STATEMENT OF CORRESPONDING APPLICATIONS

This application is based on the Provisional specification filed in relation to New Zealand Patent Application Number 585885, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing meat from a bone of an animal carcass, and in particular to removing intercostal meat from a portion of a rib bone of a rib rack of an animal carcass to form a preparation of meat and rib bones commonly known as a trenched rack.

BACKGROUND ART

A trenched rack is a term used commonly in the food industry to describe a cut of meat formed from a rack of an animal carcass. The term "rack" is commonly used to describe the rib cage and associated meat. A trenched rack (sometimes also referred to as a french rack) is prepared from a rack by removal of a section of intercostal meat from between each of the rib bones in the rack to expose the free ends of the rib bones.

A frenched rack is most commonly formed from a rack of lamb, although in principle a rack of any animal carcass (for example venison, pork or beef) may be processed to form a frenched rack and reference only to a lamb rack throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

The first stage in preparing a frenched rack is to trim the rib bones of the rack to a uniform length. In the second stage a portion of the intercostal meat between each pair of neighbouring rib bones is removed to a uniform predetermined length from a datum line, (commonly the trimmed end of each rib bone or, equivalently, from the position of an edge of the eye muscle i.e., the muscle that forms the major portion of meat attached to the rib cage), thus exposing a uniform length of each rib bone from the remaining meat and bones of the rack. The depth of the meat to be removed is typically specified by the customer, and can vary for different customers/markets.

The appearance of a frenched rack is very important in determining its value. In particular it is important that the intercostal meat is removed cleanly from the rib bones, the depth of each cut is uniform and cuts are clean, straight and consistently uniform. Traditionally this process is carried out manually by meat workers. This generally requires a high degree of skill on the part of the operator which is generally reflected in higher wage costs and therefore higher unit cost for each frenched rack. Further, preparation by hand can be a time consuming process which can also add cost to production of a frenched rack, as well as raising health and safety issues for the meat worker due to the repetitive actions required to form the frenched rack.

Further, the depth of cut for removal of the intercostal meat is typically specified by the customer. A disadvantage of the manual removal of meat can be the difficulty experience by an operator in accurately determining the required depth of cut without any guide. This, together with the natural variation that can occur when a number of cuts are made manually, can result in a variation in the depth of cut which can lower the value of the frenched rack or can potentially lead to rejection of the rack if the result does not meet the specification.

Another disadvantage of the use of a manually operated knife is that the knife can cut into the rib bone which can produce bone chips and expose the interior of the bone, both of which can lead to health hazards and rejection of the frenched rack.

The intercostal meat removed from between the rib bones can be further processed into valuable bi-products. One disadvantage of manual preparation of a frenched rack is that it can be difficult to collect the removed intercostal meat as it is cut away from the ribs. This can lead to wastage if the cut away meat falls onto a surface where it can become contaminated, such as a floor. Additional time can also be required of an operator to collect the removed meat and place it into a container for further processing.

As a result of these factors the manual removal of the intercostal meat to form a frenched rack can involve a high rejection rate and wastage of the cuts and bi-products, all of which increase the unit cost of producing the frenched rack.

An alternative method of preparing a frenched rack involves the use of pressurised water jets to blast away the intercostal meat from between the ribs. NZ patent no. 247341 (to Peterson et al) discloses a method and apparatus using a plurality of water jets to remove the intercostal meat from a rack. An operator places the rack into the apparatus in a position relative to the jets so that a predetermined amount of intercostal meat is removed from between the ribs (as a result of the relative movement of the rack and the water jets) to form the frenched rack.

There are however a number of disadvantages with this method of preparing a frenched rack. In particular the loose meat removed from between the ribs is carried away in the form of a water/meat slurry. This can lead to considerable disposable problems as further treatment of the slurry is required prior to discharge of the effluent into the environment. Further, the intercostal meat is generally not suitable for further processing into valuable products, thus reducing the potential return from the process. Another problem with use of pressurised water jets is that water can be channelled along the rib bone which can lead to pressure fracture of the bone. This can produce bone chips and can lead to rejection of the entire trenched rack.

A further disadvantage of this method is that the water and meat slurry inevitably contacts with the meat of the trenched rack, which can lead to microbiological contamination unless the trenched rack is frozen. This is in contrast to manually produced trenched racks which do not suffer from this problem and therefore are generally chilled, generally giving frenched racks produced manually a higher market value.

