Food Slicing Device with Sensor-Based Parameter Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing high-performance slicing machines struggle to adapt to changes in food products, leading to unprepared issues and inadequate reaction to variations in product characteristics.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a product sensor to monitor and adjust the slicing process, using a vibration sensor and camera to determine food parameters, and automatically adjusting machine settings such as knife speed, feed speed, and cutting gap to optimize slicing and portioning, while also enabling proactive maintenance and blade replacement strategies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a regulated drive transports food through a stationary cutting plane with a rapidly moving knife, then high cutting capacity and slice thickness control are achieved, but the system cannot adapt to changes in product characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by using sensors to detect product characteristics (such as temperature, dimensions, or material properties) and automatically adjusting cutting parameters including blade speed, feed rate, and cutting depth. This closed-loop system enables the high-speed slicing machine to adapt to variations in food products while maintaining consistent slice quality and thickness control.
2Productivity
If the knife speed and feed speed are kept constant for high cutting capacity, then productivity is maximized, but the system cannot react to variations in product temperature or mechanical properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static cutting parameters into dynamic, adjustable variables. The blade speed, feed rate, and cutting depth are no longer fixed but are continuously modified based on real-time sensor feedback about product characteristics. This dynamic adjustment ensures consistent cutting quality across different food products and conditions while maintaining high productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual monitoring and adjustment of cutting parameters is used, then adaptability to product changes is possible, but operating errors increase and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service automation where the slicing system monitors and adjusts its own operating parameters without human intervention. Sensors continuously measure product characteristics and the control system automatically modifies blade speed, feed rate, and cutting depth, eliminating manual adjustment errors and improving operational efficiency while maintaining full adaptability to product variations.
4Manufacturing precision
If the cutting parameters are manually set for each product type, then cutting quality can be optimized, but downtime increases and maintenance becomes less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-programming cutting parameters for various food product types into the control system. When a product is loaded, the system automatically selects and applies the appropriate parameter set, eliminating manual adjustment time. The system also continuously monitors blade condition and schedules maintenance proactively, reducing unplanned downtime while maintaining optimal cutting quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the adaptability and efficiency of the slicing process, reduces operating errors, and optimizes the cutting quality by automatically adjusting to product parameters like temperature and mechanical properties, thereby improving the overall performance and reducing downtime.
Implementation Method 1
The vibration sensor can either be arranged directly on the device and thus directly records its vibrations and/or it is arranged in the vicinity and records vibrations in the air excited by the device
Implementation Method 2
The product sensor can be a camera that can record waves of light visible to the human eye, ultraviolet radiation and/or infrared radiation
Implementation Method 3
The sensor can also be a simple temperature sensor
Data Source
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AI summary
The method involves inserting a food bar (2) e.g. cheese, into a feed line, where the food bar is transported by a transportation unit (4) towards a knife (11) to cut the food bar. A parameter of the food bar is determined by a vibration sensor and a product sensor, which are assigned to a cutting device. A signal from the product sensor is used for monitoring and/or adjusting the cutting device or a cutting process. An adjustment of a machine parameter is performed based on a function of the signal of the product sensor. An independent claim is also included for a device for separating food slices from a food bar with a rotary knife.