AU2013257331B2 - A carcass processing machine - Google Patents
A carcass processing machine Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- AU2013257331B2 AU2013257331B2 AU2013257331A AU2013257331A AU2013257331B2 AU 2013257331 B2 AU2013257331 B2 AU 2013257331B2 AU 2013257331 A AU2013257331 A AU 2013257331A AU 2013257331 A AU2013257331 A AU 2013257331A AU 2013257331 B2 AU2013257331 B2 AU 2013257331B2
- Authority
- AU
- Australia
- Prior art keywords
- carcass
- processing machine
- meat
- blades
- cutting blades
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
- A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
- A22C17/00—Other devices for processing meat or bones
- A22C17/004—Devices for deboning meat
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
- A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
- A22C17/00—Other devices for processing meat or bones
- A22C17/04—Bone cleaning devices
Abstract
A carcass processing machine that has a pair of bone cutting blades (11,12) for cutting portions of bone from vertebra of a rack of a carcass and a pair of meat cutting blades (9, 10) for removing meat from a rack of a carcass. A moveable guide (16, 17) supports a rack of meat and guides it along a feed path into the cutting blades. The guide is moveable to position the carcass relative to the bone cutting blades. The guide may move with respect to the blades such that each meat cutting blade follows a natural shoulder (5, 6) of each vertebrae and positions the transverse processes for cutting by the bone cutting blades.
Description
From:EI I is Terry
To :0031703403016 97/09/9014 1^-10 £907 P 0HW09R PCT/NZ 2013/000 067 - 27-02-2014 l 5 A Carcass Processing Machine
Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a carcass processing machine suitable for processing 10 meat products including ovine, bovine or porcine meat products. Chine boning machines are used for cutting meat from the vertebra in the region of the rib cage. The carcass processing machine of the present invention is particularly suited to the processing of lamb carcases to separate the vertebra from the ribs and meat on a ‘rack saddle’ but may also find application in the processing of mutton, goat, pork and bovine 15 animals.
Background to the Invention
In “chine boning” meat is removed from the spinous process and the transverse 20 processes and ribs are cut from the vertebrae. It is important to minimise yield loss by leaving as little meat as possible on each vertebra as the vertebra is a fow value waste product and the rack meat is a high value premium product. This is difficult as every rack has a unique geometry requiring adjustment of the blades to optimise the cut for each carcass. 25
Racks of meat may be processed manually using knives and/or saws. Such processing may be slow, inaccurate and dangerous. NZ Patent 235820 discloses an automated chine boning machine having vertical meat 30 removing blades and angled bone cutting blades. This machine requires the operator to adjust it for varying sizes of animal and to locate pins through the spine to locate the carcass on a guide - which is time consuming and laborious and requires diligence of operators to make the required adjusments. The machine only allows a limited number of adjustment steps and requires the machine to be set for some average setting for a 35 number of carcasses rather than an optimum setting for each. This results in reduced yield. This machine uses chisel blades which create sawdust which degrade the meat
Duration: 27.02.2014 04:23:37 - 27.02.2014 04:28:47. This page 15 of AMENDED SHEET2014 04:26:46
Received at the EPO on Feb 27, 2014 04:28:47. Page 15 of 26 2 2013257331 24 Feb 2017 ί due to the degraded visual appearance and potential for contamination. This machine also has a heavy construction making it expensive as well as being difficult to maintain.
