NL2002318C2 - An apparatus for passing an electrical current through a bird. - Google Patents

Description

An apparatus for passing an electrical current through a bird

The invention relates to an apparatus for passing an electrical current through each of a series of birds of varying electrical resistance, including a continuous shackle train having shackles spaced along its length, a water bath, electrical 5 circuitry having a connection to the bath and to electrically conducting rail portions, each shackle having an electrical contact with one of the rail portions and adjacent shackles contacting different rail portions for connecting the circuitry to the shackles, such that any bird bridging a shackle and the wa-10 ter bath completes an individual electrical circuit which is adapted to supply a predetermined current to such bird.

Such an apparatus is known from WO 93/07757.

The known apparatus is disadvantageous in that several electrically conducting rail portions are required that are 15 placed in parallel, wherein each rail portion connects to one shackle in order to make it possible that every single bird suspended from a shackle receives an individually controlled current. Thus, depending on the number of shackles above the water bath an equal amount of electrically conducting rail portions is 20 required to meet this objective. Furthermore each rod that connects a shackle to the conveying chain needs to connect electrically with one of the rail portions at a different location or different heights, which may result in unreliable electrical contacts between the rail portions and the shackles, and possi-25 bly to unintended electrical contacts between the shackles and other rail portions leading to unpredictable or at least unintended currents through the birds suspended from the shackles.

It is an object of the invention to counter said disadvantages and to provide an apparatus in accordance with the pre-30 amble which is of simpler design.

The apparatus of the invention is to that end characterized by one or more of the appended claims.

In a first aspect of the invention the apparatus is characterized in that the electrically conducting rail portions 35 are placed sequentially in a single line, each of the rail portions connecting individually to a current source and adjacent rail portions connecting to different current sources of the circuitry. The apparatus of the invention is less costly to manufacture, easier to construe and more reliable in its opera- 2 tion.

The reliability of its operation is particularly promoted by having the apparatus embodied with the feature that the rail portions have a length approximately equal to half the dis-5 tance between centre-lines of neighbouring shackles, and that neighbouring rail portions are separated by electrical insulators. The length of the said rail portions may for instance amount to a value of 1/8, 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 of said distance between the centre-lines of neighbouring shackles. This opens the 10 way that each rail portion that is between neighbouring shackles and that is immediately behind a rail portion that connects to a leading one of said neighbouring shackles when the shackles are moving in their conveying direction, is connected to a current-source having a target-current set at zero, or is disconnected 15 from the current-sources. This measure secures that at all times only current from one intended rail portion is collected and led through the bird hanging from the shackle that connects to the intended rail portion.

It is further desirable that each current source is 20 controllable individually so as to meet a predefined target-current through each individual bird. This opens the way to a stunning of the birds which is very much tailored to specific needs so that it is possible that each bird individually is subjected to an initial current at a first predefined level for 25 paralysing the bird, and that said current is thereafter set at a second predefined level for stunning of the bird wherein the second level is higher than the first level. By this feature it is possible to prevent any unintended breaking of bones of the birds that may be caused by contractions that occur when the 30 stunning current is applied to the bird too fast. It is also possible to apply increments to the currents through the birds in several steps or to change the said currents gradually according to a ramp-function.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated 35 with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus of the invention and with reference to the drawing.

In the drawing a single Figure 1 shows schematically the apparatus of the invention.

In Figure 1 a continuous rail track 10 is shown along 40 which at regular distances shackles 11 are moved that hang on rods 12 that are carried by trolleys 13 mounted on wheels 14 3 moving along the continuous track 10.

The rods 12 as well as the shackles 11 are made of electrically conducting material, whereas at least the trolleys 13 are electrically non conductive.

5 Underneath the track 10 along which the shackles 11 move is a water bath 15 and birds 18 suspended from the shackles 11 can move with their heads through said water bath 15 by the movement of the trolleys 13.

When passing the water bath 15 the birds 18 have at 10 least their heads submerged in the water of the water bath 15 causing that an electrical circuit is completed between the water bath 15, the bird 18, the shackles 11 including the shackle's rods 12, the rail portions 16 and electrical circuitry 17 connecting the rail portions 16 with the water bath 15.

