FR2705014A1 - Slaughterhouse equipment for carrying out operations at points on carcasses - Google Patents

Abstract

Symmetric half carcasses (sides) (12a, b) hanging from double hooks (14) move at constant speed along a rail (26). A sensor (56) detects the arrival of a hook (14). A deflection snout (16) presses the half carcasses onto two inclined operation tables equipped with conveyor belts. A duplicated (two-part) item of equipment (90a, b) associated with the previous one comprises two cradles (100a, b) moving along horizontal rails (92-94, a, b) parallel to the operation tables. Each cradle (100) bears carriages designed to displace operation instruments (102-104, a, b) along two orthogonal axes. Quality estimation samples, health stamps, muscle content markings.

Description

ABATTOIR EQUIPMENT
TO PERFORM PUNCTUAL INTERVENTIONS
ON CARCASES
The invention relates to slaughterhouse equipment for carrying out ad hoc interventions on carcasses and, more precisely, to a set of means for automatically carrying out various ad hoc interventions on half-carcasses driven by a conveyor chain, such as as quality measurements, health stamps and / or identification marks and quality of meat.

In large industrial slaughterhouses, these various ad hoc interventions are carried out by specialized production agents who, first of all, quickly identify the particular sites concerned on the half-carcasses, then carry out the operations planned and finally get into position to start again .

Automating this cyclical process would, of course, be a way to dramatically increase reliability, consistency and productivity.

To be able to automate such operations, it is necessary, first of all, to have an adequate intervention instrument and, moreover, to know with good precision the coordinates of the different sites concerned on each half-carcass to be treated. The instrument for carrying out meat quality measurements will preferably be the lancet device described in the French patent application entitled "Meat quality measuring device", filed on May 22, 1992 by the applicant, under No. 92 06289. The instruments for producing health stamps and identification and quality markings, for example, will be ink jet or laser beam print heads or hot stamping devices. As for the means of determining the coordinates of the intervention sites, they will advantageously consist of those described in the French patent application entitled "Equipment for slaughterhouse to take benchmarks on a carcass", filed on August 5, 1992 by the applicant. , under No. 92 09715.

The various intervention instruments referred to above are adapted to be implemented by a specialized human operator, but they can also, thanks to the equipment for determining the coordinates of the sites in question (which replaces the eye of the operator), be used even more effectively by a slaughterhouse robot which would replace the arms and, if necessary, the legs of the same operator.

Such a slaughterhouse robot could, in principle, operate on half-carcasses either stationary or in motion.

To disengage and stop for a moment a suspended object (here a half-carcass) driven by a chain then to re-engage it and to restart it as soon as the intervention is finished, are relatively common operations in many fields. In the case of large industrial slaughterhouses, this way of doing things would however be totally unsuitable for the maximum production rates encountered, which can reach a thousand carcasses per hour per conveyor chain. Indeed, to be able to intervene at such rates, it is impossible, with a single piece of equipment, to stop one after the other each of the half-carcasses, for the three or four seconds necessary for the execution of a quality measurement. This is because in general the movement of the conveyor chain during the duration of this operation is substantially equal to the interval (less than one meter) between the half-carcasses.

Consequently, the robot which will carry out such a measurement, must have been designed to intervene on half-carcasses in movement.

A first object of the invention is a slaughterhouse equipment for conditioning moving half-carcasses, in order to make them take an adequate position and attitude, making it possible to carry out punctual interventions in good conditions.

A second object of the invention is a slaughterhouse equipment for carrying out punctual interventions on moving half-carcasses, previously conditioned in position and attitude by the preceding equipment.

According to the invention, slaughterhouse equipment for conditioning moving half-carcasses, in order to make them take an adequate position and attitude making it possible to perform automatic punctual interventions on them under good conditions, said half-carcasses being both suspended by the rear leg from hooks carried by a rail and driven, belly forward, at substantially equal intervals, by a conveyor chain advancing at a substantially constant speed, is characterized in that - it comprises a nose deviation for gradually
move the half-carcasses away from the vertical and for
lead to engage on an inclined operating table
following him; - the operating table includes a training mat
fitted with stoppers for wedging the back of the half-carcasses,
arranged at intervals substantially equal to those
hooks; - resources are associated with the operating table
data acquisition, processing means
data and means of controlled movement, arranged
so as to enslave in speed and position the
blocking cleat in contact with a half-carcass
given, to the hook supporting this same half-carcass.

According to an additional characteristic, a half-carcass packaging equipment according to the invention also comprises - an accelerated conveyor belt, to establish a
continuity between the downstream of the deflection nose and the upstream
from the operating table and to make it take a little
in advance to the front leg of the half-carcasses by
relative to its initial relative position - an auxiliary chain associated with the training mat
of the operating table, said auxiliary chain
walking at the same speed as the mat and driving
profiled corners adapted to raise the front legs
half-carcasses and drag them upstream
of the table, so that the backs of the half-carcasses
finally come to rest on the cleats of
wedging, the corners being arranged for this purpose, with
intervals substantially equal to those of the cleats, at
alternate locations compared to those of
cleats.

Thanks to these provisions, each half-carcass is placed in adequate conditions of attitude and position on the operating table. Such an attitude is defined by a dorsal cut surface well applied on the table laying surface and by a back well supported on the wedging cleat. This results from the inclination of the laying surface and the combined interventions of the accelerated conveyor belt and the profiled corner for raising the front leg. As for the position of the half-carcass, it is at all times perfectly identified by the coordinates of its timing cleat.

According to a complementary characteristic of the invention, this equipment for packaging the half-carcasses is associated with intervention equipment characterized in that it comprises - means for supporting an intervention instrument; - means of data acquisition, means of
data processing and means of travel
controlled, arranged to control speed and
the position of this instrument, along the X axis
advancement of the table training mat, to
those of the last timing cleat entered in the field
intervention of this instrument; - means similar to the previous ones, arranged
so that this instrument is placed and then
operate at a particular site of each half-carcass
and then return to its original position, in
waiting for the arrival of the next half-carcass.

