JPH114655A - Hook part cutter for dark meat of poultry - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a hook part cutter for dark meat of a poultry capable of cutting whole periphery of the hook part while preventing wounding of its bone by providing a cutter for cutting deep the hook part of the dark meat and a releasing means releasing the cutter corresponding to a cutting reaction force of the cutter. SOLUTION: This apparatus has a cutter 13 for cutting deep a hook part of dark part of a poultry and a releasing means 101 releasing the cutter 13 corresponding to a cutting reaction force of the cutter 13. Preferably, the releasing means 101 is composed of a support means freely approachable and separable supporting the cutter 13 to the dark meat, an approaching means displacing the cutter 13 to the approach side and a control means controlling displace of the cutter 13 to the approach side. Furthermore, a carrying means hanging the dark meat and carrying to an operating position by the cutter 13 and a revolving means revolving the dark meat to a prescribed angle at the operating position or during its carrying time are preferably provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting a hook portion of poultry thigh meat, and more particularly to an apparatus capable of automatically cutting a hook portion of a poultry thigh meat before deboning.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A device called a leg deboner for automatically disassembling and deboning poultry thigh meat is conventionally known. This is because the poultry thigh (mainly broiler thigh) conveyed in a suspended state by the conveyor is cut into the hook part (the part corresponding to the ankle) while leaving the bone in the previous step, and in the next step The meat is moved down from the cut position and demolition and deboning are performed sequentially and continuously. The thigh meat thus treated is placed in a distribution process for foodstuffs.

[0003]

By the way, the conventional method of cutting the hook portion employs a method in which the thigh is passed through a gap between a pair of cutters rotating at a predetermined position while supporting the thigh at two upper and lower points. Was. For this reason, it is not possible to cope with the difference in the shape of the hook portion (for example, the difference in the thickness and position of the bone). For example, when the bone is thick, it is easy to damage the bone. In some cases, bones came off with the meat and could not be processed. In addition, there was a problem that the skin, meat, and streaks of the hook portion could not be cut over the entire circumference, and a part of the meat was likely to be separated in a later process.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A hook cutting device according to the present invention comprises a cutter for cutting a hook portion of poultry thigh meat, and a release means for releasing the cutter in response to a cutting reaction force of the cutter. Is provided. Here, the release means supports the cutter so that the cutter can approach and separate from the thigh meat, a biasing means that biases the cutter toward the proximal side, and regulates the movement of the cutter toward the proximal side. It preferably comprises a regulating means. Further, it is preferable that a conveying means for suspending and transporting the thigh meat to a work position by the cutter and a rotating means for rotating the thigh meat at a predetermined angle at the work position are further provided. Further, it is preferable that another rotating means for rotating the thigh meat by a predetermined angle during the transport thereof is further provided.

[0005]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Prior to the description of the present apparatus, an outline of poultry thigh meat will be given with reference to FIG. (a) shows the cross section of the thigh 1 before treatment, (b) shows the cross section of the thigh 1 after the hook portion is cut, and (c) shows the cross section of the hook portion of the thigh 1. Prior to the cutting of the hook portion, a side cut of a predetermined depth is performed along the substantially entire length of the bone 2 (the side cut portion is indicated by 10a). The illustrated side is the inner thigh side where the side cut is performed, and the back side of the paper is the outer thigh side. Reference numeral 3 denotes a cut portion corresponding to the base of the thigh, and reference numeral 4 denotes a hook portion corresponding to the ankle. The portion from the hook portion 4 to the portion corresponding to the knee is called a drum portion 5, and the portion from the drum portion 5 to the cutting portion 3 is called a rhino portion 6. With regard to the bone 2, the joint part of the knee is called a joint part 7, the part from the joint part 7 to the hook part 4 is called a drum bone 8, and the part from the joint part 7 to the cutting part 3 is called a sibone 9. Since the hook portion 4 is slightly thicker, this portion is hooked, and the thigh 1 after the side cut is suspended and supported with the rhinoceros 6 down, and is conveyed to a predetermined working position by a conveyor as a conveying means. (See FIG. 7). Then, the hook portion 4 is cut at the work position as shown in FIG. 3B (the cut portion is indicated by 10b). This cutting is performed on the thin skin attached to the bone 2 and the epidermis and meat surrounding the bone 2.

