FR2832592A1 - Machine for the preparation of cured hams, for bone removal, has a conveyor to carry the hams through an automatic rind cutting station, with a group of spreaders to open out the incision - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine to present a cured ham for removal of the bone has a conveyor (4) to carry the hams (7), laid laterally with the eye (77) upwards. The ham is cut automatically at a cutting station (8), where an incision is made at a lateral side through the rind. The machine to present a cured ham for removal of the bone has a conveyor (4) to carry the hams (7), laid laterally with the eye (77) upwards. The ham is cut automatically at a cutting station (8), where an incision is made at a lateral side through the rind. A group of spreaders (99) open out the incision, at least at the edges, to prepare the ham for the bone removal station. The assembly operates automatically with the eyes to the right and the left.

Description

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 The present invention relates to improvements made to the machine of Italian patent application No. RE99A000128 filed in the name of the same applicant.

 The machine of said document essentially comprises a horizontal conveyor with controlled movement on which the raw cured hams are placed transversely and laid flat, or else with the nut turned upwards, and preferably equidistant.

 It is associated with said conveyor at least one rind incision station which comprises a tool with predetermined depth of cut, which is supported by a mobile device capable of subjecting it to movement in a horizontal plane, and comprising components placed in parallel and transversely to the conveyor, in order to bring said tool into play on the side face of the rind which is closer to the ham bone.

 Downstream of said incision station, there is preferably provided at least one cutting station intended to automatically cut the free end of the haunch. Downstream from said incision station, at least one trimming station can be provided for baring the nut.

 The hams coming out of the machine are sent to a boning station after having eventually cleared the part of the bone ending in the nut.

 With regard to said boning, machines are known which generally comprise an operating surface on which the ham is blocked in a vertical position with the lateral incision facing the operator.

 In particular, there is associated with said surface a clamping group which is capable of holding the ham in position; two spacer hooks which are arranged at the opposite edges of the incision to widen the cut that the operator must make to reach the bone, then expose it; and a bone extraction pusher on which the nut rests.

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 A known problem with said operations is the difficulty encountered by the operator when hooking said hooks at said edges of the incision.

 Said difficulty is due on the one hand to the fact that the two edges of the incision are generally so close that they oppose the insertion and engagement of the hooks and on the other hand to the fact that the rind is particularly hard since the ham is maturing.

 The operator is therefore forced to widen the incision to make room for the hooks, which is generally done with a sharp tool.

 This operation has proved to be inconvenient because said operation is particularly difficult, slows down productivity and therefore increases costs, and can be dangerous for the operator because he works with a pointed tool and in the presence of greasy surfaces. .

 The need to create a location for said hooks has also hitherto prevented the automation of boning machines and their arrangement in series and downstream of the machines which arrange the ham for boning.

 In the specific sector, there is therefore a strong demand for means capable of overcoming the aforementioned problem.

 The main object of the present invention is therefore to satisfy said request.

 Another object of the invention is to achieve said objective in the context of a simple, rational, reliable and safe construction solution.

 The objects are achieved by an improved machine intended to predispose raw cured ham for boning, comprising a conveyor with controlled movement on which the hams are placed transversely flat, with the nut facing upward, and along which arranged at least one station intended for the automatic incision of a lateral face of the rind of the ham, the machine being characterized in that at least one said incision station is associated with the

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 at least one spacing group which is capable of engaging autonomously in the incision in order to separate at least one piece from the projecting edge of said incision.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the machine comprises two spacing groups with autonomous operation, capable of operating on right and left walnut hams, respectively.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, said two groups each comprise a spreading tool which is arranged on a mobile device able to push it between a rest position in which it is located outside the path taken by the hams , and a working position in which it sinks into the lateral incision of the ham.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said two groups each comprise a spacing tool which is arranged on a mobile device capable of pushing it between a rest position in which it is located outside the path taken by the hams, and a working position in which it sinks into the lateral incision of the ham.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said mobile device comprises first and second reciprocating carriages, one of which is able to slide the spacer tool vertically, and the other is intended to slide the same tool parallel to the conveyor.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said control group consists of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said spreading tool in the rest configuration has a lateral wedge conformation, the apex of which is turned towards the respective side of the ham when it is blocked opposite said station. incision.