In such intervention equipment, the means for supporting the instrument may include either a manipulator arm installed at a fixed station or a nacelle mounted mobile on rails. In the first case, the movements will be defined in polar coordinates and in the second, in Cartesian coordinates. In both cases, intervention equipment suitable for carrying out various ad hoc operations (stitching, stamping, marking, etc.) is carried out without slowing down the speed of advancement of the driven half-carcasses in the least way. by their conveyor chain.

According to a first particular characteristic of the invention, such equipment for intervening punctually on the half-carcasses comprises - a nacelle adapted to slide on two rails
horizontal parallel, defining both an axis
longitudinal displacement X and a plane parallel to
operating table installation plan; - means for moving the nacelle along its
rails; - an encoder suitable for producing digital signals
representative of the movements of the nacelle on its
rails; - a first path carried by the nacelle, defining a
transverse axis of movement Y, both
perpendicular to the X axis and parallel to the laying plane
of the table; - at least one carriage mounted sliding on this first
path; - a second path carried by each carriage,
defining an axis of approach Z, perpendicular
at the operating table ;; - an intervention instrument mounted on a support
adapted to slide on this second path; means for rapidly moving each carriage, from
so as to cause the instrument concerned to take a
position on the first path, defined by a dimension
specific to the half-carcass to be treated; - means to quickly bring each support
instrument to be placed along the second path,
before and after execution of the intervention, in
front and rear stops, respectively close and
away from the operating table.

Thanks to these provisions, each intervention instrument (1) quickly, and with great precision, takes on the particular position assigned to it opposite a determined site of the half-carcass, (2) is brought closer to this half carcass at the right time to perform or be able to perform its own operation and (3) is then removed from the operating table so that it can be brought back to an original position, without risk of collision with the next half-carcass.

According to a second particular characteristic of the invention, - the intervention instrument is a measuring device
the quality of the meat fitted with a lancet; - this measuring device is slidably mounted on a
third path carried by the support, defining a
intervention axis W, confused with that of
lancet and forming an acute angle determined with the
operating table installation plan; - a position encoder is coupled to the shaft
instrument drive on this third
path; - means are provided to enslave according to a
first range of values, the penetration speed of
the lancet in the half-carcass, up to a
determined maximum insertion position, then for
enslave according to a second range of values, the
lancet removal speed from this
maximum sinking to a rest position.

Thanks to these provisions, the lancet of the meat quality measuring device makes under all circumstances, a depression then, a withdrawal to the intended location, at a constant optimal angle and at a predetermined speed also constant.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in a more precise manner following the description below, given by way of nonlimiting example, of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which - Figure 1, is a schematic front view of two
symmetrical packaging equipment and
intervention according to the invention - Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a
packaging equipment according to the invention - Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a
intervention equipment according to the invention - Figure 4 is a simplified side view of the
nacelle of an intervention equipment according to the invention - Figure 5 is a simplified rear view of the
intervention equipment basket according to
the invention; - Figure 6 is another simplified side view of
the nacelle of an intervention equipment according to the invention - FIG. 7 is a simplified side view of a
intervention instrument implemented according to
the invention; - Figure 8, is the block diagram of the means
for controlling the movement of the belt of the operating table - FIG. 9 is the functional diagram of the means of
movement control of the nacelle; - Figure 10, is the diagram of operations
executed by the movement control means of
Platform ;; - Figure 11, is the block diagram of the means of
control of movements in Y, Z and W of the instrument
intervention.

- Figures 12a-12b are diagrams of operations
executed by the displacement control means
in Y, Z and W of two intervention instruments,
arranged in high and low sites respectively.

According to Figures 1 and 2, an equipment 10 of
conditioning in position and attitude of
half-carcasses in motion 12 (a, b) symmetrically
suspended by the rear legs from a double hook
14, comprises from upstream to downstream a deflection nose 16,
two symmetrical double accelerated transfer mats,
such as 18a - 18b, and two operating tables
symmetrical, such as 20, inclined by about 150
with respect to the vertical. Each double hook 14
is both provided with a roller 22, mounted
on a horizontal rail 24, and pushed by fingers
drive 26, attached to chain links
conveyor 28 of the slaughterhouse. In addition, the hooks
double 14 rest on two parallel rails 30-32,
defining a horizontal reference plane of
position for the half-carcasses. These rails 30-32 are
supported by supports 34-36-38, integral with
the equipment according to the invention. The fingers 26. are
separated by substantially constant intervals
measuring approximately 90 cm. The conveyor chain 28 is
driven at a substantially constant speed
about 25 cm / sec. The hooks 14, the rail 24 and the
conveyor chain 28 are part of the installations
of the slaughterhouse prior to the establishment of
the equipment according to the invention. On a wheel 40,
driven by the conveyor chain 28 is mounted a
absolute position encoder 42, hereinafter called
chain encoder, comprising for example twelve tracks
optics providing 4096 points per revolution, each
point corresponding to a 0.5 mm displacement of the
chain 28.

The deflection nose 16 is symmetrical and formed of curved plates, such as 17-19-21, profiled so as to gradually move the two half-carcasses 12a 12b of the same animal from the vertical position that they initially present, for the cause it to take an inclined position of approximately 150 on the downstream part 23 of the deflection nose 16. This downstream part 23 is, on each side, constituted by two horizontal bars 46-48 fixed to the support (not shown) of the plate 21 and to an upright 50 integral with the two horizontal beams 52-54 of the frame of the two symmetrical operating tables 20. On the upper part of the supports of the symmetrical downstream plates 21 of the deflection nose 16, is mounted a sensor 56, of the electromagnetic type, adapted to produce a binary signal at the moment when a double hook 14 appears at the entry of the field of intervention of the equipment according to the invention.