It is an object of the invention to provide a carcass processing machine overcoming these disadvantages or to at least provide the public with a useful choice. )
Summary of the invention
According to the invention there is provided a carcass processing machine including: ; i. a pair of bone cutting blades for cutting portions of bone from vertebra of a rack of a carcass, wherein the bone cutting blades are configured to remove the transverse processes and ribs from the vertebrae; ii. a pair of meat cutting blades for removing meat from a rack of a carcass, wherein the meat cutting blades are arranged to remove meat ) from the feather bones of the vertebrae; and iii. a guide for supporting a rack of meat and guiding it along a feed path into the blades wherein the guide is moveable relative to the blades during cutting in a direction transverse to the feed path to position the carcass relative to the blades, the arrangement being such that as the ; guide advances a rack of a carcass into the meat cutting blades the guide moves with respect to the meat cutting blades such that each meat cutting blade follows a natural shoulder of each vertebrae and positions the transverse processes for cutting by the bone cutting blades, 30 wherein while the meat cutting blades contact the shoulders of the vertebrae the guide rail moves with respect to the meat cutting blades in order to position the vertebrae in a desired position with respect to the shoulders of each vertebrae. 35
From:E11 is Terry
To :0031703403016 27/02/2014 15:20 #397 P.017/026 PCT/NZ 2013/000 067 - 27-02-2014 3 s Brief Description of the Drawings
The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of embodiments 10 given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 15 20
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 shows a vertebra of an animal; shows an end view of a carcass processing machine according to one embodiment as viewed from the outlet end of the feed path; shows a side view of the carcass processing machine as shown in figure 2; shows a perspective view of a carcass processing machine according to another embodiment; shows a side view of the machine shown in figure 4; shows an end view of the machine shown in figure 4; and shows a detailed view of the blades and guide of the machine shown in figure 4.
Detailed Description 25
Referring to figure 1 a vertebra 1 of an animal is shown. Projecting upwardly is the spinous process 2 or “feather bone” and projecting laterally are the transverse processes 3 and 4. Between the spinous process and transverse processes are shoulders 5 and 6. The anterior surface 7 of the vertebra provides a useful reference 30 point. In conventional machines a rack of a carcass may be placed on a guide and advanced into cutting blades to remove the transverse processes. Due to variation between carcasses, and along the length of a rack, the cutting position is not optimized in all cases. 35 Referring now to figures 2 and 3 a carcass processing machine according to one embodiment will be described. In this embodiment a pair of meat cutting blades 9 and
Duration: 27.02.2014 04:23:37 - 27.02.2014 04:28:47. This page 17 of AMENDED SHEET2014 04:27:09
Received at the EPO on Feb 27, 2014 04:28:47. Page 17 of 26
From:E11 is Terry
To :0031703403016 97/09/901/1 1 R · 90 #907 P 019/09R PCT/NZ 2013/000 067 - 27-02-2014 4 5 10 and a pair of bone cutting blades 11 and 12 are rotatably mounted to frame 8. Meat cutting blades 9 and 10 rotate with the direction of feed F so as to assist with advancing the rack 15. Bone cutting blades 11 and 12 rotate against the direction of feed F to facilitate cutting. Guide 13 includes a pair of spaced apart rails 16 and 17 and is mounted to frame 8 by way of a biased support 14 that biases the support 10 towards meat cutting blades 9 and 10, The biasing may be by way of a spring, pneumatic cylinder or the like. Whilst in this embodiment the blades are fixed and the guide moves it will be appreciated that the guide could be fixed and the blades could move relative to the guide. 15 In use the anterior surfaces of vertebrae of a rack of meat are located within the gap between rails 16 and 17 to locate the rack on the guide. As the rack 15 is pushed along the rails it first engages with meat cutting blades 9 and 10. Blades 9 and 10 remove meat from the feather bone and then ride along the shoulders of the vertebrae (as these are meat cutting blades rather than bone cutting blades they ride the 20 vertebrae rather than cutting them). When the meat cutting blades 9 and 10 contact the shoulders of the vertebrae the guide rail 13 moves away from the meat cutting blades 9 and 10 against the bias of support 14. This serves to position the vertebrae in a known position with respect to the shoulders of each vertebra. Bone cutting blades 11 and 12 are positioned with respect to the meat cutting blades 9 and 10 so as to cut 25 off the transverse processes and ribs at a desired position whilst the guide rail is positioned by the meat cutting blades riding the vertebrae shoulders.
Active systems may also be employed in which the guide is moved relative to the cutting blade by actuators in response to sensed information. In one embodiment a 30 force sensor such as a load cell may measure the force imparted on the guide 13 by the meat cutting blades 9 and 10 acting on the shoulders of vertebrae and driving an actuator in response to the sensed load to raise and lower the guide 13 in response thereto. Alternatively a vision system may be employed to monitor the position of the vertebrae with respect to the cutting blades and raise and lower guide 13 in response 35 to image information. An X-ray imaging system could view the rack of meat from the
Duration: 27.02.2014 04:23:37 - 27.02.2014 04:28:47. This paga 18 of AMENDED SHEET2014 04:27:23
Received at the EPO on Feb 27, 2014 04:28:47. Page 18 of 26
From:E11 is Terry
To:0031703403016 77/Π9/9Π1 Λ 1R-9n £Ί07 P niQyfl9R PCT/NZ 2013/000 067 - 27-02-2014 5 5 side or end whereas an optical imaging system may best locate the position of the vertebrae from an end view.
