FR2572004A1 - Method and machine for cutting pieces of meat into morsels intended, especially, for canneries - Google Patents

Abstract

In a first zone M1 of the machine M, the movement of the piece of meat P to be cut up towards a knife 6, is variable as a function of the thickness of the said piece. This variation in thickness is detected by at least one sensor 21. The strips are then cut in a second zone M2 by the knife 6 and then thrust one after another towards a battery 100 of circular knives 11 which will cut them into morsels of identical shape and weight. The invention applies especially to cutting belly pork with the purpose of obtaining morsels of weight and quality which are substantially equivalent to one another and intended especially for canning.

Description

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CUTTING PIECES OF PIECES
MEAT IN PARTICULAR,
AT THE CONSERYERY.

The present invention relates to a cutting machine
pieces of meat, generally from animal breasts, whose weight
and the shape must be identical, in order to introduce the pieces
obtained in cans requiring this type of meat.

An example of application of the process according to the invention relates in particular to the cutting of pork belly into
pieces of the same shape and weight, which will be used for
manufacture of canned cassoulet.

In the following description, we will limit ourselves to
this example although the machine object of the invention can be used
for any other type of meat.

In order to satisfy the consumer of this type of
preserves and therefore the needs of the producer of these preserves,
the pieces of meat introduced into the boxes, must satisfy- a
certain number of criteria set out in the specifications of the
producer.

They must be of identical shape, i.e. for example
present in the form of a parallelepiped about 45 mm high,
50 mm wide and 20 mm thick. The weight of each piece is
then about 45 g with a tolerance of plus or minus 2 g.

Traditionally, these pieces are obtained from
a previously boned and previously prepared pork belly
manually to appear as a large parallelepiped
flat, of fairly regular rectangular outline, but of variable thickness in
any point on the boneless surface.

From this prepared breast, the pieces
sought are obtained by a succession of operations which we will
describe now.

Using a first machine, straps are
cut lengthwise from the chest. These straps are
cut to the desired constant width; the height of the straps being by
variable nature, as a function of variations in thickness - of the breast
in every way.

 Bundles are then formed with (n) strips (in general 6) linked, then refrigerated to give them a certain rigidity.

 The rigid bundles are then cut into pieces of constant thickness in a second machine of the type used for cutting pork ribs.

 The pieces obtained with the approximate dimensions sought, are then sorted manually to eliminate the pieces that are too greasy or too small.

 This method has many drawbacks, it should first of all be noted that in the conventional method of first cutting lengthwise, the extreme thongs at the start of the breast are eliminated because of their high proportion of fat, but that on the other hand, there remains in spite of everything, in these falls a significant part of lean meat which is thus lost or partially recovered manually.

 Then, the fact of cutting strips with constant width leads, taking into account the variable thickness of the chest in all points, to strips of different weights. This therefore generates, during the second cutting at constant thickness, pieces of clearly different weights which lead to numerous rejections in the factory, but also, to justified complaints from consumers while others can be privileged with large pieces well skinny.

 Finally, the use of two separate machines and the cooling operation to stiffen the strips interposed between the two cuts, create for the supplier pieces of meat, a loss of profitability.

 The device according to the invention overcomes all these drawbacks.

 This is a machine that continuously cuts the pork belly in both directions, taking into account, before the first cut, the variable thickness of the breast to be cut and adjusting the width of the strips according to the size. average thickness detected before cutting this strap.

 Since the sc operation takes place continuously, the strips of variable widths but of constant weight are then cut into pieces of constant thickness, which leads to pieces of equally constant weight being obtained.

 It will also be noted that the device according to the invention eliminates the manual making of bundles as well as the refrigeration operation for stiffening the bundles. Profitability is therefore increased as well as the quality of the products.

 Finally, it is important to note that unlike conventional methods, the first cut is engaged in the width direction, which makes it possible to recover lean pieces in the extreme strips, which, in this configuration, are no longer completely eliminated. , nor retrieved manually.

