Patent ID: 11944105
Assignee: TYSON FOODS, INC.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  B  G | IPC A  B  G

Claim 0:
1. An automated computer controlled method for performing a meat cut comprising:
capturing a three dimensional image of a poultry item with a three dimensional vision system coupled to a computer that derives a three dimensional data set from the three dimensional image with an image processing engine processing at the computer and electronically storing said data set on an electronic memory of the computer, where the data set is representative of a surface contour, shape, size, geometry, volume, and distinctive local features and structures of the captured three dimensional image of the poultry item;
categorizing parts of the data set based on the distinctive local features and structures, thereby determining a volume classification bin, a location of a keel bone structure, a keel top location, a tender meat portion location, and a tender entry point location adjacent the keel top location;
determining a cut path based on the data set and the volume classification bin and the keel top location and the tender entry point location; and
controlling and articulating a robotic arm and an attached powered knife implement thereby causing a circular ring shaped annular blade implement of the attached powered knife implement to traverse the cut path beginning at the tender entry point location thereby severing the tender meat portion away from the keel bone structure and a boney sheath behind the tender meat portion.