FR2815283A1 - Assembly for assisting cutting of poultry carcasses has mechanism with cranked vertical rods to dislocated thigh joints for easy removal - Google Patents

Abstract

The assembly, incorporated in a conveyor line for cutting up the carcasses of killed, plucked and eviscerated poultry manually, has a mechanism with vertical cranked rods (5) for dislocating the thigh joints of the birds to facilitate removal. The rods are positioned symmetrically on either side of a conveyor bar (12) with evenly-spaced cones on which the carcasses are impaled. The rods are designed to pass between the thighs and sides of a carcass, pushing the thighs outwards as the rods are rotated through a given angle at the same time as the carcass is immobilized on the conveyor by a mobile shoe (61) pressed against its spine by a pneumatic power cylinder (7).

Description

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 The present invention relates to a mechanical assistance device for cutting poultry.

 It relates more precisely to a device of this kind, intended to equip a manual cutting line for poultry previously slaughtered, plucked and emptied, on which the poultry to be cut is moved to the tail leu leu by means of a conveyor.

 The invention also relates to a cutting line equipped with such a device, as well as the mechanical assistance method implemented during the poultry cutting process.

 A cutting line traditionally used for this purpose comprises a conveyor belt or endless chain, comprising two superimposed strands, horizontal and straight, namely an upper strand go and a lower strand return; they are guided at each end by idler rollers, at least one of which is motor, driving the belt or the chain at a constant and constant speed.

 The strip or chain carries a plurality of poultry support and holding members. These are generally cone-shaped or warhead-shaped parts - usually called shells - with a vertical axis, distributed evenly (equidistant). The poultry are individually and manually impaled at one end of the conveyor, on the shells present in the upstream part of the upper strand. A number of operators located along the conveyor, on the same side of it, cut the poultry manually, using a knife. More precisely, each operator is assigned to a particular task, corresponding to the incision, detachment, lifting and / or removal of a given piece of the animal. To facilitate certain operations, the shells are carried by vertical rods on which they can rotate freely.

 At the downstream end of the forward strand, the carcasses are removed from the shells, or fall by gravity, and the shells return empty (by the lower strand) to the opposite end, upstream of the cutting line.

As an indication, a line of this type has a length of the order of 7 to
12 meters and employs 10 to 12 people. The shells are generally spaced from each other by a distance of 50 cm, and their advance speed is of the order of 80

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 at 100 mm / s (which corresponds to a rate of between 575 and 720 poultry per hour approximately).

 Still for information, when cutting fatty ducks, the different operations are as follows: - placing the duck on the shell; - lifting of the fork (collarbones); - tracing of the sternum; - removal of the two duck breasts; - removal of the needle; - separation of the two thighs; - removal of the thighs; - removal of the two sleeves; - carcass stall.

 The thigh cutting operations are particularly delicate and painful, require significant muscular effort, and ultimately present risks of musculoskeletal disorders for the personnel assigned to these positions.

 This problem is particularly linked to the high mechanical resistance of the thigh attachment at the hip joint, which connects the femur head to the hip.

 The present invention aims to resolve these difficulties by making the above-mentioned operations much easier.

 The device which is the subject of the invention is a mechanical assistance device intended to equip a manual cutting line for, poultry slaughtered beforehand, plucked and emptied, along which the poultry to be cut are moved to the tail leu leu by means of a conveyor.

 This device is remarkable for the fact that it comprises mechanical means for dislodging the hip-femoral joints of the thighs of poultry, during their transport by said conveyor.

 Thus the cutting and removal of each thigh is then done without difficulty.

 Furthermore, according to a certain number of possible advantageous, but not limiting, additional characteristics of the invention: - the device being intended to equip a manual poultry cutting line, the conveyor of which comprises a set of equidistant cones, of vertical axis , on which the poultry to be cut are impaled, said means

