Apparatus for conveying slaughtered animals

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for conveying slaughtered animals, in particular birds or parts of birds, which apparatus comprises a plurality of carriers for the animals, each of which carrier is connected via adjustable coupling means (8) with a conveyor (7), and which travel a path passing at least one inspection or processing station, wherein during operation of the conveyor each carrier at a predetermined position in the conveyor's path is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis by means of adjusting the coupling means via at least one operating unit positioned along the path, and wherein along the conveyor's path there is at least one guide member (6) provided which is capable, after the carrier is rotated to a predetermined position, of moving the animal suspended from the carrier such that it is diverted around the processing station. Each carrier possesses at least one arm (5) extending substantially sideways, and in that the guide member is equipped to cooperate with the arm when, as a result of the carrier's rotation to the predetermined position, the arm is placed at right angles to the conveyor's path of travel.

Description: The invention relates to an apparatus for conveying slaughtered animals, in particular birds or parts of birds, which apparatus comprises a plurality of carriers for the animals, each of which carrier is connected via adjustable coupling means with a conveyor, and which travel a path passing at least one inspection or processing station, wherein during operation of the conveyor each carrier at a predetermined position in the conveyor's path is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis by means of adjusting the coupling means via at least one operating unit positioned along the path, and wherein along the conveyor's path there is at least one guide member provided which is capable, after the carrier is rotated to a predetermined position, of moving the animal suspended from the carrier such that it is diverted around the processing station. Such an apparatus is disclosed in the international patent application WO 93/13671 (PCT/NL93/00016). A problem with the known apparatus is that an animal which after inspection is found to be unsuitable for processing in the processing station, is brought outside the path of the conveyor and the processing station through contact with the guide member. For hygienic reasons this direct contact between the guide member and the respective animal is undesirable. Another problem is that in order to allow the animal to circumvent the processing station, the carrier in the prior art is eccentric, which limits the speed with which the carrier with the suspended animal can be rotated to the predetermined position for guiding the animal around the processing station. This speed limit is unfavourable and has a limiting effect regarding the conveyance speed of the slaughtered animals in the apparatus, resulting in an undesirable limitation to the performance. It is the particular object of the invention to embody the apparatus such as to solve these problems. An additional objective is to provide further advantages which will be explained hereinbelow. The apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that each carrier possesses at least one arm extending substantially sideways, and in that the guide member is equipped to cooperate with the arm when, as a result of the carrier's rotation to the predetermined position, the arm is placed at right angles to the conveyor's path of travel. This is a very simple manner for providing a hygienic means to avoid that an animal is being processed in the processing station. A further advantage of the invention is that the carrier for each animal may be carried out substantially rotation-symmetrically so that, if desired, the carrier can very quickly be rotated to the predetermined position so that the cooperation between the arm, which is attached to the carrier, and the guide member, will cause the animal suspended from the carrier to be diverted around the processing station. When such diversion is desired, the apparatus according to the invention allows a control organ positioned along the path, to adjust the coupling means of the carrier of the animal that is to be excluded such that the sideways extending arm connected to this carrier positions at right angles to the conveyor's path. Conveniently, each carrier is provided with two arms extending substantially sideways and in each other's extended direction. In this way the number of adjustments to the coupling means required to be carried out can be a limited. A simple embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the arm guiding member is embodied as a bar which begins and ends near the path travelled by each carrier, and which bar between its two ends deflects away from this path of travel. In this manner the path of the arm-guiding member causes the arm, and the carrier coupled thereto, to be diverted outside the path of the conveyor to circumvent the processing station in the desired manner. Desirably the arm or arms are curved, in order to allow said arm or arms to readily follow the path of the arm-guiding member. It is known that the carriers may be provided with hook-like receiving means for the legs of the slaughtered animals. In this embodiment it is desirable in a further aspect of the invention, that the receiving means of carriers suspended substantially vertically, only have an opening which is directed upward. This prevents the animal falling out of the carrier when the carrier is diverted around the respective processing station. In yet another aspect of the invention, the apparatus is provided with a guard member to prevent the coupling means from twisting, which guard member is in operation during the advancement of the arm-guiding member. The advantage with this is that if, due to the contact between arm and arm guiding member a twisting torque is exerted on the carrier, this will meet with resistance so that the animal will be conveyed past the processing station as desired. The embodiment is known in which the coupling means are substantially rectangular with flat side edges. The guard member may then be simply embodied as a guide rail which is mounted closely to the path of a side edge of the coupling means in the vicinity of the arm-guiding member. Desirably the guide rail extends substantially at least along the starting section of the arm-guiding member. The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the drawings, which in the Figures 1 to 5, show a top view of the apparatus according to the invention in the vicinity of the arm-guiding member; in the Figures 6A and 6B, show a view along the path of the conveyor near the beginning of the arm guiding member with an animal suspended from the carrier, one is to be guided through the processing station and one is to be diverted around the processing station, respectively; and in the Figures 7 and 8 show a view along the path of the conveyor with an animal suspended from the carrier, one has been guided through the processing station and one has been diverted around the processing station, respectively. Identical reference numbers in the Figures refer to similar parts. With reference first to Figure 1, a starting position is shown of three successive carriers 1, 2, and 3 with suspended slaughtered poultry. Said carriers 1, 2 and 3 are to be guided past a processing station (not shown) which is positioned in the path of travel generally indicated with reference number 4. For example, it has been determined by an inspection station that the poultry suspended from carrier 2 is not tc be guided through the processing station in the path 4, but is to be diverted around it. Figure 2 illustrates that for this purpose the carrier 2 has to undergo an adjustment in the course of the conveyor's path of travel; this is completed in Figure 3. Both the carrier 1 and the carrier 3 convey an animal whose regular processing in the processing station has to take place at reference number 4. Consequently, said carriers 1 and 3 are not adjusted and proceed undisturbed. Figures 4 and 5 show that the carriers 1 and 3 with the suspended animals are guided through the processing station at reference number 4 while, as may be clearly seen in Figure 5, the carrier 2 with the suspended animal is at reference number 4 diverted around the processing station. With further reference now to the Figures 6A, 6B, 7 and 8, it is shown that each carrier 1, 2 and 3 is provided with a substantially sideways extending arm 5. Also shown in these Figures is the guide member 6, which can actually be seen more clearly in the Figures 1 to 5. This arm guiding member 6 is equipped to cooperate with the arm 5 connected to each carrier 1, 2 and 3 for diverting an animal suspended from the carrier 2 around the processing station 4. This is clearly shown in Figure 6B with regard to the beginning of the arm-guiding member 6, and in Figure 8, with regard to its middle portion. When the arm 5 and the arm-guiding member 6 are to cooperate in this manner, the carrier 2 is adjusted such that the arm 5 is placed at right angles in relation to the path of the conveyor 7, as explained above with reference to Figures 1 to 5. This is carried out in a manner totally familiar to the person skilled in the art requiring no further explanation, with the aid of coupling means 8, to which the carriers 1, 2, 3 are attached and by means of a control organ (not shown) for said coupling means 8, positioned along the path of travel. The Figures 6B and 8 further clearly show that each carrier is preferably provided with two such arms 5 extending substantially sideways in each other's extended direction. With reference again to the Figures 1 to 5, it is shown that the arm-guiding member 6 is embodied as a bar which begins and ends near the path travelled by each carrier 1, 2, 3, and that this arm-guiding member between its two ends deflects away from this path. The Figures 6A, 6B, 7 and 8 further show that said arm-guiding member 6, is directed vertically upward at an angle, and in this connection, that the arms 5 are curved. The latter-named Figures further show that the carriers 1, 2, 3 are provided with the hook-like receiving means 9 for the legs of the slaughtered animals, with the receiving means 9 of carriers hanging substantially vertically, as shown in the Figures 6A, 6B and 7, only having an opening 10 which is directed upward. The result is that when the carrier 2 is adjusted sideways as shown in Figure 8, the animal suspended therefrom will not fall out of the carrier 2, which after passing the processing station 4 can be returned with the suspended bird to the path of the other carriers 1 and 3. In the Figures 1 to 5 can be seen that the coupling means 8 are embodied substantially rectangular and are provided with flat side edges. A further aspect of the invention is that a guard member 11 is used to prevent the coupling means 8 from twisting. This guard member is embodied as a guide rail 11 mounted closely along the side edge of the coupling means 8, which side edge is directed sideways in relation to the direction of conveyance. Said guide rail 11, one or two of which may be present at either side of the path of the coupling means 8, extends over a distance corresponding at least with the starting section of the arm guiding member 6.

