CA2288500A1 - Animal carcass active cut system and method - Google Patents
Animal carcass active cut system and method Download PDFInfo
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- CA2288500A1 CA2288500A1 CA 2288500 CA2288500A CA2288500A1 CA 2288500 A1 CA2288500 A1 CA 2288500A1 CA 2288500 CA2288500 CA 2288500 CA 2288500 A CA2288500 A CA 2288500A CA 2288500 A1 CA2288500 A1 CA 2288500A1
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- cutting tool
- conveyor
- cut system
- active cut
- motion control
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
- A22B—SLAUGHTERING
- A22B5/00—Accessories for use during or after slaughtering
- A22B5/0017—Apparatus for cutting, dividing or deboning carcasses
- A22B5/0029—Cutting through or detaching portions of a carcass
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
- A22B—SLAUGHTERING
- A22B5/00—Accessories for use during or after slaughtering
- A22B5/20—Splitting instruments
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
- A22B—SLAUGHTERING
- A22B5/00—Accessories for use during or after slaughtering
- A22B5/20—Splitting instruments
- A22B5/203—Meat or bone saws for splitting carcasses
- A22B5/206—Disc or circular saws
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- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Food Science & Technology (AREA)
- Processing Of Meat And Fish (AREA)
Abstract
The animal carcass active cut system comprises a conveyor for transporting the carcass from front to rear sections. A mobile cutting tool is positioned between the front and rear sections of the conveyor, for cutting the carcass moving on the conveyor. A motion device is arranged for moving, at any time, the cutting tool along a transversal course relative to the conveyor, in response to a drive signal. A motion control circuit generates the drive signal as a function of a motion control signal produced by a manual control such as a joystick in response to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction along the course.
Description
ANIMAL CARCASS ACTIVE CUT SYSTEM AND METHOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and a method for cutting parts of an animal carcass, like the primary cuts of an animal carcass, and more particularly to a system having a cutting tool actively positioned, at any time and at will, with a joystick or a similar manual control, and optionally with a concurrent or alternate automated control, and a method thereof.
BACKGROUND
In the meat products industry, the animals (e. g. bovine, ovine, hog) are generally transformed in two principal stages, namely the slaughtering and the cutting of the carcasses.
In the slaughtering process, the animals are killed and then usually hanged vertically by the hind legs onto wheeled hooks running along a horizontal rail mounted at the ceiling.
The vertically laid carcasses are thereby carried and passed through various working stations such as for the evisceration and the longitudinal separation at the middle of the backbone. Once separated, there are in fact two half-carcasses that are hanged with the hooks. Once the operations related to the slaughtering process are completed, the half-carcasses are sent to refrigeration rooms for cooling purposes.
When leaving the refrigeration rooms, the half-carcasses are still vertically hanged on the wheeled hooks and are carried toward the primary cut department, where they are unhooked and laid down on a horizontal conveyor which is a part of what is called the main break-up table in the slaughtering industry. The half-carcasses are positioned in such a way that the fore and hind legs are directed toward the conveyor sides, and such that the inner part of the carcass is upward and the outer part (with the skin) is downward. The half-carcasses are thereby laid horizontally and transversely on the conveyor. On each side of the conveyor, saws sever the legs, the hindquarter and the shoulder as the carcasses move forward on the conveyor. The parts thereby severed are swerved towards other conveyors that carry them to their next respective transformation stages. The flank (belly) and loin, forming the center or middle part of the half-carcasses goes on another horizontal conveyor which is a part of what is called the middle table in the slaughtering industry, in order to be turned longitudinally with the conveyor and passed to another saw for separating the loin from the flank, or separating only the back ribs from the flank ribs keeping the loin and the flank attached toward the next step where the loin is pulled and separated from the flank. In this type of operation (American method), a circular scribe saw is used in place of a band saw. Other conveyors then carry the loins and the flanks to their next respective transformation stages.
Thus, each half-carcass is separated in parts like legs, hindquarter, shoulders, loins, flanks. This corresponds to the most widely used organization for the primary cut of carcasses in high production plants. However, this layout requires a lot of difficult and laborious handlings from the operators. Indeed, as the cutting is performed when the meat parts move through the saw, they must nevertheless be aligned so that they pass in the saw at the proper location. The operator must then move entire half-carcasses on the running conveyor to position them at the proper location with respect to the position of the saw.
Known in the art is US patent no. 4,557,014 (Vogt) showing an example of an automated system for cutting carcasses by means of an arrangement of three successive cut stations through which the carcasses pass while being hanged vertically to a single and same conveyor. Each cut station comprises a cutting tool whose position is set as a function of the cutting points identified with the assistance of a vision system.
Also known in the art is US patent no. 4,662,029 (Helsene et al.) showing an example of an automated system for cutting carcasses carried on by a conveyor provided with side-installed cutting tools. An optical scanner produces an image of the carcasses, and a computer controls the positioning of the cutting tools as a function of a comparison of the carcass image with a programmed cutting conf igurat ion .