 The invention relates more precisely to a method of cutting a piece of meat (P), such as an animal breast, into pieces of equal weight, in particular intended for canneries, characterized in that it consists in detecting variations of thickness of said part (P) by a feeler and to control the member for cutting the part (p) to this variation in thickness to produce strips (L1, L2 ...

Ln) whose width is a function of the local thickness of the part (P).

 It also relates to a machine characterized in that it comprises a first zone (mol), called the preparation of strips, comprising the means for detecting the variation in thickness of the piece to be cut (P) and for advancing said part of a length, function of this variation, bringing the part (P) in a second zone (M2) called cutting face of a circular cutting knife which cuts the strap (L1) then (L2) then (Ln-l ) then (Ln) to the desired width.

The invention will be better understood using the description of the machine and its operation, which will follow and the attached figures, among which
- Figure I shows the diagram of a part (P), such as a boneless animal breast, intended to be cut into pieces according to the invention.

 - Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the machine, object of the invention.

 - Figure 3 shows in elevation the arnont part of the machine, called the preparatory strip area.

 - Figure 4 is a detailed elevation view of a probe and its sensor implemented in accordance with the invention.

 - Figure 5 is a plan view of this sub-enscmblc, shown in Figure 4.

 For the sake of clarity, the same elements are given the same references in all the figures.

 As shown in Figure 1 and according to an important characteristic of the invention, the strips L1, L2 ... Ln-i ... Ln are cut in the piece P in the direction of the width and no longer in the direction of the length L, as was the case in the known art.

 As shown in FIG. 2, the machine M is made up of two zones: the zone (hll) considered in the following description as being the preparatory zone for the strips Li ... ln and the zone (M2) considered as the zone cutting, both strips and final pieces.

 The zone (M1) comprises a receptacle I made of stainless steel into which the breast piece P to be cut is introduced, illustrated by means of FIG. 1 and shown in elevation in FIG. 3.

 The chest piece P is wedged at its rear end by a claw 2 of a conveyor 200 which slides in the receptacle 1 on a rail system 3 which also ensures its guidance. The movement of the conveyor 200 in the receptacle I along the arrow F transmitted by a hydraulic cylinder 20 causes the claw 2 and therefore pushes the piece of meat in the same direction, that is to say, towards the area of cutout (M2).

 At the end of the operation of preparing the straps in the chest P, the hydraulic cylinder 20 brings the conveyor 200 backwards awaiting a next chest P.

 At the start of the cutting operation, the front end 55 of the chest to be cut P comes into abutment against a hatch 5 actuated vertically by a jack 51.

 This hatch is held closed by a safety device (not shown), when the covers of the two zones (Ml) and / or (M2) of the machine are open.

 A feeler 21 secured to the cover C of the area (M1) of the machine, in order to facilitate the loading and operating operations of the chest pieces P to be delivered into the receptacle 1, is articulated at point A of a support 22. The probe and its function are illustrated in more detail by means of Figures 4 and 5.

 This probe comes to be positioned just at the level of the hatch 5 in the zone (M1), when the cover C is folded back into the operating position. It is then placed substantially in the middle of the width of the receptacle 1, as can be seen diagrammatically in FIG. 2, through the hatch 5, the latter shown in the retracted position.

 This feeler 21 then permanently presses on the chest P, under the effect of the spring 24 via the lever 210.

 During the advancement of the piece to be cut P, wedged by the claw 2 of the conveyor 200, under the effect of the jack 20, the feeler 21 follows all the unevennesses of the surface of the breast piece to be cut and transmitted by the 'Intermediate of a lever 25, all se-s movements to another lever 250 articulated at point B, the levers 25 and 250 being always kept in contact thanks to a spring 240. This lever 250 acts on the plunger 26 of a Commercially available rectilinear displacement microsensor with differential transformer 23, thus inducing current variations from 0 to 20 mA.

 According to an important characteristic of the invention, these current variations are then exploited at all times, by a software program, then transformed into an action on a proportional hydraulic distributor, associated with the jack, which doses the flow of oil which controls the displacement cylinder 20 of the conveyor 200 and of the claw 2.

