Method and apparatus for dividing up the body of slaughtered poultry

Method and apparatus for dividing up the carcass of a slaughtered bird, the carcass being suspended by its feet from a transport means, being transported with the breast to the front in the transport direction and, during transport thereof, being cut through by means of a cutting operation, the carcass being brought, before and during the cutting operation, into an oblique position relative to the transport direction such that the feet are placed in front of the remainder of the carcass, while an edge section, forming a boundry with the breast, of the rear opening, present between the feet of the carcass, is lowered from between the feet, and the cutting operation is carried out in a transverse direction in a plane extending between the lowered edge section and the thighs, so that the carcass is divided up into a rear half comprising the feet, thigh portions corresponding to the feet and a back portion, and a front half comprising a breast portion and a main portion of the back portion of the carcass, the front half being supported from the area in which the cutting operation is carried out and transported along a specified path to a subsequent processing station for the front half.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a method for dividing up the carcass of a 
slaughtered bird, the carcass being suspended by its feet from a transport 
means, being transported with the breast oriented to the front, i.e., 
toward the transport direction and, during transport thereof, being cut 
through by means of a cutting operation, the carcass being brought, before 
and during the cutting operation, into an oblique position slanted 
backwards relative to the transport direction such that the feet are 
forward of the remainder of the carcass. An edge section, namely an edge 
surrounding a rear opening of the bird forming a boundary with the breast, 
between the feet of the carcass, is below and between the feet, and the 
cutting operation is carried out in a transverse direction in a plane 
extending between the lowered edge section and the thighs, so that the 
carcass is divided up into a rear half comprising the feet, thigh portions 
corresponding to the feet and a back portion, and a front half comprising 
a breast portion and a main portion of the back portion of the carcass. 
A method of this type is known from European Pat. No. 0,109,708 in the name 
of the Applicant. In a version of the known method the carcass of the 
slaughtered bird is divided up into the rear half and the front half. The 
rear half suspended by the feet can then additionally be cut through the 
middle between the feet by an additional cutting operation in a vertical 
plane. After cutting the front half from the rear half it always falls 
down with random orientation and is received in a collection trough. 
The known method accordingly also has the drawback that, for further 
processing of the front half, the latter has to be taken out of the 
collection trough and again has to be brought to a particular orientation 
in order to carry out any subsequent cutting operation thereon. This 
method comprises a number of complicated and time-consuming manipulations 
so that the further processing of the front half is relatively 
time-consuming and the supply of front halves is quicker than the further 
processing of the halves. As a result, the collection trough will have to 
be replaced by an empty trough after a certain period of time, the supply 
of new slaughtered birds to be cut through having to be stopped. The 
supply and dividing up of slaughtered birds into rear and front halves can 
therefore not take place in an optimally efficient manner. 
Another drawback of receiving the cut-up front halves in a collection 
trough is that the halves present in the trough can easily become 
contaminated and can no longer be packaged hygienically after a relatively 
long time. 
Moreover, the above complicated manipulations for removing the front halves 
from the trough and orientating them again are not suitable for being 
carried out by means of a relatively simple device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention aims to eliminate the drawbacks of the known method. This aim 
is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a method for dividing 
up the carcass of a slaughtered bird, the carcass being suspended by its 
feet from a transport means, being transported with the breast to the 
front in the transport direction and, during transport thereof, being cut 
through by menas of a cutting operation, the carcass being brought, before 
and during the cutting operation, into an oblique position relative to the 
transport direction such that the feet are placed in front of the 
remainder of the carcass, while an edge section, forming a boundary with 
the breast, of the rear opening, present between the feet of the carcass, 
is lowered from between the feet, and the cutting operation is carried out 
in a transverse direction in a plane extending between the lowered edge 
section and the thighs, so that the carcass is divided up into a rear half 
comprising the feet, thigh portions corresponding to the feet and a back 
portion, and a front half comprising a breast portion and a main portion 
of the back portion of the carcass, wherein the front half is supported 
from the area in which the cutting operation is carried out and is 
transported along a specified path to a subsequent processing station for 
the front half. As a result of this, the step of receiving a cut-up front 
half in a collection trough and the subsequent step of reorienting the 
front half are dispensed with. As a result of the fact that all the front 
halves are supported in the same way and are guided along the same 
specified path, the further processing of the front halves can easily be 
carried out exactly and uniformly. The further processing of the front 
halves takes place at the same speed as that at which the slaughtered 
birds are supplied. As a result, the method can always be carried out at 
an expedient speed, while the front halves which have been cut off and 
further processed can quickly be packaged hygienically. 