The carcass primary cut systems known in the art are unable to achieve cuts following paths other than a straight line during the cutting operation, i.e. from the moment the cutting tool engages the animal carcass up to when the cutting operation is finished, which represents potentially considerable losses for the industry since the different parts of a carcass do not have the same market value and a straight cut in the parts is often not the most profitable one. It would therefore be highly desirable to be capable of changing the cutting path instantaneously at will during the cutting operation. Furthermore, a failure of one of the equipment like an electronic board or a sensor in automated cut systems may be the cause of costly breakdowns, during which the workers must rely again on traditional arduous manual carcass positioning methods to prevent the interruption of the whole production line.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and a method for cutting parts of an animal carcass, like the primary cuts of an animal carcass, and more particularly to a system having a cutting tool actively positioned, at any time and at will, with a joystick or a similar manual control, and optionally with a concurrent or alternate automated control, and a method thereof.
BACKGROUND
In the meat products industry, the animals (e. g. bovine, ovine, hog) are generally transformed in two principal stages, namely the slaughtering and the cutting of the carcasses.
In the slaughtering process, the animals are killed and then usually hanged vertically by the hind legs onto wheeled hooks running along a horizontal rail mounted at the ceiling.
The vertically laid carcasses are thereby carried and passed through various working stations such as for the evisceration and the longitudinal separation at the middle of the backbone. Once separated, there are in fact two half-carcasses that are hanged with the hooks. Once the operations related to the slaughtering process are completed, the half-carcasses are sent to refrigeration rooms for cooling purposes.
When leaving the refrigeration rooms, the half-carcasses are still vertically hanged on the wheeled hooks and are carried toward the primary cut department, where they are unhooked and laid down on a horizontal conveyor which is a part of what is called the main break-up table in the slaughtering industry. The half-carcasses are positioned in such a way that the fore and hind legs are directed toward the conveyor sides, and such that the inner part of the carcass is upward and the outer part (with the skin) is downward. The half-carcasses are thereby laid horizontally and transversely on the conveyor. On each side of the conveyor, saws sever the legs, the hindquarter and the shoulder as the carcasses move forward on the conveyor. The parts thereby severed are swerved towards other conveyors that carry them to their next respective transformation stages. The flank (belly) and loin, forming the center or middle part of the half-carcasses goes on another horizontal conveyor which is a part of what is called the middle table in the slaughtering industry, in order to be turned longitudinally with the conveyor and passed to another saw for separating the loin from the flank, or separating only the back ribs from the flank ribs keeping the loin and the flank attached toward the next step where the loin is pulled and separated from the flank. In this type of operation (American method), a circular scribe saw is used in place of a band saw. Other conveyors then carry the loins and the flanks to their next respective transformation stages.
Thus, each half-carcass is separated in parts like legs, hindquarter, shoulders, loins, flanks. This corresponds to the most widely used organization for the primary cut of carcasses in high production plants. However, this layout requires a lot of difficult and laborious handlings from the operators. Indeed, as the cutting is performed when the meat parts move through the saw, they must nevertheless be aligned so that they pass in the saw at the proper location. The operator must then move entire half-carcasses on the running conveyor to position them at the proper location with respect to the position of the saw.
Known in the art is US patent no. 4,557,014 (Vogt) showing an example of an automated system for cutting carcasses by means of an arrangement of three successive cut stations through which the carcasses pass while being hanged vertically to a single and same conveyor. Each cut station comprises a cutting tool whose position is set as a function of the cutting points identified with the assistance of a vision system.
Also known in the art is US patent no. 4,662,029 (Helsene et al.) showing an example of an automated system for cutting carcasses carried on by a conveyor provided with side-installed cutting tools. An optical scanner produces an image of the carcasses, and a computer controls the positioning of the cutting tools as a function of a comparison of the carcass image with a programmed cutting conf igurat ion .
The carcass primary cut systems known in the art are unable to achieve cuts following paths other than a straight line during the cutting operation, i.e. from the moment the cutting tool engages the animal carcass up to when the cutting operation is finished, which represents potentially considerable losses for the industry since the different parts of a carcass do not have the same market value and a straight cut in the parts is often not the most profitable one. It would therefore be highly desirable to be capable of changing the cutting path instantaneously at will during the cutting operation. Furthermore, a failure of one of the equipment like an electronic board or a sensor in automated cut systems may be the cause of costly breakdowns, during which the workers must rely again on traditional arduous manual carcass positioning methods to prevent the interruption of the whole production line.
SUMMARY
An object of the invention is to provide an animal carcass active cut system which does not involve the difficult and arduous operation of manually positioning the animal carcasses on the conveyor, while being adapted for complete automation of the cutting process.
A subsidiary object of the invention is to provide an animal carcass active cut system capable of doing specific cut profiles, i.e. wherein the cutting tool is controllably moveable at any time and at will so that the cutting may follow any desired cutting path, thereby increasing the efficiency and the accuracy of the cutting operation in accordance with the standards of cutting.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system that can be used in bovine, ovine, hog and other types of slaughter and butcher applications, and which requires no or almost no direct manual force intervention from the operator.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system, which can process left and right carcasses on the same line.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system, which may be used as a part of main and middle tables in carcass processing plants.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system, which may be used as a back-up alternative or an overriding control unit for automated cut systems.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system in which the cutting path is adaptive to the morphology of the piece of meat, the system being configurable to the customer's specifications.
According to the present invention, there is provided an animal carcass active cut system, comprising:
An object of the invention is to provide an animal carcass active cut system which does not involve the difficult and arduous operation of manually positioning the animal carcasses on the conveyor, while being adapted for complete automation of the cutting process.
