AU705999B2

AU705999B2 - A method of dressing a carcass

Info

Publication number: AU705999B2
Application number: AU71968/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Greg Brooking; Rod Francis Mackay; Denis Malone; Malcolm Geoffrey Taylor; Richard Wong
Original assignee: New Zealand Meat Research & De
Current assignee: New Zealand Meat Research & Development Council
Priority date: 1994-07-20
Filing date: 1994-07-20
Publication date: 1999-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 2014-07-20
Also published as: AU7196894A; WO1996002145A1; EP0802733A4; EP0802733A1

Description

L;U/99088029.4 1 A METHOD OF DRESSING A CARCASS Field of Invention This invention comprises a method of dressing a carcass.

Background Art Currently in a meat works animal carcasses are dressed manually by meat workers, which is labour intensive. Further mechanisation of the dressing process is inhibited by the fact that no one animal carcass is identical in size and shape to another, and moreover in a conventional meat works chain carcasses are suspended from above in a way that allows for a relatively large amount of movement of the carcass so that a particular point on each carcass proceeding along the chain, such as the point at which the Y-cut is begun, will never be in the same position from one carcass to the next.

Summary of Invention In broad terms, the invention comprises a method of dressing a carcass comprising suspending the carcass from the hocks of the carcass, and carrying out dressing operations on the carcass by an industrial robot programmed to carry out at least one dressing cut in a number of directions or a series of dressing cuts on the carcass by an independent robotic arm equipped with a power cutting tool including a motor and one or more driven cutting blades able to move and 20 manipulate the cutting tool about the exterior of the carcass through any plane to carry out said dressing cut(s).

Description of Drawings The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of an example, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective of a preferred form of dressing frame, CD/99088029.4 2 Figs 2A and 2B show the preferred form frame of Fig. 1 in a forward position, Figs 3A and 3B show the preferred form frame in an intermediate position, Figs 4A and 4B show the preferred form frame in a rear position, Fig. 5 shows a robotic arm of an industrial robot making a front Y-cut on a carcass suspended in inverted position, and Fig. 6 shows a preferred form cutting tool for manipulation by an industrial robot.

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EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Figs 1 to 4, the frame includes a front part which comprises a top transverse member 1 to which the carcass's front hocks are held by suitable clamps or spikes for example, or other means for holding the front hocks of the carcass. There are two downwardly extending members 2a and 2b on either side and a lower transverse member 3 which forms a neck support part of the frame to support a carcass behind the neck or shoulders. The neck support member 3 is carried by vertical members 4a and 4b telescopically mounted in the members 2a and 2b and controlled by hydraulic rams or similar to raise and lower the neck support part 3.

A rear frame part comprises a top transverse member to which the carcass's rear hocks are held, again by suitable clamps or spikes or similar, which is pivotally connected to the .front frame part at pivot points 7. Movement of the rear frame part is controlled by the hydraulic or pneumatic ram 8.

In use of the frame to support a carcass during dressing operations on the carcass, the front hocks of a carcass are first attached to the top transverse member 1 and the rear hocks of a carcass are attached to the top transverse member The frame is then used to position the carcass as desired. For example, the rear frame part may be elevated by the ram 8 to the Position shown in Figs 2A and 2B to aid the draining of blood from the neck cut and sticking. The rear frame part may then be 3 WO 96/02145 PCT/NZ94/00072 dropped to the position shown in Fig. 3A and 3B so that the stomach contents do not drain out of the oesophagus. After the oesophagus is clipped, the rear frame part may be raised to the intermediate position shown in Figs. 4A and 4B so that the carcass brisket region is horizontal. At this stage the front Ycut may be carried out (see Fig. the brisket flaps pulled back and the neck, shoulders and forelegs cleared. In this position further operations may be carried out including hock removal, belly operations, rear Y cutting and splitting of the brisket flap.

Fig. 5 shows the preferred form frame together with an industrial robot comprising a robotic arm 10. The robotic arm is shown as a roof or ceiling mounted robotic arm or the arm be mounted from a beam above, but the robot may be of any suitable type such as a robot which stands on the floor, comprising two or more robot arms for example. The robot is used to make the dressing cuts in the carcass. The frame of the invention positions each carcass in a substantially identical position when compared to conventional means of suspending a carcass from a moving processing chain for example. Thus the point at which the robot starts a cut such as the front Y-cut shown in Fig. 5, is always in a similar spatial position. Fig.

shows the robotic arm 10 mounting a cutting tool 11 on the end thereof comprising cutting blades 12 making the front Y-cut down the front legs and chest of the carcass. The robot may be 4 WO 96/02145 PCT/NZ94/00072 programmed to make other dressing cuts and Fig. 5 shows the robot arm making the front Y-cut by way of example.

