Method and apparatus for controlling the slicing operation

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A SLICING MACHINE HAVING A SLICING ELEMENT AND A FEED FOR ADVANCING MATERIAL IN A GIVEN DIRECTION AND AT A GIVEN SPEED THERETO, SAID CONTROL SYSTEM COMPRISING: SENSING MEANS BETWEEN SAID FEED AND SAID SLICING ELEMENT, SAID SENSING MEANS POSITIONED TO DETECT DIMENSIONS OF THE MATERIAL AND CHANGES THEREIN; FIRST SIGNAL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SENSING MEANS, SAID FIRST SIGNAL MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO PRODUCE A FIRST SIGNAL VARIABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID DIMENSIONS OF SAID MATERIAL; INTEGRATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SIGNAL MEANS, SAID INTEGRATING MEANS ACTING TO CONTINUOUSLY INTEGRATE SAID FIRST SIGNAL PRODUCED BY SAID SIGNAL MEANS AGAINST SAID SPEED TO DEVELOP A SECOND INCREASING SIGNAL CHANGING IN DIRECT RELATION TO THE VOLUME OF MATERIAL MOVED PAST SAID SENSING MEANS; A SECOND SIGNAL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SLICING ELEMENT, SAID SECOND SIGNAL MEANS ADAPTED TO MOMENTARILY PRODUCE A CONSTANT SIGNAL OF A GIVEN MAGNITUDE ONCE DURING EACH COMPLETE CYCLE OF SAID SLICING ELEMENT; DETECTING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID INTEGRATING MEANS AND SAID SECOND SIGNAL MEANS, SAID DETECTING MEANS ADAPTED TO CHANGE CONDITION UPON THE CUMULATION OF SAID SECOND AND SAID CONSTANT SIGNALS REACHING A SPECIFIED LEVEL; AND REGULATING MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID DETECTING MEANS AND THE FEED MEANS TO CAUSE INTERRUPTION OF SAID FEED UPON SUCH CHANGE IN CONDITION OF SAID DETECTING MEANS.