Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
  • A22B—SLAUGHTERING
  • A22B7/00—Slaughterhouse arrangements
  • A22B7/001—Conveying arrangements
• • 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
  • A22B5/0017—Apparatus for cutting, dividing or deboning carcasses
  • A22B5/0058—Removing feet or hooves from carcasses

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and a system for processing carcase sides of hog carcases.
• the carcase sides can be released from the hooks at a transfer station, where the carcase sides are, e.g., put down on a conveyor belt for further processing, including, as a first step, primary processing.
• "EURO Haken" and other similar hooks of the above mentioned type are, besides their lack of fixation relatively to the overhead conveyor, normally also characterised by a relatively steep angle between the pointed end of the hook and a horizontal plane, since this angle is normally 30°-40°, which is larger than the corresponding angle for hooks of traditional gambrels.
• DK/EP 0607744 describes a system for automatically cutting off hind toes, wherein the carcase sides are conveyed to a transfer station suspended from a traditional gambrel, the hooks of which a re fixated relatively to the remaining parts of the conveyor. Thereby the hind toes can be automatically cut off by means of cutting means, such as circular saws, cutting through the heel joints of the carcase sides, while the carcases are still suspended from the gambrel, the release of the carcase side from a gambrel thereby being provided by the cut performed by the cutting means.
• cutting means such as circular saws
• an object of the present invention to provide a method and a system which makes it possible to put down carcase sides from hog carcases from "EURO Haken” and similar hooks with great precision, at the same time making automatic cutting off of hind toes possible.
• this is provided by a method of the previously mentioned kind, characterised in that the carcase sides in the transfer station are temporarily supported by support means fixating the carcase sides relatively to the overhead conveyor, and in that the sinew(s) from which the carcase sides are suspended from the hook, is/are cut while the carcase sides are supported by the support means.
• the support means ensures that the carcase sides are fixated relatively to the overhead conveyor and/or to an underlying conveyor belt or table
• the cutting of the sinew(s) ensures that the carcase side in question is released from the hook.
• the gripping means alone which causes the release of the carcase side from the hook as in DK 174515 Bl
• neither is it a hind toe saw which releases the carcase side from the gambrel as in DK/EP 0607744.
• the carcase sides are released from the hooks while they are supported by the support means, since the cutting operation in a preferred embodiment is performed by one or more sinew cutting means for cutting the sinew(s) from which the carcase side is suspended. Subsequently, i.e.
• the support means may lift the carcase sides away from the hooks, and the hind toes may be cut off, e.g. by means of a traditional hind toe saw like the one shown in DK/EP 0607744.
• the carcase side is released from the support means, which - due to the well defined position of the support means - results in a precise putting down of the carcase side.
• the support means which may be gripping means like the ones shown in DK 174515 Bl, is preferably designed in such a way that the weight of the carcase sides does not load the hooks and the overhead conveyor while the carcase sides are supported by the support means.
• right and left carcase sides are conveyed in pairs to the transfer station by each their overhead conveyor, in such a way that a rig ht and a left carcase side arrive simultaneously to the transfer station.
• the left and right carcase sides may thereby be processed simultaneously at the mentioned steps at the transfer station.
• the carcase sides are normally conveyed to the transfer station from a supply unit, such as a killing floor or a supply storage.
• the conveying by the two overhead conveyors is preferably controlled in such a way that the right and the left carcase sides reach the transfer station simultaneously.
• the system comprising an overhead conveyor adapted to convey the carcase sides in a direction of movement.
• the overhead conveyor comprises a number of hooks of the type described above, e.g. "EURO Haken", where on each hook a carcase side can be suspended at the hind toe, whereby the carcase side may be suspended from the hook from one or more sinews.
• the system further comprises a transfer station at which the hog carcases can be released from the hooks of the overhead conveyor to a table or a conveyor belt arranged beneath the overhead conveyor.
• the system is characterised in that support means for supporting the carcase sides and fixating them relatively to the overhead conveyor is arranged at the transfer station, and in that sinew cutting means for cutting the sinew(s) from which the carcase side is suspended from the hook is provided, the sinew cutting means being control by control means adapted to control the sinew cutting means to cut the sinew(s) while the carcase sides are supported by the support means.
