Abstract:
Provided, is a fully integrated system to monitor and control carcass weight to minimize weight loss in carcasses during the chilling cycle. This will be accomplished by incorporating a load cell and a radio frequency identification device on the trolley operating on the elevated track system extending through the packing plant, including the carcass chilling rooms. This method and apparatus will provide the needed location and weight data to control a water spray system to maintain a constant carcass weight during the entire chilling cycle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to the real time monitoring and weight adjusting of the food and meat producing animals. This system provides data needed to control the facility water spray and refrigeration system to maintain carcass weight and reduce carcass shrinkage. 
         [0006]    2. Background Art 
         [0007]    As part of the processing of meat, carcasses are hung on trolleys  100 , such as that shown in  FIG. 1 , that are guided along an elevated track through the packing plant. The elevated track passes through cooling facilities, where the carcasses are chilled and moistened. 
         [0008]    A challenge in the chilling process is that of maintaining carcass weight. The system in use today makes use of a single scale located on the facility&#39;s track system. Selected carcasses are diverted to the single scale where each carcass is weighed and tagged before the chilling process starts. These data are kept for later reference. After a selected carcass is identified and weighed, it is sent back to the main track system, then to the chilling room or carcass cooler. In the chilling room, all the carcasses are refrigerated and sprayed with chilled water to drop the internal temperature of the carcasses to the desired processing temperature. The time required for chilling can vary from hours to days, depending upon the product. The required chilling time notwithstanding, when the identified (pre-weighed and tagged) carcasses leave the carcass cooler, they will be diverted to the scale and reweighed. The difference in the entering weight and leaving weights of the carcasses will be used to adjust the refrigeration and spray equipment. This method for controlling weight loss is effective, and loss due to shrinkage in most facilities averages 0.8% to 1.5% weight reduction on all carcasses. 
         [0009]    However, even the apparently low loss of 0.8% to 1.5% for each carcass results overall in thousands of pounds and millions of dollars due to the total mass of meat processed. Many variables during the chilling process affect the rate of weight loss. Because of the complexity of the problem and the regulations prohibiting suppliers from having weight gain (carcasses weighing more after the chilling process), the industry has accepted the current loss averages. However, the losses in weight and revenue remain. 
         [0010]    There is, therefore, a need for a method and apparatus for providing real-time monitoring and constant weight adjusting to minimize carcass weight loss while avoiding carcass weight gain. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for reducing carcass weight loss during carcass cooling. Another object of this invention is to avoid carcass weight gain. Still another object is to archive data that will help design future effective chilling and moistening processes. 
         [0012]    By use of real-time monitoring and continuous adjustment of the spraying process, the variables affecting shrinkage can be handled, and the product weight loss reduced significantly. 
         [0013]    In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, selected trolleys located on a track system in a processing facility, are designed to include a wireless (remote readable) load cell to provide a continuous, real-time weight measurement of the carcass hanging thereon during the entire chilling process. The same selected trolleys are also fitted with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to provide the location of the carcasses hanging on the selected trolleys while in the carcass cooler. For the purposes of this document, including the claims, the term selected trolley is hereby defined to mean a carcass trolley outfitted with a load cell and RFID module. 
         [0014]    Both the weight and the carcass location information are sent, stored, displayed, and used to tune the operating controller/computer. The identification, address (location) of each selected trolley and the carcass weight are displayed on a display screen as the trolley enters the chill cooler and stops at the location it will reside for the chilling process. The complete chiller room layout, or floor plan, and the facility carcass spray system with all sprays and zones are displayed on the display screen for operators and managers. 
         [0015]    As the chilling process begins, the carcasses begin to lose weight while, at the same time, carcass temperature drops. Based on the instantaneous weight measurement taken by the load cell on the selected trolleys, the program detects this weight loss and energizes an appropriate spray zone solenoid valve, hence the reason for the RFID. Most chill coolers have multiple spray zones due to size and location restraints. 
         [0016]    The spray in the relevant zone operates until the selected carcass returns to its original weight as reported by the selected trolleys&#39; load cells. If multiple selected trolleys and carcasses are located in this particular spray zone, the computer program uses all the data to determine the status of the spray solenoid and spray time length. 
         [0017]    With this invention, a minimum of one selected trolley with its carcass is required to provide data for each of the water spray zones. However, any number of selected trolleys can be used to control spray zones. This also will be beneficial to meet government and individual plant requirements. 
         [0018]    The computer program provides historical data on all the selected trolley locations, carcass weights, and spray zone operations, including number of spray cycles, frequency of spray cycles, and length of spray cycles. By storing and having access to these data, normal operating patterns will develop and any major deviations may be addressed. These historical data are also used to design duplicate or similar systems. 
         [0019]    For the purposes of this document, including the claims, the term instantaneous weight is hereby defined to connote the most recent weight value of a carcass measured by the load cell on the selected trolley. Because the present invention is most likely to be carried out digitally, as opposed to using analog signals representing weights, weight measurements are taken at discrete times. The instantaneous weight is, then, updated on a frequent, probably periodic, basis. 
