Patents Assigned to AEW Delford Systems Limited
  • Patent number: 8373749
    Abstract: A vision system for viewing the end face of product (64) mounted in a machine and which in use produces measurements relating to the area of the end face and of at least one constituent part of the product which is visible in the said end face. The system comprises means for illuminating a region containing the end face and scanning (78) means for producing a video signal from an image of the illuminated region. The region is illuminated consecutively using first one (50) and then the other (58, 60) of two strobed light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Colin Michael Burton
  • Patent number: 8287015
    Abstract: A gripper device is provided for picking up and releasing an article. The device includes a support (15, 16) and a pair of grippers (10, 11) pivotally mounted on the support for movement of their distal ends towards and away from each other. A belt (1) is belt arranged to extend across the gap defined between the distal ends of the grippers when they are spaced apart so that the belt is able to extend over the article to be picked up and to extend around the article when the grippers have been moved towards each other to pick up the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Richard John Hawes
  • Patent number: 8210586
    Abstract: A pick and place device for picking up and re-positioning an article (11) carried by a support surface, comprising a first part which includes a plate portion (8, 8?) which is movable parallel to the support surface so that a leading edge thereof penetrates below the article, between the article and the support surface, and a belt of flexible material (9, 9?) which is wrapped around at least the leading edge of the plate portion so that it is sandwiched between the plate and the article when the former penetrates therebelow and as the plate portion moves below the article there is substantially no relative sliding movement between the sandwiched portion of the belt and the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Richard John Hawes
  • Patent number: 8116554
    Abstract: A vision system for viewing the end face of product mounted in a machine which in use produces measurements relating to the area of the end face and of at least one constituent part of the product which is visible in the end face. The end face is illuminated by light of two different wavelengths. One wavelength illuminates an area which contains both the end face and surrounding parts of the machine, while light of the other wavelength from a laser source produces a pattern of parallel spaced apart lines of light of the other wavelength. The parallel lines cross the end face at a specific given angle. Gating excludes video signal of parallel lines in the image which are not at the specific angle to leave a residual video signal corresponding to the end face. A full color video signal of the field of view is gated by the mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Colin Michael Burton
  • Patent number: 8109186
    Abstract: An apparatus for gripping food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meat in a slicing machine, together with methods of operation thereof. The gripper apparatus comprises hooks for gripping one end of the food product. During slicing, the slicing machine cuts slices from the other end of the food product. Two sets of hooks are present and each set of hooks is moveable between a retracted inoperative position and an extended product-gripping position, independently of the other set. The second set of hooks, when in their extended position, projects for a distance greater than the first set of hooks. Both sets of hooks occupy their extended positions during initial stages of slicing and the second set of hooks is withdrawn to their retracted position during a final stage of slicing so that more of the remaining end of the product can be sliced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Alan Culling
  • Patent number: 8091458
    Abstract: A food slicing machine is provided which is particularly suitable for slicing food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meats. The machine has a slicing blade (1), and advancing apparatus (5, 6) operable to engage one end (13) of a food product (4) to be sliced and, on an advancing stroke, push the food product towards the slicing blade for slicing of the other end of the product. The machine includes a sensor (1) operative to produce a sensing signal representative of the position of said one end (13) of the product prior to engagement thereof by the advancing apparatus, and control circuitry for controlling the extent of a return stroke by the advancing apparatus in dependence upon the sensing signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Alan Culling
  • Patent number: 7904198
    Abstract: Tooling is described for securing to the movable end of a computer-controlled robotic arm, by which articles can be picked up, optionally rotated and lowered into a new position. The tooling comprises two blades each having a leading edge and trailing edge, movable between a first position in which their leading edges are separated by a large gap and a second position in which the leading edges overlap, or are in contact or are separated by a smaller gap. A movement restraining mechanism is included which comprises at least one resiliency deformable member located above the plane containing the two blades and spaced therefrom by a distance which is less than the thickness of each article to be picked up by the tooling. In use, as the tooling is lowered onto an article. the underside of the deformable member engages the upper surface of the article and becomes deformed in order to accommodate the thickness of the article before the blades make contact with a surface on which the article rests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Richard John Hawes
  • Publication number: 20100133862
    Abstract: A gripper device is provided for picking up and releasing an article. The device includes a support (15, 16) and a pair of grippers (10, 11) pivotally mounted on the support for movement of their distal ends towards and away from each other. A belt (1) is belt arranged to extend across the gap defined between the distal ends of the grippers when they are spaced apart so that the belt is able to extend over the article to be picked up and to extend around the article when the grippers have been moved towards each other to pick up the article.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard John HAWES
  • Publication number: 20100066824
    Abstract: A vision system for viewing the end face of product (64) mounted in a machine and which in use produces measurements relating to the area of the end face and of at least one constituent part of the product which is visible in the said end face. The system comprises means for illuminating a region containing the end face and scanning (78) means for producing a video signal from an image of the illuminated region. The region is illuminated consecutively using first one (50) and then the other (58, 60) of two strobed light sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Colin Michael Burton
  • Publication number: 20090317221
    Abstract: A pick and place device for picking up and re-positioning an article (11) carried by a support surface, comprising a first part which includes a plate portion (8, 8?) which is movable parallel to the support surface so that a leading edge thereof penetrates below the article, between the article and the support surface, and a belt of flexible material (9, 9?) which is wrapped around at least the leading edge of the plate portion so that it is sandwiched between the plate and the article when the former penetrates therebelow and as the plate portion moves below the article there is substantially no relative sliding movement between the sandwiched portion of the belt and the article.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard John Hawes
