WO1998016116A1

WO1998016116A1 - Method and device for inspecting poultry

Info

Publication number: WO1998016116A1
Application number: PCT/NL1997/000561
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christiaan Johannes Gerardus Winkelmolen
Original assignee: Nutreco International B.V.
Priority date: 1996-10-15
Filing date: 1997-10-09
Publication date: 1998-04-23
Also published as: EP0991322A1; NL1004275C2; AU4575297A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for inspecting poultry, wherein the poultry are moved past an inspection station by means of a conveyor, wherein at least two inspectors, who are positioned some distance apart, are moved along the conveyor and in the same direction as said conveyor at the location of the inspection station, at a velocity which is lower than the velocity at which the poultry are being moved by the conveyor at the location of the inspection station. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out this method.

Description

Method and device for inspecting poultry.

The invention relates to a method for inspecting poultry, wherein the poultry are moved past an inspection station manned by at least one inspector by means of a conveyor.

Such a method and also a device for carrying out such a method can be derived from Dutch patent application No. 9101484. As can furthermore be derived from said publication the animals are usually transported by means of conveyors, for example chain conveyors, in poultry slaughterhouses or the like, from which the animals are suspended in regularly spaced-apart relationship. It can only be ensured that the inspector will function properly if the number of animals passed through the inspection station per time unit does not exceed a predetermined figure. It is assumed that, for example when inspecting broilers to be slaughtered, a proper inspection by an inspector is still possible with an amount of ± 100 head of poultry per minute being moved past the inspection station. With a conventional construction of a conveyor and a conventional distance between successive animals this amounts to a linear velocity of the conveyor of 15.3 - 16.7 m/min. The employment of more inspectors, who are positioned beside conveyor tracks which pass an inspection station rectil inearly, whereby each inspector is to inspect part of the products being supplied, only leads to a limited increase of the conveyor velocity.

The object of the invention is to provide a method of the above kind, wherein the velocity at which the conveyor moves, and thus the number of animals to be inspected per time unit, can be increased in a simple manner by employing more than one inspector, whilst an effective inspection is still ensured.

According to the invention this objective can be accomplished in that at least two inspectors, who are positioned some distance apart, are moved along the conveyor and in the same direction as said conveyor at the location of the inspection station, at a velocity which is lower than the velocity at which the poultry are being moved by the conveyor at the location of the inspection station. When using the method according to the invention the conveyor can for example be moved at a velocity of ± 32 m/min at the location of that portion of the conveyor track where the inspection is to take place, which means an amount of 200 head of poultry being moved past the inspection station when using conventional conveyors, whilst the inspectors are moved along said track part at a velocity of ± 16 m/min. It will be apparent that in that case the relative velocity at which animals are moved past the inspectors will amount to ± 16 m/min again, so that the working conditions for the inspector will be the same as with the above-described conventional method, wherein the animals to be inspected are moved rectil inearly past the inspector at an inspection station at a velocity of ± 16 m/min. Within the context of the present description the term "slaughtered animals" is understood to mean carcasses and the packages of organs associated therewith.

The velocity of the conveyor and thus the processing speed of the animals can be considerably increased, therefore.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a device for inspecting poultry, which device comprises a conveyor, from which the animals to be inspected are suspended in regularly spaced-apart relationship during operation, as well as means by which the conveyor can be moved past accommodation means during operation.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind, which is suitable for carrying out the above-described method.

