Patent ID: 8688259

Claim:
A method of automatically portioning a workpiece into one or more final pieces, comprising: (a) designating one or more directly-controlled characteristics and one or more indirectly-controlled characteristics for one or more final pieces to be portioned from each workpiece; (b) scanning the workpiece to obtain scanning information; (c) simulating portioning the workpiece according to one or more directly-controlled characteristics and calculating the one or more indirectly-controlled characteristics of the one or more final pieces to be portioned according to the one or more directly-controlled characteristics; (d) repeating step (c) for multiple combinations of the one or more directly controlled characteristics, and rating each combination based on how closely the combination achieves the desired one or more directly controlled characteristics and/or the one or more indirectly controlled characteristics; and (e) determining an acceptable combination of the one or more directly-controlled characteristics and the one or more indirectly-controlled characteristics, by using one or more algorithms to analyze potentially acceptable one or more directly controlled characteristics until at least one acceptable set of one or more directly controlled characteristics and one or more indirectly controlled characteristics are determined, comprising: (i) rating the combinations according to one of: (a) a cost function as applied to one or more directly controlled and/or indirectly controlled characteristics, with the cost applied to the one or more directly controlled and/or indirectly controlled characteristics increasing in value as the one or more directly controlled and/or indirectly controlled characteristics deviates from an ideal characteristic value or level; and (b) a value function as applied to one or more of the one or more directly controlled and/or indirectly controlled characteristics, with the value applied to the one or more directly controlled and/or indirectly controlled characteristics, reducing as the one or more directly controlled and/or indirectly controlled characteristics deviates from an ideal value or level; (ii) using a multi-dimensional analysis technique to seek combinations of the one or more directly controlled and/or indirectly controlled characteristics based on minimizing the total cost of the combination of the one or more directly controlled characteristics and/or indirectly controlled characteristics, or based on maximizing the total value of the combination of the one or more directly controlled characteristics and/or indirectly controlled characteristics; and (f) portioning the workpiece according to a determined acceptable combination of characteristics.