Referring now to figures 4 to 7 a machine 20 according to a second embodiment is shown. Meat cutting blades 21 and 22 are driven by geared motors 26 and 27 10 mounted to frame 25. Bone cutting blades 23 and 24 are driven by geared motors 28 and 29 mounted to frame 25. Meat cutting blades 21 and 22 are circular knives driven in the direction of feed into the machine. The meat cutting blades will typically be driven so as to have a surface speed of between 100 and 5000 mm per second. Bone cutting blades 23 and 24 are serrated knives that rotate in a direction opposite to the 15 feed direction. The use of serrated knives provides a high cut quality without the production of sawdust. The bone cutting blades will typically be driven so as to have a surface speed of between 1000 and 30,000 mm per second.
The meat cutting blades 21 and 22 are disposed at an angle either side of a central 20 axis x-x. Typically each blade will be angled between about 1 to 20 degrees to the central axis x-x. The meat cutting blades also diverge along the feed path from the inlet side to the outlet side, typically between about 1 to 15 degrees to the feed path. This effectively separates the meat from the vertebrae. This arrangement allows the blades to efficiently remove meat from the vertebrae and assist in orienting the 25 vertebrae during processing.
The bone cutting blades 23 and 24 are disposed at an angle either side of a central axis x-x. This is to remove the transverse processes in the desired way. Typically each blade will be angled between about 10 to 40 to the central axis x-x. The bone 30 cutting blades also diverge along the feed path from the inlet side to the outlet side, typically between about 1 to 15 degrees to the feed path. This effectively separates the transverse processes from the vertebrae.
In this embodiment the guide 30 includes a continuous belt 31 with a plurality of wedge 35 shaped supports 32. Product is initially fed into the machine along rails 34 and 33 (as in the previous embodiment) and is advanced by supports 32. Just prior to being fed
Duration: 27.02.2014 04:23:37 - 27.02.2014 04:28:47. This page 19 of AMENDED SHEET2014 04:27:41
Received at the EPO on Feb 27, 2014 04:28:47. Page 19 of 26
From:E11 is Terry
To :0031703403016 97/09/9014 ii;-9n #107 p 090/09R PCT/NZ 2013/000 067 - 27-02-2014 6 5 into the cutting blades a roller 35 above a rack of meat engages the top of the rack of meat so that the meat is held firmly between supports 32 and roller 35. Rails 34 and 33 diverge around the cutting blades (see figure 7) and once the meat cutting blades 21 and 22 engage the rack of meat they run along the shoulders of the vertebrae to provide downward force and the feather bones locate between the blades to provide 10 lateral stability. A locking device may be included that locks the blades in position part way through processing of a rack of meat so that as the meat cutting blades reach the end of the rack of meat (when the bone cutting blades haven’t) the height setting is maintained until the bone cutting blades have completed their cuts. 15 In this embodiment the entire guide 30 pivots about journal 36 and is biased on either side by pneumatic cylinders 37 and 38. As the meat cutting blades 21 and 22 provide downward force onto the shoulders of the vertebrae the entire guide pivots against the biasing force of pneumatic cylinders 37 and 38. This causes the vertebrae to be desirably positioned for the bone cutting blades 23 and 24 to remove the transverse 20 processes (or ribs in an alternate configuration).