  • Publication number: 20080250907
    Abstract: A food slicing machine (10) is provided for slicing food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meat for sale as groups of slices in separate packs. The food slicing machine comprises a cutter for cutting slices from the food product and controller (32) for controlling the thickness of the slices. The machine cuts slices according to a first value of a slicing parameter until the controller determines when the amount of food product remaining to be sliced in an end portion of the food product is less than a predetermined group weight threshold. The controller is operable to cause a slice to be cut according to a second, different value of the slicing parameter from the end portion for addition to an under-weight group of slices, so that its weight at least equals the predetermined group weight threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard David Seager
  • Publication number: 20080250904
    Abstract: A food processing system is provided for outputting groups of slices of a food product, with each group having a weight greater than a predetermined group weight threshold. The system includes a food slicing machine (10) having control means (32) for regulating the thickness of the slices cut by the machine so that they are cut according to the current value of a slice size parameter. Means (26) are provided for generating an under-weight signal responsive to the generation of any groups of slices by the slicing machine having a weight less than the predetermined group weight threshold, and an end-of-line weighing means monitors the weight of groups of slices outputted by the system and generates an end-of-line weight signal responsive thereto.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard David Seager
  • Publication number: 20080250945
    Abstract: Food processing apparatus is provided for use in the division of a food product such as cheese or meat in separate portions prior to packing of the portions into individual packs for sale. The apparatus comprises a machine for dividing the food products into portions, a control arrangement (22) for controlling the operation of the apparatus, and a sensing arrangement (28) for sensing at least one property of part of a food product (12) to be processed by the apparatus. The sensing arrangement outputs a signal to the control arrangement related to the sensed property of the food product. The control arrangement is operable to adjust an operating parameter of the apparatus with reference to said signal. In this way, the apparatus operates to improve control of its interaction with the food product, having regard to properties of a particular log of food product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard David Seager
  • Publication number: 20080212842
    Abstract: A vision system is described for viewing the end face of product mounted in a machine which in use produces measurements relating to the area of the end face and of at least one constituent part of the product which is visible in the end face. The system comprises means for illuminating the end face and a video camera for producing a video signal from an image of the illuminated end face. The end face is illuminated by light of two predominantly different wavelengths. One wavelength illuminates an area which contains both the end face and surrounding parts of the machine, while light of the other wavelength from a laser source produces a pattern of parallel spaced apart lines of light of the said other wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Colin Michael Burton
  • Publication number: 20080196567
    Abstract: Apparatus is provided for holding down food products (4) such as bacon, cheese or cooked meat in a slicing machine. The apparatus comprises a device (3) engaging the top of the food product nd a parallel motion linkage (2) having one end pivotally mountable in the machine and the other end connected to the device. When the linkage is rotated about its pivotable mounting, the device moves substantially perpendicular with respect to a plane on which the food product is supported. This enables the device not only to be raised and lowed when slicing of one product has been completed and slicing of the next food product is to commence, but also to accommodate variations in the thickness and a single product between products.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Alan Culling
  • Publication number: 20080199285
    Abstract: An apparatus is described for gripping food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meat in a slicing machine, together with methods of operation thereof. The gripper apparatus comprises hooks (6,7) for gripping one end of the food product. During slicing, the slicing machine cuts slices from the other end of the food product. Two sets of hooks are present and each set of hooks is moveable between a retracted inoperative position and an extended product-gripping position, independently of the other set. The second set (7) of hooks, when in their extended position, projects for a distance greater than the first set (6) of hooks. Both sets of hooks occupy their extended positions during initial stages of slicing and the second set of hooks is withdrawn to their retracted position during a final stage of slicing so that more of the remaining end of the product can be sliced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: AEW Delford Systems Limited
    Inventor: Alan Culling
  • Publication number: 20080196603
    Abstract: A food slicing machine is described which has a slicing blade (15) for slicing a food product. A moveable gate (13) is positioned adjacent to the blade and moveable between an operative position in which the gate forms an abutment against which the food product is pressed prior to slicing, and an inoperative retracted position in which the food product can advance towards the blade for slicing. The gate undergoes a downwardly directed movement generally towards the blade when the gate moves from the operative position to the inoperative position so that the food product is advanced above the retracted gate towards the slicing blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Alan Culling
  • Publication number: 20080196600
    Abstract: A food slicing machine is provided which is particularly suitable for slicing food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meats. The machine has a slicing blade (1), and advancing apparatus (5, 6) operable to engage one end (13) of a food product (4) to be sliced and, on an advancing stroke, push the food product towards the slicing blade for slicing of the other end of the product. The machine includes a sensor (1) operative to produce a sensing signal representative of the position of said one end (13) of the product prior to engagement thereof by the advancing apparatus, and control circuitry for controlling the extent of a return stroke by the advancing apparatus in dependence upon the sensing signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Alan Culling
  • Publication number: 20080196566
    Abstract: A food slicing machine is provided which includes restraining apparatus operative to engage the sides of a food product (4) to be sliced to produce lateral location of the food product. The restraining apparatus comprises a moveable member (8) operative to push a food product to be sliced against a guide (10). The machine is arranged to cause gripping apparatus (5) to engage one end of the food product when the food product is pressed by the moveable member against the guide, after which the moveable member moves away from the food product and thereby releases the lateral pressure on the food product prior to slicing thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: AEW DELFORD SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Alan Culling