A subsidiary object of the invention is to provide an animal carcass active cut system capable of doing specific cut profiles, i.e. wherein the cutting tool is controllably moveable at any time and at will so that the cutting may follow any desired cutting path, thereby increasing the efficiency and the accuracy of the cutting operation in accordance with the standards of cutting.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system that can be used in bovine, ovine, hog and other types of slaughter and butcher applications, and which requires no or almost no direct manual force intervention from the operator.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system, which can process left and right carcasses on the same line.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system, which may be used as a part of main and middle tables in carcass processing plants.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system, which may be used as a back-up alternative or an overriding control unit for automated cut systems.
Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide such an active cut system in which the cutting path is adaptive to the morphology of the piece of meat, the system being configurable to the customer's specifications.
According to the present invention, there is provided an animal carcass active cut system, comprising:
a conveyor for transporting animal carcasses from front to rear sections thereof;
a mobile cutting tool positioned between the front and rear sections, and adapted to successively cut the carcasses transported by the conveyor;
motion means for moving, at any time, the cutting tool along a transversal course relative to the conveyor, in response to a drive signal;
a manual control producing a motion control signal in response to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course; and motion control circuit means for driving the motion means by generating the drive signal as a function of the motion control signal.
Preferably, the manual control is formed of a joystick that generates the motion control signal as a function of a thrust on the joystick with respect to a central position.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an animal carcass active cut method, comprising the steps of:
transporting animal carcasses along a course passing by a cutting tool operatively positioned to successively cut the carcasses; and actively displacing the cutting tool transversely to the course using a manual control in operative control of a transverse position of the cutting tool relative to the course, the manual control being responsive to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of preferred embodiments will be given herein below with reference to the following drawings:
a mobile cutting tool positioned between the front and rear sections, and adapted to successively cut the carcasses transported by the conveyor;
motion means for moving, at any time, the cutting tool along a transversal course relative to the conveyor, in response to a drive signal;
a manual control producing a motion control signal in response to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course; and motion control circuit means for driving the motion means by generating the drive signal as a function of the motion control signal.
Preferably, the manual control is formed of a joystick that generates the motion control signal as a function of a thrust on the joystick with respect to a central position.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an animal carcass active cut method, comprising the steps of:
transporting animal carcasses along a course passing by a cutting tool operatively positioned to successively cut the carcasses; and actively displacing the cutting tool transversely to the course using a manual control in operative control of a transverse position of the cutting tool relative to the course, the manual control being responsive to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of preferred embodiments will be given herein below with reference to the following drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a main table provided with animal carcass active cut systems according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a middle table provided with animal carcass active cut systems according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of a control circuit of an animal carcass active cut system according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of a detector/
sensor block in the control circuit shown in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of a vision block in the control circuit shown in Figure 3; and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a motion block in the control circuit shown in Figure 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there are shown possible embodiments of active cut systems according to the invention in relation with a main table (Figure 1) and a middle table (Figure 2) for primary cuts of animal carcasses like left and right hog carcasses 1,2 in the Figures.
The system has a conveyor 3 onto which the half carcasses 1,2 are transversely laid down (automatically or manually) at a front section thereof. The conveyor 3 transports the half-carcasses 1,2 from the front section to the rear section thereof. The conveyor 3 may be of a multiple-belt type if desired, as illustrated. Mobile cutting tools like band saws 4A-E having moving courses perpendicularly to the conveyor 3 are provided along the conveyor 3 (e.g. with their blade extending between two adjacent belts) at positions determined by the parts of the half-carcasses 1,2 to be cut during their displacement from the front to the rear sections of the conveyor 3. Scribe saws or other types of cutting tools can be used depending on the needs.
Referring to Figure 1, the conveyor 3 carries the half-carcasses 1,2 horizontally and transversely. The orientation of the half-carcasses 1,2 mainly depends on the nature of the cut to be done and will vary accordingly. The half-carcasses 1,2 on the conveyor 3 pass by a first cut system provided with a band saw 4A for cutting the hind foot of each half-carcass 1,2. The band saw 4A can be mounted on guides or rails like the rails 14C of the saw 4C, extending on a side of the conveyor 3, guiding the band saw 4A along a transversal course relative to the conveyor 3. An electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuator 5A or any suitable motion device is operatively associated with the band saw 4A to position it along the course, at any time. It should be noted that a circular saw or any other cutting tool capable to perform the desired cut can be equally used instead of the illustrated band saw 4A.
Depending on the position and the morphology of each half-carcass 1, 2 on the conveyor 3, the saw 4A will have to be displaced to adjust from one piece to the next. The displacement of the saw 4A can be controlled by an operator who, by means of a joystick 8A or any other suitable manual control like buttons, switches, etc., analog or digital, actively controls the displacement direction and optionally the displacement speed of the saw 4A to perform the cutting along the best cutting path. A light beam produced for example by a laser 7A may be used to show the position of the blade of the saw 4A in order to guide the operator during the displacement of the saw 4A.
The displacement of the saw 4A can also be automated as it will be described hereinafter.
The half-carcasses 1,2 (now short of the hind foots) keep on moving on the conveyor 3 towards the hindquarter cut system provided with the saw 4B and the shoulder cut system provided with the saw 4C. These systems are similar to the hind foot cut system described above. The saws 4B-C can be inserted between the side and central belts of the conveyor 3. Motorized rollers 13B-C or motorized cylindrical brushes, attached to the saws 4B-C may be used to fill in the opening between the belts during displacements of the saws 4B-C, if desired. Spiked chains 12 projecting between the belts can be used for stabilization of the half-carcasses 1,2 during the cutting operations.