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 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said vertex has, in plan, a shape generally conjugated at the level of at least part of the profile in plan on the side of the ham which is closer to the bone.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said wedge configuration is permitted by two superimposed and reciprocally articulated knives which on the one hand converge to form said vertex, and on the other hand are controlled by a control means, like a jack. .

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, upstream of said at least one incision station is arranged at least one multifunctional station intended for automatic cutting of the end of the haunch and for manual removal of the bone from the ham.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said at least one multifunctional station comprises a plate with vertical reciprocating movement capable of blocking the underlying ham when it is stationary.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said at least one multifunctional station comprises a circular motorized blade with a horizontal axis, which is supported by a vertical cursor with reciprocating movement.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said at least one multifunctional station is arranged in correspondence with the ham unloading station, and coincides with it.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, between said circular blade and the ham unloading area, placed in front, a safety screen is arranged at a distance from the conveyor in order to pass said haunch.

 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said second carriage are associated with flexible means elastically capable of limiting the penetration of said spacing tools into said incision.

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 According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said means are made available by the same control group of said second carriage.

 The invention further relates to a plant for boning raw cured hams, characterized in that it is provided with at least one machine of the aforementioned type.

 For a better understanding of the features and construction advantages of the invention, reference is made hereinafter to the figures of the accompanying drawings which illustrate, purely by way of nonlimiting example, a particularly preferred embodiment.

 Figure 1 shows the invention in a plan view from above and by transparency.

 Figure 2 is a view in direction II of Figure 1, also by transparency.

 Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view along line III-III of Figure 1.

 Figure 4 is a part of Figure 2 on an enlarged scale.

 Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4 on a reduced scale.

 Figure 6 is a sectional view along line VI-VI of Figure 5.

 Figure 7 is an overall view similar to the previous one which shows the spacer tool in open configuration.

 In the figures mentioned, in particular Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a horizontal frame 1 of elongated shape which is mounted on rotating wheels 2 and enclosed in a casing 3.

 The casing 3 has a front opening 66 for loading the hams 7 from the operator's side (see FIG. 1), a front control window (not visible in the figure) which is placed opposite the incision station 8 which will be discussed later, and a rear opening

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 for the unloading of the hams 7, indicated by the reference numeral 55 in Figures 1 and 2.

 At the lower part of the chassis 1, a horizontal conveyor 4 is arranged which is controlled in translation in a controlled manner in the direction indicated by A by means of a reduction group 5 with incorporated variator (FIGS. 1 and 2).

 In particular, the conveyor 4 can move in translation in steps, the start being requested from the operator 6, while the stop occurs automatically after a step which corresponds to the distance D between the two operating stations 9 and 8 of the machine (Figures 1 and 2).

 The conveyor 4 comprises two adjacent chains (Figures 1,3 and 4) which are spaced apart by a distance generally equal to half the length of the hams 7, and to the links of which are attached to the outside of small nails or small points (not visible in the figure) which are capable of avoiding the undesirable movements of the hams relative to each other and with respect to the chains during the stop and departure phase of the transporter 4.

 In particular, a series of uprights 10 extend vertically from the lower side members of the chassis and support at the top two guides 44 for supporting and sliding the upper strands or the chains, and in the intermediate position have two idler wheels 40 intended to support the lower or return strands of the same chains.

 Opposite the upstream end of the conveyor 4, in front of the loading opening 66, is arranged a cutting station 9 which proceeds to section the end portion of the leg 777 of the ham 7; after which the latter is brought to station 8 which makes the incision of the lateral face of the rind which is closer to the bone.

 In essence, said cutting station 9 coincides with the loading station characterized by the opening 66, and said two stations

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 also coincide with the station where the operator 6 proceeds to remove the bone from the ham 7.

 The hams 7 are placed flat on the conveyor 4, transverse to the latter as shown, with the nut 77 facing the operator 6.

 The cutting station 9 and the incision station 8 are provided in particular with a clamping device comprising a shaped plate 12 extending vertically which is situated outside the path followed by the hams 7 (FIG. 2,3 and 4) when the conveyor 4 is in motion.

 The plate 12 is placed under the control of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 13 which is placed on the upper side of the chassis.

