EA044788B1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HANGING POULTRY AND SUSPENSION FOR HANGING POULTRY - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method and system for hanging poultry, which is suspended by the head on a first suspension of a first overhead conveyor, onto a second suspension of a second overhead conveyor, on which the poultry is or will be suspended by its legs. The invention also relates to a pendant for hanging poultry.

WO 2014/026695 discloses a method and system for hanging a bird by its legs on a sling, in which the following sequence of steps is performed, in which: 1) bending at least one leg at the ankle joint so that the leg is close to the chest of the bird, 2) inserting the leg into the suspension, 3) the leg is at least partially released. Leg flexion can be achieved by placing the hook on the side of the leg that faces the chest to prevent the ankle from moving towards the bird's chest, and using a holder to move the foot towards the chest. Flexion at the ankle puts tension on the tendons and muscles in the legs, which in turn causes the toes to move closer together and the paw to compress. An even tighter grip can be achieved by extending the knee joint. This bending of the birds' legs so that the toes are brought closer together is required in the art to ensure that the legs take up significantly less space and the legs fit more easily into the holes of the pendant in which the bird will be suspended by the legs.

WO 00/41568, in accordance with the preamble of claim 1, discloses a system for hanging poultry, which is suspended by the head on a first suspension of a first overhead conveyor, onto a second suspension of a second overhead conveyor, on which the bird is or will be suspended by its legs, the system comprises a leg positioning unit provided for supporting the poultry by its legs while the poultry is held suspended by its head on a first hanger of the first overhead conveyor, and wherein the system comprises a movable gripping unit that is movable toward a second hanger of the second overhead conveyor a conveyor for moving the legs of the poultry onto a second suspension of the second overhead conveyor, the movable gripping unit being operable at least while the leg positioning unit is supporting the poultry by its legs.

An object of the invention is to provide an efficient and flexible method and system for automatically rehanging poultry that is hung by the head from poultry that is hung by the legs. The system from WO 2014/026695 does not provide this capability. The system from WO 00/41568 lacks flexibility and is not suitable for high processing speeds.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and system which is reliable, low maintenance and well equipped to cope with the high processing speeds of the rehanging operation.

In this regard, the method and system of the invention are provided with the features of one or more claims of the appended claims. The invention is also implemented in a suspension, which is defined in the claims.

In a first aspect of the invention, the movable gripping unit is movable, independently and separately from the leg positioning unit, toward a second hanger of the second overhead conveyor and is configured to act directly on the legs of the poultry to move the legs of the poultry into the second hanger of the second overhead conveyor. The system of the invention provides a fully automated hanging method in which the poultry is first suspended by the head and converted to a leg suspended and in which the first stage of supporting the poultry by the legs is carried out by holding the poultry suspended by the head on the first hanger of the first overhead conveyor, then a further step of engaging the legs of the poultry with a movable gripping block acting directly on the legs when the poultry is supported by the legs, and a step of moving the movable gripping block that acts directly on the legs towards the second suspension of the second overhead conveyor for moving the poultry legs into the second suspension of the second overhead conveyor.

Preferably, the leg positioning unit includes a hook configured to engage the poultry's legs when suspended by the head. The hook is a well-known device in the poultry industry and is a reliable tool for performing the leg positioning operation.

Suitably, the hook of the leg positioning unit is configured to follow a substantially circular path as it approaches the legs to ultimately engage the poultry's legs, the circular path ending at a position in which the poultry's legs extend obliquely or laterally from where the poultry hung by the head. When the poultry's legs extend obliquely or sideways, they are in a suitable position for further engagement by the movable gripping block, as described in detail below.

Preferably, the movable gripping block is configured to engage the legs of the poultry when the upward movement of the gripping block stops adjacent to where the leg positioning unit engages the legs of the poultry. Accordingly, the gripping unit engages the legs of the poultry in a well-defined position, which is desirable for automated operation as provided by the invention.

