Imaging-Guided Portion Cutting Around Food Defects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food cutting systems fail to effectively account for defects in food items, leading to inefficient quality control and waste due to the inclusion of undesired parts, which often requires costly manual labor and results in wasted food.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize an imaging system to identify defective areas in food items, determining portion cuts based on these areas and cutting devices to optimize the yield of defect-free portions, allowing for automated sorting and reduced waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional cutting systems are used without defect detection, then cutting speed and productivity are maintained, but defective portions are produced requiring manual quality control and causing food waste
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system performs defect detection and the controller determines the distribution of portion cuts before the actual cutting operation. This preliminary action allows the cutting device to avoid defective areas, ensuring that food portions are cut without including defects, thereby reducing food waste while maintaining cutting productivity.
2Reliability
If manual quality control is implemented to detect defects, then defective portions can be identified, but costly manual labor is required and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manual mechanical inspection process is replaced with an automated imaging system and controller that detect defects and determine optimal cut distribution. The imaging system captures images of the food item, the controller analyzes the images to locate defects, and automatically determines the distribution of portion cuts to avoid defective areas. This substitution eliminates manual labor while maintaining high quality control accuracy and reducing processing time.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform portion cuts are applied without considering defects, then cutting simplicity is maintained, but defective areas may be included in portions requiring post-cutting quality control
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying uniform cutting throughout the food item, the system determines the distribution of portion cuts locally based on defect locations. The controller analyzes defect positions and adjusts the cut distribution to avoid defective areas while maintaining desired portion sizes and weights in non-defective areas. This localized approach ensures that each portion is optimized based on its specific location relative to defects.
4Loss of substance
If defect detection and adaptive cutting are implemented, then defective portions are reduced and yield is optimized, but system complexity and initial cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs multiple functions: receiving images from the imaging system, determining the location of defective areas, determining the distribution of portion cuts based on defect locations and desired portion characteristics, and controlling the cutting device. This multi-functionality consolidates what could be separate complex systems into a single integrated controller, reducing overall system complexity while achieving defect reduction and yield optimization.
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
The method and system significantly reduce the number of defective food portions by cutting around defects, optimizing yield and minimizing waste through automated quality control and sorting.
Implementation Method 1
the imaging system imaging the food item and obtaining image data thereof
Data Source
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Figure 4
AI summary
A food processing system and method for cutting a food item into cut food item portions is disclosed. The food processing system comprises a conveyor, an imaging system, a cutting device, and a controller. The conveyor conveys the food item past the imaging system allowing the imaging system to image the food item and image data is obtained. The controller receives the imaging data and determines the location of defective areas on the basis thereof. Then a distribution of portion cuts over the food item dividing the food item into food item portions is determined on the basis of at least the determined location of defective areas and a desired portion size and/or weight. The cutting device cuts the food item according to the determined distribution of portion cuts.