APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING ARTICLES

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for processing articles (25) moving in succession along a path, the apparatus comprising conveyor means (23) arranged to convey the succession of articles along the path, means (27) to split the succession of articles into at least two streams and means (28) to weigh each article while the articles are split into the two streams. The invention includes a corresponding method. Splitting the articles into two or more streams not only allows more time for weighing each article, even when the articles are moving at relatively high speed, but it also minimises the risk that one poultry carcass will interfere with an adjacent one.

Description: APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING ARTICLES The invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing articles moving in succession along a path, particularly, but not exclusively poultry carcasses. Many forms of apparatus are known for processing poultry carcasses. The carcasses are usually conveyed by hanging them from shackles attached to a continuous conveyor. The carcasses usually have to be weighed but there are many problems associated with weighing and the problems become more severe as processing rates increase. For example, if the carcasses are arranged too closely together, then one carcass may touch another while being weighed, which will give an inaccurate result. Various forms of apparatus have been developed to reduce the problems and examples of known systems are disclosed in our earlier U.K. Patents numbers 1 551 701 and 2 146 131. We have now concluded that a more radical solution to the problem is required with modern processing apparatus where even higher processing rates are required. We have also made further developments with a view to coping with problems such as might be caused by damaged, misaligned, and/or distorted poultry carcass carrying shackles. The invention provides apparatus for processing articles moving in succession along a path, the apparatus comprising conveyor means arranged to convey a succession of articles along the path, means to split the succession of articles into at least two streams, and means to weigh each article while the articles are split into the two streams. Splitting the articles into two or more streams not only allows more time for weighing each article, even when the articles are moving at relatively high speed, but it also minimises the risk that one poultry carcass will interfere with an adjacent one. Preferably the succession is split using at least one transfer means. The transfer means may transfer articles from a first part of the conveyor means to a second part of the same conveyor means. Alternatively, the transfer means may transfer articles from a first conveyor means to a second conveyor means. Where two separate conveyor means are used, the pitch of the articles i.e. the spacing between adjacent articles may be different on the second conveyor means, compared to the first conveyor means, provided the ratio of the line speeds of the conveyor means is the same as the ratio of the spacing between adjacent article carriers. The weighing can conveniently be carried out on the transfer means. The transfer means may comprise a mechanism operable to release an article from a first article carrier, swing the article into a weighing position, and then swing the article into another position in which it is placed on a second article carrier. The article carriers may comprise poultry carcass carrying shackles. Preferably, the conveyor means extends around a bend and articles are transferred from the conveyor means on the bend. This has the advantage that delivering and receiving article carriers move away from each other immediately after the transfer point, and there is therefore less likelihood of accidental entanglement. A corner wheel may be used to provide the bend. The two streams are preferably provided by removing articles from two or more points on the bend. There may be one transfer wheel around which the conveyor means passes, and at least two weighing wheels. There may be an intermediate wheel between the transfer wheel and each weighing wheel. At least one control wheel may be arranged adjacent to at least one weighing wheel to control the articles as they are replaced on the conveyor means. Control means may be provided in the nip between a transfer wheel and a weighing wheel. The control means may be arranged to prevent an article e.g. a poultry carcass, which is being transferred, from being pulled away from its carrier by either of the adjacent articles. With poultry carcasses, for example, the wings of adjacent birds can be interlocked. The control means may be arranged to stabilise the article being transferred, and/or lock the article into the receiving carrier. The invention includes a method of processing articles moving in succession along a path, comprising conveying the articles in succession along the path, splitting the succession of articles into at least two streams, and weighing each article while the articles are split into the two streams. By way of example, specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the general type of poultry processing apparatus with which the invention is concerned; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view showing one embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view showing a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a further embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 6 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating a still further embodiment. Figure 1 shows the general type of poultry processing apparatus with which the invention is concerned. A plurality of poultry carcasses 10 are suspended from shackles 11 for conveying along a path through a poultry processing plant, so that the carcasses can be weighed, graded, and then sorted or processed according to weight and grade. The shackles 11 are suspended from trolleys 12 running along a rail 13. The shackles are moved by a continuous chain 14 and at points along the path the chain may pass around corner wheels such as 15. In prior art arrangements, the carcasses 10 are weighed while still attached to the shackles 11 , which has certain limitations. Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of an embodiment of the invention in which a chain 16 conveys articles 17 along a conveyor path, which at one point in the processing plant passes around a corner wheel 18. This embodiment of apparatus according to the invention incorporates a transfer device and in the example shown in Figure 2, three transfer devices are provided, each comprising a rotatable member 19 A, 19B and 19C, each having a pair of handling devices 20 thereon, the handling devices being arranged at opposite sides of the respective rotatable member. As an article approaches one of the handling devices, the handling device lifts the article clear of its associated article carrier, and the respective rotatable member then rotates through 90°, moving the article into a position where it can be weighed. Figure 2 shows transfer device 19A about to pick up an article. Transfer device 19B has already picked up an article and moved it into the position for weighing. After an article has been weighed, the transfer device and associated handling device cooperate to bring the article towards the opposite run of the conveyor chain 16 and then replace the article on an empty article carrier on the opposite run of the conveyor chain 16. The movement of each transfer device and the associated handling devices is controlled dependent upon the sensing of the positions of empty article carriers which are to receive weighed articles. This means that the apparatus can cope with situations in which the pitch of article carriers along the conveyor path may vary, for example because of wear in the links of the chain, where the conveyor is driven by a chain. By completely removing the articles from between their adjacent articles, there is no possibility of an article touching adjacent articles while it is being weighed, and so the articles can be spaced more closely together on the conveyor runs than is possible with prior art arrangements. The arrangements shown in Figure 2 involves three transfer devices, so that weighing can be carried out at three positions. By weighing at three positions rather than one, more time is made available to carry out each individual weighing operation. For some applications it may be possible to use two weighing positions or more than three, depending on requirements. It is not essential that the transfer device picks up articles and replaces articles on the same conveyor run. Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment in which articles are picked up from one conveyor run 21 , weighed, and then replaced on an entirely separate conveyor run 22. Control means associated with the apparatus counts articles as they are removed from one conveyor run, and checks that each article is replaced on an empty article carrier of the other run, irrespective of any difference in pitch between the two conveyor runs, or difference in speed. In Figure 4 there is shown a first conveyor 23 and a second conveyor 24. The conveyors are arranged to convey a succession of poultry carcasses at a constant linear speed on spaced apart poultry carcass carrying shackles which are illustrated diagrammatically, for example at 25 on conveyor 23. To facilitate accurate selective removal of carcasses for weighing, conveyor 23 is arranged to travel around a transfer wheel 26 which is rotating in a clockwise direction. At two points on the bend around the wheel, poultry carcasses are removed by intermediate wheels 27 which in turn transfer the carcasses to two weighing wheels 28. After the carcasses have been weighed, they are placed on the outgoing conveyor 24 which is moving from left to right as viewed in Figure 4. Figure 5 illustrates an alternative arrangement in which conveyor 23 and transfer wheel 26 remain the same, but the intermediate wheels 27 are eliminated. Transfer takes place directly from the transfer wheel 26 to the two weighing wheels 28. Carcass control means may be provided, for example in the form of two guide bars 31 are provided, each being positioned in the nip between the transfer wheel 26 and one of the weighing wheels 28. The guide bar serves two purposes. The first purpose is to prevent the bird that is being transferred from pulling either of the adjacent birds out of their carrying shackle, for example if the wings have becomes interlocked. The second purpose is to keep the legs of the transferred bird in the second shackle in case it bounces out of the shackle, or is dragged out by the adjacent bird that had not been transferred. Although control is less important when transferring carcasses back onto the shackles, since all the shackles are empty and it is not necessary to select specific shackles, control can nevertheless be provided in certain circumstances, for example by ananging for the conveyor 24 to pass around three control wheels, 29, one of the control wheels being arranged adjacent to each of the