Between the horizontal beams 52-54 of the frame of the double inclined operating table 20, are installed on each side two driving belts 58a-58b, a double auxiliary chain 60a-60b, carrying corners 61 for raising the front legs 13 of the half-carcasses 12, and the two accelerated transfer belts 18a-18b. The downstream ends of the two conveyor belts 58a-58b and of the auxiliary chain 60a, b, are driven by a driving shaft 62 on which pulleys 64-66-68a, b are fixed.

The upstream ends of the belts 58a-58b and of the auxiliary chain 60a, b drive pulleys 65-67-69a, b mounted integral with a driven shaft 63. The shafts 62-63 are mounted rotating in bearings 70-72 and 71-73 fixed on beams 52-54.

The driving shaft 62 is integral with the shaft of a geared motor 74, direct current and low inertia, on which are mounted a tachometric generator 76 and an absolute encoder 78, hereinafter called table encoder, identical to the encoder chain 42, the drive ratio of this table-encoder being chosen such that the linear definition of the signals delivered is again 0.5 mm of movement of the drive belts 58a-58b per point. The drive belt 58b is fitted with lugs 80 for wedging the half-carcasses 12.

These tabs 80 are separated from each other by intervals substantially equal to the separation intervals of the drive fingers 26 of the conveyor chain 28. The corners 61, transported by the double auxiliary chain 60a-60b, are fixed to this chain so as to be inserted between the tabs 80 and separated from each other by intervals substantially equal to those of these tabs. The corners 61 have a gently sloping profile towards the rear and a steep profile towards the front, the two slopes being connected by a rounding. A little downstream of the driven shaft 63, is arranged a sensor 82, of the electromagnetic type, adapted to produce a binary signal at the moment when a cleat 80 passes in front of it.

The total lengths of the loops formed by the drive belts 58a-b (carrying the tabs 80) and by the auxiliary chains 60a, b (carrying the corners 61), are integer multiples (9 for example) of the intervals which separate these cleats and these corners, five half-carcasses which can, in this example, be found at the same time on each operating table 20.

On the driven shaft 63 is mounted a multiplier gear 84 which drives the accelerated transfer belt 18b at a speed substantially equal to 7/5 times the speed of the drive belts 58a-58b. This conveyor belt 18b rotates a shaft 86 which itself drives the conveyor belt 18a at the same speed passing over a pulley (not shown) mounted freely on the shaft 63.

According to Figure 1, two symmetrical intervention equipment 90 (a, b) are shown. Each comprises first of all two parallel horizontal rails 92-94, carried by two inclined uprights, such as 96, (referenced a for the left uprights and b, for the straight uprights) of the gantry 44, which completely surrounds part of the chain conveyor 28 and rail 24, on the one hand, and all the packaging equipment 10 according to the invention, on the other hand. The inclinations of the uprights 96 ab are respectively identical to those of the two symmetrical operating tables 20. On each pair of rails 92-94, a nacelle 100 (a or b) is slidably mounted carrying two intervention instruments 102-104 ( a or b).

According to FIG. 3, the two inclined uprights 96-98 carrying the supports 106-108 and 110-112 of the two guide rails 92-94 of a nacelle 100 are shown.

These inclined uprights 96-98 are associated respectively with vertical uprights 97-99. The nacelle 100 is adapted to move along the rails 92-94 by means of a belt 114, passing over rollers 116-117 carried by the inclined upright 96 and 118-119 carried by the upright 98. The strap 114 is driven by a pulley 122 integral with the shaft of a motor 124 fixed to the upright 97. The motor 124 is a brushless direct current motor, of the synchronous self-piloting type, coupled to a resolver 126. The motor 124 and the resolver 126 form an integrated, compact and powerful assembly, with low inertia (such as for example, the MSP-2T7 engine built by the French company TELEMECANIQUE). Such a motor has a stator with six windings and a rotor formed by a magnet with three pairs of poles. The resolver controls the static switching of the windings and provides speed and position information. This type of motor is adapted to be controlled in speed by a particular electronic variator which will be presented below.

On the axis of the roller 117, is mounted an absolute encoder 128, called the X encoder, identical to the chain and table encoders 42 and 78, of FIG. 2, the diameter of the roller 117 being chosen so that the definition of the digital signal supplied by the encoder 128 is again 0.5 mm of movement of the belt 114. The two guide rails 92-94 define the longitudinal axis of movement X of the nacelle 100. On the nacelle 100, a first path is arranged , defining a transverse axis of movement Y for at least one carriage such as 130 or 132, this axis Y being perpendicular to the axis X and parallel to the plane defined by the two rails 92-94. A second path is arranged on each carriage 130-132, defining a displacement axis Z for a support 136 or 138 carrying an intervention instrument 140 or 142, the axis Z being perpendicular to the axes X and Y. On each support 136 -138, a third path is laid out, defining an intervention axis-W for the instrument 140 or 142.

According to Figures 4, 5 and / or 6, the nacelle 100, slidably mounted on its guide rails 92-94, comprises a body 144 on which is installed a rigid plate 146, of rectangular shape, elongated in the height direction , whose large parallel edges 148-150 materialize the first path defining the Y axis.

On these edges 148-150, slide the two carriages 130-132 each equipped with four rollers, 152a, b, c, d and 154a, b, c, d. Each carriage 130-132 is associated with a weight compensation cylinder 156-158, supplied with compressed air at constant pressure. The carriages 130-132 are respectively moved on the first path Y by two toothed belts 160-162 driven by two pulleys 164-166 secured to motors 168-170, direct current and low inertia, provided with tachometric generators (shown in 169 -171 in Figure 9) and high definition absolute optical encoders, 172-174.

