EP0084541B1 - Method and plant for packing poultry individually in bags - Google Patents

Method and plant for packing poultry individually in bags Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0084541B1
EP0084541B1 EP82902062A EP82902062A EP0084541B1 EP 0084541 B1 EP0084541 B1 EP 0084541B1 EP 82902062 A EP82902062 A EP 82902062A EP 82902062 A EP82902062 A EP 82902062A EP 0084541 B1 EP0084541 B1 EP 0084541B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
bodies
packing
poultry
seizing
members
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP82902062A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0084541A1 (en
Inventor
Kjeld Loth
Peter Loth
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Atlas AS
Original Assignee
Atlas AS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Atlas AS filed Critical Atlas AS
Publication of EP0084541A1 publication Critical patent/EP0084541A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0084541B1 publication Critical patent/EP0084541B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
    • B65B25/06—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products
    • B65B25/064—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products of poultry

Definitions

  • the background of the present invention is a widespread desire and even direct provisions to the effect that the weight or category of weight of packed poultry should be indicated on the packing.
  • the invention relates to a method and plant for packing poultry bodies individually in bags, comprising the steps of: advancing the poultry bodies suspended by their legs individually along a conveyor path at a certain distance from each other, weighing each body individually, and placing the bodies in bags bearing an indication of weight or a category of weight, according to the preambles respectively of claims 1 and 2.
  • the poultry bodies are advanced along a conveyor path past a weighing device and thereafter released so as to fall down - according to the ascertained weight - into one of a number of open trays.
  • a suitable stock of bodies has been collected in a tray
  • the bodies are removed therefrom and are introduced into a packing device provided with bags on which the weight or the category of weight ascertained for the bodies in the tray in question is indicated and by means of the device the body is placed in the bag which is sealed.
  • the said removal from the tray and the introduction into the packing device are carried out manually.
  • Such known method and plant appears from US-A-4 021 336.
  • Broilers are for instance divided into categories of weight shifting by 100 grams from class to class.
  • category of weight for a broiler of 1000 grams ranges from 950 to 1050 grams, for a broiler of 1100 grams from 1050 to 1150 grams, and for a broiler of 1200 grams from 1150 to 1250 grams.
  • Said method has various drawbacks.
  • the bag with its contents of plucks which beforehand have been placed into the poultry body runs the risk of falling out.
  • the operator has to seize each individual poultry body, lift it free from the tray and introduce it into the packing device before packing can take place.
  • each packing device needs its own operator.
  • a further drawback is the risk of a critical loss of weight. Poultry which after it has been killed and cleaned comes from the refrigeration tank soon loses weight due to loss of liquid when coming into contact with the atmosphere. Notoriously, a loss of weight of 10 to 20 grams in the course of 10 minutes may be experienced.
  • the known method involves that as a consequence of their necessary stay in the trays, many of the weighed bodies will remain for rather a long time in contact with the atmosphere and some of them longer than others before they are packed.
  • the invention also relates also to a plant for packing poultry bodies in individual bags comprising: a conveyor path for poultry bodies suspended individually by their legs, and a weighing apparatus associated with the conveyor path, for weighing the bodies individually.
  • Said plant further comprises means for gathering a predetermined number of poultry bodies aligned in a group at a delivery end of said conveyor path; a plurality of packing devices placed near said delivery end; transfer means having seizing members for seizing said bodies of said group and for removing the same, as a whole, from the delivery end, and transfer members for transmitting the same from the seizing member to a position opposite said packing devices; bag magazine means for advancing to each packing device a bag having an indication thereon of the weight of the respective body weighed by said weighing apparatus; means for mechanically introducing the respective poultry body in the respective bag; said packing devices being adapted to simultaneously packing the bodies in their individual bags.
  • the plant in which the bodies packed in bags and arriving from the packing devices are sorted out according to their weight and placed in corresponding shipping boxes of e.g. 10 bodies.
  • the plant including a possible packing centre is well suited for electronic control in that the compulsorily operated conveying of the body allows the use of electronic watching during the entire process described above.
  • the transfer aggregate may be provided with a displacement path on which the seizing devices are movable along the path, the displacement path extending along the delivery end of the conveyor path where the seizing members may grasp their individual piece of poultry, and up to a position in front of a row of packing devices, the seizing members being adapted so as by a movement along the displacement path to take up a position opposite their individual packing device for transfer of the removed body to the device.