 Behind the plate 12 of the station 9 is arranged a circular blade 15 with transverse horizontal axis (Figure 1 to 3) which is controlled by an electric motor 16, whose movement in height is controlled by a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 17 supported on the upper side of the chassis 1. In addition, between said blade 15 and the plate 12 placed in front (figure 1) is arranged a safety screen 14 whose lower edge is suitably distant from the upper generators of the conveyor 4 (figure 2 ) to allow the passage of the leg 777 (Figures 1 and 3).

 There is further provided a lower slide 141 (FIG. 3) for collecting the haunch 777 cut by the blade 15, and the cord 143 for hanging the ham 7 during maturation, said slide 141 discharging into a collection device 142 arranged below.

 It is specified that downstream of station 9, and before station 8, a sensor, not shown, may be provided, which is capable of checking whether the ham 7 is on the right or on the left, and of sending an appropriate signal to the machine control and regulation group to prepare station 8 accordingly.

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 Said sensor may for example consist of an optical reader sensitive for example to the position of the nut 77, or else to other characteristic, or non-symmetrical, parts of the ham 7. As a variant, the preparation of the station 8 may be requested to the operator 6 by means of an associated manual control to start the conveyor 4. In correspondence with the station 8, upstream and above the plate 12, there is arranged an immobile transverse bed 18 in position vertical (Figure 1 and 2) which is supported by a structure 11 supported by the upper part of the chassis 1.

 Said flower bed 18 serves as a raceway for a carriage 188 which is placed under the control of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 180.

 In the rest position, the carriage 188 is located at the rear end of the flower bed 18 as shown in FIG. 1. A horizontal arm 19 extends from one side of the carriage 188 and the end of said arm is supported by a transverse track 190 by means of the small wheel 191, and the front face of said arm fixedly supports a longitudinal bed 20 in a vertical position.

 The bed 20 serves as a raceway for a carriage 200 which is placed under the control of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 201 supported by the carriage 188.

 On the carriage 200 is arranged an electric motor 21 with a vertical axis, the shaft of which supports in a fixed fashion a circular blade 22 of predetermined depth of cut, the height of which is suitably higher than that of the tips or nails of the strands going from the carrier 4 (Figure 1).

 It is specified that the longitudinal bed 20 is placed astride the transverse vertical plane 88 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) in order to allow the blade 22 to be able to operate on straight and left hams 7 as explained in detail in the document cited in the introduction.

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 On either side of the transverse vertical plane 88 are arranged two groups 99 which are included between the chains defining the conveyor 4 (FIGS. 1 and 5).

 Each individual group 99 comprises a platform 98 which is fixed to the lower part of the chassis 1 (see FIGS. 2, 4 and 5), and which slidingly support an overlying horizontal plate 97 placed under the control of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 96 fixed under the platform 98.

 The plate 97 is provided in the upper part with a longitudinal rail 95 on which a carriage 94 moves under the control of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 93 placed under the same plate 97.

 It is specified that the jack 93 is provided with a pressure switch or other equivalent means, such as a pressure relief valve, capable of limiting the active stroke of said jack in the presence of a predetermined resistance.

 A stirrup 89 extends from the carriage 94, a stirrup at the top of which is placed a tool for spreading the lateral incision made by the blade 22, and said tool is placed under the control of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 90 which is articulated on the stirrup 89 along the horizontal axis indicated by the reference numeral 100.

 In the closed configuration, said tool has a wedge-shaped lateral shape well illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, the horizontal apex of which faces the transverse vertical plane 88. In addition, according to a plan view (see FIGS. 1 and 5), the horizontal apex of said point is inclined relative to said plane 88 so as to be approximately parallel to the projecting side of the ham 7.

 In the figure, said vertex is rectilinear, but nothing prevents it from being shaped otherwise, for example with a curved shape conforming to the curved profile in plan on the projecting side of the ham.

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 In particular, said tool comprises two knives 92 placed one above the other, the lower knife being fixed to the stirrup 89, and the upper knife being articulated in a pendulum on the previous one along the horizontal axis 91 (FIGS. 2 , 4, 5,6 and 7) to be actuated by the jack 90.

 More particularly, the knives 92 presented have cutting edges shaped like a comb, the teeth of which are mutually offset and interpenetrated (see FIGS. 1, 4 and 5). As a variant, the two knives 92 may have continuous and superimposed sharp edges, and coinciding with the top of said corner conformation.