Fig. 6 shows a preferred form cutting tool. The tool comprises two parallel adjacent cutting blades 13 and a motor within the cutting tool body unit 14 which drives the cutting blades 13. The motor may be connected to the cutting blades through a gearbox within the cutting tool body unit 14. The motor is controlled by the robot. When the motor is operated, the cutting blades 13 reciprocate back and forth together in a cutting action. In the preferred form the cutting blades move with a rotary reciprocal action as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6. This has been found most effective for cutting through the pelt of an animal carcass.

It is also preferred that the cutting blades 13 are cranked as shown, comprising a first cutting edge portion 13a and a second cutting edge portion 13b which has shark tooth shaped teeth. The shark tooth teeth point back towards the first blade :portion 13a as shown.

r In use the robot having the cutting tool of Fig. 6 mounted to the end of the robotic arm inserts the cutting tool through an initial puncture made through the pelt of the carcass.

The robot then energises the motor to cause the cutting blades 13 to operate, and the robot arm moves the cutting tool upwardly to make for example the front Y-cut as shown in Fig. 5 WO 96/02145 PCT/NZ94/00072 In the preferred form cutting tool the motor is an air motor but it could alternatively be an electric or hydraulic motor for example.

The 'foregoing describes the invention including a preferred form thereof. Alterations and modifications as will be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be incorporated in the scope hereof as defined in the following claims.

It will be understood that the term "comprises" or its grammatical variants as used herein is equivalent to the term "includes" and is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other elements or features.

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Claims

1. A method of dressing a carcass including suspending the carcass from the hocks of the carcass, and carrying out dressing operations on the carcass by an industrial robot programmed to carry out at least one dressing cut in a number of directions or a series of dressing cuts on the carcass by an independent robotic arm equipped with a power cutting tool including a motor and one or more driven cutting blades able to move and manipulate the cutting tool about the exterior of the carcass through any plane to carry out said dressing cut(s).

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said industrial robot is programmed to energise and de-energise said power cutting tool during the making of said cut(s). S:3. A method as claimed in either one of claims 1 and 2, including carrying out a Y-cut down the front legs and chest of the carcass by said industrial robot.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cutting tool includes two parallel adjacent cutting blades reciprocally movable in the same plane each beside the other. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cutting tool includes two parallel adjacent cutting blades reciprocally movable in the same place each beside the other with a rotary action relative to one another.

6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the carcass is suspended in said inverted position and is raised and lowered by a frame, the frame including: a front frame part including means to suspend the carcass in an inverted position from the front hocks of the carcass and a neck support part to support the inverted carcass below the neck or shoulders, CD/99088029.4 8 a rear frame part including means to suspend the rear hocks of the carcass, and means to move the rear and/or front frame parts relative to one another to raise and/or lower the rear part of the carcass relative to the front part of the carcass or the front part of the carcass relative to the rear part of the carcass.

7. A method of dressing a carcass, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. Apparatus for dressing a carcass including means to suspend the carcass from the hocks thereof and an industrial robot including an independent robotic arm equipped with a power cutting tool including a motor and one or more driven cutting blades and able to move and manipulate the cutting tool about the exterior of the carcass, and programmed to carry out at least one dressing cut in a number of directions or a series of dressing cuts on the carcass. °o9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said industrial robot is also 15 programmed to energise and de-energise said power cutting tool during the making of said cut(s).

10. Apparatus as claimed in either one of claims 7 and 8 wherein said :industrial robot is programmed to carry out a Y-cut down the front legs and chest of the carcass. 20 11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the cutting tool comprises two parallel adjacent cutting blades reciprocally movable in the same plane each beside the other.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the cutting tool includes two parallel adjacent cutting blades reciprocally movable in the same plane each beside the other with a rotary action relative to the other. UUThflflJOO~JC~t% 9

13. Apparatus for dressing a carcass, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings. New Zealand Meat Research Development Council By its Registered Patent Attorneys Freehills Patent Attorneys 31 March 1999 9* 9 9 9 9 9 9 9**9 9999 9* .9 9.9. 9 9

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