Producing a frenched rack by the water jet method uses a lot of water which can add significantly to the cost of operating the apparatus / cost of producing a frenched rack, not only from the cost of the water and supply of same, but also the additional costs of removing the water/meat slurry and subsequent treatment of it prior to discharge.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.lt is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country. Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of removing meat from the vicinity of a rib bone of a rib rack or rack saddle of an animal, including the steps of: a) securing the rib rack or rack saddle to a support member;

b) sensing the location and/or orientation of a rib bone of the rib rack or rack saddle with respect to the support member using a sensing system;

c) processing data received from the sensing system in a controller to determine the location and/or orientation of the rib bone with respect to the support member;

d) using the location and/or orientation information from the controller to orient the support member and a meat separation device relative to one another so that an edge of a blade of the meat separation device is aligned with an edge of the rib bone; and

e) operating the meat separation device to remove a portion of meat from at least part of the rib bone.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method substantially as described above including the step of:

f) repeating steps b) to e) for each rib bone of the rack.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method substantially as described above including the step of:

g) operating the meat separation device as required to remove a portion of meat from between adjacent rib bones. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided method of removing meat from the vicinity of a rib bone of a rib rack or rack saddle of an animal, including the steps of:

clamping the rack to a support member at a loading station located in the vicinity of one end of a guide wherein the support member is configured to move along the guide; moving the support member along the guide passed a sensing system configured to sense the location and orientation of the rib bone with respect to the support member; moving the support member further along the guide to a position where a portion of an edge of the rib bone is aligned with an edge of a blade of a meat separation device; rotating the meat separation device so that an edge of the blade is aligned with an edge of the rib bone; and

operating the blade to remove a portion of meat from at least part of the rib bone.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for removal of meat from the region of a rib bone of a rack or rack saddle of an animal, the apparatus including:

a support member configured to locate and secure the rack or rack saddle;

a sensing system to determine the location and orientation of the rib bone with respect to the support member;

a controller configured to receive sensed data from the sensing system; and a meat separation device including a blade,

characterised in that

the controller is programmed to:

receive sensed data from the sensing system;

determine the location and orientation of the rib with respect to the support member using the sensed data;

orientafe the support member and meat separation device relative to one another so that an edge of the blade of the meat separation device is aligned with an edge of the rib; and

operate the meat separation device to remove at least a portion of meat from at least part of the rib bone. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a meat separation device for use with an apparatus substantially as described above wherein the meat separation device includes:

a blade having a width between two substantially parallel side faces;

a driver configured to move the blade along a longitudinal axis with respect to the meat separation device;

a mask; and

an aperture in the mask, the aperture having a width substantially complementary to the width of the blade;

wherein the mask is located relative to the blade such that operation of the driver causes the blade to enter the aperture in the mask, and

wherein the blade, driver and mask are mounted on a cradle which is pivotable about an axis parallel to the axis of movement of the blade.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a controller for use with an apparatus substantially as described above, wherein the controller is programmed to:

a) receive sensed data from a sensing system used to sense the location and

orientation of a rib bone of a lamb rack with respect to a support member to which the lamb rack is secured;

b) determine the location and orientation of the rib with respect to the support

member using the sensed data; and

c) orientate the support member and meat separation device relative to one another so that an edge of the meat-clearing device is aligned with an edge of the rib.

An apparatus for removal of meat from the region of a rib bone of a rack or rack saddle of an animal will generally be referred to throughout this specification as a frenched racking apparatus.

The method and apparatus for removing meat from the vicinity of a rib bone of a rib rack or rack saddle will be illustrated throughout this specification in relation to the production of a frenched rack. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the method and apparatus of the present invention may also be used to produce frenched chops by separating one or more chops (rib bones and attached meat) from the rack following removal of a portion of intercostal meat attached to the rib bone, and that reference to production of a frenched rack only throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

The term "rack saddle" of an animal carcass is used throughout the specification to describe a cut of meat including the rib cage and attached meat of the animal. Although the method and apparatus of the present invention may be used with a rack saddle, typically the rack saddle is separated into a pair of rib racks by cutting down the vertebrae parallel to the spinal canal. One rib rack will correspond with the left hand side of the rack saddle and the other to the right hand side of the rack saddle.

For convenience we will refer to the surface formed by the cut through the vertebrae of the lamb saddle to be the base of the rib rack. When the separated rib racks are placed in the same orientation on their bases the rib bones of the left hand rib rack are inclined to the right while the rib bones of the right hand rib rack are inclined to the left (in both cases when viewed from the front of the rack).

Reference to a rib rack, or simply a rack, throughout this specification should be understood to refer to a left hand rack, a right hand rack, or a rack saddle.

A frenched rack is formed from a rib rack by removing the intercostal meat from between adjacent rib bones of the rack to expose a length of each rib bone protruding away from the base of the rack.