 In operation, the machine works as follows.

 When the conveyor 4 moves one step, the clamping plates 12 and the cutting blade 15 are raised; the incision blade 22 is in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, or at the opposite end of the flower bed 20; the spacing tools are located under the upper generators of the conveyor 4 as shown in FIG. 2.

 If the ham 7 arrives at the station 8 with the nut 77 placed as shown, the carriage 200 receives authorization to move to the opposite end of the flower bed 20, where it stops.

 When the conveyor 4 stops, the two plates 12 associated with the stations 9 and 8 proceed to block the underlying hams 7, after which the vertical blade 15 makes a complete return trip to cut the end of the ham 777, and the horizontal blade 22 cuts the side of the respective ham 7 in accordance with the document cited in the introduction.

 In the context of said operations, the operator 6 removes the bone.

 After the blade 22 has returned to the rest position, the jack 96 firstly brings the corresponding spacing tool 92 to the end of the upper stroke, then the jack 93 advances the same tool 92 by inserting the closed point into the lateral incision of the ham 7 (see FIG. 6), therefore the jack 90 proceeds to separate the knives from the same tool (see FIG. 7).

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 Once the removal of the bone is complete, the operator 6 controls the starting of the transporter 4, which obviously does not start again until the whole has been repositioned as at the beginning.

 The fact of providing said tools makes it possible to achieve all the aims of the invention.

 In fact, a machine according to the invention can be placed in series with a boning station by relieving the work of the operator consisting in spreading the edges of the lateral incision of the ham 7, and by completely overcoming the known drawbacks and mentioned in the introduction.

Claims (18)

claims 1. Machine intended to predispose raw cured hams for boning, comprising a conveyor (4) with controlled movement on which the hams (7) are placed transversely flat, with the nut (77) facing upwards, and along which is arranged at least one station (8) intended for the automatic incision of a lateral face of the rind of the ham, characterized in that at least one said incision station is associated with at least one group of spacing (99) which is capable of engaging autonomously in the incision to separate at least one piece from the projecting edge of said incision.  2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two groups of spacers with autonomous operation, able to operate on hams with right and left nuts, respectively.  3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said two groups each comprise a spacer tool which is arranged on a mobile device capable of pushing it between a rest position in which it is located outside the path taken by the hams, and a working position in which it sinks into the lateral incision of the ham.  4. Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said mobile device comprises first and second reciprocating carriages, one of which is capable of vertically sliding the spreading tool, and the other is intended to slide the same tool parallel to the conveyor. <Desc / Clms Page number 13>

5. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said second carriage are associated with flexible means elastically capable of limiting the penetration of said spacing tools into said incision. 6. Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that said means are made available by the same control group of said second carriage. 7. Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that said control group consists of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder. 8. Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said spacing tool in the rest configuration has a lateral wedge conformation, the apex of which is turned towards the respective side of the ham when it is blocked opposite said station incision. 9. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that said vertex has, in plan, a generally conjugate shape at at least part of the plan profile on the side of the ham which is closer to the bone. 10. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that said wedge conformation is allowed by two superimposed and reciprocally articulated knives which on the one hand converge to form said vertex, and on the other hand are controlled by a control means, as a jack. 11. Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that said knives have continuous and superimposed cutting profiles, and coincide with said vertex. 12. Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the cutting profiles of said knives are comb-shaped and have teeth offset from each other and interpenetrated. 13. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that upstream of said at least one incision station is arranged at least one <Desc / Clms Page number 14>  multifunctional station intended for the automatic cutting of the end of the leg and for the manual removal of the ham bone.  14. Machine according to claim 13, characterized in that said at least one multifunctional station comprises a plate with vertical reciprocating movement capable of blocking the underlying ham when it is stationary.  15. Machine according to claim 13, characterized in that said at least one multifunctional station comprises a circular motorized blade with a horizontal axis, which is supported by a vertical cursor with reciprocating movement.  16. Machine according to claim 13, characterized in that said at least one multifunctional station is arranged in correspondence with the ham unloading station, and coincides with it.  17. Machine according to claim 16, characterized in that between said circular blade and the ham unloading area, placed in front, is arranged a safety screen remote from the conveyor in order to pass said leg.  18. Boning installation of raw cured hams, characterized in that it is provided with at least one machine according to claims 1 to 17.