According to the invention this objective can be accomplished in that the inspection station comprises accommodation means capable of accommodating more than one inspector, whereby said accommodation means is constructed such and can be variably driven in such a manner during operation, that the inspectors can be moved along in a closed path by means of said accommodation means, which path extends at least substantially parallel over at least part of its length to part of the path of movement of the conveyor, whilst the conveyor drive and that of the accommodation means of the inspection station are designed such that the velocity of movement of the poultry at the location of the inspection station during operation is higher than the velocity of movement of the inspectors, who are being moved at least substantially parallel to and in the same direction as the conveyor by the accommodation means at the location of the inspection station. The invention will be explained in more detail hereafter with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic Figure, which is a diagrammatic plan view of a device according to the invention. The device which is diagrammatical ly illustrated in the Figure comprises a conveyor 1 which is known per se and which is widely used in poultry slaughterhouses, which conveyor is usually made up of a transport chain, to which hooks or similar members are attached in regularly spaced-apart relationship, which hooks make it possible to suspend slaughtered animals, for example broilers, from the conveyor. The device furthermore comprises an accommodation means 3 in an inspection station 2, past which the slaughtered animals are transported by conveyor 1 during operation, which accommodation means is made up of a substantially round table in the present embodiment, which can be rotated about its vertical axis in the direction indicated by arrow V_! during operation. Present on the table are regularly spaced-apart means on which the inspectors can be seated, so that the inspectors, who stand or who are seated at regular distances from each other on table 3, can be moved in the direction indicated by arrow V_! during operation.

As will furthermore be apparent from the Figure, conveyor 1 is configured to describe a curve, in such a manner that said conveyor extends more or less concentrically about the central axis of table 1, near the outer circumference of the table, over part of the path in which the conveyor moves during operation. Conveyor 1 may thereby be moved in the direction indicated by arrow V₂ by driving means (not shown) during operation.

It will be apparent that if the velocity at which the inspectors present on table 3 are being moved in the direction indicated by arrow V_j is lower than the velocity at which the animals suspended from conveyor 1 are being moved in the direction indicated by arrow V₂, the animals will move in the direction indicated by arrow V₂, past the inspectors present on the accommodation means made up of table 3, at a velocity which amounts to the difference between the two aforesaid velocities. In this manner it is effected that the animals will be moved past the inspectors at a velocity which is considerably lower than the velocity of movement of conveyor 1, also when the animals are being moved at a comparatively high velocity. In that case each inspector will inspect a selected group of the animals that are suspended from the conveyor. By using the construction according to the invention it can be effected, therefore, that the feed-through capacity of the animals can be raised to a high value, whilst an effective inspection of the animals can still be effected by simple means. The platform on which the inspector(s) is (are) present may be adjustable for height.

It wi 11 be apparent that the conveyors may al so descri be a path other than a circular one, for example an ellipsoid path, in which case the inspectors will be moved along a path adapted thereto.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting poultry, wherein the poultry are moved past an inspection station manned by at least one inspector by means of a conveyor, characterized in that at least two inspectors, who are positioned some distance apart, are moved along the conveyor and in the same direction as said conveyor at the location of the inspection station, at a velocity which is lower than the velocity at which the poultry are being moved by the conveyor at the location of the inspection station.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor is moved in an at least substantially circular path at the location of the inspection station, and that the inspectors are likewise moved in an at least substantially circular path.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inspectors are moved at such a velocity that the effective inspection velocity is lower than the statutory maximum velocity.

4. A device for inspecting poultry, which device comprises a conveyor, from which the animals to be inspected are suspended in regularly spaced-apart relationship during operation, as well as means by which the conveyor can be moved past accommodation means during operation, characterized in that the inspection station comprises accommodation means capable of accommodating more than one inspector, whereby said accommodation means is constructed such and can be variably driven in such a manner during operation, that the inspectors can be moved along in a closed path by means of said accommodation means, which path extends at least substantially parallel over at least part of its length to part of the path of movement of the conveyor, whilst the conveyor drive and that of the accommodation means of the inspection station are designed such that the velocity of movement of the poultry at the location of the inspection station during operation is higher than the velocity of movement of the inspectors, who are being moved at least substantially parallel to and in the same direction as the conveyor by the accommodation means at the location of the inspection station.

5. A device according to claim 4, characterized in that said accommodation means is made up of an at least substantially round table, which is rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation, whilst the conveyor is passed at least substantially concentrically about the axis of rotation of the table near the outer circumference of the table.