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- ces moyens de contention comprennent un sabot d'appui mobile , apte à s'appliquer contre la face dorsale de la volaille et à se déplacer conjointement avec elle durant l'opération ; - le convoyeur est mobile en continu et à vitesse constante ;
La ligne de découpage qui fait l'objet de la présente invention est remarquable par le fait qu'elle est équipée d'un dispositif d'assistance mécanique tel que défini ci-dessus. mechanical disengagement consist of a pair of vertical rods in the form of cranks, arranged symmetrically on each side of the path of the cones, and so positioned that they are adapted to interfere with the path of the poultry by inserting each between one their thighs and the adjoining flank, control means being provided for pivoting said cranks by a certain angle about a vertical axis, inwardly, in order to cause the dislocation of the corresponding thigh; - Said cranks pivot by an angle of around 45; the means which are provided for pivoting said cranks by a certain angle about a vertical axis, towards the inside, in order to cause the disengagement of the corresponding thigh, comprise a pneumatic cylinder whose rod is movable in translation and is connected to a pair of endless chains which each mesh with a pinion secured to a crank; the device comprises an arrival detector for each poultry opposite said mechanical means for disengaging the coxo-femoral joints of its thighs, this detector being adapted to control the automatic actuation of these means when the poultry is in the appropriate position for this operation; - The device, intended to equip a manual poultry cutting line whose conveyor comprises a set of equidistant cones, of vertical axis, on which the poultry to be cut are impaled, comprises means of restraint capable of immobilizing the poultry on the cone which supports it during the dislocation operation of the coxo-femoral joints of its thighs;

- These restraining means comprise a movable support shoe, capable of being applied against the dorsal face of the poultry and of moving jointly with it during the operation; - the conveyor is movable continuously and at constant speed;
The cutting line which is the subject of the present invention is remarkable in that it is equipped with a mechanical assistance device as defined above.

 Finally, the method of mechanical assistance for cutting poultry previously slaughtered, plucked and emptied, which move at the tail leu leu by means of a conveyor along a cutting line, a process which also forms part of the present invention is characterized by the fact that each of the poultry is successively subjected, during its movement, to a mechanical operation of dislodging the coxo-femoral joints of its thighs, this

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 followed by a manual operation of cutting and separating the thighs from the rest of the animal's carcass.

 Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which will now be made of it, with reference to the appended drawings, which illustrate a possible embodiment thereof.

In these drawings:
Figures let 2 schematically represent a poultry-for example a plucked turkey, decapitated, and eviscerated, impaled on a cone (or shell) of conveying, respectively viewed from the side and from the front.

 Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a cutting line equipped with a mechanical assistance device according to the invention.

 Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the mechanical means of dislocation of the coxo-femoral joints which equip this device.

 Figures 5,6 and 7 are similar schematic side views, which illustrate a disengagement operation.

 Figures 8 and 10 are front views of poultry, respectively just before and just after this operation.

 Figures 9 and 11 are schematic cross-sectional views of the poultry shown in Figures 8 and 11, the cutting planes (vertical) being referenced respectively IX-IX and XI-XI in this figures.

 Poultry V illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 has been previously slaughtered, plucked and decapitated; her legs were removed, and she was gutted. It is impaled by its hollow posterior, directed downwards, on a cone 10-or i, shell -of known type, carried by a rod 11. The top of the cone is turned upwards. The axis W of the cone and the rod is vertical. In known manner, the cone 10 is mounted idly in rotation on the rod 11, this rotary freedom being symbolized by the double arrow R.

 The references D, S, M, C and A respectively designate the dorsal side, the ventral side (sternum), the sleeves, the thighs, and the coxo-femoral joints of poultry V.

FIG. 3 represents a conveyor 1 of known type, the endless belt or chain 12 of which carries, distributed at regular intervals, a plurality of rods
11 provided with a cone 10. The movable element 12 is guided at its ends by rollers or idler gears 14a, 14b, at least one of which is positively driven in rotation by a motor means not shown. The scrolling direction of

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 conveyor is symbolized by the arrows F. The upper strand of the conveyor, or go strand, transports the poultry to be cut with the tail leu leu, along the cutting line, from right to left in the figure. In the figure, a poultry V is shown, to show that its ventral side is turned in the direction of advancement of the conveyor.

 It goes without saying that all the cones of the upper strand are filled with poultry, the latter being loaded at the upstream end (right side in the figure) while the treated carcass is removed at the downstream end ( left side).

 The downstream strand, and the poultry it transports, cross a mechanical assistance station 2, shown in the figure by a contour in phantom.

 In FIG. 2, the references 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 designate respectively: - the actuator for controlling the mechanical means ensuring disengagement; - chains of transmission of this command; - Said control means, in this case a pair of cranks; - the means of restraining poultry on its cone; - the actuator for the latter; - A slide receiving an element constituting the means of restraint; - a poultry arrival detector at station 2.

 These various elements will now be described in detail, with particular reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

Several organs of the device are in pairs, located symmetrically on each side of the conveyor, each being assigned to the disengagement of one of the two legs of the poultry. Conventionally, the two organs of a pair have been assigned the same reference number, one of which is however assigned the prime index).

