Apparatus for filleting the breast piece of slaughtered poultry

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for filleting the breastpiece of slaughtered poultry, which breastpiece at least comprises the sternum (2) and the wishbone (3) defined by both clavicles, with means for supporting and conveying (4) the breastpiece and with cutting means (7) for cutting loose the breastmeat from the sternum and wishbone. The cutting means comprise a cutting device having a V-shape which basically corresponds with the outermost boundary of the wishbone, wherein said cutting device is driven such that it severes the breastmeat from the wishbone closely adjacent said outermost boundary and, as seen in the direction of conveyance of the apparatus, moves along substantially synchronously with the breastpiece while severing.

Description: The invention relates to an apparatus for filleting the breastpiece of slaughtered poultry, which breastpiece at least comprises the sternum and the wishbone defined by both clavicles, with means for supporting and conveying the breastpiece and with cutting means for cutting loose the breastmeat from the sternum and wishbone. When, using a known apparatus, the breastmeat is cut loose from the sternum and the wishbone, it often appears that bone fragments are present in the severed breastmeat. There are several reasons for the presence of such bone fragments. It should be noted that the bone fragments primarily originate from the wishbone. The poultry, from which the breastpiece originates, primarily comprise young chickens which are not yet fully grown. As a result during a number of stages from living chicken towards completed end product bone fractures may occur. Already while catching the chickens, fractures may occur in the not yet fully grown wishbone, because the chickens frantically flap their wings. Also while stunning, previously to slaughtering, shock-like muscle tensions sometimes cause undesired bone fractures. The following plucking of slaughtered chickens using mechanised plucking fingers define another source of bone fractures. Finally, bone fractures may be caused by the use of automatised ready-to-cook machines which make the slaughtered chicken ready to cook. Eviscerators also belong to this category of machines. EP-A-0 695 506 shows an apparatus for automatic removal of an inner fillet from slaughtered poultry, in which said inner fillet is at least partly scraped off from the carcass by application of scraping elements that are tilted downwards while the carcass is moved under it. The movement of the scraping elements in the known apparatus takes place very much more quickly than the movement of the mounting supports carrying the concerning carcass. This results in a scraping force by which the inner fillets on each side of the breast bone of the carcass are torn off. It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the type mentioned before, using which it can be avoided effectively that bone fragments are present in the breastmeat cut loose. Thus according to the invention the apparatus is characterised in that the cutting means comprise a cutting device having a V-shape which basically corresponds with the outermost boundary of the wishbone, wherein said cutting device is driven such that it severes the breastmeat from the wishbone closely adjacent said outermost boundary and, as seen in the direction of conveyance of the apparatus, moves along substantially synchronously with the breastpiece while severing. It appeared that using such a cutting device the connection between the wishbone and surrounding breastmeat can be severed effectively in such a way, that during the following filleting of the breastpiece the breastmeat is removed and the wishbone stays behind, wherein further possible bone fragments stay behind together with said wishbone and thus the removed breastmeat is fully free of bone fragments. It is noted that, as a result of the substantially synchronous motion of breastpiece and cutting device strictly speaking punching or pressing occurs rather than cutting. For, during functioning the cutting device merely moves up and down substantially perpendicularly to the breastpiece, whereas a relative longitudinal motion as a result of the synchronous motion is avoided. Within the scope of the invention a number of possibilities exist for realising the cutting device. A first embodiment is characterised in that the cutting device has two parts which are not connected at the tip of the V. Like this it is realised that, when the cutting device has carried out its function, initially a connection occurs between the breastmeat and the tip of the wishbone. Only during the following filleting said connection is severed resulting in two half fillets. When however, in correspondence with an alternative embodiment, the cutting device comprises a single continuous V-shaped part (such that at the tip of the V the previously mentioned two parts are indeed connected) the breastmeat is also already severed by the cutting device at the tip of the wishbone and can one single fillet be obtained during filleting. Whether one chooses a cutting device with two separate parts or a cutting device comprising a