Patent ID: 9198442
Filing Date: 2015-12-01
Classification: A22C

Abstract:
1. A method for processing slaughtered poultry, wherein oven-ready carcasses of slaughtered poultry are conveyed by a feed conveyor, said feed conveyor having an endless track and carriers that are moved along said track, each feed conveyor carrier being adapted to support one carcass suspended from its legs, wherein each individual carcass is subjected to at least one of: wherein for dividing the carcasses into parts, use is made of a first cut-up line and a second cut-up line, wherein each cut-up line has an associated cut-up line conveyor, said cut-up line conveyor having an endless track and carriers that are moved along said track, each cut-up line conveyor carrier being adapted to support one carcass suspended from its legs, wherein each cut-up line comprises one or more cutting devices arranged along the track, which one or more cutting devices divide a carcass supported by a cut-up line conveyor carrier into parts, wherein a first transfer device is arranged between the feed conveyor and the first cut-up line conveyor and transfers carcasses from said feed conveyor to said first cut-up line conveyor, wherein a second transfer device is arranged between the feed conveyor and the second cut-up line conveyor and transfers carcasses from said feed conveyor to said second cut-up line conveyor, wherein use is made of a computerized production control system which—based on at least one of the determination of each individual carcass weight made by the weighing device and the determination of the individual carcass size by the imaging device—grades each of the carcasses conveyed by the feed conveyor and are to be processed on one of the two cut-up lines into one of three categories: wherein the production control system controls the first transfer device such that carcasses in the small carcass size category are transferred—to the greatest extent possible—from the feed conveyor to the first cut-up line conveyor, wherein the production control system controls the second transfer device such that carcasses in the large carcass size category are transferred—to the greatest extent possible—from the feed conveyor to the second cut-up line conveyor, and wherein the computerized production control system determines in real-time—for the combination of the first transfer device and the first cut-up line conveyor and for the combination of the second transfer device and the second cut-up line conveyor—the capacity of each of said combinations to receive carcasses of the respective small carcass size category and large carcass size category from the feed conveyor, and wherein the production control system determines in real-time—for the combination of the first transfer device and the first cut-up line conveyor and for the combination of the second transfer device and the second cut-up line conveyor—the respective remaining capacity to receive carcasses from the feed conveyor in the situation that the carcasses in the small carcass size and large carcass size categories have—to the greatest extent possible—been allocated to the respective combination, and wherein the production control system controls the first and second transfer devices such that the carcasses in the intermediate carcass size category are distributed over said combinations on the basis of the determined remaining capacity of each of said combinations.