Preferably, the leg positioning block and/or the movable gripping block engages the legs at or near the ankle joint on the front side of the ankle joint, preferably above the ankle joint on the shin side of the legs. Accordingly, some flexion of the legs is induced to promote proper orientation of the legs when the legs are then moved in a swinging manner by the gripping block onto the pendant on which the poultry will be suspended.

In order to then allow the poultry's legs to be easily moved by the gripping block onto the pendant, in the latter case it is further preferred that the movable gripping block engages the legs in a position which is distant from the first pendant on which the poultry is suspended by the head by a greater distance than the distance of the block positioning the legs to the first suspension when said leg positioning unit engages the legs of the poultry.

Suitably, the movable gripping block is provided with first slits for receiving poultry legs therein.

It is further desirable that the movable gripping block be provided with restrictive elements to prevent the legs from being removed from the first slots of the movable gripping block. This ensures that the poultry's legs are not released when the poultry's head hanging is released, causing the poultry to roll over into a head-down position. Accordingly, it is desirable that the system be configured to release the head from the first harness after the movable gripper block has engaged the legs of the poultry, and more preferably, the system is configured to release the head from the first harness after the restrictive elements of the movable gripper blocks are activated to prevent the removal of legs from the first slots into which poultry legs are received.

Suitably, the movable gripping unit is configured to move the poultry's legs toward the second hanger of the second overhead conveyor in a substantially horizontal motion. Mechanization of movement in this case is easily feasible.

Preferably, the system includes a second conveyor, which is provided with a group of second hangers.

It is further preferred that the second hanger (or each second hanger) be provided with substantially vertical slots for receiving and holding poultry legs, the movable gripping block being movable downwards after the movable gripping block with the poultry legs has been moved towards to a second hanger of the second overhead conveyor so as to move the legs to hold them down in said substantially vertical slots of the second hanger.

In particular, the second suspension comprises an upper horizontal rod remote from the second slits and located above them, the movable gripping block is configured to move the legs extending from the legs over and beyond the upper horizontal rod and then move the legs downward so that the paws engaged the upper horizontal rod and the toes moved into the second harness before the legs moved into said substantially vertical second slots of the second harness. The movable gripping block is configured to move the legs in a downward movement into the second slots when the fingers are securely located within the said second suspension. Accordingly, in the method of the invention, the movable gripping block moves downwards after said movable gripping block has moved the legs of the poultry over the second hanger of the second overhead conveyor so that the legs extending from the legs of the poultry protrude beyond the upper horizontal rod of the said second hanger, so to take the proper starting position for subsequent movement of the legs to keep them down in the second suspension. As the gripping block moves downward, the paws first engage the upper horizontal rod of the second suspension and, due to the continued downward movement of the gripping block, the toes are positioned to engage the second suspension. In this way, the risk of the legs ending up not fitting into the substantially vertical slots of the second suspension is reduced.

A traditional second hanger can be used to hang poultry by its legs. Such a conventional suspension comprises a central vertical rod, wherein at a lower end of said central vertical rod and in connection with said central vertical rod, two first rods diverge from each other and connect to a lower horizontal rod remote from the central rod, and at opposite ends of the lower horizontal rod said horizontal rod is bent into two upwardly extending second rods which ultimately connect to a central vertical rod, and wherein the two first rods and two second rods define and define gaps between the two first rods and the two second rods for receiving and holding the legs of poultry suspended by the legs on the second suspension.

Instead of using a traditional second suspension, it is preferable to use a suspension in

- 2 044788 wherein two upwardly extending second rods merge into an upper horizontal rod remote from the lower horizontal rod, the upper horizontal rod being fixed in place at a predetermined distance from the central vertical rod. Accordingly, it is easier to move the poultry's legs into the second hanger when the movable gripping block moves downwards following its movement towards the second hanger, and during this downward movement the poultry's legs are moved to be held down in the substantially vertical slits of the second hanger.