single continuous part depends upon the demand from the market, thus whether half fillets or entire fillets are desired. In correspondence with an advantageous embodiment the substantially synchronous motion of breastpiece and cutting device is realised by a cutting device driving apparatus synchronised with the conveying means, offering said cutting device a circular track which along part of its circumference substantially coincides with the track followed by the wishbone. At the coinciding section of the circumference of the circular track and the track followed by the wishbone the cutting device and the wishbone merely move substantially perpendicularly to each other and do not move relative to each other in longitudinal direction, as a result of which the desired punching motion is obtained. For realising such a circular track it is possible, that the driving apparatus comprises two arms rotatable around parallel axes, which are connected by a connecting arm supporting the cutting device. Using said special construction the cutting device indeed follows a circular track, but always maintains the same spacial position, for example in parallel to the wishbone. Of course other motion mechanisms are conceivable for realising that the cutting device moves along synchronously with the breastpiece along a part of the track followed by it. As an example of such an alternative driving apparatus a construction is mentioned comprising two linear guidings extending perpendicularly relative to each other. Often the apparatus according to the invention is of the type in which the supporting means comprise a carriage receiving the breast piece. In such a case it is advantageous, when the carriage carries a centring plate which may engage the breastpiece below the wishbone and which at its free end is provided with a recess for receiving a tendon extending in the longitudinal medial plane of the breastpiece between the tip of the wishbone and the sternum. By means of said centring plate the breastpiece can be centred correctly; especially this means that the longitudinal medial plane of the breast piece is positioned in parallel to the direction of conveyance of the apparatus, such that the following severing of the breastmeat using the cutting device may occur in an optimal manner. Hereinafter the invention will be elucidated referring to the drawing, in which several embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention are represented. Fig. 1 shows in three stages schematically the operation of an embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; fig. 2 shows perspectively two embodiments of a cutting device according to the invention; fig. 3 shows in a side-elevational view part of a different embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, and fig. 4 shows a top plan view according to arrow IV in fig. 3. Fig. 1 shows schematically a side-elevational view of part of an apparatus for filleting the breastpiece 1 of slaughtered poultry. The breastpiece 1 comprises at least the sternum 2 and the wishbone 3 defined by both clavicles. The apparatus includes a large amount of carriages 4 (of which only one is represented) which, using a driving means 5 (for example and endless chain), follow an endless track. The carriages 4 are meant for supporting and conveying the breastpieces 1. The direction of conveyance of the breastpieces 1 is indicated by arrow 6 in fig. 1. The apparatus includes cutting means for cutting loose the breastmeat from the sternum and from the wishbone. As far as said cutting means are of a conventional type these are not represented in the figure. However, said cutting means also include a cutting device 7 which, as will appear later from fig. 2, has a V-shape which basically corresponds with the outermost boundary of the wishbone. The cutting device is mounted onto a connecting arm 8 which extends between two arms 9 and 10 being rotatable in the direction of arrows 11 and 12 around axes 13 and 14 extending perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing. The assembly of connecting arm 8, arms 9 and 10 and rotational axes 13 and 14 results in a cutting device driving apparatus 7 which offers said cutting device a circular track. Further, however, the cutting device 7 maintains a fixed spacial orientation. The motion of the cutting device 7 and the motion of the breastpiece 1 are synchronised in such a way that the circular track of the cutting device along part of its circumference basically coincides with the track followed by the wishbone 3. This will be elucidated further referring to fig. 1a until 1c. Represented in dotted lines in fig. 1a is a position, in which the cutting device 7 is at a large distance from the breastpiece 1. When the breastpiece 1 has reached the position indicated in full lines in fig. 1a, the cutting device 7 also has reached the position indicated in full lines and has just started engaging the breastmeat surrounding the wishbone 3. Due to the synchronisation between the cutting device 7 and the breastpiece 1 the cutting device 7 substantially merely carries out a perpendicular motion relative to the breast piece 1. After some time the position illustrated in fig. 1b is reached, in