Referring to Figure 2, the half-carcasses 1,2 (now further short of the hind quarters and the shoulders so being formed of the remaining bellies) keep on moving on the same conveyor 3 or are transferred on another conveyor 3 adapted to further process them.
A pick and place system 15 or an operator rotates the bellies 37 in order to lay them longitudinally in the direction of their displacement. Opposite cutting systems similar to those described above can be installed for left and right bellies, or the bellies can be all cut at the same cutting system. A runner guide 16 and pusher 17 arrangement or any other suitable alignment system may be provided to align properly the bellies. For this kind of pieces, each saw 4D-E is preferably 15° slanted from the vertical as depicted by the arrow 20, to provide a more profitable cut at the level of the flank. Other angles can be selected by suitable adjustments if desired. Each saw 4D-E can be inserted between the side and center belts of the conveyor 3.
Referring to Figure 3, there is shown a functional block diagram of a control circuit for the system according to the invention. In one of its simplest configuration, the control of the cutting tool (e.g. saw 4A-E) is performed with the joystick 8A-E (or other suitable manual control) which produces a motion control signal in response to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction along the transversal course of the conveyor 3. The motion control signal is transmitted to a motion block 25 causing the effective displacement of the cutting tool.
Referring to Figure 6, there is shown a functional block diagram of a possible embodiment of the motion block 25 shown in Figure 3. A motion controller 31 receives the motion control signal from the joystick 8A-E (shown in Figure 3), and generates a drive signal as a function of the motion control signal, the drive signal driving the actuator 5 which moves the selected saw 4. Conveyor encoders 10,11 may be used to provide the motion controller 31 with information on the current positional state of the conveyor 3. Likewise, a saw encoder 32 may be used to provide the motion controller 31 with a feedback on the actuator's current position.
Referring back to Figure 3, the control of the cutting tool can also be automated or semi-automated. In such a case, a switch 26 can be inserted between the joystick 8A-E and the motion block 25. The switch 26 has a first input for receiving the motion control signal from the joystick 8A-E, a second input for receiving an additional motion control signal from an automatization circuit, and an output for selectively transmitting the motion control signals. The switch 26 may have one of its inputs prevailing on the other, for example for manual control overriding if desired. The automatization circuit may take various configurations. It can be, for example, vision-based or detector/sensor-based or a combination of both.
The evaluation of the best cutting path and the positioning of the saws 4A-E can be achieved through a data acquisition system like the vision block 22 and a data processor 24 formed for example of a computer 27 with a screen interface 28 for user interaction and programmation.
Using cutting parameters entered by an operator depending on different types of cuts to achieve, the computer 27 can determine a cutting path to be followed by each saw 4A-E.
Referring to Figure 5 showing an embodiment of the vision block 22, the operations of evaluating and monitoring the position and length of the piece of meat 1, 2 during its passage in the saws 4A-E can be triggered by a photocell 9 , and a rotary encoder 10,11 (as shown in Figure 4) may provide the frame grabber 30 with the position of the piece of meat 1,2. As an alternative, the half-carcasses 1,2 can be evenly spaced on the conveyor 3, either manually or automatically, in which case no photocell is needed as the positions of the half-carcasses 1,2 on the conveyor 3 can be easily determined if the rotary encoder 10, 11 is adapted for example to cover exactly one spacing, which means that a zero of the encoder 10,11 corresponds to the beginning of a new processing zone.
The positions can also be determined as a function of the speed of the conveyor 3 provided that the half-carcasses 1,2 are all laid down on the conveyor 3 at evenly spaced positions. Other ways of providing the positions of the half-carcasses 1,2 on the conveyor 3 can be used as well.
The evaluation of the best cutting path and the positioning of the saws 4A-E is then achieved through a suitable algorithm running on the computer 27. The algorithm processes data provided by the data acquisition devices such as the vision block 22 and/or a detector/sensor block 23 which, as shown in Figure 4, may comprise the conveyor encoders 10,11, the photocells 9 at various strategic locations, and even an ultrasonic sensor 19 or any technology which senses the height (for thickness related data). These devices can be connected to a programmable logic controller (P.L.C.) 29 performing a pre-processing of the sensed information, prior to its transmission to the data processor 24 (shown in Figure 3). The triggering of the data acquisition operation for example by means of the photocells 9 causes the system to start to grab information in conjunction with the rotary encoder 10,11 which monitors the position and length of the pieces of meat 1,2. The computer 27 can thereby calculate and effect a displacement of the selected saw 4A-E even while the piece 1, 2 is being cut . So much that it is possible to follow a cutting profile according to the requirements of the product or to compensate for the angle of a half-carcass 1, 2 should it be improperly positioned.
Thus, whether the displacement of the saws 4A-E is controlled by an automatic control or by an operator, the results of the cutting are optimized by the possibility of following any cutting profile whereas all the cutting systems heretofore installed on conveyors only provided for straight line cuts.
Referring to Figures 3-5, to sum up, the semi or fully automating control of the system fulfils three purposes:
1. Data acquisition, involving the operation of collecting the information provided by the photocells 9, the pulse counts of the encoders 10,11, the video signals provided by the vision block 22 and/or the thickness information provided by the ultrasonic detector 19, etc.
