3D Vision Food Block Cutting for Equal-Weight Bar Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food cutting systems for large blocks, such as cheese, result in significant waste (up to 15%) and giveaway (1%) due to inefficiencies in cutting processes, leading to suboptimal yield of individual bars of equal weight for retail sale.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a cutter conveyor with a programmable logic controller and a camera vision system that creates a 3D image of the food block, determining an optimized cut solution to minimize waste and maximize yield, including stations for cutting, weighing, trimming, and cutting into individual bars of equal weight, with a transport conveyor for reorientation and weighing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional multi-stage cutting operations are used to cut blocks into smaller portions, then the cutting process is simple and equipment is basic, but waste increases to 15% and giveaway reaches 1% over target weight
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing images of the food block before cutting, creating a 3D model and calculating the optimal cutting solution in advance. This allows the system to plan all cut positions and orientations beforehand, maximizing yield before the actual cutting process begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical measurement and planning methods with an optical imaging system and computational algorithm. The camera vision system captures images and software calculates the optimal cutting solution, substituting complex mechanical measurement devices with optical and computational components.
2Productivity
If conventional cutting systems are used, then equipment construction is simple and cost is low, but yield of individual bars is suboptimal and giveaway is 1% over target weight
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces conventional mechanical measurement and planning with an optical imaging system and computational algorithm. The camera vision system captures images and software calculates the optimal cutting solution, substituting complex mechanical measurement devices with optical and computational components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital 3D copy of the food block through image capture and processing. This virtual model allows for optimal cutting plan calculation without physically manipulating the actual product, enabling precise yield optimization before cutting begins.
3Quantity of substance
If multi-stage cutting operations are used, then the cutting process is straightforward, but waste reaches 15% and not enough individual bars of equal weight are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing images of the food block before cutting, creating a 3D model and calculating the optimal cutting solution in advance. This allows the system to plan all cut positions and orientations beforehand, maximizing yield before the actual cutting process begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces dynamic adaptability by using image-based 3D modeling to create a custom cutting solution for each specific food block. Rather than using fixed cutting patterns, the system dynamically adjusts cut positions and orientations based on the actual dimensions and shape of each block, maximizing the number of individual bars produced.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for cutting blocks of food product into bars of substantially equal weight. The system includes a cutter conveyor configured to receive incoming blocks of food product and move the blocks along an in-line processing path in a plane for cutting; a programmable logic controller coupled to the cutter conveyor; and, multiple stations associated with the cutter conveyor. One such station is a camera vision system configured to create an image of the slab portion, and further including a camera controller coupled to the vision system and the PLC, and configured to determine an optimized cut solution of the slab portion from the image and data related to the food product, and is configured to provide the cut solution to the PLC. The PLC is configured to control the cutting of the food product, based on the optimized cut solution, into bars of substantially equal weight.