Next, the present apparatus will be described. 2 and 3
FIG. 2 is a front view and a plan view showing main parts of the present apparatus. As shown, the gantry frame 11 is fixed on the floor. The gantry frame 11 is also provided on the right side (not shown), and the pair of gantry frames 11
2 are both fixedly supported. A pair of cutters 13 for cutting the hook portions 4 of the thigh 1 are attached to the pipe frame 12. The thigh 1 is suspended from a conveyor (not shown), and is conveyed from the front to the rear along the conveyance path B shown in FIG. Then, it is stopped at a work position A (see FIG. 1) between the cutters 13 described later in detail, and a predetermined cut is made.

More specifically, the pipe frame 12
Is inserted through the gantry frame 11 so that the gantry frame 1
1 is located within. The cutter rotating motor 14 is attached to the end. The output shaft of the cutter rotation motor 14 is connected to a main shaft 16 via a coupling 15.
Connected to. The main shaft 16 is the pipe frame 1
The two ends (only the left end is shown) are rotatably supported by bearings 17. Pipe frame 1
A pair of post portions 18 are integrally formed upright in the middle of 2, and the driven shaft 19
Is arranged. The driven shaft 19 is rotatably supported at both ends by a pair of bearings 20.
The power is connected to the main shaft 16 via the power transmission terminals 1 and 22. The upper end of the driven shaft 19 protrudes upward from the post portion 18, and a swing frame 25 is connected to the protruding portion as support means for supporting the cutter 13 so as to be able to approach and separate.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the swing frame 25 is rotatably supported on the driven shaft 19 via a pair of bearings 24. The swing frame 25 extends rearward, and has a central hole 26 formed therein along the extending direction. An intermediate shaft 27 is provided at the center of the center hole 26.
Are arranged, and the intermediate shaft 27 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 28. The intermediate shaft 27 is connected to the driven shaft 19 via bevel gears 29 and 30. On the other hand, the other end of the intermediate shaft 27 is also connected to the rotating shaft 33 via bevel gears 31 and 32.
The rotating shaft 33 extends vertically and is rotatably supported at the rear end of the swing frame 25 via a pair of bearings 34. The upper end of the rotating shaft 33 projects upward from the swing frame 25, and The cutter 13 is attached. The cutter 13 includes a boss portion 37 which is detachably fitted to and fixed to the rotating shaft 33 by a bolt 36, and a disk-shaped blade portion 39 which is detachably attached to the boss portion 37 by a nut 38.

With this configuration, the cutter rotating motor 14
Is rotated, the rotational force is transmitted to the main shaft 16, the driven shaft 19, the intermediate shaft 27, and the rotating shaft 33 in this order, and the cutter 13 is rotated. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the left and right bevel gears 21 attached to the main shaft 16 mesh with the bevel gears 22 of the left and right driven shafts 19 from opposite directions. The rotation direction of the cutter 13 is reversed, and the left cutter 13 rotates clockwise in FIG. 1 and the right cutter 13 rotates counterclockwise in FIG.

In FIG. 1, O ₁ indicates the center of rotation of the swing frame 25, and O ₂ indicates the center of rotation of the cutter 13. These centers correspond to the centers of the driven shaft 19 and the rotating shaft 33, respectively. The swing frame 25 pivots or swings around O ₁ to move the cutters 13 toward and away from each other or open and close, and also to move the cutter 13 toward and away from the thigh 1 at the work position A. . However, normally, these cutters 13 are held at predetermined positions so as to form a minimum gap lc (about 3 mm) between the blade portions 39.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4,
A stay bracket 40 extending rearward is provided at an upper end of the post portion 18, and an L-shaped bracket 41 is also provided on a lower surface portion of the swing frame 25. A spring 42 (biasing means) is provided in an extended state by bridging these brackets 40 and 41. The spring 42
A tensile force is applied to the swing frame 25 to urge the cutters 13 closer to or closer to each other. Further, the movement of the cutter 13 on the near side is restricted by a stopper bolt 43 (restriction means). That is, the stopper bolt 43
Is another L provided on the lower surface of the swing frame 25.
It is screwed to the letter-shaped bracket 44 and its position is fixed by a lock nut 45. And the stopper bolt 43
Contacts the stay bracket 40 from the left and right outer sides to restrict the rotation of the swing frame 25.