2. Data processing, involving the operation of deciding where to perform the cut or determining the cutting path to be followed as a result of calculations carried out by the data processor 24 from the collected information.
3. Motion control, involving the operation of controlling the displacement of the saws 4A-E through the motion block 25 in order to obtain the physical results corresponding to the calculations.
The computer 27 may have a control output connected to a lighting device 21 that can be positioned over the conveyor 3 and may be used in conjunction with the vision block 22 for the purpose of applying lighting techniques if desired.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a middle table provided with animal carcass active cut systems according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of a control circuit of an animal carcass active cut system according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of a detector/
sensor block in the control circuit shown in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of a vision block in the control circuit shown in Figure 3; and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a motion block in the control circuit shown in Figure 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there are shown possible embodiments of active cut systems according to the invention in relation with a main table (Figure 1) and a middle table (Figure 2) for primary cuts of animal carcasses like left and right hog carcasses 1,2 in the Figures.
The system has a conveyor 3 onto which the half carcasses 1,2 are transversely laid down (automatically or manually) at a front section thereof. The conveyor 3 transports the half-carcasses 1,2 from the front section to the rear section thereof. The conveyor 3 may be of a multiple-belt type if desired, as illustrated. Mobile cutting tools like band saws 4A-E having moving courses perpendicularly to the conveyor 3 are provided along the conveyor 3 (e.g. with their blade extending between two adjacent belts) at positions determined by the parts of the half-carcasses 1,2 to be cut during their displacement from the front to the rear sections of the conveyor 3. Scribe saws or other types of cutting tools can be used depending on the needs.
Referring to Figure 1, the conveyor 3 carries the half-carcasses 1,2 horizontally and transversely. The orientation of the half-carcasses 1,2 mainly depends on the nature of the cut to be done and will vary accordingly. The half-carcasses 1,2 on the conveyor 3 pass by a first cut system provided with a band saw 4A for cutting the hind foot of each half-carcass 1,2. The band saw 4A can be mounted on guides or rails like the rails 14C of the saw 4C, extending on a side of the conveyor 3, guiding the band saw 4A along a transversal course relative to the conveyor 3. An electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuator 5A or any suitable motion device is operatively associated with the band saw 4A to position it along the course, at any time. It should be noted that a circular saw or any other cutting tool capable to perform the desired cut can be equally used instead of the illustrated band saw 4A.
Depending on the position and the morphology of each half-carcass 1, 2 on the conveyor 3, the saw 4A will have to be displaced to adjust from one piece to the next. The displacement of the saw 4A can be controlled by an operator who, by means of a joystick 8A or any other suitable manual control like buttons, switches, etc., analog or digital, actively controls the displacement direction and optionally the displacement speed of the saw 4A to perform the cutting along the best cutting path. A light beam produced for example by a laser 7A may be used to show the position of the blade of the saw 4A in order to guide the operator during the displacement of the saw 4A.
The displacement of the saw 4A can also be automated as it will be described hereinafter.
The half-carcasses 1,2 (now short of the hind foots) keep on moving on the conveyor 3 towards the hindquarter cut system provided with the saw 4B and the shoulder cut system provided with the saw 4C. These systems are similar to the hind foot cut system described above. The saws 4B-C can be inserted between the side and central belts of the conveyor 3. Motorized rollers 13B-C or motorized cylindrical brushes, attached to the saws 4B-C may be used to fill in the opening between the belts during displacements of the saws 4B-C, if desired. Spiked chains 12 projecting between the belts can be used for stabilization of the half-carcasses 1,2 during the cutting operations.
Referring to Figure 2, the half-carcasses 1,2 (now further short of the hind quarters and the shoulders so being formed of the remaining bellies) keep on moving on the same conveyor 3 or are transferred on another conveyor 3 adapted to further process them.
A pick and place system 15 or an operator rotates the bellies 37 in order to lay them longitudinally in the direction of their displacement. Opposite cutting systems similar to those described above can be installed for left and right bellies, or the bellies can be all cut at the same cutting system. A runner guide 16 and pusher 17 arrangement or any other suitable alignment system may be provided to align properly the bellies. For this kind of pieces, each saw 4D-E is preferably 15° slanted from the vertical as depicted by the arrow 20, to provide a more profitable cut at the level of the flank. Other angles can be selected by suitable adjustments if desired. Each saw 4D-E can be inserted between the side and center belts of the conveyor 3.
Referring to Figure 3, there is shown a functional block diagram of a control circuit for the system according to the invention. In one of its simplest configuration, the control of the cutting tool (e.g. saw 4A-E) is performed with the joystick 8A-E (or other suitable manual control) which produces a motion control signal in response to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction along the transversal course of the conveyor 3. The motion control signal is transmitted to a motion block 25 causing the effective displacement of the cutting tool.
Referring to Figure 6, there is shown a functional block diagram of a possible embodiment of the motion block 25 shown in Figure 3. A motion controller 31 receives the motion control signal from the joystick 8A-E (shown in Figure 3), and generates a drive signal as a function of the motion control signal, the drive signal driving the actuator 5 which moves the selected saw 4. Conveyor encoders 10,11 may be used to provide the motion controller 31 with information on the current positional state of the conveyor 3. Likewise, a saw encoder 32 may be used to provide the motion controller 31 with a feedback on the actuator's current position.