Suitably, the upper horizontal suspension rod is connected to the central vertical rod by an intermediate connecting part.

The invention will be further illuminated below with reference to the flow figures of an exemplary embodiment of a poultry hanging system according to the invention, which is not limiting with respect to the appended claims. On the figures:

in fig. 1 shows a system of the invention for hanging poultry with such poultry to be hung;

in fig. 2 shows the operation of a leg positioning unit forming part of the system of the invention;

in fig. 3a shows the operation of a movable gripping block that engages the legs of poultry;

in fig. 3b shows the movable gripping block in isometric view;

in fig. 4 shows a movable gripping block with closed holding elements for securing poultry legs;

in fig. 5 shows a poultry with its head freed and suspended by its legs on a movable gripping block;

in fig. 6 shows the movable gripping block after approaching the pendant from which the poultry will be suspended by its legs, the legs extending over the top of the pendant;

in fig. 7 shows the movable gripping block in a downward position whereby the poultry's legs are inserted into the pendant of FIG. 6;

in fig. 8 shows the movable gripping block in a further downward position after the poultry legs have been inserted into the pendant of FIG. 6;

in fig. 9 shows the final position of the movable gripping block before it is released from the poultry legs and moved from the suspension of FIG. 6;

in fig. 10 shows a traditional hanger for hanging poultry by its legs;

in fig. 11 shows a suspension according to the invention;

in fig. 12-14 show several successive stages of movement of the movable gripping block in another embodiment of the system of the invention, which is equipped with a special support for the breast of poultry.

Whenever the same reference numerals are used in the figures, those reference numerals refer to the same parts.

The operation of the poultry hanging system according to the invention is illustrated with reference to FIG. 1-9, which show the sequence of operations of different parts of the system.

In fig. 1 shows a bird 1 suspended by its head 2 on the first suspension 3 of the first overhead conveyor. The system of the invention is designed to hang this poultry 1 into a position in which it will eventually be suspended by its legs on the second hanger 4 of the second overhead conveyor.

In fig. 1 shows that the system contains a leg positioning unit 5 in a non-working position. In fig. 1 clearly shows that the leg positioning unit 5 includes a hook 5' provided for engaging the legs 6 of the poultry 1 when suspended by the head 2.

In fig. 2 shows the leg positioning unit 5 after it has started to operate and engages the legs 6 of the poultry 1. In FIG. 2 shows that the leg positioning unit 5 is provided for supporting the poultry 1 by the legs 6 while the bird 1 is held suspended by the head 2 on the first hanger 3 of the first overhead conveyor.

In fig. 1 and 2 show that the leg positioning unit 5 is mounted on a cylindrical hinge 8, which ensures that the hook 5' of the leg positioning unit 5 follows a substantially circular path as it approaches the legs 6 of poultry 1, whereby it ultimately engages the legs 6 of poultry birds 1. Said circular path ends at a position in which the legs 6 of the poultry 1 continue obliquely or laterally from where the poultry 6 is suspended by the head 2. This latter aspect is also shown in FIG. 2.

A movable gripping block 7, which is designed to work directly with the legs 6 of poultry 1, as shown in FIG. 3a and 3b are provided to start operation after the leg positioning unit 5 starts supporting the poultry 1 by the legs 6, as shown in FIG. 2. Additionally, as will be explained below with reference to FIG. 6-9, at least this movable gripping unit 7 of the system is movable independently of the leg positioning unit 5 towards the second hanger 4 of the second overhead conveyor to move the legs 6 of the poultry 1 onto such second hanger 4 of the second overhead conveyor.

- 3 044788

Before performing the movement of the previous paragraph, the movable gripping block 7 is configured to engage the legs 6 of poultry 1 while the upward movement of the gripping block 7 stops near where the leg positioning unit 5 engages the legs 6 of poultry 1. For best results, the leg positioning unit 5 and/or the movable gripping block 7 engages the legs 6 at or near the ankle joint on the front side of the ankle joint, preferably above the ankle joint on the shin side of the legs 6, as most clearly shown in FIG. 3a. Preferably, the movable gripping block 7 engages the legs 6 in a position that is remote from the first hanger 3, on which the poultry 1 is suspended by the head 2, by a greater distance than the distance of the leg positioning unit 5 to the first hanger 3, when said leg positioning unit 5 engages legs 6 poultry 1.