 Referring to Figure 4, the cylinder 3 is a double-acting pneumatic cylinder, arranged longitudinally above the conveyor. Its rod 30 is directed towards the rear, if we consider the direction of advance F of the latter.

 On each side of this rod 30 is arranged an endless chain 4,4 ', which meshes with end sprockets 40-40', 41-41 ', of vertical axis. The two chains 4,4 'are located in the same horizontal plane. This plan is located above

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 of the conveyor, at a height substantially greater than the dimension, in the vertical direction, of a poultry impaled on a cone.

 The pinions 40, 40 'turned forwards are mounted idly and guided in rotation in fixed bearings, not shown, carried by an appropriate frame constituting the station 2.

 The rear pinions 41, 41 'are each mounted at the end of a rod 5.5' in the form of a double crank (crankshaft), and are integral with this rotating rod.

Each rod 5, of circular section, is bent so that it has two end portions (top and bottom) 50.52 coaxial, of vertical axis
Z, and an offset middle part 51, parallel to said end portions.

 The portions 50 and 52 are suitably guided in rotation, about their axis Z, and immobilized in translation, in appropriate bearings 500, 520.

 The cylinder rod 30 is connected, by means of appropriate connecting members 31, 32, to the inner strand of each chain 4.

 At the start (before the start of the operation), the jack 3 is in the retracted state, which corresponds to a positioning of the cranks in a longitudinal vertical plane (parallel to the conveyor), the parts 51, 51 ′ being in before the axes Z, respectively Z '.

When the jack 3 is actuated in the direction of extension, symbolized by the arrow e in FIG. 4, its rod 30 causes the joint movement of the internal chain strands (arrows e, e ') and, correspondingly, the rotation of the pinions 41,
41 'and cranks 5, 5' around the axes Z, Z 'inwards (arrows k, k'). The stroke of the jack is chosen such that this rotation takes place substantially over an angle of 90 (quarter turn), so that at the end of extension the parts 51, 51 ′ of the cranks are substantially in a plane transverse vertical.

 As can be seen in FIG. 5, the restraining means 6 are also located in height above the conveyor 1, just behind the cranks 5.

These means 6 comprise a bent lever 60, one end of which
61, turned down and forward, forms a support shoe, as will be explained later. This part 61 is advantageously furnished with spikes or pins 610. The other end of the lever 60, located upwards and forwards, carries a roller 62 which is guided in translation in a longitudinal and horizontal slide.

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Behind this lever is disposed a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 7, the body 70 of which is supported by a fixed frame element 72, by means of a horizontal and transverse articulation axis 720. The rod 71 of the cylinder , pointing forwards and slightly tilted downwards, is connected to the lever
60 by a hinge pin 710, also arranged horizontally and transversely.

 At the start, the jack 7 is in the retracted state; the support shoe 61 is then in a high retracted position, retracted, in which it does not interfere with the free passage of poultry below it (Figure 5).

 When the detector 9, which can be of any known type, mechanical (feeler) or optoelectronic (photoelectric cells) in particular, has detected the arrival of poultry below the shoe 61, facing the cranks 5.5 ′ , it controls via an appropriate circuit the extension of the jacks 70 and 3, successively and in a synchronized manner.

 The extension of the jack 70 (arrow g, Figure 6) causes, initially, the pivoting downwards and forwards (arrow h) of the lever 60, of which the part 61 is applied against the upper region the dorsal side of poultry; the points 610 sink into the skin and the flesh of the animal in this area. As the extension continues (arrow i, FIG. 7), the shoe 61 accompanies the poultry in its movement F forwards, the roller 62 advancing in the slide (arrow j).

 During this phase, the poultry is held firmly on the cone, due to the fact that the force developed by the jack 70 and the support shoe 61 has a component directed downwards, the presence of the points further promoting this good holding.

 The mutual spacing of the two cranks 5.5 ′ and the height positioning of their parts 51, 51 is chosen in such a way that each of these parts is at the start opposite the junction area of a thigh C, respectively C ', with the side of the animal to which it is attached.

 The shins and metatarsals of the poultry being directed forward, and slightly apart towards the outside, the part 51 of the crank will therefore be inserted progressively between one of these flanks and the inside of the corresponding thigh of moving poultry (see Figures 6,8 and 9).

 This insertion is made while the support shoe has just applied against the dorsal (rear) face.

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The jack 3 is then extended, causing the cranks 5, 5 ′ to rotate, the portions 51, 51 ′ (trapped between a thigh and the sidewall) pivot inward by a quarter of a turn (see FIGS. 7, 10 and 11).