15 In order to arrange that each individual bird 18 re ceives precisely the intended and required amount of current to stun the bird, each of the shackles 11 entertains an electrical contact with one of the rail portions 16 at a time, such that adjacent shackles 11 contact different rail portions 16. Fur-20 thermore as the Figure 1 clearly shows the electrically conducting rail portions 16 are placed sequentially in a single line 20 and each of the rail portions 16 connect individually to a current source 21 of the circuitry 17 whilst adjacent rail portions 16 connect to different current sources 21 of said circuitry 17. 25 Figure 1 further shows that the rail portions 16 have a length that approximately equates to half the distance between centre-lines of the neighbouring shackles 11, and in order to prevent that these rail portion 16 connect electrically neighbouring rail portions 16 are separated by electrical insu-30 lators 19. Preferably these electrical insulators 19 are shaped as air gaps.

Each of the current sources 21 of the circuitry 17 is controllable individually so as to be capable to meet a predefined target, current through each individual bird 18 suspended 35 from the shackles 11. For this purpose also the actual currents through the birds 18 are measured and compared with the said target current for each bird 18.

In a preferred embodiment the current sources 21 are individually controlled so as to cause that each bird 18 indi-40 vidually is subjected to an initial current at a first predefined level, for instance 50 mA, so as to initiate an initial 4 stunning of the bird in which only little contractions occur and the birds 18 be paralysed. Thereafter the current may be set at a second pre defined level for stunning of the bird 18, for instance at a level of 120 mA, wherein a long lasting stunning of 5 the bird 18 is effected.

At all times the currents to be applied can be either direct-current or alternating-current. Specifically pulse-width modulated current is a preferred option.

It is further preferred that each rail portion 16'' 10 that is between neighbouring shackles 11'and 11'' and that is immediately behind a rail portion 16' or in other words is lagging such rail portion 16' that connects to a leading one 11' of neighbouring shackles 11'and 11'' does not provide current to any bird 18. For this purpose the target current for the con-15 cerning rail portion 16'' may be set at zero, or alternatively provision may be made for a switch to temporarily disconnect such rail portion 16'' from the associated current source 21.

It is specifically remarked that the just given explanation with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the appara-20 tus of the invention does not limit the appended claims. The example given is only intended to clarify any possible ambiguity that may reside in the claims or the terms thereof, without intending to limit the claims to the specific embodiment of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Therefore many variations to the ap-25 paratus of the invention are possible without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this connection it is remarked that certain benefits of the invention come available particularly when the shackle train possesses a conveying direction wherein the shackles 11 move in a straight line where the water 30 bath 15 is located. In that embodiment very high processing rates are possible amounting to 15.000 birds per hour. It is, however, also possible to apply the invention in an embodiment wherein the shackle train follows a curved path.

Claims (7)

A device for passing an electric current through each of a series of birds (18) with a variable electrical resistance, comprising a continuous hanging track with hooks (11) at distances along this track, a water bath (15), an electrical circuit (17) with a coupling to the bath (15) and to electrically conductive rail parts (16) wherein each hook (11) has an electrical contact with one of the rail parts (16), wherein adjacent hooks (11) with different rail parts (16) ) are in contact for connecting the circuit (17) 10 to the hooks (11) such that each bird (18) bridging a hook (11) and the water bath (15) forms an individual electric current path adapted to providing a predetermined current to said bird (18), characterized in that the electrically conductive rail parts (16) are arranged one behind the other in a single line (20), each of the rail parts (16) being individually connected with. a current source (21) and adjacent rail parts (16) are connected to different current sources (21) of the circuit (17). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rail parts (16) have a length that is at most equal to half the distance between central lines of neighboring hooks (11), and that neighboring rail parts (16) of are separated by electrical insulators (19). 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each current source (21) is individually controllable in order to realize a predetermined current target by each individual bird (18). 4. Device as claimed in any of the claims 1-3, characterized in that each rail part (16 '') that lies between neighboring corners (11 ', 11' ') and that lies directly behind a rail part (16') communicating with a precursor (11 ') of said neighboring hooks (11', 11 '') when the hooks move in their direction of movement, is connected to a current source (21) with a current target value that is set to zero or which 35 is disconnected from the power sources (21). Device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the current sources (21) are individually adjustable in order to cause each bird (18) to be individually exposed to an initial current on a first advance predetermined level for paralyzing the bird (18), and that the current is thereafter placed at a second predetermined level for stunning the bird (18), the second level being higher than the first level. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the hanging track has a direction of movement in which the hooks (11) move in a straight line at the location where the water bath (15) is placed. Device as claimed in any of the claims 1-5, characterized in that the hanging track has a direction of movement in which the hooks (11) follow a curved path. EP 1 884 434