With reference to FIG. 3b shows that the movable gripping block 7 is provided with slits 9 for receiving legs 6 of poultry 1. In FIG. 3b further shows that the movable gripping block 7 is provided with restrictive elements 10 to prevent the removal of legs 6 from the first slits 9 after the movable gripping block 7 has engaged the legs 6 of poultry 1 and received the legs 6 in the slot 9. These restrictive elements 10 are activated to preventing the removal of the legs 6 from the first slits 9 until the first hanger 3, on which the poultry 1 is suspended by the head 2, releases the head 2, causing the poultry 1 to turn over and become suspended by the legs 6 only on the movable gripping block 7. This shown in Fig. 5.

From this point on, the movable gripping unit 7 is configured to move the legs 6 of the poultry 1 towards the second hanger 4 of the second overhead conveyor in a preferably substantially horizontal motion, as illustrated by comparing the sequence of figures 5-7. In fig. 6 shows that the movable gripping block 7 has approached the second suspension 4, and in the situation of figure 6, the legs of the legs 6 have reached a point located above the second suspension 4. As is customary for suspensions for hanging poultry 1 by the legs 6, the second suspension 4 is essentially secured vertical slits 11 for receiving and holding legs 6 of poultry 1; this will be further illustrated below with reference to FIG. 10 and 11.

By comparing FIG. 6 and fig. 7 shows that the movable gripping block 7 is configured to move downwards after the feet of the legs 6 have reached a point located above the second hanger 4, as shown in figure 6, and the movable gripping block 7 has moved the legs 6 of the poultry 1 close to the second hanger 4 of the second overhead conveyor and above it. Upon subsequent downward movement of the movable gripping block 7, the legs 6 of the poultry 1 are moved downward so that the toe legs engage the upper rod 18 of the second hanger 4 before the fingers move to be inserted into said second hanger 4, as shown in FIG. 7. Comparison of Figs. 7 and 8 shows that once the toes are positioned in the second harness 4, the movable gripping block 7 moves the legs 6 further into the second harness 4 in a continued downward movement to hold the legs 6 down in said substantially vertical slots 11 of the second harness 4. Finally, in fig. 9 illustrates the movable gripping block 7 just before the movable gripping block 7 is removed, after which the poultry 1 will be completely suspended by the legs 6 on the second hanger 4 of the second overhead conveyor.

It is possible to use the traditional hanger 4, which is shown in FIG. 10, in the exemplary hanging method explained above. Such a conventional suspension 4 comprises a central vertical rod 12, wherein at the lower end 12' of said central vertical rod 12 and in connection with said central vertical rod 12, two first rods 13, 14 diverge from each other and connect to a lower horizontal rod 15 remote from a central rod 12, and at opposite ends of a lower horizontal rod 15, said horizontal rod 15 is bent into two upwardly extending second rods 16, 17, which ultimately connect to the central vertical rod 12, and wherein the first two rods 13, 14 and two second rods 16 , 17 define and define gaps 11 between the two first rods 13, 14 and the two second rods 16, 17 for receiving and holding the legs 6 of the poultry 1 suspended by the legs 6 on this second suspension 4.

Advantageously, a suspension is used according to the design shown in FIG. 11. Suspension according to Fig. 11 has the same features as the traditional pendant 4, which is shown in FIG. 10, but has the additional and distinctive feature that two upwardly extending second rods 16, 17 merge into an upper horizontal rod 18 remote from the lower horizontal rod 15, the upper horizontal rod 18 being locked in place at a predetermined distance from the central vertical rod 12. C For this purpose, the upper horizontal rod 18 is connected to the central vertical rod 12 by means of an intermediate connecting part 19. With the second suspension 4 of FIG. 11, it is easier to move the legs 6 of the poultry 1 down into the slot 11 of the second hanger 4 after the legs of the legs 6 have reached a point above the second hanger 4, as shown in FIG. 6, in one move down.

