Patent ID: 7623249

Claim:
An automated system for processing a food product based on the acquisition of the food product's surface profile, comprising: a product processor; a conveying device along which the product is conducted in sequence; a profiling apparatus having at least two upper line lasers disposed above the conveying device for illuminating an upper surface profile of the product, wherein the upper line lasers are adapted to illuminate the upper surface profile of the product across a first plane transverse to the conveyance direction of the product, wherein the upper liner lasers are disposed on opposite sides of the product for projecting laser beams onto and across the product; at least two lower line lasers disposed below the conveying device for illuminating a lower surface profile of the product, wherein the lower line lasers are adapted to illuminate the lower surface profile of the product across a second plane transverse to the conveyance direction of the product, wherein the lower liner lasers are disposed on opposite sides of the product for projecting laser beams onto and across the product; said profiling apparatus further having an upper camera located above the conveying device for imaging the upper surface profile illuminated by the upper line lasers, and a lower camera located below the conveying device for imaging the lower surface profile illuminated by the lower line lasers: a scale for weighing the product and for providing weight information; a controller being signal-connected to the upper and lower cameras, and to the scale, said controller being adapted for determining the volume of the product by acquiring and processing multiple visual images acquired by the upper and lower cameras along the length of the product as the product is moved through the profiling apparatus, and is arranged to complete acquiring and processing the multiple visual images of the product before processing of the product in the product processor; and wherein the product processor is a slicer adapted to cut slices of a particular weight, responsive to said controller and the product processor varies its processing operation on the product based upon the volume of the product and the weight information provided by the scale.