unit (8), and in that stored quality features and geometric parameters of the cutting guidance in the agricultural product are used for controlling the robot in a subsequent cutting course (machine-learning).Central processing unit (8) having at least one data memory (9) for controlling a device according to one of Claims 1 to 22.

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