Thus, the normal position of the swing frame 25 is determined as described above. At this time, the swing frames 25 are directed obliquely rearward toward the approach sides of each other. Of course, if the position of the lock nut 45 is changed and the protrusion length of the stopper bolt 43 is adjusted,
The normal position of the swing frame 25 can be changed to finely adjust the minimum gap lc.

The swing frame 25, the spring 42, and the stopper bolt 43 form relief means 101 for releasing the cutter 13 in response to the cutting reaction force of the cutter 13 when the hook 13 is cut by the cutter 13. . This will be described in detail later.

Next, in the present apparatus, the thigh 1 in a suspended state can be rotated about a vertical axis. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the thigh 1 is hung by the hook 46 hanging down from the conveyor and is supported by being suspended. In particular, the support point is only one place of the hook part 4 (upper end part) unlike the related art. Therefore, if the hook 46 is rotated about the vertical axis, the thigh 1 can be rotated. Hereinafter, a configuration for performing this will be described.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show details in the vicinity of the conveyor. The conveyor 47 shown has a slat conveyor configuration, and the lower slats 4 with respect to the conveyor frame 48.
9 moves rearward. A boss 50 is attached to the slat 49, and a rotating shaft 52 is attached to the boss 50 via a bearing 51. A hook 46 is fixedly provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 52. The hook 46 is mainly made of a metal round bar, and has a U-shaped loop portion 46a extending horizontally at the lower end thereof (see FIG. 1). Therefore, this ring 46
By hooking the lower end portion of the hook portion 4 through a, the thigh 1 can be suspended and supported. When the rotation shaft 52 is rotated, the hook 46 is rotated, and the thigh 1
Can be rotated.

The thigh 1 is rotated at a work position A shown by a rotation means 102 described below. That is, a rotary cylinder 53 is fixed to the side frame 48 a of the conveyor frame 48 via the mount bracket 54, and a pinion gear 55 is attached to a rotary shaft of the rotary cylinder 53. The pinion gear 55 is meshed with an input side rack 56, and the input side rack 56 is fixed to a left end of a movable shaft 57 extending in the left-right direction. The movable shaft 57 is connected to the left and right side frames 48a.
(Only the left side is shown) and these side frames 4
8a is supported movably in the axial direction. On the other hand, a plurality of cross frames 48b are provided by bridging the left and right side frames 48a, and a pinion support shaft 59 is provided at the center of the cross frame 48b above the work position A.
Are fixed vertically. A pinion gear 61 is rotatably attached to the lower end of the pinion support shaft 59 via a bearing 60, and the pinion gear 61 is meshed with an output rack 62 provided at the center of the movable shaft 57. Further, a substantially triangular drive plate 6 is provided on the lower surface of the pinion gear 61.
The drive plate 63 is provided with a pair of drive protrusions 64 which are spaced apart from each other in a forward and backward direction.

On the other hand, a mounting boss 65 and a contact bracket 66 are fixedly mounted on the rotating shaft 52 on the slat 49 side. The contact bracket 66 has a top plate portion 66a that is long in one direction, and the top plate portion 66a comes into contact with each drive projection 64 from the side. Therefore, the rotary cylinder 53
Is rotated by a predetermined angle, the pinion gear 61 is rotated via the movable shaft 57, the driving plate 63 is rotated accordingly, the contact bracket 66 is rotated by the driving projection 64, and the rotation shaft 52 is rotated. And the hook 46 is rotated.
By employing such an external drive system, the drive device is not loaded on the slats 49, and the transport weight is reduced.

Incidentally, a plate-shaped upper positioner 67 and a lower positioner 68 are fixed to the mounting boss 65, respectively. These positioners 67 and 68 are formed in a rectangular shape, are combined in an orthogonal direction so as to form a cross, and are each formed with a notch 67a,
68a. The upper positioner 67 and the lower positioner 68 are in sliding contact with a fixed upper guide rail 70 and a lower guide rail 71, respectively. The guide rails 70 and 71 are made of an angle material having an L-shaped cross section, are arranged on one side with the transport path B interposed therebetween, and are suspended on the cross frame 48b.
9 and suspended. These positioners 67,
The 68 and the guide rails 70 and 71 constitute another rotating means 103 for rotating the thigh 1 by a predetermined angle during its conveyance. This will be described later in detail.