A frenched rack is typically formed from a rack of a lamb, although in principle a frenched rack may be formed from a rib rack or saddle of any animal carcass, for example, beef, venison, pork, goat, etc., and reference to lamb racks only throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

It will be assumed throughout this specification that the rib rack has been prepared by trimming the ends of the rib bones distal to the base of the rack to a uniform length. However, this should not be seen as limiting as in some instances the bones may not need to be trimmed, or the specification of the product (frenched rack) may not require it to be done.

In the first step of the method (step a)) the prepared rack is secured to a support member. It is important that this is done in a manner which secures the rack to the support member so that it remains in a fixed position relative to the support member during further processing of the frenched rack.

In a preferred embodiment the support member includes a clamp configured to secure the rack to the support member.

The rack may be placed on the support member, either manually by an operator or

automatically (e.g., robotically) at a loading station. The rack may be clamped onto the support member such that a predetermined fixed length of the rack distal to the base extends from an edge (top, bottom or side) of the support member top. The predetermined length of rib bone extending beyond the support member must correspond to at least the specified length of intercostal meat to be removed from between the rib bones of the rack. The support member may include a scale extending from a side to provide a visual measure to an operator (when used for manual loading of the rack) of the distance of the free end of the rib bones from the edge.

In a preferred embodiment the support member is configured to move along a guide.

In a preferred embodiment a loading station is located at one end of the guide.

In a preferred embodiment the meat separation device is located in the vicinity of an end of the guide distal to the loading station.

Configuring the support member so that it can move along a guide may enable the rack to be placed in a range of positions relative to other features of the trenched racking apparatus, for example the meat separation device and particularly the blade thereof.

In a preferred embodiment the guide includes an endless toothed belt attached to the support member.

An endless toothed belt may provide the advantage of being relatively quiet during operation, a factor that may be important in a meat processing plant. However, in other embodiments the guide could include a rack and pinion arrangement or a rotating screw thread or other such arrangements as are well known in the art for controlling movement of the support member.

In a preferred embodiment the clamp is operated pneumatically, as is the movement of the support member along the guide. An advantage of using a pneumatic system is that compressed air is typically available in a meat works and therefore provides a convenient and cost effective way of operating parts of the frenched racking apparatus.

However, in other embodiments the clamp (and movement of the guide) may be operated by other means, such as electric or hydraulic systems, and reference to pneumatic operation only throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

In the next step of the method of forming a frenched rack (step b)) a sensing system is use to determine the position and orientation of each rib bone in the rack, and in particular the position and orientation to that portion of each rib bone that extends beyond the support member.

Reference to a sensing system throughout this specification should be understood to mean any arrangement of devices, including sensors, configured to enable the presence of a rib bone to be distinguished from that of the surrounding meat. The principle used is typically that of differential transmission/absorption of an incident energy beam, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that other principles or methods of detection may be used.

In a preferred embodiment the sensing system is located between the loading station and the meat separation device in a position to sense the rib bone when the support member and secured rack move along the guide passed the sensing system. The accurate determination of an edge of a rib bone, including both the location and inclination of the rib bone extending beyond the support member, is of importance to the method and operation of the frenched racking apparatus. The location and orientation of rib bones in racks, being natural products, can vary significantly both for the bones of a single rack as well as from one rack to another. Therefore, in order to remove the meat cleanly from along a section of each rib bone, the location and orientation of each bone must be determined.

In a preferred embodiment the sensing system includes a light source and a photo detector.

A light source of sufficient brightness may be used to illuminate at least part of the rack in the vicinity of a rib bone extending from the edge of the support member. A photo detector may be placed to receive light reflected from, or preferably transmitted through, the rack. The location of an edge of a rib bone may be determined as a change of intensity of the reflected or transmitted light entering the photo detector.

In a preferred embodiment the sensing system includes a plurality of photo detectors.

A plurality of photo detectors may be arranged spatially in such a manner that the location of the rib bone may be determined at a number of points along the edge of the rib bone over a region at least comparable to the length of intercostal meat to be removed from the bone.

Such a system may enable the determination of the location of the edge of the bone at various distances from the free end of the rib bone and therefore the orientation (or inclination) of the end of the bone with respect to the support member.

In a preferred embodiment the sensing system includes an array of three spatially separated photo detectors.

Preferably the three photo detectors are arranged in a triangular array. This arrangement may assist in sensing the orientation of each rib bone. However, in some embodiments the photo detectors may be in a linear array.

In a preferred embodiment the light source is a laser.

A laser may be preferred as this may provide a highly focused beam of high intensity light which may be used to improve the resolution of the position of the edge of the bone.