Claims: An apparatus for conveying slaughtered animals, in particular birds or parts of birds, which apparatus comprises a plurality of carriers for the animals, each of which carrier is connected via adjustable coupling means with a conveyor, and which travel a path passing at least one inspection or processing station, wherein during operation of the conveyor each carrier at a predetermined position in the conveyor's path is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis by means of adjusting the coupling means via at least one operating unit positioned along the path, and wherein along the conveyor's path there is at least one guide member provided which is capable, after the carrier is rotated to a predetermined position, of moving the animal suspended from the carrier such that it is diverted around the processing station, characterized in that each carrier possesses at least one arm extending substantially sideways, and in that the guide member is equipped to cooperate with the arm when, as a result of the carrier's rotation to the predetermined position, the arm is placed at right angles to the conveyor's path of travel. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each carrier is provided with two arms extending substantially sideways and in each other's extended direction. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the arm guiding member is embodied as a bar which begins and ends near the path travelled by each carrier, and which bar between its two ends deflects away from this path of travel. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the arm or arms are curved. An apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriers are provided with hook-like receiving means for the legs of the slaughtered animals, characterized in that the receiving means of carriers suspended substantially vertically, only have an opening which is directed upward. An apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the apparatus is provided with a guard member to prevent the coupling means from twisting, which guard member is in operation during the advancement of the arm-guiding member. An apparatus according to claim 6, in which the coupling means are substantially rectangular with flat side edges, characterized in that the guard member is embodied as a guide rail which is mounted closely to the path of a side edge of the coupling means in the vicinity of the arm-guiding member. An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the guide rail extends substantially at least along the starting section of the arm-guiding member.

Inventors: NOLTEN ERIK, VISSER DIRK, NOLTEN, ERIK, VISSER, DIRK
Applicants: MEYN FOOD PROC TECHNOLOGY BV, MEYN FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY B.V.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A22C21
IPC codes: A22C21