Two lower guide rails 71 are provided in series at the front side of the working position A.
a is offset closer to the transport path B than the rear one 71b. The guide wall (vertical portion) 71c is removed from the front end 71a at the rear end. The guide wall 71c is also removed from the rear part 71b near the work position A.

On the other hand, two upper guide rails 70 are provided: a front rail 70a along the front and rear of the work position A, and a rear rail 70b behind the work rail A and offset to the transport path B side. In the front thing 70a, the guide wall 70c is removed near the work position A, and in the rear thing 70b, the guide wall 70c protrudes obliquely forward and outward at the front end (front protrusion 70d).

Next, a method of cutting the thigh hook portion 4 by the present apparatus will be described.

First, when the conveyor 47 is operated, the thigh 1 after the side cut is moved as shown in FIG.
Are transported in the direction of the arrow along the linear transport path B shown in FIG. This conveyance is performed at a constant speed from the work position of the previous stroke to the work position A of the main stroke, is stopped at the work position A for a predetermined time for the cutting work, and is again performed at a constant speed from the work position A. It is.

The transport before reaching the work position is as follows. First, before approaching the front lower guide rail 71a, the direction of the hook 46 is set as shown in the lower part of FIG.
6a is oriented so as to form a U-shape toward the front. At this time, the upper positioner 67 is long in the front-rear direction, and the end without the notch 67a faces rearward. In this state, since the lower positioner 68 protrudes sideways, the lower positioner 68 eventually hits the guide wall 71c of the lower guide rail 71a, and rotates 90 ° clockwise in FIGS. Will be done. The lower positioner 68 comes into sliding contact with the guide wall 71c at the right long side.

After this state, the upper positioner 6
7, the notch 67a abuts against the guide wall 70c of the front upper guide rail 70a, and receives the turning force in the opposite direction. However, at this time, the lower guide rail 7 has already been used.
Since the lower positioner 68 is located in the area where the guide wall 71c of FIG. 1a does not exist, the lower positioner 68 can be rotated without any restriction, due to the presence of the notch 68a. It is rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, this rotation is performed until the notch 67a slides on the guide wall 70c. After the rotation, the notch 68a of the lower positioner 68 also slides on the guide wall 71c of the lower guide rail 71b. Be in touch. After being rotated in this way, the guide walls 70
The transfer to the work position A is performed while the rotation is restricted and the direction is maintained at c and 71c. In the working position A, since both the guide walls 70c and 71c are removed, the hook 46 can freely rotate. After all, hook 46 and thigh 1
Is rotated clockwise from the direction of P _{0 to} the direction of P _{1 by} an angle θ ₁ before reaching the work position A, as shown in FIG.

Before reaching the working position, a pair of driving projections 64 are provided.
6 are in a standby state on the right side of the transport path B in a state where they are aligned back and forth as shown in FIG. 6, and upon arrival, the contact bracket 66 comes into sliding engagement with the left side. At the same time, the transport is temporarily stopped. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, a part of the hook portion 4 of the thigh 1 is cut by the pair of rotating cutters 13, 13. Next, by operating the rotary cylinder 53 and rotating the drive projection 64, the contact bracket 66 is rotated and the hook 46 and the thigh 1 are rotated. At this time, the hook 46 and the thigh 1 are rotated clockwise by an angle θ ₂ from the direction of P _{1 to} the direction of P ₂ as shown in FIG.
After this, as the in Figure 1, is returned to the original orientation P ₁ is reversed by the same angle theta _2. As a result of this reciprocating rotation operation, only the skin, meat, and muscles of the hook portion 4 of the thigh 1 are cut in the entire circumference without cutting the bone 2.

Here, the shape of the hook portion 4 is different for each thigh 1. However, in this apparatus, since the escape means 101 is provided, the cutter 13 is appropriately released in accordance with the escape means 101 to completely prevent the bone 2 from being damaged. Can be. That is, when the cutter 13 enters the depth immediately before hitting the bone 2, the cutting reaction force received by the cutter 13 increases to a predetermined value or more, thereby moving the swing frame 25 in the separating direction against the urging force of the spring 42. Thereby, the cut of the bone 2 can be prevented. This separating operation is performed individually for each cutter 13. In this way, the cutter 13 can be made to follow the bone 2 during the rotation of the thigh 1, so that the bone 2 is not damaged at all.
Only the surrounding meat can be cut cleanly. In addition, fracture and drop-off in the subsequent process are prevented, and a series of deboning processes can be smoothly performed. In addition, even if the thigh 1 is suspended and supported at one point of the upper end, the thigh 1 can be appropriately released in accordance with the cutting force, and the bone 2 can be prevented from being damaged.