weighing wheels 28. Figure 6 illustrates a further arrangement. If there is a requirement for carcasses to be placed back on the same conveyor, after weighing, then the conveyor 23 can be arranged to follow the return path shown, around two corner wheels 30 from when it picks up the two streams of weighed birds, firstly from the right hand weighing wheel 28 and then from the left hand weighing wheel. The apparatus has two more features to cope with deformed or out of gauge shackles. Both features depend on the ability to detect out of gauge shackles. If this situation is detected by sensing means (not shown) it is possible to disengage the transfer mechanism on the transfer corner wheel 27 and the bird separator guide bar 31. The purpose of this is to prevent damage to either of these parts. Secondly, the transfer mechanism is also force sensitive, so that in the event of a jam up, the transfer mechanism will not go through its full stroke. The embodiments described above are particularly effective in removing selected birds (for example every second or third bird depending on total bird throughput), even out of suspect shackles on the in- feed conveyor (which could be upwards of 1000 metres long, having wound through an air chiller for 30 to 60 minutes) onto the more easily maintained carriers within the transfer and weighing system. By weighing birds in parallel, there is double the space between successive birds during the weighing cycle. This minimizes the risk that one bird will touch an adjacent bird and it also doubles the time available within which to weigh each bird, while maintaining a constant speed through the cycle. The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concunently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for processing articles moving in succession along a path, the apparatus comprising conveyor means arranged to convey a succession of articles along the path, means to split the succession of articles into at least two streams, and means to weigh each article while the articles are split into the two streams. 2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the succession is split using at least one transfer means. 3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, in which the transfer means transfers articles from a first path of the conveyor means to a second path of the conveyor means. 4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, in which the transfer means transfers articles from a first conveyor means to a second conveyor means. 5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, in which the pitch of the articles i.e. the spacing between adjacent articles, is different on the second conveyor means, compared to the first conveyor means. 6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, in which weighing is carried out on the transfer means. 7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, in which the transfer means comprises a mechanism operable to release an article from a first article carrier, swing the article into a weighing position, and then swing the article into another position in which it is placed on a second article carrier. 8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, in which the article carriers comprise poultry carcass carrying shackles. 9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the conveyor means extends around a bend and articles are transferred from the conveyor means on the bend. 10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9, in which a corner wheel is used to provide the bend. 11. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, in which the two streams are provided by removing articles from two or more points on the bend. 12. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 11 , in which there is one transfer wheel around which the conveyor means passes, and at least two weighing wheels. 13. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 12, in which there is an intermediate wheel between the transfer wheel and each weighing wheel. 14. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 12 or Claim 13 in which at least one control wheel is arranged adjacent to at least one weighing wheel to control the articles as they are replaced on the conveyor means. 15. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 12 to 14, in which control means are provided in the nip between a transfer wheel and a weighing wheel. 16. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 15, in which the control means is arranged to prevent an article, e.g. a poultry carcass, which is being transferred, from being pulled away from its receiving carrier by either of the adjacent articles. 17. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 15 or Claim 16, in which the control means is arranged to stabilise the article being transferred, and/or lock the article into its receiving carrier. 18. Apparatus for processing articles, constructed and arranged substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 19. A method of processing articles moving in succession along a path, comprising conveying the articles in succession along the path, splitting the succession of articles into at least two streams, and weighing each article while the articles are split into the two streams. 20. A method of processing articles moving in succession along a path, substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: BROOK RICHARD MORLEY, BROOK, RICHARD, MORLEY
Applicants: AUTOSYSTEMS LTD, BROOK RICHARD MORLEY, AUTOSYSTEMS LIMITED, BROOK, RICHARD, MORLEY
Application year: 1997
Main classification: G01G15
IPC codes: G01G15, G01G19