Patent ID: 9159126
Filing Date: 2015-10-13
Classification: A22C,G06Q,G06T

Abstract:
1. A system for screening and packaging meat products, comprising: a meat production apparatus comprising at least one packaging area, wherein meat product on a tray is conveyed to the at least one packaging area by a conveyor means; a means for capturing images of the meat products on trays conveyed along the conveyor means; a database comprising information relating to the suitability of meat products and trays for packaging; and a central processor adapted to receive information related to the captured images and, by referencing the suitability information in the database, evaluating whether the meat product and the tray are suitable for further packaging; wherein the processor is configured such that the step of evaluating the suitability of the meat product and the tray for further packaging comprises at least one of: determining the presence of abnormalities of said meat product and determining whether the meat product and the tray are in a desired orientation relative to one another; a directing means for directing the conveyance of the meat products on trays, wherein the directing means is electrically connected to the central processor; wherein the central processor is configured such that when, based on the evaluating step, the central processor identifies the meat product as unsuitable for further packaging, the directing means is positioned such that the tray containing the unsuitable meat product is conveyed away from subsequent processing operations that comprise a step of over-wrapping the meat product and the tray; and a re-working area having a conveyance means for receiving trays containing unsuitable meat product conveyed away from the subsequent processing operations comprising an over-wrapping step; wherein the re-working area comprises a means for identifying those trays comprising meat products in an undesired orientation relative to the tray; and, a means for re-positioning the meat product on the tray such that the meat product and tray are suitable for packaging.