         [0020]    For the purposes of this document, including the claims, the word carcass is hereby defined to mean the animal matter hung on a single trolley. Hence, carcass may connote a part of one animal carcass such as when a side of beef is hung on a single trolley. Carcass may also imply multiple animal carcasses if more than one animal carcass or parts of multiple carcasses are hung on a single trolley. 
         [0021]    Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  shows a trolley of the prior art; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  shows a trolley with wireless RFID and wireless load cell integrated to its design; 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  shows a trolley of the present invention carrying a carcass; 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  shows carcass chill room rail system, RFID readers, and water spray zones; 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  shows a carcass under spray and a computer; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  shows system control information flow. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    A selected trolley  200 , essentially a trolley of the prior art with the addition of instrumentation according to the present invention, is shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Each of said selected trolleys  200  is intended to carry at least a part of a carcass  310 , usually with the use of a gambrel  320 . The instrumentation integrated into each selected trolley  200  includes a wireless load cell  210 , to provide carcass weight information, and a wireless 
         [0029]    Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) module—or, alternatively, a transponder— 220 , to provide identification and location information. The number of these selected trolley assemblies  200  required in a given plant is determined by the size of the facilities in which they are used. However, at least one selected trolley  200  is required at each spray zone  410  ( FIG. 4 ) in use. 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  illustrates a typical rail system  420  on which the selected trolleys  200  and non-selected trolleys carrying carcasses  310  operate.  FIG. 4  is intended to depict a typical carcass cooler. The carcasses  310  on the trolleys enter the cooler on the rail  420  at the upper left hand corner of  FIG. 4 . A RFID reader  430  detects the identification and initial weight of the carcasses  310  on the selected trolleys  200 . It also causes the initialization of the receivers  440  in each spray zone  410 . These receivers  440  track the selected trolleys  200  and monitor their movement until the selected trolleys  200  stops in one of the four spray zones  410 . Thereafter, they may receive the transmitted data from each of the selected trolleys  200  in their respective spray zones  410 . Alternatively, a central wireless receiver (not shown) may collect the data from all the selected trolleys  200  in the plant. Each of the selected trolleys  200  provides its own unique signal for its location and carcass weight. The received data are acquired by a computer  510  ( FIG. 5 ) throughout the chilling process. This information is used to energize appropriate solenoid-actuated water spray valves  450  for each of the spray zones  410 . The program will start (open the spray valve  450 ) and stop (close the spray valve  450 ) the water spray  530  (see  FIG. 5 ) in a given spray zone  410  as needed to maintain a constant carcass weight. The system will spray all the carcasses  310  in the spray zone  410 , detecting the weight loss on the selected trolley or trolleys. If there are multiple selected trolleys  200  in a particular spray zone  410 , the spray valve  450  will be opened only if all the selected trolleys  200  in that spray zone  410  detect a weight loss. This reduces the chance of weight gain (carcasses  310  weighing more leaving than entering). If facility requirements allow for averaging carcass weights, the spray zones  410  will be operated based on the combined average of the carcass weights on all the selected trolleys  210  in that zone. Each spray zone  410  will require a minimum of one selected trolley  200  to operate properly. 
         [0031]    A carcass  310  hung from a selected trolley  200  under spray  530  is shown in  FIG. 5 . Signals from the wireless load cell  210  and the wireless RFID module  220  are depicted being transmitted to one of the receivers  440 . The receiver  440 , in turn, transmits the data (via wired channels  520  or wirelessly) to a computer  510  where the data are analyzed and used to control the solenoid operated water spray valve  450  that provides spray for all the carcasses in the spray zone  410 . Commands to the solenoid valve may also be transmitted wirelessly or via hardwired channels  540 . 
         [0032]    A flowchart of the process of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 6 . After the carcasses  310  are hung on the selected trolleys  200  as well as the non-selected trolleys, the carcasses  310  on the selected trolleys  200  are weighed to determine the initial (warm) carcass weight, W,. These are the weights the system of the present invention will attempt to maintain, so these data are stored appropriately in the computer system  510 . If the carcasses  310  have not already been transferred to the chill cooler, they will be at this time. Until the carcasses  310  have chilled to their final temperature, the weights, W, of the carcasses  310  on the selected trolleys  200  are monitored on a frequent basis (“continuously” in the digital sense). Whenever the instantaneous carcass weight, W, (or all the instantaneous carcass weights, W, in the case of multiple selected trolleys  200  in a single spray zone  410 ) is found to be lower than the respective initial weight, W i , by a predetermined amount, ΔW (where ΔW may be zero), the water spray  530  is initiated by opening the appropriate solenoid-operated valve  450 . If the instantaneous carcass weight, W, is not less than the initial weight, W i , the appropriate solenoid-operated valve  450  is closed or kept closed. 
         [0033]    The predetermined incremental weight value, ΔW, may be determined to avoid rapid cycling of the water spray on and off. In other words, the incremental weight value, ΔW, may be determined to build in some hysteresis in the system. 
         [0034]    The above embodiments are the preferred embodiments, but this invention is not limited thereto. It is, therefore, apparent that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.