In at least one preferred embodiment the position of the laser(s) and the plurality of photo detectors may be fixed (for example, with respect to a base or frame of the frenched racking apparatus) to sense light reflected from, or transmitted through, the end of the rack extending from the support member, and information from the photo detectors obtained as the support member and attached rack move along the guide at a known rate through the laser beam(s).

Using one or more lasers and a plurality of photo detectors may provide a simple, readily available and cost effective method of sensing the location and orientation of the rib bones. In some embodiments a plurality of light sources (eg laser) and photodetectors are arranged in pairs. The paired light sources and photo detectors may be arranged spatially to enable detection of both the location and orientation of a rib bone (in the region where the intercostal meat is to be removed) to be determined

Alternatively, a scanning laser may be used to scan each portion of the rack as it moves past.

Other arrangements of the light source and associated photo detectors are also envisaged, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the light source and associated photo detector may be located in fixed positions on a carrier which is configured to move relative to the rack on the support member, so as to scan the rack as the carrier moves past each rib bone.

It will apparent to those skilled in the art that other sensing systems may be used to determine the location and orientation of the rib bones, such (as without limitation) x-rays, microwave, NIR and UV, and reference only to the use of a laser(s) and photo detector(s) throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

For example, in some other embodiments the sensing system may include a CCD camera. A CCD camera (or equivalent) may be set up to receive an image formed by light reflected from (normal camera operation) or transmitted through the rack (for example from a light source of the other side of the rack) or portion thereof. The sensing system including a camera may be calibrated to enhance the accuracy of the data derived from the image. In some embodiments reference marks may be attached to the support member to assist with alignment and calibration of the image.

An advantage of using a CCD camera is that information relating to each rib bone may be obtained from a single image of the entire rack, which may increase accuracy and save time. A further advantage is that suitable CCD cameras are readily available and are relatively cost effective in comparison with other systems.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are a variety of other devices well known in the art, such as CMOS, NMOS, CID etc, which could also be configured into a sensing system, and reference to a CCD camera only throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

In the third step of the method (step c) sensed data from the sensing system is sent to a controller. This data may be transmitted by any of the well known methods, including directly by wire, wirelessly or any other method as commonly used in the art. The controller may be any device or set of devices configured to carry out a set of computer executable instructions to process data and to control the movement of various parts of the trenched racking apparatus.

A controller according to the present invention is a programmable device: in other words it includes a processor of some description. For example, the program may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the processing units used may include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices or controllers (PLDs, PLCs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), computers, lap tops, processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

A software implementation may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the steps of the method described herein. The software codes may be stored in a memory unit which may be within the processor or external to the processor.

In a preferred embodiment the controller includes a programmable logic controller (PLC).

PLCs are commonly used to control machinery using techniques well known in the art.

However, other devices, such as (without limitation) a common computer, FPGA or preprogrammed integrated circuit may be used for processing the information and for controlling other features of the frenched racking apparatus (if necessary) and reference to the controller being a PLC only throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

A controller according to the present invention is programmed with a set of computer executable instructions configured to enable the controller to receive sensed data from the sensing system (plurality of photo detectors/CCD camera etc) and to analyse the sensed data to determine and store in the memory of the controller (PLC) the location and orientation of each edge of each rib bone of the rack with respect to the support member.

In the next step of the method (step d)) the controller is programmed to orient the support member/rack and a meat separation device relative to one another so that an edge of the meat separation device is aligned with an edge of the rib bone.

In a preferred embodiment the controller is programmed to control the movement of the support member along the guide.

This may be achieved for example by using a pneumatic cylinder to activate movement of the support member (and attached rack) along the guide. The controller may be programmed to control the pneumatic system such that the position of the support member can be determined with respect to the guide / frenched racking apparatus (as the guide (in this embodiment) may be fixed with respect to the frenched racking apparatus). In this way the location of the edges of each bone may be determined in absolute terms with respect to the remainder of the frenched racking machine at all times.

In a preferred embodiment of the frenched racking apparatus the support member is configured to move along a guide arranged transversely to the meat separation device.

In one such embodiment the support member is configured to move along a linear, level guide that passes directly across and in front of the meat separation device. In this way the rack can be positioned in any (lateral) position with respect to the meat separation device and such that the attached rack is positioned between the blade and aperture of the meat separation device.

The controller may be programmed to rotate the meat separation device so that an edge of the blade is aligned with an edge of a rib bone when the rib bone is located in front of the meat separation device.

It is a key feature of the present invention that the meat separation device is mounted on a cradle which is pivotally mounted on the trenched racking apparatus, the cradle configured to pivot into a position where the blade (and aperture) is aligned with an edge of a rib bone. This arrangement may allow a blade of the meat separation device, on operation of a driver, to remove a portion of intercostal meat from an edge of the rib bone.

