Butchering – Support – Carcass or portion suspended
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2001-07-03
Little, Willis (Department: 3643)
Butchering
Support
Carcass or portion suspended
C452S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254472
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for suspending poultry by the feet from an overhead conveyor.
In preparation of the mechanical slaughter and further treatment poultry is generally suspended by the feet from an overhead conveyor. To this day, this suspending takes place primarily manually, since the poultry is delivered alive and thus in strongly changing positions. At the moment, attempts are being made to automate the suspending of poultry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with which part of the problem of how to automatically suspend poultry can be solved. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
For this purpose the apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by pairs of cooperating strings for gripping the poultry by the feet in an upside-down hanging position. They are then supplied to the overhead conveyor respectively in preparation of that, whereby check means are applied to check the position of the feet with respect to the strings in the hanging position of the poultry. A control signal that depends thereon is also provided.
During an initial stage, the feet of the poultry are received and gripped between pairs of cooperating strings having a gap between them. After placing the poultry upside-down by means of the strings, it is eventually passed to the overhead conveyor in a hanging position. Suspended from the overhead conveyor the poultry then gets the desired treatments. The passing of the poultry to the overhead conveyor can take place directly or indirectly, for instance via automatic overhangers.
For a correct execution of the direct or indirect passing to the overhead conveyor and for the mentioned treatments, it is essential that the poultry is correctly passed on to or suspended from the overhead conveyor. This means that both feet are correctly placed in, for example, the mentioned overhangers or in suspending-hooks that generally form part of the overhead conveyor. However, this can only occur when the feet are correctly positioned between the cooperating strings. To this end, the present invention applies check means to check the position of the feet of the suspended poultry with respect to the strings. Depending on the measured position an appropriate control signal is emitted. When the check means, for instance, have established that the position of the feet is not suited to pass the poultry to an automatic overhanger or to the overhead conveyor, the control signal can induce the removal of the poultry out of the process.
In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention it holds that the check means comprise height-check means to determine whether the feet have the correct height position with respect to the strings. Such height-check means allow to determine whether the feet are placed too high between the strings (in which case the risk exists for instance that the poultry will be suspended too high in the overhead conveyor), or are placed too low between the strings (in which case there is for instance a change that one or both feet will not at all be gripped by the overhead conveyor). When with respect to at least one of the feet a deviation from the correct height position is established, the previously mentioned control signal will be provided.
As remarked above, a deviation of the correct height position can occur both upwardly and downwardly. Therefore, a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the height-check means on the one hand comprise upper height-check means for the detection of feet, of which the height position exceeds a predetermined acceptable upper value. Also, the height-check means comprise lower height-check means for the detection of feet, of which the height position falls below a predetermined acceptable lower value.
The upper value and lower value of the height position determines the allowable trajectory, within which the position of the feet is suited to be passed on to, for instance, the overhead conveyor. The upper height-check means cause the control signal when the feet are in too high a position, whereas the lower height-check means cause the concerning control signal when the feet are in too low a position.
In this connection, it is preferred from a constructive pint of view that the upper height-check means comprise a sensor for the left foot and a sensor for the right foot, whereby activation of at least one of these sensors already leads to a desired control signal.
When neither of the feet occupies too high a position, they will pass under the concerning sensors, and the sensors will fail to respond. When, however, at least one of the feet occupies too high a position, the concerning sensor will provide the desired control signal. This is also true when both feet occupy too high a position.
In a simple and effectively operating embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the sensors consist of stops that are swivable around transverse to the strings oriented vertical turning-axles. When a foot which is placed too high engages such a stop, this will rotate with respect to its horizontal swivelling axis and cause hereby the desired control signal. The swivelling motion can take place with a counteracting spring action, yet it is also possible that the swivelling motion occurs with a countering gravity force.
Since already the activation of at least one of the sensors leads to the desired control signal, it is also possible that the stops for the left foot and the right foot are shaped in one piece. In this way, a control signal will be provided when only the left foot, only the right foot or both feet occupy too high a position.
As remarked earlier, a check must be made not only whether the feet occupy too high a position, it is also important to check whether the feet occupy too low a position. To this end, the apparatus according to the invention is preferably characterized in that the lower height-check means comprise a sensor for the left foot and a sensor for the right foot, whereby non-activation of at least one of the sensors causes the desired control signal. These sensors function essentially the same as the sensors forming part of the upper height-check means. There is, however, one noticeable difference. When looking at the upper height-check means, the desired control signal is induced when at least one of the sensors is activated. With the lower height-check means, the desired control signal is induced, however, when at least one of the sensors is not activated. Feet that occupy the correct height position shall not cooperate with the sensor of the upper height-check means but will cooperate with the sensors of the lower height-check means (when the poultry when passing the check means would not hang upside-down, this would be reversed).
Except for checking the height position, the lower check means can also be used to check whether both feet have a staggered position when seen in the direction of transportation of the strings (that is to say whether one of the feet precedes or follows the other foot when seen in the direction of transportation). Looking at the situation that one of the feet runs prior to the other foot, whereas both feet occupy the correct height position, the leading foot shall activate the corresponding sensor, whereas the other sensor shall not be activated simultaneously, but later. Normally, this will require that the desired control signal shall again have to be provided, since this staggered placement of the feet prevents correct placement of the feet in, for instance, the overhead conveyor.
In this connection, an embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is preferred, in which a waiting station connects to the strings. It has a central stationary plate and tow in a horizontal plane swivable side plates, which un
Dority & Manning
Little Willis
Meyn Food Processing Technology B.V.
LandOfFree
Apparatus for suspending poultry with the legs from a... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for suspending poultry with the legs from a..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for suspending poultry with the legs from a... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2549503