System and technique for detecting the presence of foreign material
US7363817B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 27, 2002 |
| Grant date | Apr 29, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 2, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2291/105
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Systems and techniques for detecting the presence of foreign material in food utilizing optical backlighting and/or ultrasonic inspection are presented. In optical backlighting, a substantially monochromatic light source optically backlights a food stream with source light having a wavelength between about 500 and 600 nm. An image of the food stream is captured and the presence of foreign material is determined when a portion of the detected image exceeds a predetermined threshold. The technique is especially suitable for the detection of bone in chicken meat, and the light source can be a planar array of green LEDs. In ultrasonic inspection, a process stream is interrogated with pulses of ultrasound and the presence of foreign material is determined based on the detected off-angle ultrasound scattering response.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.