Arrangement for automated handling of a carcass and parts separated therefrom at machine-assisted cutting and boning

The invention relates to an arrangement for automated handling of a carcass and parts separated therefrom in mechanically assisted cutting and boning. In mechanically assisted cutting and boning, a hook or similar must be applied manually into the part to be separated. According to the present invention, the hook application is located so as not to delay the operator performing the cutting and the boning. The arrangement comprises a conveyor line (5) for transport of the carcasses suspended from a first hook (2), from a preparatory work station to a work station for separation of a part (3) from the carcass. A second hook (4) is applied into said part (3) of the carcass at the preparatory work station and is transported to the work station together with the carcass (1).

TECHNICAL AREA 
The present invention relates to an arrangement allowing automated handling 
of a carcass and parts separated therefrom. In machine-assisted cutting 
and boning, a hook or similar has to be applied manually into the part to 
be separated. This might cause a bottle-neck in the production, especially 
if the application would be made at an inconvenient stage of the process. 
According to the present invention, the hook application is located so as 
not to delay the operator performing the cutting and the bone removal. 
This means that the whole process can be automated still further. 
STATE OF THE ART 
Arrangements for the handling of carcasses are previously known. They 
generally consist of a line for transporting the carcasses, hanging from a 
first hook, from a preparatory work station to a work station for the 
separation of a part from the carcass. At the work station, a counter-hold 
tool is used, commonly in the shape of a hook. The application of the 
counter-hold hook into or onto the part to be separated has up to now been 
difficult to automate in a cost-efficient way, depending on the carcasses 
varying in size, orientation and in individual properties. Today, this has 
lead to a typical work procedure where the operator with his hands first 
collects an empty hook from a hook supply nearby, applies the hook into or 
onto the part to be separated, starts the equipment which is to move the 
carcass away from the counter-hold hook or vice versa, after which he 
waits for the separation to reach the point where he can start to cut. 
Today, this process takes 10-20 seconds out of a total processing cycle of 
generally 40-60 seconds in most cases. 
For cutting lines with high capacity demands, processing e.g. 1,000 animal 
carcasses per shift or about 500 quarters per hour, a time loss of 10-20 
seconds per quarter may result in the mechanizing of the cutting process 
being unprofitable. The actual application of the counter-hold hook in the 
part to be separated only takes a few seconds in itself, but the total 
time loss becomes approximately ten times longer due to the necessary 
preceding and succeding operations, including the time waiting for the 
stretching of the carcass/counter-hold hook before the knife-work can 
start. 
The present invention solves the above problem partly by the application of 
the counter-hold hook into or onto the part to be separated being made by 
another operator at a preceding work station or preparatory work station, 
and partly by the hook and the rest of the counter-hold arrangement being 
so designed as to ascertain a correct counter-hold position, whether the 
counter-hold equipment is stationary or mobile. The waiting time, until 
the stretching between the carcass and the counter-hold hook has been 
achieved so that cutting can start, is eliminated completely by performing 
the stretching while the carcass and the counter-hold hook is transported 
to the work station. 
After the counter-hold hook has been applied to the carcass it is 
transported automatically to the work station with its two hooks 
applied--the hook from which the carcass is normally always suspended as 
well as the counter-hold hook. This allows the automation of the entire 
process described above, except for the application of the counter-hold 
hook. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention thus provides an arrangement for the handling of 
slaughtered carcasses comprising a line for transportation of carcasses 
suspended from a first hook, from a preparatory work station to a work 
station for the separation of a part from the carcass. According to the 
invention, a second hook can be applied to said part at the preparatory 
work station and be transported to the work station together with the 
carcass. 
The invention is described in closer detail in the accompanying claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The principle of separating a certain part of a carcass from the carcass 
itself, by counter-hold hooks and pushing or pulling forces, is performed 
in practice either by applying the counter-hold hook into the part to be 
separated or by applying it onto the carcass so as to hold it in a fixed 
position. In the first case, the carcass is subjected to the pushing or 
pulling force so as to move away from the counter-hold hook. In the second 
case the part to be separated is subjected to a force moving away from the 
carcass. 
