Importance

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Abstract

The food product sensor and trimmer apparatus and method may be used to detect and remove defects from french fried potato strips or other elongated food products as they are conveyed in separate channels on a conveyor belt. Such apparatus comprises a defect sensor for each channel including a plurality of light detectors which detect two different wavelength light bands, such as visible light and infrared light, reflected from the surface of the food product to determine the length of the product, the size of the defect and the position of the defect on the product. Visible light and near infrared light are reflected from the product and sensed by different detectors and the ratio of detected visible light to infrared light determined to detect defects and locate them relative to the opposite ends of the product. An improved cutter is employed in each channel to remove the defects from the article including a knife which may have a single pivoted knife blade and a control for reciprocating such blades back and forth across the path of the product so that the blade is capable of making two or more cuts per product. The spacing distance between such cuts is adjusted by the control to remove defects of different length with less waste when they occur in the middle of the product. The control for each cutter includes a data processor circuit receiving data input signals from the sensor means associated with such cutter.

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First Claim