Device for de-rinding trimming a piece of meat or a piece of slaughtered animal

A device and a method are proposed for de-rinding or trimming a piece of meat or piece of a slaughtered animal, in which an arrangement device for the arrangement of the piece, an industrial robot with a manipulator arm and a sensor system, which detects the part that is to be separated, are provided. The sensor system comprises a camera and an image processing system as well as, if necessary, a distance measuring system, which determines the distance between a predefined zero point and a measuring point on the surface of the piece. Further, a cutting tool is provided, which separates the part from the piece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a device for de-rinding or trimming a piece of meat or a piece of a slaughtered animal.

2. Description of Related Art

In the processing of a piece of meat or a piece of a slaughtered animal skin, fat, muscles, tendons and rind are removed. If the piece of meat has a relatively uniform thickness, the de-rinding and skinning can take place by means of a machine with the help of a skinning, fleecing and/or de-rinding device. For example, this holds true for a boned belly of pork. The remnants of fat which are left over in the automatic processing of a meat plate or the remnants of meat which are left over in the automatic processing of a plate have up to now been removed by hand. The processor must distinguish between muscle meat and fat. At the edges of the boned belly of pork there are frequently skin folds present. Due to the irregular thickness a post-processing by hand is also necessary at these places. This processing by hand is not only time-consuming and costly, but rather is also connected with a danger of injury for the processor.

The rinding of a boned pork has up to this point also occurred partially by hand. The ham with the foot or the shoulder with the ribs is removed by a processor by hand and guided to the blade of a rinding machine. In the process the ham must be aligned in such a way that the blade can grip the rind during the cutting. As soon as the blade has penetrated the rind, the ham is pressed against and turned to the blade by means of rollers. This represents a high risk of injury for the processor in particular in the region of his hands. In addition processing by hand is connected with high expenses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Using the inventive device, irregularly shaped meat pieces or pieces of slaughtered animals can be processed automatically. Additionally, areas accessible only with difficulty can not be processed automatically. Previously, irregularly shaped and/or inaccessible areas could only be processed by hand. A sensor combined and optionally a distance measuring system are used to measure the coordinates of the surface of the meat. The meat is then manipulated by a mechanical arm relative to a stationary cutter or the cutter is manipulated relative to the meat.

The inventive device comprises a sensor system comprising a camera and an image processing system and optionally a distance measuring system. The sensor detects the part that is to be separated from the piece of meat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Using the inventive device10, parts to be separated are detected by a sensor system30. For this purpose, a camera with an image processing system and optionally additionally a distance measuring system are provided. The camera and the image processing system record the coordinates of the part to be separated in particular at its surface in two or three dimensions. The distance between the surface of the piece50and the manipulator arm22of the robot20are recorded with the camera and image processing system and/or with a distance measuring system. The coordinates of the surface of the part to be separated from the piece50of meat or the piece50of slaughtered animal are recorded. This recorded data is processed by microprocessors into signals. The signals steer either a cutting tool24or a gripper26on a manual manipulator arm22of an industrial robot20.

In one embodiment, the manipulator arm22is equipped with the cutting tool24adapted to be guided to the piece50, which is either resting or moving at a constant speed. Using the cutting tool24the parts are separated from the piece50. In an alternative embodiment, the manipulator arm22is equipped with a gripper26that receives the piece50of meat and guides it to a stationary cutting tool such as blade50. The gripper26is adapted to align the piece50in such a way that the part can be separated by the stationary cutting tool.

A post-processing by hand is not necessary. To make certain that the undesirable parts have been completely separated, the piece50can be examined again after processing using the sensor30such as the camera and the image processing system. If there are still undesirable remnants on the piece50, the cutting tool24is activated again. The control of the manipulator arm22takes place with the help of a computer.

Using the inventive device10, areas of meat pieces50or pieces50of slaughtered animals can be processed which are irregularly formed or only accessible with difficulty and which thus up to now could only be processed by hand. The inventive device10comprises sensor30, preferably the sensor30comprises a camera and image processor to distinguish between the parts to be separated and the surroundings. Optionally, the device further comprises a distance sensor.

The foodstuff pieces processed with the inventive device10can undergo further processing or packaging after separation of the undesirable pieces.

The industrial robot20can either be a robot20with a manipulator arm22with several degrees of freedom or it can be a Scara robot with a manipulator arm. In the case of the latter robot, the number of degrees of freedom is lower, but is sufficient for some applications.

In a first advantageous design of the invention as shown inFIGS. 1-4, the device10comprises at least one sensor30. Preferably, the sensor30comprises a camera and an image evaluation unit and/or a distance measurement system. Preferably, the distance measurement system comprises a sender, a receiver and an evaluation unit. The determination of the distance preferably takes place in a non-contact manner. In the process the sender and receiver can use optical or acoustical signals. For example, a laser range finder can be used.

If the surface of the piece50to be processed is nearly level, it is sufficient to determine the distance between a zero point and a measuring point at the surface of the piece50in the range of the part to be separated. This holds true for example with a boned belly of pork. The manipulator arm22with the cutting tool24is then moved a distance which is determined from the measured distance at the surface of the piece50. The cutting tool24is then moved in an area above the surface of the piece50, which corresponds to the part that is to be separated. The part to be separated can be determined using the camera and the image processing system. The cutting tool24is driven in such a way that the part is cut off from the piece50.