  • the transfer elements may according to the invention be adapted so as to transfer the bodies removed by the seizing members from a hanging to a lying position and to introduce the bodies in the last mentioned position into their particular packing device.
  • the said embodiment of the plant may without difficulty and in a space saving manner be combined with the other transport systems serving for transfer of the poultry bodies from the refrigeration tank and the weighing device and for removal of the packed bodies.
  • the transfer aggregate is provided with a rail body bearing the seizing members movably mounted along the rail, and the transfer elements are co-swingably mounted on oscillation arms in such a manner that from an upright position in which the elements are opposite their particular seizing member they are swingable into a lowered position in which they are opposite the reception end of a number of packing devices placed in a row at a level lower than the delivery end of the conveyor path for introduction of the poultry bodies retained by the transfer elements into their particular packing device, and the transfer elements are provided with retaining means adapted to retain the poultry bodies during the swinging substantially in a relative position in relation to the elements corresponding to the relative position in which the bodies are removed from the seizing members.
  • the retaining means may be arranged so as to retain the poultry bodies until they are pushed into a bag by a piston member while being stowed whereby, in addition to a well-managed introduction of the body into the device, a uniform stowing of the bodies during the packing may be achieved.
  • a removal device may be mounted at the delivery end of each packing device, said removal device being adapted to jointly remove the filled bags from the packing devices and deliver them to their particular sealing aggregate which, after the filled bag having been sealed, delivers it to its particular removal device. Also this part of the packing process may consequently take place concurrently with the other operational steps in such a manner that the grasp of the product is not released until it has been completely packed for delivery and sorting out in shipping boxes.
  • the plant shown has a conveyor path 1 for poultry bodies 2 being suspended by their legs 3 in retaining means 4 which are movable along the conveyor path 1.
  • a weighing apparatus 5 is coupled to the conveyor path and is arranged so as to register the weight of each poultry body 2 passing each single apparatus and to transmit a corresponding signal to a bag magazine 6 adapted to contain a number of bags 7 divided into categories of weight and marked accordingly.
  • FIG. 1 shows on a schematic scale the part of the conveyor path having relation to the present invention.
  • the poultry bodies 2 arrive along said conveyor path from a refrigeration tank in which they are cooled after having been killed and cleaned.
  • the conveyor path may start already in a cleaning station so that a continuous conveyor system from cleaning via cooling to the final packing is provided.
  • Section B shows in Fig. 1 the delivery end 8 of the conveyor path. Said end is adapted for collecting a predetermined number of poultry bodies aligned in a row.
  • the invention will be explained in connection with an embodiment in which the distance between the bodies 2 at said delivery end 8 is substantially less than the distance "a" between the bodies 2 during the preceding feeding.
  • the invention may also be performed in a way in which the distance between the bodies 2 at the delivery end 8 is the same as during the preceding feeding.
  • the present example shows a closely picked-up group of four bodies 2 only. In practice a group of eight bodies has for instance proved to be a practical unity of operation.
  • a number of packing devices 9 corresponding to the number of bodies of the group are mounted, viz. four in the present example.
  • the packing devices are indicated schematically and in the example they are of the known kind in which the poultry bodies in order to be introduced into a bag 7 shown schematically are forced through a resilient funnel 10 which causes the bodies to be stowed.
  • the packing devices are located with a mutual distance between their sides corresponding to the distance "a" between the bodies suspended on the conveyor path 1. The distance may, however, also deviate from "a”.
  • the transfer aggregate is provided with a distribution element in the form of a rail body 11 on which particular seizing members 12 are mounted displaceably along the body, one seizing member per poultry body 2 in the gathered group of bodies at the delivery end 8.
  • a distribution element in the form of a rail body 11 on which particular seizing members 12 are mounted displaceably along the body, one seizing member per poultry body 2 in the gathered group of bodies at the delivery end 8.
  • seizing members 12 are mounted.
  • Each seizing member has a pair of prehensile claws 13 for each of the legs 3 of the poultry bodies.
  • the rail body extends along the delivery end 8 of the conveyor path up to in front of the row of packing devices 9 placed at a level lower than the delivery end 8.
  • the seizing members 12 are adapted so that from a position opposite its particular poultry body on the delivery end 8 the seizing member takes up a position opposite its packing device 9 by a movement along the rail body 11. Moreover, the rail body 11 is movable towards the poultry bodies 2 suspended on the delivery end 8 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper so that the seizing members 12 will grasp the legs of the individual bodies and again at some distance back from the delivery end 8 in order to pull the bodies 2 free from the retaining means in which they were suspended.
  • transfer aggregate is also provided with transfer elements 15, one transfer element per packing apparatus 9.