Embodiments of the present invention may include each combination of features that are disclosed herein, independently of each other. Despite the fact that the invention was

-

Claims (21)

Seen above with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the system of the invention, the invention is not limited to this particular embodiment, which can be modified in many ways without deviating from the invention. Therefore, the exemplary embodiment discussed should not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. Rather, the embodiment is intended merely to clarify the language of the appended claims, without intending to limit the claims to this exemplary embodiment. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the invention should be construed only in accordance with the appended claims, and possible ambiguities in the wording of the claims should be eliminated by use of this exemplary embodiment. Variations and modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and equivalents. One such possible variation or modification is shown in FIG. 12-14, in which, in addition to the embodiment of FIG. 1-3 also show a breast support 20 for poultry 1. FIG. 12-14 show some successive steps of movement of the leg positioning unit 5 and the movable gripping unit 7, the chest support 20 also taking different positions to assist in supporting the poultry 1 during the hanging operation. The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents and publications cited above are incorporated herein by reference. Unless specifically stated above to be essential, none of the various components or their interrelationships are essential to the operation of the invention. Rather, the desired results can be achieved by replacing various components and/or reconfiguring their relationships with each other. CLAIM 1. A system for hanging poultry (1), which is suspended by the head (2) on the first suspension (3) of the first overhead conveyor, onto the second suspension (4) of the second overhead conveyor, on which the poultry (1) is or will be suspended by legs (6), the system comprising a leg positioning unit (5) configured to support the poultry (1) by the legs (6), while the poultry (1) is held suspended by the head (2) on the first suspension ( 3) a first overhead conveyor, and wherein the system comprises a movable gripping unit (7) which is movable towards a second hanger (4) of the second overhead conveyor for moving the legs (6) of poultry (1) into the second hanger (4) a second overhead conveyor, wherein the movable gripping block (7) is configured to operate at least when the leg positioning unit (5) supports the poultry (1) by the legs (6), characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is configured with moveable, independently and separately from the leg positioning unit (5), towards the second suspension (4) of the second overhead conveyor and is configured to act directly on the legs (6) of the poultry (1) to move the legs (6) of the poultry ( 1) into the second suspension (4) of the second overhead conveyor. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the leg positioning unit (5) contains a hook (5') configured to engage the legs (6) of the poultry (1) when it is suspended by the head (2). 3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the hook (5') of the leg positioning unit (5) is configured to follow a substantially circular path as it approaches the legs (6) to ultimately engage the legs (6) of poultry (1), the circular path ending at a position in which the legs (6) of the poultry (1) continue obliquely or laterally from where the poultry (1) is suspended by the head (2). 4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is configured to engage the legs (6) of the poultry (1) when the gripping block (7) moves upward, stopping near the place where where the leg positioning unit (5) engages the legs (6) of the poultry (1). 5. System according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the leg positioning block (5) and/or the movable gripping block (7) engages the legs (6) of the poultry (1) at or near the ankle joint from the front side ankle joint. 6. System according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) engages the legs (6) in a position that is remote from the first suspension (3), on which the poultry (1) is suspended by the head (2) , a greater distance than the distance of the leg positioning unit (5) to the first suspension (3), when said leg positioning unit (5) engages the legs (6) of the poultry (1). 7. System according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is provided with first slits (9) for receiving legs (6) of poultry (1). 8. System according to claim 7, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is provided with limiting elements (10) to prevent the legs (6) from being removed from the first slots (9). 9. System according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the system is configured to release the head (2) from the first suspension (3) after the movable gripping block (7) has engaged - 5 044788 legs (6) of poultry (1). 