Patent
1983-06-09
1985-07-09
Abercrombie, Willie G.
A22C 2106
Patent
active
045273049
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an apparatus for automatic cleaning of killed poultry, particularly broilers, and having a support arranged to receive a poultry, a fixing mechanism acting with the support for releasably fixing the poultry in a predetermined position with respect to the support, a cleaning tool movable into and out of the abdomen of the poultry body for loosening and extracting intestines and giblets, and a movable sensing means acting with the cleaning tool for identifying the length of the body.
It is the object of the invention to provide an apparatus for rational operation of poultry-sensing and cleaning.
This object is obtainable according to the invention by the sensing means being arranged to be moved in a first motion along the neck end of the body into engagement with the collar bone of the body, the cleaning tool being arranged to be moved in a second motion into the body and the total length of both motions being a constant.
This means that the sensing and the introduction of the cleaning tool are conducted from their respective ends of the poultry body immediately responsive to each other and, as the fixed position of the body is predetermined, both operations require relatively short motion. Moreover, this method of individually controlling the said operations per poultry body is suitable for being included in a system in which a plurality of poultry bodies are treated simultaneously in a group and in which other operations of the proper cleaning are equally conducted for all the bodies of the group.
For carrying out the said movements the sensing means and the cleaning tool according to the invention, respectively, may be connected to a common drive means arranged to transmit said first and said second motion in series to the sensing means and the cleaning tool, respectively. A simple embodiment of this drive means may according to the invention comprise a fluidum driven piston-cylinder unit having a predetermined impact length within which the piston and the cylinder are relatively movable, the piston being motion-transmittingly connected to the sensing means or the cleaning tool, and the cylinder being motion-transmittingly connected to the cleaning tool or the sensing means, respectively. A preferred embodiment which is simple and easy to maintain may according to the invention provide that the sensing means and the cleaning tool are pivotally hinged in a vertical plane to one end of a respective, upright and rigid suspension means at its other end pivotally suspended, and that the fluidum driven piston-cylinder unit is disposed so that the piston of the unit is hinged to one, and the cylinder of the unit is hinged to the other suspension means in points between the aforementioned joints.
According to the invention the sensing means may be connected to a releasable locking mechanism arranged to retain the sensing means in engagement with the collar bone of the poultry body so that the sensed geometrical identification of the length of the body is maintained during introduction of the cleaning tool in the body.
To ensure the correct position of the poultry body the fixing mechanism according to the invention for releasably fixing the body in a predetermined position may include a retaining means for releasably retaining the poultry body in a predetermined position and for embracing the chest of the body, said retaining means being connected to a releasable locking mechanism.
This locking mechanism may according to the invention be a common means for the sensing means and the retaining means. However, by engagement of the sensing means with the collar bone the poultry body may be exposed to a certain pressure in the area of the collar bone. To prevent this pressure from impeding removal of the intestines or giblets located adjacent the collar bone, particularly the craw, the sensing means according to the invention may be arranged for movement from the engaged position without release of the locking mechanism. This will relieve or eliminate the pressure and thus allow the cleaning
REFERENCES:
patent: 3750231 (1973-08-01), Schreuder
patent: 4270242 (1981-06-01), Loth et al.
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