Referring back to Figure 3, the control of the cutting tool can also be automated or semi-automated. In such a case, a switch 26 can be inserted between the joystick 8A-E and the motion block 25. The switch 26 has a first input for receiving the motion control signal from the joystick 8A-E, a second input for receiving an additional motion control signal from an automatization circuit, and an output for selectively transmitting the motion control signals. The switch 26 may have one of its inputs prevailing on the other, for example for manual control overriding if desired. The automatization circuit may take various configurations. It can be, for example, vision-based or detector/sensor-based or a combination of both.
The evaluation of the best cutting path and the positioning of the saws 4A-E can be achieved through a data acquisition system like the vision block 22 and a data processor 24 formed for example of a computer 27 with a screen interface 28 for user interaction and programmation.
Using cutting parameters entered by an operator depending on different types of cuts to achieve, the computer 27 can determine a cutting path to be followed by each saw 4A-E.
Referring to Figure 5 showing an embodiment of the vision block 22, the operations of evaluating and monitoring the position and length of the piece of meat 1, 2 during its passage in the saws 4A-E can be triggered by a photocell 9 , and a rotary encoder 10,11 (as shown in Figure 4) may provide the frame grabber 30 with the position of the piece of meat 1,2. As an alternative, the half-carcasses 1,2 can be evenly spaced on the conveyor 3, either manually or automatically, in which case no photocell is needed as the positions of the half-carcasses 1,2 on the conveyor 3 can be easily determined if the rotary encoder 10, 11 is adapted for example to cover exactly one spacing, which means that a zero of the encoder 10,11 corresponds to the beginning of a new processing zone.
The positions can also be determined as a function of the speed of the conveyor 3 provided that the half-carcasses 1,2 are all laid down on the conveyor 3 at evenly spaced positions. Other ways of providing the positions of the half-carcasses 1,2 on the conveyor 3 can be used as well.
The evaluation of the best cutting path and the positioning of the saws 4A-E is then achieved through a suitable algorithm running on the computer 27. The algorithm processes data provided by the data acquisition devices such as the vision block 22 and/or a detector/sensor block 23 which, as shown in Figure 4, may comprise the conveyor encoders 10,11, the photocells 9 at various strategic locations, and even an ultrasonic sensor 19 or any technology which senses the height (for thickness related data). These devices can be connected to a programmable logic controller (P.L.C.) 29 performing a pre-processing of the sensed information, prior to its transmission to the data processor 24 (shown in Figure 3). The triggering of the data acquisition operation for example by means of the photocells 9 causes the system to start to grab information in conjunction with the rotary encoder 10,11 which monitors the position and length of the pieces of meat 1,2. The computer 27 can thereby calculate and effect a displacement of the selected saw 4A-E even while the piece 1, 2 is being cut . So much that it is possible to follow a cutting profile according to the requirements of the product or to compensate for the angle of a half-carcass 1, 2 should it be improperly positioned.
Thus, whether the displacement of the saws 4A-E is controlled by an automatic control or by an operator, the results of the cutting are optimized by the possibility of following any cutting profile whereas all the cutting systems heretofore installed on conveyors only provided for straight line cuts.
Referring to Figures 3-5, to sum up, the semi or fully automating control of the system fulfils three purposes:
1. Data acquisition, involving the operation of collecting the information provided by the photocells 9, the pulse counts of the encoders 10,11, the video signals provided by the vision block 22 and/or the thickness information provided by the ultrasonic detector 19, etc.
2. Data processing, involving the operation of deciding where to perform the cut or determining the cutting path to be followed as a result of calculations carried out by the data processor 24 from the collected information.
3. Motion control, involving the operation of controlling the displacement of the saws 4A-E through the motion block 25 in order to obtain the physical results corresponding to the calculations.
The computer 27 may have a control output connected to a lighting device 21 that can be positioned over the conveyor 3 and may be used in conjunction with the vision block 22 for the purpose of applying lighting techniques if desired.
Referring to Figure 5, the vision block 22 (shown in Figure 3) may be embodied using the photocells 9 producing in this case triggering information, and a camera/laser 18 or any suitable camera device, connected to a frame grabber 30 providing image data to the computer 27 (shown in Figure 3).
Referring to Figures 2 and 3, one or several presence sensors detectors 9 may be used to provide the P.L.C. 29 with signals corresponding to the thickness or the width of the piece of meat 1,2 at different points thereof. The P.L.C. 29 then transmits processed data to the computer 27 for further processing. By combining or by using exclusively the information received from the vision block 22, the sensors 9 and the encoders 10,11, the computer 27 then determines, in regards to cutting specifications, the spot where the cut must be made or alternatively the cutting profile to be followed and thereby determines the displacements of the selected saw 4A-E as a function of the speed and displacement of the conveyor 3. The computer 27 transmits the motion control signal to the motion block 25.
Referring to Figures 3-6, the frame grabber 30 can be advantageously embodied by a frame grabber model GENESIS-LC
manufactured by the company MATROX. The camera/laser 18 can be advantageously embodied by a CCD camera model CV-M30 manufactured by the company JAI, and by an optical lens manufactured by the company COMPUTAR. An interferential filter manufactured by the company MELLES GRIOT is placed in front of the optical lens to filter out the ambient light and to keep only the reflected laser light. The lighting device 21 can be advantageously embodied by a laser model SNF-501-L
manufactured by the company LASIRIS. The computer 27 can be advantageously embodied by an industrial computer. The photocells 9 can be advantageously embodied by cylindrical photocells #E3F2-R2B4-P1 manufactured by the company OMRON.