This has the effect of adapting the advancement length of the breast piece to be cut according to the thickness detected by the probe 21, which makes it possible to obtain strips of slightly smaller width at the level of the large local thicknesses. and conversely, strips of greater width at the level of the smaller thicknesses.

 According to a variant of the invention, the central sensor 21 used on the machine, object of the invention, can be replaced by a series of aligned sensors, in order to increase the detection accuracy of the average thickness of the strap to cut.

 The strip to be cut is then pushed to an adequate length, in the area (M2) of the machine; said cutting zone as just explained above, through the hatch 5, which is open when the covers are closed.

 A continuously rotating circular knife 6 - in rotation, thanks to a motor assembly 70 and a transmission shaft 60, placed immediately behind the hatch 5, cuts the piece of pork breast P thus engaged in the cutting area (M2) .

 Said knife 6 is equipped, at the end of its transmission shaft 60, with a microsensor 80, which controls its position by preventing it from stopping in all possible cases in front of the hatch 5, - in order to avoid blocking it while the zone (M1) could still be in operation and undergo a thrust from the piece of meat being cut.

 The strap thus cut in the area (M2) of the machine is then pushed by another strap which is presented for cutting under the action of the conveyor 200, towards a battery of circular knives 100 consisting of cutting disks there, rotating permanently at constant speed along an axis xx '.

 The number of discs and their spacing depend on the size of the final pieces to be obtained.

 The final pieces thus obtained are then recovered. For example, they fall on a conveyor belt, (which is not the subject of the invention is not shown), and are conveyed to a further processing station.

 The machine, object of the invention, therefore provides remedies for the drawbacks mentioned above, and in particular, a saving of time and therefore of profitability, thanks to the use of a single machine ct also thanks to the elimination of the operation. intermediate bundling and refrigeration. It provides an economy due to the absence of rejection of the extreme strips L1 and Ln as well as a better distribution of fat and lean in each piece, thanks to the first cutting, according to the direction of the width (La) and therefore a better quality of the product supplied and a significant reduction in rejections. Finally, it satisfies the main object of the invention, namely, greater precision in the weight of each piece obtained. The three main results resulting from the invention are therefore obtained: Speed, Profitability, Precision.

 The machine according to the invention is particularly intended for cutting breasts or pieces of meat in order to obtain pieces of the same shape and of the same weight, intended for the manufacture of canned goods.

Claims (7)

 1) Process for cutting a piece of meat (P), such  an animal breast, in pieces of equal weight, especially intended  canneries; characterized in that it consists in detecting variations  of thickness of said part (P) by a feeler (21) and to control the  cutting (6) of the part (P) at this variation in thickness in order to produce  strips (L1, LP ... Ln) whose width depends on the local thickness of the  piece (P).  2) Cutting method according to claim 1  characterized in that this cut of the strips (L1, L2 ... Ln), is  made in the width direction (La) of the workpiece (P)  3) Machine intended to implement the method according to  one of the preceding claims; characterized in that it comprises  a first zone (M1), called the preparation of strips, comprising the  means of detection (21) of the variation in thickness of the part to be cut  (P) and advancement of said piece by a length, function of this  variation, bringing the part (P) into a second zone (M2), called  cutting in front of a circular cutting knife (6) which cuts the strap (L1) then (L2), then (Ln-l) then <Ln) to the desired width.  4) Machine according to claim 3; characterized in that  that it further comprises, in the second zone (M2), a battery (100)  cutting discs (11) cutting each strap (L1, Ln) into pieces  final of equal weight.  5) Machine according to one of claims 3 and 4  characterized in that the detection means consist of at  at least one feeler (21) cooperating with a set of lever arms (25 and 250)  acting on a plunger (26) of a microsensor (23) delivering a signal  proportional control to the thickness variation, signal acting on  the means of conveying the pieces (P).  6) Machine according to one of the preceding claims  characterized in that it comprises between the two zones (Ml) and (M2), a  hatch (5) whose function is twofold: on the one hand, it serves as a stop for  the first part (P) which is presented to the cut, on the other hand, it  constitutes security when the machine cover is open. 7) Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that a sensor (80) prevents the knife (6) from coming to a stop in front of the orifice of the hatch (5) during operation.