On each carriage 130-132, there is a third path defining the axis Z, this third path being materialized by four rollers 176a, b, c, d or 178a, b, c, d between which the two supports 136 and 138. These two supports 136-138 comprise an elongated rectangular plate 184-186 engaged between the rollers 176-178 and a bottom 188-190 on which is fixed one end of a cylinder without rod 192-194, alternately supplied with compressed air at both ends. It will be recalled here that such an actuator has an elongated cylindrical wall, an inner core with low friction separating the two chambers of the actuator, a cylindrical magnet in the core and an annular magnet complementary to the previous one, surrounding the actuator and now fixes the position of the The top and bottom supports 136-138 respectively comprise at their other ends platforms 196-198, on which the other ends of the cylinders 192-194 are supported and installed two identical intervention instruments 140, for the high site and 142 for the low site.

According to FIG. 7, the intervention instrument 140 installed on its platform 196 is an apparatus for measuring the quality of meat, of the kind described in French patent application No. 92 06289, referred to above.

It comprises a lancet 200 for measuring the optical reflectivity of the layers of meat crossed and a piston 202 for measuring the depth at which this optical measurement is made. The apparatus 140 of the high site is slidably mounted on two parallel rods 204-206, defining an axis of penetration W, collinear with the lancet 200, the axis W forming an acute angle with the plane of the operating table 20 ( see figure 6).

The device 140 is moved by a toothed belt 208 driven by a pulley 211 secured to the shaft of a motor 212 (see fig. 6), which shaft is coupled to a tachometer generator 216 and an absolute position optical encoder 220, by means of a belt 224.

As for the measuring device 142 of the low site, it likewise comprises a motor 214, a tachometer generator 218 and an absolute encoder 222, recalled in FIG. 11.

FIG. 8 represents the functional diagram of the means for controlling the movement of the belt 58 of the operating table 20 to that of the chain 28 for conveying the half-carcasses 12.

According to FIG. 8, the chain encoder 42, the table encoder 78, the hook sensor 56 and the cleat sensor 82 are connected to an interface stage 230. Furthermore, the hook sensor 56 and the chain encoder 42 are connected by links 57 and 43 to a robot supervisor system 242 whose role will be explained below. The interface stage 230 is an integral part of an industrial microcomputer 232, provided with a microprocessor 233 and application software 234.

This microprocessor 232 will for example be of the SYZ80 type built by SYDEL. This interface performs the shaping of the signals so that they are compatible with the voltage levels of the bus 231 of the microprocessor 233 which comes to address the interface to read the information to be processed. The application software 234 manages the operation of the microprocessor 233 and programs the following six operations (1) calculation of the instantaneous position Pc of the last
hook 14 entered the scope of
the equipment, with respect to its sensor 56; (2) calculation of the instantaneous position Pt of the last
cleat 80 engaged on the operating table 20, by
relative to the cleat sensor 82; (3) calculation of the instantaneous offset e existing between the
position Pt of the last stop 80 detected and that Pc
of the last hook entered in the field
intervention; (4) calculation of the instantaneous forward speed Vc of
the conveyor chain 28 (or reading a speed
stored reference); (5) calculation of the instantaneous speed setpoint Vt at
take the carpet 58, according to a law
Vt = Vc (1 + e / d), where e is the offset
position referred above and d, the distance
nominal between two hooks 14 and two tabs 80; (6) permanent monitoring of the evolution of table coders and
chain, in order to comply with the catch-up law
error fixed in (5) until the arrival of a new one
hook or cleat.

On the bus 231 of the microprocessor 233, a digital-analog conversion card 236 is connected.

This conversion stage 236 receives the digital speed reference Vt, calculated by the microprocessor 233 and it converts it into a direct voltage applied to the electronic variator 238.

Furthermore, the variator 238 receives a feedback signal from the analog speed signal produced by the tachometer generator 76. The two functions of the variator 238 are to participate in the best conditions, in the servo-control of the advancement speed of the cleat 80 concerned at the set speed Vt.

When the semi-carcass conditioning equipment, previously described and commented on, is in operation, the double drive belt 58a, b advances at the same speed as the conveyor chain 28 and the position of the last cleat 80 entered into the field d intervention of the equipment, relative to its input sensor 82, is slaved to match, with an offset determined by the difference in the locations of the sensors, the position relative to sensor 56 of the last hook 14 entered in the field equipment intervention. Given the multiplier ratio of the gear 82 connecting the driven shaft 63, integral with the double drive belt 58, to the accelerated transfer belt 18, this belt 18 advances at a speed equal to approximately 7/5 times the speed advancement of the drive belt 58. Under these conditions, any half-carcass 12 suspended by the rear leg to a hook 14 driven by the chain 28 at a constant speed (25 cm / sec) which approaches the conditioning equipment according to the invention is, on the one hand, gradually moved away from the vertical by the deflection nose 16 and, on the other hand, due to the greater length of the path on this deflection nose, delayed relative to the hook 14. It is then presented by the holding bar 46-48 upstream of the double mat 18, which moves at 35 cm / sec.

The length of the accelerated transfer mats 18 being for example about 90 centimeters, the time spent on these mats by the front tab 13 is a little less than 3 seconds, which allows it to catch up and finally take a lead about ten centimeters from the position of the cleat. The position of a corner 61 relative to the cleat 80 which precedes it has been chosen experimentally so that, when it is taken over by the belt 58, the front tab 13 of a half-carcass 12 is well engaged on the rear slope of a corner 61 however that the cleat 80 concerned then appears a little behind the back of the half-carcass. Under these conditions the speed of advance of the front paw is at this instant slowed down, on the one hand , because of the lower speed of the corner 61 which then supports it and, on the other hand, because of the gravity which causes this leg to slide on the rear slope of the corner, until the back of the half-carcass comes to rest on the cleat 80.

