Butchering – Viscera processing – Venting or opening preparatory to eviscerating
Patent
1993-09-22
1994-10-11
Little, Willis
Butchering
Viscera processing
Venting or opening preparatory to eviscerating
452109, A22B 500
Patent
active
053542312
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for removing the anus of slaughtered animals, which device comprises:
a cutting device for cutting out the anus of a slaughtered animal transported by the transporting means, which cutting device comprises:
a displaceable carriage; and
a rotatably drivable and axially displaceable, substantially cylindrical blade carried by this carriage and having a leading cutting edge and a blunt locating pin placed coaxially with this blade,
wherein the centre line of the blade during removal of an anus is substantially stationary relative to the slaughtered animal being processed.
Such a device is disclosed in the following prior art.
NL-A-7606104 relates to a device wherein the carriage can swing in a vertical plane.
FR-A-2 640 465 likewise relates to a device wherein the carriage can perform a swinging movement relative to a fixed pivot line.
Both cited publications relate to a technique wherein the carriage can perform a horizontal displacement and can perform a swinging movement in the vertical plane relative to a subsequently selected new horizontal position. Once a desired position is reached the rotatably driven cylindrical blade is displaced forward along its centre line to cut out the anus.
The art according to both mentioned publications is found to provide an insufficiently accurate positioning, wherein "misses" occur regularly. Such an error has the consequence that contamination of usable meat of the slaughtered animal can arise or that usable meat is cut away by the cutting device, while it is possible that the anus for removal is not completely cut out. The device for removing the anus can form part of a slaughter house line at a processing stage in which the rough pro-processing has . already taken place, such as killing the animal and removing hair and cleaning. The device therefore forms part of the so-called "clean" slaughter line, in which errors are not acceptable.
EP-A-0 259 939 relates to a device in which the slaughtered animal is mechanically positioned relative to the cutting device. A pivotal movement of the cutting device in a vertical plane also takes place here.
WO-A-89/10060 relates to a device wherein a pig is placed and held in a determined position, the cutting device is then moved vertically and can subsequently pivot in vertical plane round a pivot axis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
All four of the above mentioned publications have in common that the positioning accuracy leaves something to be desired. This inaccuracy implies that for variously dimensioned animals (thin-fat; long-short) the cutting operation can take place at a position other than the one desired.
The invention has for its object to embody a device of the stated type such that the chance of errors is almost negligible.
For this purpose the device according to the invention is characterized by positioning means for positioning the carriage such that the centre line of the blade extends through the anus of the slaughtered animal, which positioning means comprise two drives which can move the carriage in two respective non-parallel directions;
measuring means for measuring the position of the anus of a slaughtered animal for processing; and
control means which receive position information from the measuring means and control the two drives on the basis thereof.
In a preferred embodiment the device has the feature that the two directions are substantially mutually perpendicular. This ensures that the two directions are independent, which means that the displacement in the one direction does not affect the displacement in another direction.
This embodiment can advantageously have the characteristic that the two directions are respectively substantially vertical and horizontal. With the horizontal drive the carriage can be displaceable from and to the transport device. Because an exclusively horizontal movement does not change the potential energy of the carriage, the horizontal drive can have a limited power and take a light form. The required power is then on
REFERENCES:
patent: 4087886 (1978-05-01), Aubert
patent: 4779307 (1988-10-01), van der Hoorn et al.
patent: 5112272 (1992-05-01), Andersen
patent: 5120266 (1992-06-01), Aubert
patent: 5141471 (1992-08-01), Bekkers
Te Dorsthorst Wilhelmus A. B.
Van Ochten Sander A.
Waanders Fransiscus M.
Little Willis
Stork R.M.S. B.V.
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