The first case could be called a stationary counter-hold case and the 
second a mobile counter-hold case. In both cases, the location should be 
selected, and the application of the hook, the gripping equipment etc. 
itself, in the present patent application referred to as the counter-hold 
hook, should be made, with extreme care on or in the part of the carcass 
to be separated. Whether the counter-hold hook is stationary or mobile, 
the separated part will, after separation from the carcass, be hanging 
from it. In order to obtain an efficient separation, to avoid tearing 
damage to the meat and to avoid the counter-hold hook and the carcass 
being pulled upward in the vertical plane, rendering the cutting work more 
difficult, it is very important that the counter-hold hook applies, during 
the separation, its force on the part to be separated in a controlled 
manner regarding its position in the vertical plane. After separation, it 
is important that the counter-hold hook is not placed too low, allowing 
the separated part to come into contact with the floor, and that said hook 
can be transported together with its load away from the separating 
station. 
In both the above cases, said conditions for the counter-hold device are 
fulfilled by first applying the counter-hold hook into or onto the part to 
be separated, and then hanging said hook on a line section, the position 
of which is adapted to the location on the carcass of the part to be 
separated. The counter-hold hook and the line section thus constitute the 
counter-hold device. 
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention, in which the counter-hold 
device is stationary. The figure shows a separation process from left to 
right in three stages. The carcass 1 is suspended from a transport hook 2 
whereas the part 3 to be separated has been prepared by attaching a 
counter-hold hook 4 to a suitable location on the carcass. In the figure, 
the transport hook is hanging from a transport line 5 whereas the 
counter-hold hook 4 is suspended from a counter-hold line 6. The lines 5 
and 6 may, as an alternative, be the same line, as discussed below. 
The carcass 1 has been transported from a preparatory station (not shown). 
The preparatory station may also be a preceding work station. According to 
the object of the present invention, the principal thing is that the 
counter-hold hook 4 is applied manually into the part 3 and is hung onto 
the line 6 so, that the carcass can be transported together with both 
hooks 2 and 4 to the work station. The counter-hold hook may also be 
transported from the preparatory station to the work station hanging 
solely from the carcass, and be caught automatically at the work station 
or at another suitable location. If necessary, a buffer zone is located 
between the preparatory station and the work station to control the timing 
of the carcasses arriving to the work station. 
In the first step, the carcass 1 has been conveyed to the work station. A 
stopper 8 holds the counter-hold hook stationary. The hook stopper 8 is 
arranged to hold the counter-hold hook 4 in such a way that it cannot be 
turned upwards in the vertical plane. This is a prerequisite of obtaining 
a controlled separation movement. In the next step, the separation begins. 
The transport hook 2 is moved to the right and may also be assisted by a 
support arm 7 moving together with the transport hook 2. The control of 
the transport hook is adjusted so as not to tear the meat apart, should 
the operator not start cutting. Only now the operator starts working, and 
the whole procedure before this point has been automatic. In the final 
step, the part 3 and the carcass 1 are shown separated. If another 
separation is to be performed, this operator takes a new counter-hold hook 
(not shown), attaches it to an appropriate part of the carcass and hangs 
it, where appropriate, onto a line for further transportation to the next 
work station. 
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention where the counter-hold 
device, contrary to the above described embodiment, is mobile. In FIG. 2, 
corresponding parts have the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1. The 
transport hook 2 and the arm 7 are thus held stationary, whereas the 
counter-hold hook 4 is retained by a hook stopper and can be given a 
controlled movement. The counter-hold hook may also be placed on a carrier 
(not shown), as described in my Swedish patent application No 9302447-9. 
The counter-hold line 6 may also have a special design shape in order to 
obtain a controlled movement. It will be evident to the person skilled in 
the art that the rest of the work procedure will be the same as for the 
embodiment in FIG. 1. 
The figures show separate lines for the transport hook and the counter-hold 
hook. It is also possible to have the hooks suspended from the same 
conveyor line. As the hooks always come in the same order, they can be 
separated by providing suitable stoppers on the lines. Alternatively, the 
hooks may be transported on the same line between the preparatory station 
and the work station, but one hook is lifted to a separate line at the 
actual work station. 
As indicated in the figures, the counter-hold hook 4 is generally longer 
than the transport hook 2. The relative lengths are adapted individually 
according to the type of slaughtered carcass and the part to be separated. 
The counter-hold hooks can also be of the type allowing automatic release 
of the separated part. It is also favourable if a return line (not shown) 
is provided for return transport of the counter-hold hooks to a suitable 
location of the cutting line.