10. System according to claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the system is configured to release the head (2) from the first suspension (3) after the limiting elements (10) of the movable gripping block (7) are activated to prevent removal legs (6) from the first slits (9), into which the legs (6) of poultry (1) are received. 11. System according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is configured to move the legs (6) of the poultry (1) towards the second suspension (4) of the second overhead conveyor in a substantially horizontal manner movement. 12. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a second overhead conveyor with a second suspension (4) on which the poultry (1) is or will be suspended by its legs (6), characterized in that the second suspension (4) provided with substantially vertical second slots (11) for receiving and holding the legs (6) of poultry (1), wherein the movable gripping block (7) is configured to move downwards after said movable gripping block (7) with the legs (6) ) poultry (1) was moved towards the second hanger (4) of the second overhead conveyor, so as to move the legs (6) to hold them down in said substantially vertical second slits (11) of the second hanger (4). 13. The system according to claim 11 or 12, in which the second suspension (4) contains an upper horizontal rod (18) remote from the second slots (11) and located above them, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is configured to moving the paws extending from the legs (6) over and beyond the upper horizontal rod (18) and then moving the legs (6) down so that the paws engage the upper horizontal rod (18) and the toes move into the second pendant (4 ) before moving the legs (6) into said substantially vertical second slots (11) of the second suspension (4). 14. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is configured to move the legs (6) when moving down into the second slots (11) when the fingers are located in said second suspension (4). 15. System according to any one of claims 13, 14, characterized in that the second suspension (4) contains a central vertical rod (12), and at the lower end (12') of the specified central vertical rod (12) and in connection with the specified central vertical rod (12), the first two rods (13, 14) diverge from each other and are connected to the lower horizontal rod (15), remote from the central rod (12), and at the opposite ends of the lower horizontal rod (15) said horizontal rod (15 ) bends into two upwardly extending second rods (16, 17), which ultimately connect to the central vertical rod (12), and wherein the two first rods (13, 14) and two second rods (16, 17) limit and define the slots ( 11) between the two first rods (13, 14) and two second rods (16, 17) for receiving and holding the legs (6) of poultry (1) suspended by the legs on the second suspension (4), with two second rods extending upward (16, 17) merge into an upper horizontal rod (18) spaced from the lower horizontal rod (15), with the upper horizontal rod (18) fixed in place at a predetermined distance from the central vertical rod (12). 16. System according to claim 15, characterized in that the upper horizontal rod (18) is connected to the central vertical rod (12) using an intermediate connecting part (19). 17. System according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the system includes a chest support (20) for supporting the poultry (1) before the leg positioning unit (5) supports the poultry (1) by its legs (6). 18. Method for hanging poultry (1), which is hung by the head (2) on the first hanger (3) of the first overhead conveyor, onto the second hanger (4) of the second overhead conveyor, on which the poultry (1) is or will be hung by legs (6), wherein the poultry (1) is supported by the legs (6), while the poultry (1) is held suspended by the head (2) on the first suspension (3) of the first overhead conveyor, characterized in that it contains a stage engaging the legs (6) of the poultry (1) with the movable gripping block (7) acting directly on the legs (6) when the poultry (1) is supported by the legs (6), and a moving step of the movable gripping block (7), which acts directly on the legs (6), towards the second hanger (4) of the second overhead conveyor for moving the legs (6) of the poultry (1) into the second hanger (4) of the second overhead conveyor. 19. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that the poultry (1) is supported by the legs (6) and/or the legs (6) are hooked using a movable gripping block (7) above the ankle joint on the shin side of the legs (6). 20. Method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the head (2) of the poultry (1) is released after the movable gripping block (7) has engaged the legs (6) of the poultry (1). 21. Method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that the movable gripping block (7) is moved downwards after said movable gripping block (7) has moved the legs (6) of the poultry (1) over the second suspension (4) ) of the second overhead conveyor, so as to move the legs (6) to -