The encoders 10, 11 can be advantageously embodied by 320 pulse incremental encoders #IS581-ABO1R33-0320, and 5000 pulse incremental encoders #IS581-AB01R33-5000 manufactured by the company INDUSTRIAL ENCODER CORPORATION. The ultrasonic sensor 19 can be advantageously embodied by an analog ultrasonic sensor #Q45ULIU64ACRQ manufactured by the company BANNER. The motion controller 31 can be advantageously embodied by a motion controller #dmc-1510 manufactured by the company GALIL MOTION CONTROL INC. The actuators 5 can be advantageously embodied by electric cylinders #TB32-104B-24MS2-FC2 manufactured by the company IDC. The manual control 8A-E can be advantageously embodied by a joystick #CSOER
manufactured by the company JR MERRIT.
With the above mentioned components, the joystick 14 will produce a signal varying between t10 V depending on the right or left position of the joystick's control handle, the central position providing 0 V. The signal of the joystick 14 is transmitted to the motion controller 31, which drives the actuator 5. A 10 V signal derived from the joystick 8 will cause a displacement of the actuator 5 at a maximum speed of 10 inches/s in the direction determined by the sign of the voltage of the signal produced by the joystick 8, depending on whether the control handle is pushed on the left or the right with respect to its central position.
While embodiments of this invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described above, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the essence of this invention. All such modifications or variations are believed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.
Referring to Figures 2 and 3, one or several presence sensors detectors 9 may be used to provide the P.L.C. 29 with signals corresponding to the thickness or the width of the piece of meat 1,2 at different points thereof. The P.L.C. 29 then transmits processed data to the computer 27 for further processing. By combining or by using exclusively the information received from the vision block 22, the sensors 9 and the encoders 10,11, the computer 27 then determines, in regards to cutting specifications, the spot where the cut must be made or alternatively the cutting profile to be followed and thereby determines the displacements of the selected saw 4A-E as a function of the speed and displacement of the conveyor 3. The computer 27 transmits the motion control signal to the motion block 25.
Referring to Figures 3-6, the frame grabber 30 can be advantageously embodied by a frame grabber model GENESIS-LC
manufactured by the company MATROX. The camera/laser 18 can be advantageously embodied by a CCD camera model CV-M30 manufactured by the company JAI, and by an optical lens manufactured by the company COMPUTAR. An interferential filter manufactured by the company MELLES GRIOT is placed in front of the optical lens to filter out the ambient light and to keep only the reflected laser light. The lighting device 21 can be advantageously embodied by a laser model SNF-501-L
manufactured by the company LASIRIS. The computer 27 can be advantageously embodied by an industrial computer. The photocells 9 can be advantageously embodied by cylindrical photocells #E3F2-R2B4-P1 manufactured by the company OMRON.
The encoders 10, 11 can be advantageously embodied by 320 pulse incremental encoders #IS581-ABO1R33-0320, and 5000 pulse incremental encoders #IS581-AB01R33-5000 manufactured by the company INDUSTRIAL ENCODER CORPORATION. The ultrasonic sensor 19 can be advantageously embodied by an analog ultrasonic sensor #Q45ULIU64ACRQ manufactured by the company BANNER. The motion controller 31 can be advantageously embodied by a motion controller #dmc-1510 manufactured by the company GALIL MOTION CONTROL INC. The actuators 5 can be advantageously embodied by electric cylinders #TB32-104B-24MS2-FC2 manufactured by the company IDC. The manual control 8A-E can be advantageously embodied by a joystick #CSOER
manufactured by the company JR MERRIT.
With the above mentioned components, the joystick 14 will produce a signal varying between t10 V depending on the right or left position of the joystick's control handle, the central position providing 0 V. The signal of the joystick 14 is transmitted to the motion controller 31, which drives the actuator 5. A 10 V signal derived from the joystick 8 will cause a displacement of the actuator 5 at a maximum speed of 10 inches/s in the direction determined by the sign of the voltage of the signal produced by the joystick 8, depending on whether the control handle is pushed on the left or the right with respect to its central position.
While embodiments of this invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described above, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the essence of this invention. All such modifications or variations are believed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.
Claims (19)
1. An animal carcass active cut system, comprising:
a conveyor for transporting animal carcasses from front to rear sections thereof;
a mobile cutting tool positioned between the front and rear sections, and adapted to successively cut the carcasses transported by the conveyor;
motion means for moving, at any time, the cutting tool along a transversal course relative to the conveyor, in response to a drive signal;
a manual control producing a motion control signal in response to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course; and motion control circuit means for driving the motion means by generating the drive signal as a function of the motion control signal.
a conveyor for transporting animal carcasses from front to rear sections thereof;
a mobile cutting tool positioned between the front and rear sections, and adapted to successively cut the carcasses transported by the conveyor;
motion means for moving, at any time, the cutting tool along a transversal course relative to the conveyor, in response to a drive signal;
a manual control producing a motion control signal in response to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course; and motion control circuit means for driving the motion means by generating the drive signal as a function of the motion control signal.