From this moment, the speed and position controls of the cleat 80 relative to the speed and the position of the hook 14, described and commented on above, are implemented. First of all, so that the attitude of the half-carcass 12 with respect to the plane of laying of the operating table 20 (dorsal cut surface well applied on this plane and back well supported on a cleat, due to the front tab raised by a corner 61) is kept correct throughout its stay on the operating table. Then, so that the position of the cleat 80, supporting the back of the half-carcass 12, relative to its sensor 82 , or at the same time corrected for the inevitable small deviations that the intervals between the cleats 80 and the hooks 14 have relative to their nominal value and quickly rendered and then kept equal to the corrected position of the hook 14 concerned with respect to its sensor 56.

Furthermore, the supervisor system 242 also receives from a coordination system 244 external to the equipment according to the invention, the data relating to the half-carcass 12 which engages on the operating table 20 and which is then detected by the hook sensor 56. These data, which will subsequently be updated, initially include the identification number and, the weight of the carcass. All of this data is stored in the supervisor system 242 and it constitutes a line of the half-carcass tracking table during their passage on the operating table 20. When a new half-carcass commits on the operating table 20, a new line is created in the tracking table and that which corresponds to the half-carcass which has just left the operating table 20 is deleted.

The addresses relating to the half-carcasses present on the operating table are regularly updated by the software 241 of the supervisor system 242, in accordance with the data supplied by the chain coder 42.

In this way, each line of the tracking table includes the instant address of one of the half-carcasses supported. The start of each of the intervention fields (stitching, marking, etc.) to be carried out during the passage of the half-carcasses on the operating table 20, has an address stored in the memory of the supervisor 242. The passage of the hook d 'a half-carcass by one of these addresses triggers the intervention phase concerned.

Under these conditions, the slaughterhouse equipment according to the invention, for conditioning the attitude and the position of the half-carcasses on an operating table, perfectly fulfills its role and the other associated slaughterhouse equipment. , designed to perform punctual interventions on half-carcasses thus conditioned, can then, in agreement with the data stored in the supervisor 242, operate under optimal conditions, as will appear below in the comments to FIGS. 9 to 12.

According to FIG. 9, which represents the hardware architecture of the control system of the nacelle 100 (along the X axis), the encoder-table 78, the sensor-cleat 82 and the encoder X 128 are connected to a stage of interface 330. This interface stage 330 is an integral part of an industrial microcomputer 332, for example of the SYZ80 type from the SYDEL brand. This interface 330 performs the shaping of the signals so that they are compatible with the voltage levels of the bus 331 of the microprocessor 333 which addresses the interface to read the information to be processed. Application software 334 manages the operation of microprocessor 333 as will be specified in the comments of FIG. 10.

On the bus 331 of the microprocessor 333, a digital-analog conversion card 335 is connected, the output of which is connected to the input of an electronic variator 336 for a brushless DC motor, of the synchronous autopilot type. This variator 336 will be, for example, of the MASAP-41 model built by the
TELEMECANIQUE, in order to be able to be directly connected to the engine-tank unit 124-126 (model MSP-2T7 from the same manufacturer) presented above. Such a variator includes a voltage-frequency converter and a relatively high frequency pulse width modulator (5 KHz). This variator produces with high efficiency a sinusoidal current with variable frequency. The variator 336 is connected to the synchronous motor 124 and to the resolver 126. The motor-variator assembly thus formed has an extended bandwidth (200 Hz) and is adapted to achieve, under the best conditions, a speed and position servo-control of the nacelle 100, in response to the speed and position setpoints transmitted by the microprocessor 333.

According to FIG. 10, the application software 334 of the microcomputer 332 comprises a stage 340 which receives, at the appropriate time from the supervisor system 242, control command instructions for following a cleat 80 by the nacelle 100. These instructions are produced by the supervisor 242, in accordance with the address contained in the line of the tracking table relating to the half-carcass 12 which has just entered the operating table 20.

A stage 342 permanently reads the interface 330.

As soon as stage 342 has detected the arrival of a new cleat 80 on the operating table, it initiates, by stage 344, the control in position of the absolute encoder 128 of the nacelle 100 on the position of the coder-table 78. In this regard, it will be noted that the rest position of the nacelle 100 and its associated encoder 128 is situated a little in front of that of the latch sensor 82. In this way, the acceleration phase of the nacelle 100 is reduced and the double servo in speed and position of the nacelle 100 on the cleat 80 concerned is faster. Stage 344, after having launched the control, gives control to a stage 346 which waits for this control to be realized. After which, the software goes to stage 348 and informs the supervision system 242. As will be seen below, the supervision system 242 then proceeds to implement the intervention instruments 140-142 carried by the nacelle 100. As soon as these interventions are completed, a stage 308 of the software 266 (see fig 12a-12b commented below) which manages the implementation, sends a stage 350 a request to return to the initial position for the nacelle 100 .

Upon receipt of this return request, the stage 350 informs the following stage 352 which immediately launches the movement of return to the initial position of the nacelle 100. As soon as this movement of return of the nacelle 100 is completed, a stage 354 takes note of it and informs the first stage 340 of it, which therefore becomes receptive to any new series of instructions issued by the supervisor system 242. The total duration of such a cycle of operations is 3.5 seconds.