Although a cut-off front half can be guided to the subsequent processing 
station under the influence of gravity, it is preferable for the front 
half to be gripped before being displaced, so that uniform speed of 
displacement and orientation of the front halves to the processing station 
are ensured. 
For applying the method according to the invention the invention also 
provides a device, such as an apparatus for dividing up the carcass of a 
slaughtered bird, comprising a transport system, connected to a frame, 
suitable for suspending the carcass by the feet and transporting it with 
the breast at the front, a cutting device and an arm which is fastened so 
as to hinge relative to the frame, which is able to hinge in the vertical 
plane extending through the backbone of the carcass between two positions 
of the end of the arm, the end of the arm being suitable for sticking into 
the bird via the rear opening present between the feet in one of the two 
positions of the arm so that during further transport in which the arm is 
rotated to the other position, the breast of the bird is rotated forward 
as seen in the transport direction and the carcass is cut through in the 
transverse direction by means of at least one cutting member of the 
cutting device above the underside of the rear opening in a manner such 
that the carcass is divided up into a rear half comprising the feet, thigh 
portions corresponding to the feet and a portion of the back, and a front 
half comprising a breast portion and a main portion of the back portion of 
the carcass, wherein the arm is attached so as to hinge in the extension 
of and at the end of an essentially rod-shaped support which is attached 
and suitable for passing through the front half via the rear opening and 
for supporting the backbone portion of the front half, for thereby guiding 
the front half to a subsequent processing station. 
The device preferably comprises displacement means which grip the front 
half for displacing the latter to the following processing station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The figures in each case show a side view of the same section of a device 
having a frame 1 and a diagrammatically shown section of a transport 
system having a number of push elements 2 which are arranged at a distance 
from each other and are displaced in the direction of the arrow 3 along a 
horizontal path indicated by the dash/dot line 4. The transport system is 
suitable for suspending thereon a slaughtered bird 5, the feet 6 being 
able to slide between and on two parallel sliding rods (not shown) so that 
the suspended bird 5 is displaced by a push element 2 in the direction of 
the arrow 3. Although in each of the figures only one push element 2 and 
one bird 5 (or portions thereof) are shown, the dimensions of the device 
shown in the drawing may be such that a number of birds 5 are displaced 
and cut through in the section shown. 
The device comprises two knives 7, 8 which are arranged next to each other 
and horizontally, have a circular circumference, are driven by a drive 
device (not shown) and both the axes of rotation of which extend parallel 
to the plane of the drawing. The knives 7, 8 are arranged with their 
centers separated by a small horizontal distance so that the knives 7, 8 
overlap each other. The area of overlapping of the knives 7, 8 is located 
between the feet 6 of a bird 5 transported between the knives 7, 8. 
The device likewise comprises an elongated support 9 which is oriented in a 
vertical plane which passes through the overlapping section of the knives 
7, 8. The support 9 is angled downwards, as seen in the drawings, in the 
transport direction 3 of the birds 5, and possesses an upper end 10 (to 
the right in the figures) to which an arm 12 fastened via a hinge 11. The 
arm 12 is rotatable in a vertical plane between a low position shown in 
FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5 and a high position shown in FIG. 2. 
The arm 12 is rotated by means of a rod 13 an end of which is connected, at 
14, eccentrically to the hinge 11, to the arm 12 by means of a rotating 
coupling. The rod 13 is slidable within the support 9 and is displaced to 
and fro in the longitudinal direction thereof by means of a drive device 
15 coupled to the transport system. The to and fro displacement of the rod 
13 takes place synchronously with the passage of the push elements 2 past 
the arm 12. 
Two chain transporters 16 with projections directed towards the support 9 
are arranged on either side of and at a distance from the support 9. 