2. The active cut system according to claim 1, wherein the manual control comprises a joystick, the motion control signal being generated as a function of a thrust on the joystick with respect to a central position.
3. The active cut system according to claim 1, further comprising a means for providing a visual guiding mark upstream of and in alignment with a cutting point of the cutting tool.
4. The active cut system according to claim 3, wherein the visual mark is provided by a laser.
5. The active cut system according to claim 1, wherein the motion means comprises:
a guided platform having a course transversal to the conveyor, the platform receiving the cutting tool; and an actuator coupled to the platform to move the platform following the course thereof, the actuator having an input for receiving the drive signal.
a guided platform having a course transversal to the conveyor, the platform receiving the cutting tool; and an actuator coupled to the platform to move the platform following the course thereof, the actuator having an input for receiving the drive signal.
6. The active cut system according to claim 5, wherein the platform is mounted onto a rail arrangement guiding the platform along the course thereof.
7. The active cut system according to claim 5, wherein the motion control circuit means comprises a motion controller having an input for receiving the motion control signal, and an output for generating the drive signal.
8. The active cut system according to claim 1, further comprising a switch having a first input for receiving the motion control signal from the manual control;
a second input for receiving an additional motion control signal; and an output for selectively transmitting the motion control signals received at the inputs.
a second input for receiving an additional motion control signal; and an output for selectively transmitting the motion control signals received at the inputs.
9. The active cut system according to claim 8, wherein the switch has one of the inputs prevailing on the other input.
10. The active cut system according to claim 8, further comprising:
sensor means for providing morphologic information about the animal carcass transported by the conveyor; and a data processing means for processing the morphologic information provided by the sensor means and determining an active cutting path, and producing the additional motion control signal according to the active cutting path.
sensor means for providing morphologic information about the animal carcass transported by the conveyor; and a data processing means for processing the morphologic information provided by the sensor means and determining an active cutting path, and producing the additional motion control signal according to the active cutting path.
11. The active cut system according to claim 10, wherein the sensor means comprise a camera aimed on the conveyor upstream of the cutting tool, and imaging circuitry interfacing the camera with the data processing means.
12. The active cut system according to claim 10, wherein the sensor means comprise detectors operatively arranged with the conveyor for detecting passage of the animal carcass on the conveyer and for monitoring motion of the conveyor, the detectors being connected to the data processing means.
13. The active cut system according to claim 10, wherein the data processing means comprises a computer with a screen interface for user interaction and programmation.
14. The active cut system according to claim 10, further comprising a logic controller connected between the sensor means and the data processing means, so that information produced by the sensor means is pre-processed before data processing carried out by the data processing means.
15. The active cut system according to claim 2, wherein:
the motion control signal generated by the joystick is positive or negative depending on whether the joystick is thrust in a direction or the other with respect to the central position and has an amplitude corresponding to a shifting degree of the joystick with respect to the central position; and the drive signal generated by the motion control circuit means causes the motion means to move the cutting tool in a
the motion control signal generated by the joystick is positive or negative depending on whether the joystick is thrust in a direction or the other with respect to the central position and has an amplitude corresponding to a shifting degree of the joystick with respect to the central position; and the drive signal generated by the motion control circuit means causes the motion means to move the cutting tool in a
16 direction or the other depending on whether the motion control signal is positive or negative, and at a speed proportional to the amplitude of the motion control signal.
16. The active cut system according to claim 1, wherein the cutting tool is a band saw, a circular saw or a scribe saw.
16. The active cut system according to claim 1, wherein the cutting tool is a band saw, a circular saw or a scribe saw.
17. The active cut system according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor is provided with a pick and place arrangement aligning the animal carcass upstream of the cutting tool.
18. An animal carcass active cut method, comprising the steps of:
transporting animal carcasses along a course passing by a cutting tool operatively positioned to successively cut the carcasses; and actively displacing the cutting tool transversely to the course using a manual control in operative control of a transverse position of the cutting tool relative to the course, the manual control being responsive to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course.
transporting animal carcasses along a course passing by a cutting tool operatively positioned to successively cut the carcasses; and actively displacing the cutting tool transversely to the course using a manual control in operative control of a transverse position of the cutting tool relative to the course, the manual control being responsive to a user action indicating a displacement of the cutting tool in a desired direction across the course.
19. The active cut method according to claim 18, comprising the additional step of providing a visual guiding mark upstream of the cutting tool, the visual mark being indicative of a cutting point of the cutting tool.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2288500 CA2288500A1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-22 | Animal carcass active cut system and method |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2,250,466 | 1998-11-03 | ||
| CA 2250466 CA2250466A1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1998-11-03 | Primal cut system for animal carcasses |
| CA 2288500 CA2288500A1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-22 | Animal carcass active cut system and method |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2288500A1 true CA2288500A1 (en) | 2000-05-03 |
Family
ID=31716466
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2288500 Abandoned CA2288500A1 (en) | 1998-11-03 | 1999-10-22 | Animal carcass active cut system and method |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2288500A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11785955B2 (en) | 2019-12-20 | 2023-10-17 | Scott Automation & Robotics Pty Limited | Meat processing system |
-
1999
- 1999-10-22 CA CA 2288500 patent/CA2288500A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11785955B2 (en) | 2019-12-20 | 2023-10-17 | Scott Automation & Robotics Pty Limited | Meat processing system |
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