According to FIG. 11, a high site microcomputer 250 is connected to the supervision system 242 by a computer link 251 and to an identical low site microcomputer 252 by a link 249. They are connected by their address buses and internal data 253-255 to interfaces 254-256 respectively assigned to the displacement means controlled along the axes Y, Z and W, of the measuring devices 140-142 of the high and low sites. The movements on the paths Yh and Yb of the carriages 130-132 of the high and low sites are controlled by two identical electronic drives 258-260, respectively connected to the interfaces 254-256 by digital-analog converters 257-259. supplies the motor 168 for moving the carriage 130 on the path Yh with direct current, and receives the feedback signal of the analog signal produced by the tachometer generator 169. As for the encoder 172 for the displacement Yh, it is directly connected to the interface 254 which formats the signal so that it can be read for processing by the high-site microcomputer 250. The coordinates of the high and low stitching sites (taken with reference to the rails 30-32 for supporting the hooks 14) are transmitted to the supervisor system 242 by benchmark equipment 240 consisting of an image analysis apparatus in accordance with that described in patent application No. 92.09715 referred to above. ut, installed between the transfer belts 18a-18b. From the high site coordinate, the high site microcomputer 250 prepares speed and position control instructions for the variator 258. In this way, the carriage 130 of high site quickly takes the position assigned to it on the path Yh.

As will be specified below, the same is true in good time for the low-site trolley 132 which, under the control of the low-site microcomputer 252, is moved on the path Yb by the motor 170, under the action of the variator 260, the tachometer generator 171 and the absolute encoder 174, to reach the low site coordinate.

Likewise again, from speed and position control instructions developed by the microcomputers 250 and 252, as a function of displacement data in Wh and Wb stored in the software 266 and 268 of these two microcomputers electronic drives 262-264, identical to 258-260, respectively connected to microcomputers 250 and 252 through interfaces 254-256, and digital-analog converters 261 and 263 supply the displacement motors 212-214 in W on the high and low sites.

These two motors 212-214 cooperate with the generators 216-218 and the encoders 220-222, in order to control the speed and the position of the measuring devices 140-142, to the setpoint instructions in W, as will be specified below. after.

Prior to these displacements on the W axis, the microcomputers 250-252 and the interfaces 254-256 cooperate to address instructions to the control stages 191 and 193 of the high and low cylinders 192-194 of displacement on the axes Zh and Zb of supports 136-138.

The displacements in Y of the two carriages 130-132, those in
Z of the two supports 136-138 and those in W of the two measuring devices 140-142, are coordinated by the supervisor system 242, as specified below, in comments on the diagrams represented in FIGS. 12a and 12b.

The associated figures 12a and 12b represent the block diagrams of the functional stages of the management software 266-268 of displacements in Y, Z and W on the high and low sites respectively of the equipment according to the invention. In the software of the high site 266, a first stage 270 receives at the appropriate time from the supervisor system 242 positioning instructions
Y, Z and W for the high site and the low site. This opportune moment is, as indicated above, decided by the supervisor system 242, as a function of the passage by a particular reference of the address of a given half-carcass, contained in the tracking table.

Upon receipt of these instructions, the stage 270 triggers the operation of a stage 272 which addresses to the software 268 of the low site, the data representative of the set positions of the materials of the low site.

Immediately thereafter, a stage 274 which has received the data representative of the positions of the materials at the high site, starts the movement on the path Yh of the carriage 130. As soon as the set position in Yh is reached, a stage 276 takes note of it. For its part, the stage 278 of the low site software 268 (see fig. 12b), adapted to receive from stage 272 the set position data of the low site materials, triggers the process of launching the movement in Yb of carriage 132 (stage 280). As soon as the set position in Yb is reached, a stage 282 takes note of it and, by a stage 284, causes this information to be addressed to a stage 286 of the high site software 266, which itself takes note of it. As soon as stages 276 and 286 have a positive response regarding the positions Yh and Yb assigned to the carriages 130-132, a stage 288 notifies the supervisor system 242. In return, this supervisor 242 transmits the orders for triggering for high and low sites respectfully. Upon receipt of these two orders, a stage 292 transmits to a stage 294 of the low site software 268, the stitching order which belongs to it.

Immediately after, the stages 296 and 298 of the software 266 and 268 start the movements in Z of the supports 136138 then those in W of the measuring devices 140-142.

Each stitching operation performed by such measuring devices comprises a forward movement (insertion of the lancet) and a return movement (withdrawal of the lancet and measurement of the optical reflectivity of the layers of meat). The speeds at which these two movements are carried out are programmed in stages 296 and 298. As soon as each of these returns is completed, a stage 300 for the high site and 302 for the low site, take note, stage 302 by informing immediately a stage 304 of the software 266 via a stage 306. As soon as the two stages 300 and 304 have a positive response as to the completion of the two tapping operations on the high and low sites, a stage 308 of the software 266 informs the supervisor 242 and the first stage 270 of the software 266 for the high site, the first stage 278 of the software 268 for the low site being informed by the stage 306. These two first stages 270-278 become then receptive to any new series of instructions relating to a new half-carcass, transmitted directly or indirectly by the supervisor 242.

It will be noted here, as indicated in the patent application No. 92 06289 referred to above, that, from the two series of measurements of optical reflectivity of the layers of meat and of the depths of insertion of the measuring cells detected by the devices 140-142 measurement of high and low sites, the high site device 140 calculates the fat and muscle contents of the treated half-carcass, then sends this information to the supervisor system 242. Upon receipt of this information, the system 242 supervisor completes the line of the tracking table relating to the half-carcass concerned. These contents will then be printed on this half-carcass, using suitable marking equipment, constituting another intervention instrument, worn by another nacelle, moved to X, Y, Z and, where appropriate, to W, under the same conditions as the measuring devices 140-142, carried by the nacelle 100.

These previous descriptions relate to a single semi-carcass 12 supported by the operating table 20a. In practice, the equipment according to the invention is double and comprises two sets of identical independent means, subject however to the sensor 56 of hooks 14 and the supervision system 242, common to the two sets.

