Method and apparatus for detecting and trimming fat from meat products

摘要

Meat portioning apparatus supports meat products on an endless conveyor to move through a light stripe at which upstream and downstream cameras view the light stripe and convert spaced apart points of light to electric signals representing various magnitudes of light brightness, the magnitude of brightness above a predetermined minimum representing areas of peripheral fat on the meat product. The electric signals of magnitude above the predetermined minimum are utilized by a computer to control one or more line-type cutters to cut the meat product along lines which remove the areas of fat from the meat product.