It will be appreciated that a rack of meat may be fed directly onto rails 33 and 24 from a pair of rails of another processing machine such as the carrousel shown in PCT/NZ2010/000062. This enables the machine of the present invention to be 25 incorporated into a fully or partially automated processing system. The system may also include a bypass path by which a rack of meat may selectively be transferred from the input side to the output side without passing through the cutting blades. Alternatively all blades could be retractable so that supports 32 may guide the rack of meat along the guide with all cutting blades 21 to 24 retracted. 30
There is thus provided a carcass processing machine that is simple, robust, inexpensive and does not require manual adjustment or operation. The machine may be integrated into a fully or partially automated system and provides high yield and high cut quality. 35
Duration: 27.02.2014 04:23:37 - 27.02.2014 04:28:47. This paga 20 of AMENDED SHEET 2014 04:27:54
Received at the EPO on Feb 27, 2014 04:28:47. Page 20 of 26
From:EI I is Terry
To:0031 70340301 6 n7/nn/nn i/i ic.01 worn n mi / noo PCT/NZ 2013/000 067 - 27-02-2014 7 5 While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific 10 details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departure from the spirit or scope of the Applicant’s general inventive concept. 15
Duration: 27.02.2014 04:23:37 - 27.02.2014 04:28:47. This page 21 of AMENDED SHEET 2014 04:28:01
Received at the EPO on Feb 27, 2014 04:28:47. Page 21 of 26
Claims (22)
- CLAIMS:1. A carcass processing machine including: i. a pair of bone cutting blades for cutting portions of bone from vertebra of a rack of a carcass, wherein the bone cutting blades are configured to remove the transverse processes and ribs from the vertebrae; ii. a pair of meat cutting blades for removing meat from a rack of a carcass, wherein the meat cutting blades are arranged to remove meat from the feather bones of the vertebrae; and iii. a guide for supporting a rack of meat and guiding it along a feed path into the blades wherein the guide is moveable relative to the blades during cutting in a direction transverse to the feed path to position the carcass relative to the blades, the arrangement being such that as the guide advances a rack of a carcass into the meat cutting blades the guide moves with respect to the meat cutting blades such that each meat cutting blade follows a natural shoulder of each vertebrae and positions the transverse processes for cutting by the bone cutting blades, wherein while the meat cutting blades contact the shoulders of the vertebrae the guide rail moves with respect to the meat cutting blades in order to position the vertebrae in a desired position with respect to the shoulders of each vertebrae.
- 2. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the blades are fixed and the guide moves relative to the blades.
- 3. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein the guide is biased towards the cutting path.
- 4. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein the guide pivots about one end of the guide.
- 5. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the guide is fixed and the blades move relative to the guide.
- 6. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the meat cutting blades are circular knives.
- 7. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein the circular knives are rotated in the direction of feed of the carcass.
- 8. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein the circular knives diverge with respect to a vertical plane along the feed path.
- 9. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the knives diverge between an angle of 1 and 20 degrees to the vertical plane.
- 10. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein the circular knives diverge along the feed path.
- 11. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein the knives diverge between an angle of 1 and 15 degrees to the feed path.
- 12. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein the meat cutting blades are driven at a blade surface speed between 100 and 5000 mm per second.
- 13. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bone cutting blades are rotary serrated knives.
- 14. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein the rotary serrated knives are rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of feed of the carcass.
- 15. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein the rotary serrated knives diverge with respect to a vertical plane along the feed path.
- 16. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the knives diverge between an angle of 10 and 40 degrees to a central plane bisecting the planes of the knives.
- 17. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein the rotary serrated knives diverge along the feed path.
- 18. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 17 wherein the rotary serrated knives diverge between an angle of 1 and 15 degrees to the feed path.
- 19. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein the rotary serrated knives are driven at a blade surface speed between 1000 and 30,000 mm per second.
- 20. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 1 including a bypass path for conveying the carcass from an inlet to an outlet side of the machine without processing.
- 21. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the cutting blades may be retracted from the cutting path so that a carcass may be conveyed from an inlet to an outlet side of the machine without processing.