As has been suggested above, the equipment for carrying out markings at fixed (or infrequently variable) dimensions on the half-carcasses 12 may advantageously be a manipulator arm installed at a fixed post downstream of the nacelle 100. In this in fact, the movements defined in polar coordinates of each articulation and each section of the arm will be strictly identical for all the half-carcasses of a given batch and will therefore not require relatively long additional calculations before the launching of each operation of marking. This is not the case for quality measurement tappings and justified the production of intervention equipment with a mobile basket according to the invention.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described, which relates to equipment for slaughterhouses of medium-sized animals, in which the two half-carcasses of the same animal are suspended from two symmetrical hooks rigidly linked together. Consequently, the two associated symmetrical intervention equipment, objects of the invention, are only suitable for slaughterhouses treating medium-sized animals, such as pigs, calves and sheep. In the case of adult cattle, the half-carcasses are much heavier and are then suspended on simple hooks, so that the two pieces of equipment according to the invention which will have to treat them will have to be separate and symmetrical, each being assigned to a two conveyor chains driving half-carcasses of a given type, left or right.

As for the particular means used to move the various constituent elements of the equipment according to the invention, they can of course be replaced by any equivalent means available.

Claims (14)

1. Slaughterhouse equipment for conditioning half-carcasses (12) in movement, in order to make them take an attitude and an adequate position allowing them to perform on them, in good conditions, automatic punctual interventions, said half-carcasses (12) being both suspended by the rear leg from hooks (14) carried by a rail (24) and driven, belly forward, at substantially equal intervals, by a conveyor chain (28) advancing at a speed substantially constant, characterized in that - it comprises a deflection nose (16) for  gradually remove the half-carcasses (12) from the  vertical. and to get them to engage on a table  inclined operations (20) following it; - the operating table (20) includes a mat  drive (58) provided with wedges (80)  the back of the half-carcasses (12), arranged at  intervals substantially equal to those of  hooks (14); - means of operation (20) are associated with means  data acquisition (42,56,78,82), means of  data processing (232) and means of  controlled movement (338,74-76), all arranged  so as to control, in speed and position, the  blocking cleat (80) in contact with a  half-carcass (12) given, hook (14) supporting  that same half-carcass. 2. Half-carcass packaging equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that - an auxiliary chain (60) is associated with the belt (58)  driving the operating table (20), said  auxiliary chain (60) advancing at the same speed as  the mat (58) and driving profiled corners (61),  adapted to raise the front legs of  half-carcasses (12) engaged on them and making it  slide up the table ;; - an accelerated transport belt (18), arranged between  downstream of the deflection nose (16) and upstream of the table  (20), is driven at a speed  significantly higher than that of the carpet  drive (58) of the table, so as to make  take the front paw (13) of each  half-carcass (12), an advance causing it to be  clearly engaged on a corner (61) when it  approaches the training mat (58), this corner  then sliding until his back comes  resting on a cleat (80); - Said corners (61) being, for this purpose, arranged on the  auxiliary chain (18) with intervals  substantially equal to those of the cleats (80) and to  alternate locations compared to those of the cleats. 3. Half-carcass packaging equipment according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that - said data acquisition means comprise  on the one hand, two absolute encoders (42-78)  respectively trained, with the same definition  linear, by the conveyor chain (28) and by the  table training mat (58)  of operations (20) and, on the other hand, two  sensors (56-82) respectively adapted to detect the  hooks (14) and cleats (80) entries in the  scope of the equipment; - said data processing means (232)  understand  an interface stage (230), a microprocessor (233), a  application software (234), and a converter  digital-analog (236) ;; - said controlled displacement means comprise  an electronic variator (238), a current motor  continuous (74), a tachometer generator (76) and a  motion transmission shaft (62) linked to the mat  drive (58). 4. Half-carcass packaging equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that the microprocessor (233), operating under the control of the application software (234), - calculates the relative position of the last hook (14)  detected and its sensor (56) and the relative position  of the last cleat (80) detected and its  sensor (82) - calculates the offset between these two relative positions  and corrects this offset based on the deviation  of existing location between the two  sensors (56-82); - draws up, from this offset, a setpoint of  speed (Vt) for the cleat drive belt  (80), intended to be applied to the converter  digital-analog (236) connected to the drive  electronic (238). 5. Half-carcass packaging equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that the microprocessor (233) calculates the speed setpoint Vt according to a relation Vt = Vc (1 + e / d), in which the term Vc is speed of movement of the conveyor chain (28), the term e, the corrected relative position offset referred to above and the term d, the nominal distance between two cleats (80). 6. Slaughterhouse equipment for carrying out punctual interventions on half-carcasses (12), conditioned in attitude and position by equipment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises - a first set of means (92-96-98-100-130-136  196) to support an intervention instrument (140  142); - a second set formed by means of acquisition of  data (78-82-128), processing means  data (332) and means of movement  controlled (336-124-126), all arranged to  control the position of this instrument (140-142) on  along the axis (X) of advancement of the belt (58), to that  of the last cleat (80) entered in the field  intervention of this instrument; - a third set formed by means of acquisition of  data (172-174-220-222), processing means  data (250-252-254-256) and means of travel  controlled (258-168; 260-170; 262-212; 264-214), the  everything arranged so as to bring the instrument  intervention (140-142) to stand in front of a site  particular of each half-carcass (12), to operate in  this site and then return to its rest position,  awaiting the arrival of the half-carcass  next ; - a supervisor system (242) for providing said  data processing means, instructions  specific speed and position  to said trips, according to own data  to each half-carcass, communicated by the means  data acquisition (42-56) concerned and by  external means (240-244). 