It is this pivoting (arrows k, k ') which causes the dislocation of the two hip joints, pushing the upper thighs outwards and backwards (arrows 1, l').

This mechanical action develops relatively high forces, which tend to lift the poultry up and out of the cone; however, thanks to the presence of the support shoe 61, it remains properly immobilized on its cone.

On the cutting line, there are two pairs of operators responsible for removing the thighs, one located just upstream and the other just downstream of the device 2. The two operators of the same couple are placed on opposite sides of the conveyor, one operating on the left leg and the other on the right leg of the poultry.

The upstream operators have the function of incising the skin and the muscles covering the coxo-femoral joints with a view to their dislocation.

The downstream operators have the function of separating the thighs which have just been dislodged from the rest of the carcass, and of depositing them in a tray or on a conveyor.

These operations are done manually, using a knife.

These tasks are relatively easy and not very painful, because they do not require significant effort, unlike the dislocation operation of the coxo-femoral joints, which is done mechanically.

The control circuit of the pilot device, as soon as the disengagement has been carried out, the retraction of the jacks 3 and 7 so as, on the one hand, to bring the cranks 5, 5 'back to their initial position, allowing the passage of the poultry which has just been treated together and, on the other hand, the lifting of the hoof 61 which moves away from said poultry and retracts upwards, allowing the arrival of the following poultry.

The invention applies to all species of poultry, in particular turkeys, ducks, roosters, chickens and guinea fowl, beheaded or not.

The dimensions and arrangement of the device are, of course, adapted to the morphology and size of the poultry concerned.

Claims (10)

1. Mechanical assistance device intended to equip a manual cutting line for poultry previously slaughtered, plucked and emptied, along which the poultry to be cut (V) is moved to the tail leu leu by means of a conveyor (1 ), characterized by the fact that it comprises mechanical disengagement means (5) of the coxo-femoral joints (A) of the legs (C) of the poultry (V), during their transport by said conveyor (1).  2. Device according to claim 1, intended to equip a manual poultry cutting line, the conveyor (1) comprises a set of equidistant cones (10), of vertical axis (W), on which the poultry to be cut (V ) are impaled, characterized in that said mechanical disengagement means consist of a pair of vertical rods (5.5 ') in the form of cranks, arranged symmetrically on each side of the path of the cones (10), and thus positioned that 'They are adapted to interfere with the trajectory of poultry (V) by inserting each between one (C, C') of their thighs and the adjoining flank, means (3-4,4 ') being provided for rotate said cranks (5.5 ′) by a certain angle around a vertical axis (Z, Z '), towards the inside, in order to cause the dislocation of the corresponding thigh (C, C').  3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the said cranks pivot by an angle of the order of 45.  4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said means which are provided for pivoting said cranks (5.5 ′) by a certain angle about a vertical axis (Z, Z '), inward, in order to cause the dislocation of the corresponding thigh (C, C ') comprise a pneumatic cylinder (3) whose rod (30) is movable in translation and is connected to a pair of endless chains (4, 4 ') which each mesh with a pinion (41.41') secured to a crank (5.5 ').  5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a detector (9) of arrival of each poultry (V) opposite said mechanical disengagement means (5) of the coxo-femoral joints (A) of its thighs (C), this detector (9) being adapted to control the automatic actuation of these means (5) when the poultry is in the position suitable for this operation. <Desc / Clms Page number 10>  6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, intended to equip a manual cutting line for poultry, the conveyor (1) of which comprises a set of equidistant cones (10), of vertical axis (W), on which the poultry are cut (V) are impaled, characterized by the fact that it includes restraining means (6) able to immobilize the poultry on the cone (10) which supports it during the dislodging operation of the coxo-femoral joints (A) thighs (C).  7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that said compression means (6) comprise a movable support shoe (61) capable of being applied against the dorsal face of the poultry (V) and of being moved jointly with her during the operation.  8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said conveyor (1) is movable continuously and at constant speed.  9. Manual cutting line for poultry previously slaughtered, plucked and emptied, on which the poultry to be cut (V) is moved to the tail leu leu by means of a conveyor (1), characterized in that it is equipped a mechanical assistance device (2) according to at least one of the preceding claims.  10. A method of mechanical assistance for cutting poultry previously slaughtered, plucked and emptied (V), which move at the tail leu leu by means of a conveyor (1) along a cutting line, characterized by the the fact that each poultry is successively subjected, during its movement, to a mechanical disengagement operation (5) of the coxofemoral joints (A) of its thighs (C), this operation being followed by an operation, manual cutting and separating the thighs from the rest of the animal's carcass.