• hind toe cutting means for cutting the hind toes from the carcase sides
• the hind toe cutting means being controlled by the control means
• the control means being adapted to control the hind toe cutting means to cut the hind toes while the carcase sides are supported by the support means.
• the system may comprise two overhead conveyors of the mentioned type for simultaneously conveying a right and a left carcase side to the transfer station in such a way that a right and a left carcase side arrive simultaneously to the transfer station.
• the system preferably comprises two support means, two sinew cutting means and possibly two hind toe cutting means for simultaneous processing of a right and a left carcase side.
• the support means is in the form of one or more gripping means movable between a first position in which the gripping means can not reach the hog carcases, and a second position in which the gripping means can grip the carcase sides below their heel joint in such a way that the heel joint engages an upper surface of the gripping means, and wherein the gripping means is controlled by the control means in order to move the gripping means from the first to the second position when a carcase side has arrived at the transfer station, and in order to move the gripping means back to the first position after the cutti ng of said sinew(s).
• the gripping means enable precise cutting of the hind toes, since the upper side of the gripping means may be used as a reference point for the cutting, thereby ensuring a uniform cutting at the thickest point of the heel joint, thereby minimising waste at cutting.
• hind toe cutting means In systems comprising hind toe cutting means this is preferably arranged in such a way relatively to the gripping means that the heel joint during the movement of the gripping means back to the first position hits the hind toe cutting means, thereby cutting off the hind toe of the carcase side in question. In such an arrangement cost incurring elements for translational movement of the cutting means can be avoided.
• Each gripping means may comprise two mutually movable parts, e.g. jaws, the mutual movement of which is controlled by the control means in such a way that they may close around the carcase sides below their heel joint, thereby gripping the hog carcases when the gripping means is in said second position, and they may be opened again when the gripping means has been moved back to the first position, thereby releasing the hog carcase from the gripping means.
• two mutually movable parts e.g. jaws
• Fig. 1 shows an end picture of a transfer station, where a right and a left carcase side 100 and 102 are suspended from "EURO Haken" hooks 104 and 106, connected to respective overhead conveyors 108 and 110.
• the carcase sides rest pa rtly on a conveyor belt 112 which may comprise fixating straps for putting down like the ones shown in DK 174515 Bl, the conveyor belt conveying the carcase sides to the primary processing.
• the carcase sides 100 and 102 are supported by gripping means 114 and 116 which in Fig. 1 are shown in said second position, i.e. the position where they actively grip the heel parts of the carcase sides.
• Control and drive means 118 and 120 are provided causing movement of the gripping means 114, 116 between their two positions, and simultaneously positioning sinew cutting means, in the form of knives 122 and 124, relatively to the carcase sides.
• the gripping means and the arms are raised, and the gripping means are simultaneously turned outwards, i.e. away from the centre l ine shown in Fig. 1.
• the heel joints of the carcase sides are thereby moved towards hind toe cutting means, shown as circular saws 126, 128, driven by motor u nits 130, 132.
• Fig. 2 shows an illustration of the system as shown in Fig. 1 in a plane perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 1. It is clear that the overhead conveyor 108 has a tapered section, the weight of the carcase side 100 thereby being partly transferred to the conveyor belt 112 when the carcase is moved along the tapered section of the conveyor.
• the gripping means grip around the heel joint, just below the thickest point of the joint, while the carcase side is still attached to the hook 104.
• the knife 122 releases the carcase side from the hook 104.
• the knife 122 and the gripping means 114 are mounted on the arm 134, which, as described above, causes the movement of the carcase side towards the circular saw 126 (see Fig. 1).

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Chain Conveyers (AREA)
• Automatic Assembly (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34967252

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2004
  • 2004-04-16 DK DK200400603A patent/DK200400603A/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2005
  • 2005-03-15 EP EP05731293A patent/EP1740052A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-03-15 WO PCT/DK2005/000260 patent/WO2005099459A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events