The parts that are to be separated can be remnants of meat or fat, which remain on the surface during the mechanical de-rinding. Such remnants have, up to now, been removed by hand with the help of a trimmer. Such trimmers are knives with a circular rotating blade with a cutting depth setting. Such a knife can be provided on the manipulator arm for the removal of remnants. Since the red muscle meat and the white fat differ from each other sufficiently in color, the areas can be differentiated from each other with the help of the camera and the image processing system. The thickness of the area can be determined at least approximately from the size of the areas to be separated. The cutting depth is adjusted in accordance with the thickness. The manipulator arm22equipped with a trimmer moves along the surface and separates the remnants from the piece50.

A disk-shaped rotating blade can also be used in place of a trimmer with a circular blade. In addition, other knives which perform oblique shearing or which are operated with a sawing motion may be used.

In a further advantageous design of the invention, the distance measurement system comprises three senders and one receiver, in order to determine the distance between three measuring points and one prescribed zero point. In situations where the surface of the piece is not level, such as for example is the case with the outward pointing surface of a slaughtered animal half, it is not sufficient to only determine the distance between the surface of the piece50and a zero point. It is also necessary to determine the shape of the piece50at the area that is to be processed.

The shape of the piece50is determined by determining the distance between three measuring points and one zero point. In the process, the three measuring points must not be located on a line. The rise and fall in the examined area can be determined from these data. This results in not only the distance which the cutting tool24must travel to the surface of the piece50but also in the angle at which the cutting tool24must be applied at the surface of the piece. Such processing is, for example, necessary for de-rinding along the cutting lines of a half of a slaughtered pig.

Along the cutting lines the slaughtered animal is divided into several larger pieces. Up to now, for example the belly of pork is not flayed until after the removal of the bones. However, this has the disadvantage that the edges of the belly of pork exhibit skin folds and therefore cannot be completely de-rinded/flayed by machine. There are always skin remnants on the edges. Using the inventive device10the pork halves can be flayed along the cutting lines prior to further cutting and removal of the bones of the belly of pork. The cutting lines that delimit the belly of pork, where skin folds occur, are located at the shoulder and above the hind leg. In order to flay in these regions, the suspended half of the slaughtered animal is attached to a plate42with the help of clips. The plate42is of a color that differs greatly from the color of the pork, for example blue. The sensor30such as a camera and the image processing system are adapted to detect the regions that are to be processed using the outlines of the pork half. Using the data from the range measurement the cutting tool24, a de-rinding device or other cutting tool24, is guided to the surface and contacts the surface at the determined angle. In guiding the de-rinding device above the surface of the slaughtered animal the angle is, if necessary, varied during the cutting or de-rinding process corresponding to the shape of the surface.

The shape of the surface can also be determined with a camera and an image processor instead of using a distance measuring system.

The de-rinding and skinning device can be a mobile device, as used to flay by hand. In addition it is possible to use a stationary de-rinding and skinning device54as shown inFIGS. 5-8. The manipulator arm22is provided with a gripper26. The piece50is guided to the blade52with the help of a gripper26. This is not appropriate in the case of a slaughtered animal half, however stationary de-rinding devices are suitable for belly pieces, hams or shoulders that have already been boned.

The stationary skinning and de-rinding devices are based on the principle that above a drawing roller a material to be processed, such as a piece50of meat, is pressed against a blade52and moved toward the blade52. In the process, the part of the material located between the blade52and the drawing roller is cut off. The thickness of the layer that has been cut off can be predefined by the distance between the drawing roller and the blade52. Depending on the thickness and type of layer that has been cut off, one speaks of de-rinding, skinning or fleecing.

To de-rind a ham with feet or a shoulder with ribs the piece is aligned on a base support56in a predefined position. Using the camera and the image processing system the rind and the position where the blade52of a de-rinding device can be attached, are determined. Then a gripper26arranged on the manipulator arm22of the industrial robot20grips the piece50and feeds it to a stationary de-rinding device. As soon as the blade52of the de-rinding device has penetrated the rind, the piece is transported with the help of the drawing roller. The gripper26can therefore disengage from the piece50and does not pick it up again until the de-rinding has been completed.

A further advantageous design of the invention provides a conveyor belt40as an arrangement device. It serves the purpose of transporting the piece50from one processing station to the next. The piece50lying on the conveyor belt40can be analyzed by the sensor system30, which is located above. For this purpose, the transport can be paused. The manipulator arm22of the industrial robot20holds or processes the piece50. If the piece50remains on the conveyor belt40during the processing, it can be further transported on the conveyor belt40after conclusion of the processing. A single conveyor belt40can be used to transport the piece from the sensor30, to the mechanical arm22and to post-processing. Alternatively, a first conveyor belt40A can be used to transport the piece50between the sensor30and the manipulator arm22and a second conveyor belt40B can transport the piece50between the manipulator arm22and post-processing.

Optionally, the conveyor40can be used to transport the piece50to the sensor30after cutting or to a second sensor (not shown) after cutting to ensure that all of the undesirable material has been removed from the piece50.

A further advantageous design of the invention provides a suction device, which suctions the parts that have been cut off. The parts can subsequently be collected and if necessary processed further.

In accordance with a further advantageous design of the invention the industrial robot20is equipped with a cleaning device. For example, the cleaning device can be a steam cleaning device with a spray lance. Therewith the device can itself perform a cleaning of its parts that come into contact with the foodstuff pieces as well as the surroundings.

Further advantages and advantageous designs in the invention can be inferred from the claims.

All features of the invention can be essential to the invention both individually as well as in random combination with one another.