Patents by Inventor Michael TJORNELUND

Michael TJORNELUND has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11528916
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus for cutting a food object includes at least one cutting blade, an actuator arranged for moving the cutting blade before and during cutting, and an element comprising a receiving section arranged for receiving and abutting the cutting blade, and a supporting section arranged for supporting a food object before and during cutting. During cutting, the supporting section is arranged for being displaced, such as displaced by elastic deformation, by the cutting blade with respect to a position of the supporting section prior to cutting. During moving of the cutting blade, the cutting blade is arranged for displacing the supporting section subsequent to the cutting blade abutting the receiving section. The cutting blade and the element are arranged for being continuously in contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: MAREL A/S
    Inventors: Rune Gronkjær, Michael Tjornelund, Jens Christian Hansen
  • Patent number: 11391618
    Abstract: This invention relates to a screw feeder adapted to be used in relation with a combination weigher, where the combination weigher comprises a dispersion unit, and a plurality of trenches surrounding the dispersion unit, where each of the plurality of trenches comprise an infeed end and a releasing end where each of the trenches and have a circular sector like shaped bottom portion, where the dispersion unit is adapted to radially disperse food products into the trenches at their receiving ends, where at each trench the received food product is advanced by said screw feeder towards the releasing end, where said screw feeder is made of a material being softer than the material of the trenches and is designed such that it has a polygon cross sectional shape having three or more edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: MAREL A/S
    Inventors: Anne Broager, Ole Kaastrup, Michael Tjornelund
  • Publication number: 20220117244
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus for cutting a food object includes at least one circular blade being rotatable around a first axis through a center of the circular blade. The circular blade is rotatable around a second axis, such that the second axis is parallel and non-coaxial with respect to the first axis. The apparatus includes a measurement device for determining a position of at least a part of the surface of the food object to be cut, such as a height profiler arranged for determining a height profile of the food object, and a processor arranged for controlling an angular speed of the circular blade around the second axis based on the position of at least a part of the surface of the food object to be cut, such as the height profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: Rune GRONKJÆR, Michael TJORNELUND, Daniel KRABBE
  • Publication number: 20220039409
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus for cutting a food object includes at least one cutting blade, an actuator arranged for moving the cutting blade before and during cutting, and an element comprising a receiving section arranged for receiving and abutting the cutting blade, and a supporting section arranged for supporting a food object before and during cutting. During cutting, the supporting section is arranged for being displaced, such as displaced by elastic deformation, by the cutting blade with respect to a position of the supporting section prior to cutting. During moving of the cutting blade, the cutting blade is arranged for displacing the supporting section subsequent to the cutting blade abutting the receiving section. The cutting blade and the element are arranged for being continuously in contact with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Rune GRONKJÆR, Michael TJORNELUND, Jens Christian HANSEN
  • Patent number: 11059184
    Abstract: This invention relates to a pick and place gripper device and a method for picking up and re-positioning an item carried by a support surface. The gripper device includes a base, at least one jaw pivotally mounted to the base having at least one leading edge, at least one belt of flexible material being wrapped around at least the leading edge of the at least one jaw such that it is sandwiched between the at least one jaw and the item when the at least one jaw penetrates below the item and as the at least one jaw moves below the item there is substantially no relative sliding movement between the sandwiched portion of the at least one belt and the item, wherein the leading edge of the at least one jaw, when coming into contact with the support surface, is configured to adjust to the support surface when penetrating between the item and the support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: MAREL A/S
    Inventors: Bjørn Heide Pedersen, Michael Tjørnelund
  • Publication number: 20200122338
    Abstract: This invention relates to a pick and place gripper device and a method for picking up and re-positioning an item carried by a support surface. The gripper device includes a base, at least one jaw pivotally mounted to the base having at least one leading edge, at least one belt of flexible material being wrapped around at least the leading edge of the at least one jaw such that it is sandwiched between the at least one jaw and the item when the at least one jaw penetrates below the item and as the at least one jaw moves below the item there is substantially no relative sliding movement between the sandwiched portion of the at least one belt and the item, wherein the leading edge of the at least one jaw, when coming into contact with the support surface, is configured to adjust to the support surface when penetrating between the item and the support surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Bjørn Heide PEDERSEN, Michael TJØRNELUND
  • Patent number: 10564028
    Abstract: A combination weigher includes: a dispersion unit adapted to radially disperse food products dropped in from above and onto the dispersion unit; a plurality of V-shaped like guide structures extending radially away from a center of the dispersion unit and arranged such that a narrower end of the V-shaped like guide structures face a center point of the dispersion unit; a plurality of hoppers associated to each of the trenches arranged below the outfeed ends of the trenches; and a control unit; and screw feeders arranged in each of the trenches operated by the control unit. The space between adjacent V-shaped like guide structures at a distance R1 defines a buffer zone for radially dispersed food products from the dispersion unit. The screw feeders in the adjacent trenches have opposite orientation and rotate in opposite directions such that upper part of the screw feeders are rotating away from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: MAREL A/S
    Inventors: Anne Broager, Michael Tjornelund, Ole Kaastrup
  • Publication number: 20190376834
    Abstract: A combination weigher includes: a dispersion unit adapted to radially disperse food products dropped in from above and onto the dispersion unit; a plurality of V-shaped like guide structures extending radially away from a center of the dispersion unit and arranged such that a narrower end of the V-shaped like guide structures face a center point of the dispersion unit; a plurality of hoppers associated to each of the trenches arranged below the outfeed ends of the trenches; and a control unit; and screw feeders arranged in each of the trenches operated by the control unit. The space between adjacent V-shaped like guide structures at a distance R1 defines a buffer zone for radially dispersed food products from the dispersion unit. The screw feeders in the adjacent trenches have opposite orientation and rotate in opposite directions such that upper part of the screw feeders are rotating away from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Anne BROAGER, Michael TJORNELUND, Ole KAASTRUP
  • Publication number: 20190368917
    Abstract: This invention relates to a screw feeder adapted to be used in relation with a combination weigher, where the combination weigher comprises a dispersion unit, and a plurality of trenches surrounding the dispersion unit, where each of the plurality of trenches comprise an infeed end and a releasing end where each of the trenches and have a circular sector like shaped bottom portion, where the dispersion unit is adapted to radially disperse food products into the trenches at their receiving ends, where at each trench the received food product is advanced by said screw feeder towards the releasing end, where said screw feeder is made of a material being softer than the material of the trenches and is designed such that it has a polygon cross sectional shape having three or more edges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Anne BROAGER, Ole KAASTRUP, Michael TJORNELUND