7. Equipment according to claim 6, for carrying out punctual interventions on half-carcasses, characterized in that said means for supporting an intervention instrument (140-142) comprise - a nacelle (100) adapted to slide on two rails  parallel horizontal (92-94) defining both  a longitudinal axis of movement (X) and a plane  parallel to the table installation plane  operations (20); - at least one carriage (130-132) carried by the  nacelle (100), said carriage being provided with a  weight compensating device (156-158) and mounted  sliding on a first path (146) defining a  transverse axis of movement (Y), both  perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (X) and parallel  the operating table installation plan (20) ;; - a support (136-138) carried by each carriage (130  132), said support being slidably mounted on a  second path (176-178) defining an axis of  approximation (Z) perpendicular to the table  operation (20); - a platform (196-198), carried by each  support (136-138), on which is installed  the intervention instrument (140-142), said  instrument being oriented along an axis  intervention (W) forming a determined acute angle  with the operating table installation plan (20). 8. Equipment according to claim 7 for carrying out punctual interventions on half-carcasses, characterized in that the intervention instrument being an apparatus (140-142) adapted to operate by making contact with the half-carcass, said apparatus is slidably mounted on its platform (196-198) along the intervention axis (W). 9. Equipment according to claim 7, to perform punctual interventions on half-carcasses, characterized in that to achieve the control of the position of the nacelle (100) along the advancement axis (X) of the driving mat (58) of the operating table (20) - the data acquisition means comprise a  first absolute encoder (78) driven by the belt (58)  and a second absolute encoder (128), driven by a  belt (114) buckled on the nacelle (100), having the  same linear definition as the first encoder (78); - the data processing means (332) include  an interface stage (330), a microprocessor (333), a  application software (334) and converter  digital-analog (335) ;; - the means of controlled movement include a  motor (124) driving the belt (114), said  motor (124) is associated with a speed sensor and / or  position (126) and both are connected to a  electronic variator (336), controlled by said  digital to analog converter (335). 10. Equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the motor (124) for driving the nacelle (100) is a brushless DC motor, of the self-synchronous synchronous type, and the variator (336), a variable frequency sinusoidal current generator. 11. Equipment according to claim 7 or 9, for carrying out punctual interventions on half-carcasses, characterized in that, to cause an intervention instrument (140-142) to be placed facing a particular site of each half carcass (12), - the data acquisition means are made up  by an absolute encoder (172-174), driven by a  belt (160-162) buckled on the carriage (130-132)  sliding mounted along the transverse axis (Y); - the data processing means include a  microcomputer (250-252), provided with software  application (266-268), receiving the coordinate of  site and system start instructions  supervisor (242) an interface stage (254-256) and a  digital to analog converter (257-259) ;; the means of controlled movement comprise, from a  share for axis (Y), an electronic variator  (258-260), connected to the digital converter  analog (257-259), and a servo motor  (168-170), both supplied by said variator and  coupled to a tachometer generator (169-171)  connected to said drive and, secondly for  the axis (Z), a jack (192-194) adapted to take two  extreme positions, in response to instructions  transmitted to a control stage (191-193) by the  microcomputer (250-252) via the interface stage  (254-256). 12. Equipment according to claim 11, for carrying out punctual interventions on half-carcasses, characterized in that, the intervention instrument being an apparatus (140-142) comprising a lancet (200) for measuring one parameters determining the quality of the meat, to carry out a measurement operation using this device, - the means of acquiring the data concerned are  constituted by an absolute encoder (220-222), driven  by a belt (208) buckled on the apparatus of  measure (140-142), installed sliding on the  platform (196-198), along the intervention axis <W) ;; - the data processing means include a  microcomputer (250-252) with software  application (266-268), receiving from a system  departure instruction supervisor (242)  intervention, an interface stage (254-256) and a  digital to analog converter (261-263); - the means of controlled movement include a  electronic speed controller (262-264) connected to the  digital-to-analog converter (261-263) and a  servo motor (212-214), powered by said  variator, coupled to a tachometer generator  (216-218) itself connected to said variator. 13. Equipment according to claim 12, to perform two punctual interventions on half-carcasses, using two devices (140-142) for measuring the optical reflectivity of the meat, as a function of the depth of penetration of the measuring cell, characterized in that - the two measuring devices (140-142) are  assigned to a high site and a site respectively  low and they are carried by a single basket  (100) moving along the axis (X); - each measuring device (140-142) has its  own carriage (130-132) for following movement  the axis (Y), its own support (136-138) for movement  along the axis (Z) and its own platform (196-198)  displacement along the axis (W) ;; - the means of controlled movement and the means  acquisition of data relating to each of the three  axes (Y, Z and W) of movement of a  given measure (140-142) are managed by means of  data processing specific to this device (250-254  257 for the high site and 252-256-259, for the site  low); - the high-site microcomputer (250) controlled by sound  application software (266) receives instructions  movement of a supervisor system (242) and governs  consequently the functioning of the microcomputer  (252) low site, controlled by its software  application (268), all so that the device  site measurement system (140) completes its installation  on the transverse axis (Y) before that of the  low site (142) ;; - the low-level microcomputer (252) informs the  high-end microcomputer (250) of the good end of  installation of the low site device (142); - the high-site microcomputer (250) then waits for a  double stitching order from the supervisor system  (242) and upon receipt of this order, it communicates it  at the low site microcomputer (252), each  microcomputer (250-252) then carrying out the  adequate movement of his measuring device (140  142) along the Z and W axes; - at the end of the two measurement operations, the microphone  top site computer (250) is informed thereof and  transmits this information to the supervisor system (242); - the two microcomputers of high sites and  low (250-252) are then waiting for  new instructions issued by the system  supervisor (242); 14. Equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that the high site measuring device (140), calculates from the readings carried out on the two sites, the muscle and / or fat contents of the half-carcass concerned. and addresses this information to an external management system (244) which makes it enter the line of the monitoring table relating to this half-carcass, for the supervisory system of an automatic marking device carried by another basket or by a manipulator arm.