which the relative longitudinal position of the cutting device 7 in respect of the breastpiece 1 basically does not or hardly differ from the position illustrated in fig. 1a, but wherein the cutting device 7 has reached its maximum depth in the breastpiece 1. As a result the breastmeat is cut loose, or better punched free, closely around the wishbone 3. Represented in full lines in fig. 1c is a position of the breastpiece 1 and cutting device 7, respectively, in which these almost are separated again. Next the position partially represented in dotted lines will be reached, in which the cutting device 7 is again distanced from the breastpiece 1. Thereupon the cutting device 7 will fully complete its circular track for again arriving at the position indicated at the right of fig. 1a at that moment at which the next carriage 4 with breastpiece 1 has arrived at that location. Thus successive breastpiece 1 can be processed continuously. Of course it is possible to realise the synchronous motion of the cutting device 7 and breastpiece 1 in other ways than represented. For example it is conceivable to provide a driving apparatus comprising two perpendicularly positioned linear guidings (for example in parallel to the direction of conveyance of the breastpiece and perpendicularly thereto) using which the synchronous motion of the cutting device 7 along part of its track may be generated. As mentioned before the cutting device 7 with its V-shape closely matches the outermost boundary of the wishbone. In this respect it is possible that the cutting device has the shape illustrated in fig. 2a, that is comprising two parts 7a and 7b which are not connected at the tip of the V or, in correspondence with fig. 2b, comprises a single continuous V-shaped part 7. In the embodiment illustrated in fig. 2a initially a connection remains between the tip of the wishbone and the breastmeat. When during filleting said connection is severed the fillet at the same time is divided into two parts, thus forming two half fillets. When however the cutting device is shaped in correspondence with fig. 2b the filleting will result in one single filleted part. As indicated in fig. 3 it is possible that the carriage 4 carries a centring plate 15 which at its end (see fig. 4) is provided with a recess 16 for receiving a tendon 17 extending in the longitudinal medial plane of the breast piece between the tip of the wishbone 3 and the sternum 2. As a result the breastpiece 1 can be oriented correctly (that is positioned in parallel with the direction of conveyance) such that the cutting device 7 may operate in an optimised manner. Further it is possible that the centring plate engages the sternum. The invention is not limited to the embodiment described before, which may be varied widely within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims: Apparatus for filleting the breastpiece (1) of slaughtered poultry, which breastpiece (1) at least comprises the sternum (2) and the wishbone (3) defined by both clavicles, with means (4) for supporting and conveying the breastpiece (1) and with cutting means (7) for cutting loose the breastmeat from the sternum (2) and wishbone (3), characterised in that the cutting means comprise a cutting device (7) having a V-shape which basically corresponds with the outermost boundary of the wishbone (3), wherein said cutting device (7) is driven such that it severes the breastmeat from the wishbone (3) closely adjacent said outermost boundary and, as seen in the direction of conveyance (6) of the apparatus, moves along substantially synchronously with the breastpiece (1) while severing. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the cutting device (7) has two parts (7a, 7b) which are not connected at the tip of the V (Fig. 2a). Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the cutting device (7) comprises a single continuous V-shaped part (Fig. 2b). Apparatus according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that the substantially synchronous motion of breastpiece (1) and cutting device (7) is realised by a cutting device (7) driving apparatus synchronised with the conveying means (4), offering said cutting device (7) a circular track which along part of its circumference substantially coincides with the track followed by the wishbone (3). Apparatus according to claim 4, characterised in that the driving apparatus comprises two arms (10, 11) rotatable around parallel axes (13, 14), which arms (10, 11) are connected by a connecting arm (8) supporting the cutting device (7). Apparatus according to one of the previous claims, wherein the supporting means comprise a carriage (4) receiving the breastpiece (1), characterised in that the carriage (4) carries a centring plate (15) which may engage the breastpiece (1) below the wishbone (3) and which at its free end is provided with a recess (16) for receiving a tendon (17) extending in the longitudinal medial plane of the breastpiece (1) between the tip of the wishbone (3) and the sternum (2).

Inventors: AL GERT-JAN, BAKKER MAARTEN, AL, GERT-JAN, BAKKER, MAARTEN
Applicants: MACHF MEYN B V, MACHINEFABRIEK MEYN B.V.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A22C21
IPC codes: A22C21