Patent ID: 6032561
Filing Date: 2000-03-07
Classification: A21C,B26D,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
An ultrasonic food product cutting apparatus for cutting food products moving on a continuously operating conveyor, the apparatus comprising:(a) a base frame;(b) conveyor means mounted to the base frame for moving a food product supported thereon from an infeed end to an outfeed end;(c) an ultrasonic knife assembly having a blade adapted for cutting the food product, the blade having an elongated edge extending in a plane parallel with a support surface of said conveyor means;(d) knife positioning means mounted to the base frame and supporting the ultrasonic knife assembly above the conveyor means for moving the knife assembly to the food product in a cutting position therewith when the conveyor means has moved the food product within a cutting range of the knife positioning means and moving the knife assembly a rate of speed synchronous to a rate of speed of the moving conveyor means for maintaining the cutting position to allow the ultrasonic knife assembly to effectuate a cut, the knife positioning means including motor means for movement of the knife assembly about an x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, the motor means being adapted to move the knife assembly at a rate of speed in the x-axis at least as fast as a rate of speed of the conveyor means;(e) sensing means operatively connected with the knife positioning means to sense a proximity of the food product within the cutting range of the knife positioning means, and control means responsive to the sensing means to cause the knife positioning means to move the knife assembly to the food product in the cutting position and for movement about the food product in at least two axes of movement for positioning the knife assembly to effectuate a series of preselected cuts;(f) processor means operatively connected with said knife positioning means and sensing means for controlling the movement of the knife assembly; and(g) an operator interface operatively connected with the processor means, the operator interface having means for saving a formula corresponding to the series of preselected cuts to be cut in each succeeding food product moving along the continuously moving conveyor means;the knife positioning means including rotary motor means for providing rotary movement of the knife assembly, and effectuating the series of preselected cuts by cutting the food product with a series of cuts intersecting one another, each cut being formed by the elongated edge of the blade being moved downward along the z-axis and retracted form the food product with the rotary motor means rotating the knife assembly and the blade from its initial position to its next required position between cuts while continuously moving the knife assembly blade at the rate of speed of the moving conveyor means.