On the other hand, the reason why the above-described turning operation is performed at the work position A is that the cross section of the hook portion 4 is substantially elliptical. Conversely, only the skin, meat, and muscle of the hook portion 4 can be cut neatly without cutting the bone 2. Here theta ₁ value at approximately 70 °, θ ₂ values are set to approximately 270 °. These values can be appropriately changed.

After the hook portion 4 has been cut in this way, the conveyor 47 is operated again to move the thigh 1 to the working position A.
Send out from. At this time, the cutter 1 is positioned at the position of the minimum gap lc.
Since 3 hits the bone 2, the rotation of the cutter 13 is stopped. In this case, the escape means 101 is operated to operate the cutter 13.
Escapes to prevent the bone 2 from being damaged. At the time of feeding, as shown in FIG.
8 is guided by the guide walls 70c and 71c, and the orientation is maintained equally. Thereafter, the upper positioner 67 abuts on the front protrusion 70d of the rear upper guide rail 70b, and the upper positioner 67 is rotated counterclockwise. At this time, since there is no guide wall 71c in the rear lower guide rail 71b, the lower positioner 68
Can rotate freely. Thus, when the long side portion of the upper positioner 67 is sliding contact with the guide wall 70c of the rear of the upper guide rail 70b, rotation is stopped, the hooks 46 and thighs 1 is returned to its original orientation P _0.
Eventually, the upper positioner 67 is disengaged from the rear upper guide rail 70b, and the thigh 1 is conveyed toward the next step.

In this apparatus, several pairs of the above-mentioned cutter units and units for supporting and rotating the hooks are also provided on the right side (not shown), and these are used for the common motor 14, the rotary cylinder 53 and the like. Are operated collectively. As a result, a multi-row line configuration becomes possible, and the processing capacity is remarkably improved. In addition, it is also possible to make a unit symmetrical configuration corresponding to the thigh 1 of the left and right legs.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention may have various other embodiments. For example, the cutter may be of a vibration type, or the cutter may be released in a straight line direction instead of the turning direction. In addition, a combination of a sensor and an actuator can be used as the release means. Further, it is also possible to use a single cutter by changing the method of supporting the thigh meat, the rotation angle, and the like.

[0032]

The present invention exhibits the following excellent effects.

(1) It is possible to prevent the bone from being damaged when the hook portion of the poultry thigh is cut.

(2) The hook portion can be cut along the entire circumference around the bone.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a hook part cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the hook part cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a configuration of a release means.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional front view showing a configuration around a conveyor.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the thigh meat conveyed to the work position.

FIG. 8 shows poultry thigh meat, (a) shows a state before treatment, (b) shows a state after cutting a hook portion, and (c) shows a cross section of the hook portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 poultry thigh 4 hook portion 13 cutter 25 swing frame 42 spring 43 stopper bolt 47 conveyor 101 relief means 102 rotating means 103 by pivoting means A working position theta _1, theta ₂ angle

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Takahashi 1-1-1, Ishiba, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture Inside Ishikawajima Shibaura Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideo Kamijo 1-1-1, Ishiba, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture Ishikawajima Shibaura Machinery Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A poultry thigh meat comprising: a cutter for cutting a hook portion of the poultry thigh; and a release means for releasing the cutter according to a cutting reaction force of the cutter. Hook cutting device. 2. The release means includes: support means for supporting the cutter so as to be able to approach and separate from the thigh; and urging means for urging the cutter toward a proximal side; and moving the cutter toward a proximal side. 2. The hook cutting device for poultry thighs according to claim 1, further comprising a restricting means for restricting the amount of poultry. 3. A transporting means for suspending and transporting the thigh meat to a work position by the cutter, and a rotating means for rotating the thigh meat at a predetermined angle at the work position are further provided. Or the hook cutting device for poultry thigh meat according to 2. 4. The hook cutting device for poultry thigh meat according to claim 3, further comprising another rotating means for rotating said thigh meat by a predetermined angle during its transportation.