- 22. A carcass processing machine as claimed in claim 1 including a locking device for locking the blades in position part way through processing of a rack of meat.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ599721 | 2012-05-02 | ||
| NZ59972112 | 2012-05-02 | ||
| PCT/NZ2013/000067 WO2013165260A1 (en) | 2012-05-02 | 2013-04-15 | A carcass processing machine |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| AU2013257331A1 AU2013257331A1 (en) | 2014-11-13 |
| AU2013257331B2 true AU2013257331B2 (en) | 2017-03-16 |
Family
ID=48672782
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU2013257331A Active AU2013257331B2 (en) | 2012-05-02 | 2013-04-15 | A carcass processing machine |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU2013257331B2 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2516593B (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2013165260A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE202015104624U1 (en) | 2015-09-01 | 2015-10-05 | Freund Maschinenfabrik Gmbh & Co. Kg | Device for removing a spine |
| AU2019229374A1 (en) * | 2018-11-02 | 2020-05-21 | Robotic Technologies Limited | A carcass processing assembly |
| WO2023217954A1 (en) * | 2022-05-12 | 2023-11-16 | Marel Red Meat B.V. | Spine processing device |
| WO2023217953A1 (en) * | 2022-05-12 | 2023-11-16 | Marel Red Meat B.V. | Spine processing device |
Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0392874A2 (en) * | 1989-04-14 | 1990-10-17 | The Meat Industry Research Institute Of New Zealand, Inc. | Method and apparatus for removing meat |
| WO2011138461A1 (en) * | 2010-05-07 | 2011-11-10 | Kj Industries A/S | Separation of the spinal column from a carcass middle part |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ235820A (en) * | 1990-10-24 | 1994-03-25 | New Zealand Meat Ind Res Inst | Cutting lengthwise portion of bone from prime cut such as rack saddle to produce french ribs |
-
2013
- 2013-04-15 WO PCT/NZ2013/000067 patent/WO2013165260A1/en active Application Filing
- 2013-04-15 GB GB1421042.1A patent/GB2516593B/en active Active
- 2013-04-15 AU AU2013257331A patent/AU2013257331B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0392874A2 (en) * | 1989-04-14 | 1990-10-17 | The Meat Industry Research Institute Of New Zealand, Inc. | Method and apparatus for removing meat |
| WO2011138461A1 (en) * | 2010-05-07 | 2011-11-10 | Kj Industries A/S | Separation of the spinal column from a carcass middle part |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2013165260A1 (en) | 2013-11-07 |
| GB201421042D0 (en) | 2015-01-14 |
| GB2516593A (en) | 2015-01-28 |
| GB2516593B (en) | 2017-05-31 |
| AU2013257331A1 (en) | 2014-11-13 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US8485871B2 (en) | Meat fabrication system and method | |
| AU2013257331B2 (en) | A carcass processing machine | |
| US9848611B2 (en) | Pin bone removal system | |
| CA3043238C (en) | A carcass processing system and method | |
| JP5143908B2 (en) | Device for separating fish fillets from a headless slaughtered fish spine having an open abdominal cavity by cutting the connected bridging around the spine with an abdomen and a dorsal blade and so on Fish grater with various devices | |
| AU619215B2 (en) | Wing joint severing | |
| AU2019229374A1 (en) | A carcass processing assembly | |
| US10391658B2 (en) | Apparatus and method for spirally slicing meat | |
| US20150044955A1 (en) | Method for mechanically removing pin bones from fillet parts of conveyed fish and device for performing said method | |
| CN207682468U (en) | A kind of leather tape machine | |
| US6336856B1 (en) | Loin puller for trimming off the fat from the loin of a carcass-half | |
| NZ609437B2 (en) | A carcass processing machine | |
| US11785955B2 (en) | Meat processing system | |
| NZ609437A (en) | A carcass processing machine | |
| US11570999B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for removing skin from animal parts | |
| US9247755B1 (en) | Loin pulling and skinning system | |
| CN113347885B (en) | Device and method for separating at least one tendon connecting the chest meat of eviscerated poultry bodies or parts thereof to the carcass of poultry bodies or parts thereof, and tool unit for such a device and method | |
| WO2021099261A1 (en) | A slaughtered pig part processing plant with a pig part deskinner, and a slaughtered pig part deskinner unit | |
| KR20160008936A (en) | Frozen Meat Bone Cutting Machine | |
| CN219288597U (en) | Ridge fat excision device | |
| US11576390B1 (en) | Automatic chine saw | |
| NZ757048B2 (en) | A carcass processing assembly | |
| NZ757048A (en) | A carcass processing assembly | |
| WO2022229248A2 (en) | A machine for filleting fish | |
| CN104254432A (en) | Cutter for printed substrates |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FGA | Letters patent sealed or granted (standard patent) |