  • transfer elements 15 consists of retaining means in the form of bars 16a, 16b, 16c, confer Fig. 3, constituting oblong supporting elements.
  • the elements are swingable jointly from a position in which the supporting members 16 are located opposite the seizing members 12 to a position in which they introduce the poultry bodies removed from the seizing members 12 into the packing devices 9.
  • the transfer elements 15 are movable in the direction of the axis of oscillation and the bars 16a, 16b and 16c extend in the same direction.
  • the length of the bars 16 corresponds at least to the outer distance between the legs 3 of a suspended poultry.
  • the bars 16 constitute together a seizing member being open in the displacement direction to the right, the bar 16 in Fig. 3 being destined to be pushed forward behind the legs 3 of the poultry bodies while the bars 16b and 16c are pushed forward in front of the legs.
  • the bars 16 will together during the swinging movement retain the poultry body in a position in relation to the element 15 corresponding to the relative position in which the body is removed from the seizing members 12.
  • the poultry body changes from a hanging to a lying position and in the latter position it is introduced into its packing device 9.
  • the supporting members 16 are further in a manner not shown in detail adapted so as to retain the poultry bodies in the packing devices 9 until by means of a piston member 19 the bodies while being stowed are pushed into a bag 7.
  • each packing device 9 there is provided a removal member 21 and all these members are adapted to jointly remove the bags 7 in which a poultry body has been placed, away from the packing device 9 and to deliver the filled bags 7 to their respective sealing aggregate 22 which will seal the open end of the bags 7 whereafter the bags with the poultry bodies are released and delivered each to its respective conveyor bowl 23 for further sorting out in categories of weight and introduction into corresponding shipping boxes.
  • the bag magazine receives from the weighing apparatus 5 an impulse having as a consequence that from the weighing apparatus 5 a bag 7 carrying an indication of weight corresponding to the weight of the piece of poultry in question ascertained in the weighing apparatus 5 will be advanced to the packing device 9 in which the weighed poultry body in question is to be packed.
  • This operation is indicated schematically by an arrow 23'.
  • the system functions even if a poultry body falls out from the conveyor path 1 during its advancement. If the body falls out before the weighing procedure, no bag will be advanced for the retaining means 4 which passes in empty condition past the weighing apparatus 5, and the same is the case for the corresponding packing device 9. If the body falls out after the weighing procedure, the bag in question remains in the empty condition in front of the packing device in question and should be removed before the next group of bodies arrives to the packing devices.
  • the system also allows a sorting out by qualities, for instance in quality I and II, respectively. If a II quality is ascertained to be present on the conveyor path 1 before the weighing apparatus 5, said ascertainment can be communicated to the weighing apparatus 5, e.g. by providing the retaining means 4 with a particular indication member such as a displacement pin 24 which will be pushed out, e.g. manually, for the ascertained quality II so that by means of the pin 24 the weighing apparatus 5 will indicate a quality II, a corresponding impulse being sent to the bag magazine 6 to transfer a bag 7 marked quality II. The said body II will thereafter be packed in said bag concurrently with the other bodies. Thus, it is not necessary to remove the body from the conveyor system and to collect and pack such bodies separately.
  • a particular indication member such as a displacement pin 24 which will be pushed out, e.g. manually, for the ascertained quality II so that by means of the pin 24 the weighing apparatus 5 will indicate a quality II, a corresponding impulse being sent to the bag magazine
  • the system also allows a specific sorting out by weight, such as a specific packing of so-called grill broilers, i.e. a broiler of 1200 grams without its contents of plucks. This means that during the conveying step no such plucks will have to be introduced into the broiler.
  • a specific sorting out by weight such as a specific packing of so-called grill broilers, i.e. a broiler of 1200 grams without its contents of plucks. This means that during the conveying step no such plucks will have to be introduced into the broiler.
  • the weighing apparatus 5 shows a broiler of 1200 grams it can inform the plucks station not to introduce plucks into the body in question and also instruct the magazine 6 to advance a specific bag marked to be for a grill broiler. Also said sorting out can consequently be carried out in the system without requiring the body in question to be removed from the conveyor system and to collect and pack such bodies separately.
  • the poultry bodies will remain at a mutual distance "a" also at the delivery end 8 of the conveyor path, the seizing members 12 being arranged at the same mutual distance when being in their operational position indicated in Fig. 1B.
  • the members 12 can be spread along the rail 11 seeing that the packing devices 9 may be so broad - seen in the longitudinal direction of the rail 11 - that a spreading of the bodies as mentioned is advisable or necessary.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Processing Of Meat And Fish (AREA)
EP82902062A 1981-06-30 1982-06-30 Method and plant for packing poultry individually in bags Expired EP0084541B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DK291281A DK153932C (da) 1981-06-30 1981-06-30 Fremgangsmaade og anlaeg til enkeltvis emballering af fjerkrae i poser
DK2912/81 1981-06-30

