| CPC B65G 43/08 (2013.01) [B26D 7/0625 (2013.01); B26D 2210/02 (2013.01)] | 22 Claims |
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1. A food processing machine comprising:
a cutter configured to cut portions from a food product;
a transport system arranged to carry a food product to the cutter; and
a sensing apparatus configured to sense a profile of part of the food product as the food product is carried through a sensing region of the machine by the transport system,
wherein the transport system comprises:
a first feeder system which feeds the food product into and through the sensing region at a sensing feed rate, wherein the first feeder system comprises first upper and first lower product drivers configured to engage with upper and lower surfaces of the food product, respectively, the first upper and lower product drivers are located upstream of the sensing region; and
a second feeder system downstream of the sensing region which feeds the food product towards the cutter at a cutting feed rate, and
the machine is arranged to control the sensing and cutting feed rates independently,
wherein a food product is continuously constrained by the transport system as the food product travels before the sensing region, through the sensing region and from the sensing region to the cutter and the first and second feeder systems engage with both upper and lower surfaces of the food product to constrain it, and
wherein the first upper product driver is mounted on a pivotable arm, the pivotable arm being configured to bias the first upper product driver towards the first lower product driver such that a biasing force exerted by the pivotable are is varied based on a height of the food product so that the first upper product driver reliably constrains the food product against the first lower product driver.
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