Because chain transporters are known per se, only a cover plate of one 
chain transporter 16 is shown in the figures. The transporters 16 are 
coupled to a drive device 17 which is coupled with the transport system 
which includes the push elements 2, so that the speed of the transporters 
is matched with the speed of the push elements 2. 
A knife 18 having a circular cross-section is attached in a vertical plane 
under a section of the support 9, and toward the lower end thereof. 
Two knives 19 having a circular cross-section are attached above the 
support 9, even farther toward the lower end thereof, parallel to each 
other and on either side of the vertical symmetrical plane passing through 
the knives 7, 8 and 18. The distance between the two knives 19 is somewhat 
larger than the width of the backbone of the bird 5. With the exception of 
a section between the knives 19, the support 9 has two arched recesses 20 
in which the knives 19 can rotate. 
The knives 18, 19 are rotatably driven by means of a drive device, which is 
not shown. 
Two branched-off elements 21 are attached at either side of the support 9 
near an even lower section thereof than the knives 18, 19. 
When the bird 5 approaches the position shown in FIG. 2 the arm 12, which 
is driven in the direction of the arrow 3 synchronously with the transport 
of the bird 5, will hinge upwards and, during the further transport of the 
bird 5 in the direction of the arrow 3, the uppermost end of the arm 12 
will project above the lowermost edge portion of the rear opening of the 
bird 5, which is between the feet. During further transport of the bird 5 
this edge boundary of the rear opening will bear against the underside of 
the arm 12 as a result of which the bird 5 is brought into an oblique 
position such as shown in FIG. 2. 
During further transport of the bird 5 the latter will be cut through along 
a cutting line 22, by means of the knives 7, 8, to form a rear half 23 
comprising the feet, the thigh portions corresponding to the feet, and a 
back portion, and a front half 24 comprising a breast portion and a main 
portion of the back portion where the ribs emerge. 
The figures show that the supplied birds 5 have wings 26. The wings 26 can, 
however, be removed before reaching the device shown in the figures. The 
wings 26 can also be removed in the shown device by means of cutting 
members which are not shown. 
During the cutting-through of the bird 5 into the halves 23, 24 by means of 
the knives 7, 8, the arm 12 will increasingly stick further into the front 
half 24. When the bird 5 has been completely cut through to form the 
halves 23, 24, the arm 12 is again turned back into the low position shown 
in FIG. 3 and the front half 24 rests against the upper side of the arm 12 
by means of the backbone portion. 
Then the front half 24 slides over the arm 12 and over the support 9 to 
which the arm 12 connects, the front half 24 being gripped on its sides by 
the chain transporters 16 at either side of the support 9. As shown in 
FIG. 4, the front half 24 is thereby displaced into contact with the 
vertical knives 18, 19. The knife 18 will thereby cut through the breast 
portion opposite the backbone and the pair of knives 19 will cut through 
the back portion on either side of the backbone, so that the front half 24 
is divided up into two symmetrical half breast pieces 27, 28 (FIG. 5). The 
breast pieces 27, 28 are moved away from the support 9 by means of 
branched-off elements 21 on either side of the support 9. 
The breast pieces 27, 28 may be received in a collection trough (not shown) 
or can be gripped firmly by a packaging device (not shown) from roughly 
the position shown in FIG. 4, and thereafter transported and packed. 
Tests have shown that the front halves 24 can be guided to the subsequent 
processing station, in this case having knives 18 and 19, even without the 
presence of a transporter, such as 16. The transport of the front halves 
24 then takes place essentially as a consequence of gravity. 
The transporter 16 may be moved away by flaps, hinges or the like so that 
the sliding of the front halves can take place selectively either by means 
of the transporter or essentially by gravity. 
A roll having an outer surface which is not completely smooth may be 
arranged between the pair of knives 19, so as to be driven together with 
the knives 19, the roll having a diameter such that it can 
bear against the backbone of each front half 24 before transport of this 
front half 24. As a result, transport of the front half 24 takes place in 
the area of the knives 19 and the cut-out backbone is removed from between 
the knives 19. 
In a suitable arrangement and embodiment of the various knives these 
contribute to the transport of the front halves 24.