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0084541A1 EP0084541A1 (en) 1983-08-03
EP0084541B1 true EP0084541B1 (en) 1987-06-10

Family

ID=8117044

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82902062A Expired EP0084541B1 (en) 1981-06-30 1982-06-30 Method and plant for packing poultry individually in bags

Country Status (10)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0084541B1 (da)
AU (1) AU8589682A (da)
BR (1) BR8207773A (da)
DE (1) DE3248861T1 (da)
DK (1) DK153932C (da)
ES (1) ES8306064A1 (da)
GB (1) GB2112736B (da)
IT (1) IT1148978B (da)
NL (1) NL8220228A (da)
WO (1) WO1983000130A1 (da)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103183139A (zh) * 2013-03-13 2013-07-03 陈业明 鸡爪自动装袋机
EP3321647B1 (de) 2016-11-09 2021-08-18 Albert Handtmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG Wägesystem

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3291303A (en) * 1963-03-13 1966-12-13 Altenpohl W F Poultry selector conveyor assembly
GB1277725A (en) * 1969-11-18 1972-06-14 Berkel Patent Nv A data dispensing device
US4096950A (en) * 1974-08-05 1978-06-27 Autosystems Limited Sorting systems and sensing devices for use therewith
US3988874A (en) * 1975-04-22 1976-11-02 Altenpohl W F Poultry weighing and packing apparatus
US4024053A (en) * 1975-09-26 1977-05-17 Gainesville Machine Company, Inc. Apparatus and method for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weights suspended from shackles
DE2547677A1 (de) * 1975-10-24 1977-04-28 Markert Maschf Bv Verfahren und einrichtung zum verpacken von gefluegelexemplaren
SE7801602L (sv) * 1977-10-25 1979-04-26 W F Altenpohl Forpackningsmetod for fjederfe

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103183139A (zh) * 2013-03-13 2013-07-03 陈业明 鸡爪自动装袋机
CN103183139B (zh) * 2013-03-13 2014-12-10 陈业明 鸡爪自动装袋机
EP3321647B1 (de) 2016-11-09 2021-08-18 Albert Handtmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG Wägesystem

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3248861T1 (de) 1983-10-06
DK291281A (da) 1982-12-31
BR8207773A (pt) 1983-05-31
WO1983000130A1 (en) 1983-01-20
EP0084541A1 (en) 1983-08-03
IT1148978B (it) 1986-12-03
ES513702A0 (es) 1983-05-01
GB2112736A (en) 1983-07-27
GB2112736B (en) 1985-05-01
ES8306064A1 (es) 1983-05-01
AU8589682A (en) 1983-02-02
GB8304281D0 (en) 1983-03-23
IT8248722A0 (it) 1982-06-30
DK153932B (da) 1988-09-26
NL8220228A (nl) 1983-05-02
DK153932C (da) 1989-02-06

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