In a preferred embodiment the meat separation device includes a pneumatically operated driver configured to rotate the cradle. Operation of the pneumatic drive is controlled by a set of computer executable instructions in the controller. Clearly, other types of driver, including ones operated hydraulically or electronically, are envisaged and reference to a pneumatically operated driver only throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

Reference to alignment of a blade with an edge of a bone throughout this specification should be understood to refer to the blade being in a location and orientation such that, on operation of the blade to move it directly ahead (the direction of motion being defined as the axis of movement of the blade/the meat separation device), an edge of the blade will pass close to the edge of the bone along at least a length of the bone. In other words, an edge of the blade is located and oriented such that, when in the same plane as a bone, the edge of the blade is parallel to and slightly offset from the edge of the bone. The small offset is required so that the bone is not damaged as the blade moves past.

In a preferred embodiment the meat separation device and the edge of a rib bone are aligned such that there is an offset of less than 2 mm between an edge of the bone and an edge of the blade of the meat separation device.

An offset of less than 2 mm is preferred as this may allow the blade to move past the edge of the bone at a distance sufficiently close that the intercostal meat is effectively removed from the edge of the bone, yet far enough away that the blade is unlikely to touch or cause damage to the bone. Preferably the offset is 1 mm.

In the next step of the method (step e)) the meat separation device is operated, under control of the controller, to remove a portion of intercostal meat from a side edge of a rib bone.

It is a further feature of the meat separation device of the present invention that the blade is configured to remove a portion of intercostal meat extending away from the edge of the rib bone by the width of the blade. A meat separation device according to the present invention is configured such that, on operation of a driver, the blade moves forward (along the axis of motion of the blade) and into an aperture in a mask, the mask being placed in front of the blade and oriented transversely with respect to the axis of motion of the blade.

In the frenched racking apparatus of the present invention the support member is configured to move between the blade and the mask, so that the rack secured to the support member, and more particularly, the portion of the rack which extends from an edge of the support member, can be placed between the blade and the aperture in the mask.

In a preferred embodiment the aperture is configured as a rectangle, having a width between two side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge. The width of the aperture is substantially complementary to the width of the blade, the arrangement being such that the blade substantially spans the width of the aperture without touching the sides. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that an aperture can be formed in shapes other than rectangular, such as for example by curving the corners, and that reference only to an aperture configured as a rectangle throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting. For example, embodiments are envisaged in which the form of the aperture and blade may be chosen to produce novel shapes, such as (without limitation) a bell shape for use with racks prepared for sale at Christmas. In such embodiments the blade and aperture will still form a pair of complementary shapes (ie the blade will substantially fill the aperture when inserted into it). In preferred embodiments a top or bottom edge of the blade is aligned with a top or bottom edge of the aperture respectively to provide a shearing action to form a lateral cut in the intercostal meat (ie, a cut extending at least part of the way between adjacent rib bones). For example, if a portion of the rack (including the free ends of the rib bones) extends below the bottom edge of the support member, the top edge of the blade will be aligned with the top edge of the aperture to provide the required sideways cut of the intercostal meat. Alternatively, if the rack is placed on the support member so that it extends from the top edge, then the bottom edges of the blade and aperture need to be aligned. It is not necessary to have both the top and bottom edges of the blade aligned with the top and bottom edges of the aperture respectively, although this may be done in some embodiments.

The action of the meat separation device is essentially a "punching" action whereby any material placed between the blade and the aperture is pushed, by movement of the blade, into the aperture thus applying a shearing force to the material at the edges of the aperture.

In a preferred embodiment the width of the blade is in the range of 8 - 20 mm.

In general, it may be necessary to operate the blade more than once in order to remove all the intercostal meat from between the required length of adjacent rib bones. For example the blade may be operated to remove a section of intercostal meat of the same width as the blade from along an edge of a first rib bone. The blade may then be aligned with the inner edge of the adjacent rib bone by moving the support member laterally and adjusting the angle of the cradle to align the blade with the inner edge of the adjacent rib bone. The meat separation device may then be operated to remove a section of meat from the edge of that rib bone.

Typically, with a blade having a width within the preferred range of widths, all of the intercostal meat from between adjacent rib bones may be removed by two operations of the meat separation device. However, this should not be seen as limiting as in some instances, for example if the spacing between adjacent ribs is particularly large, more than two operations of the meat separation device may be necessary.

The surface of the blade (between the two side faces) used to push the intercostal meat into the aperture will be referred to as the contact face of the blade.

In a preferred embodiment the contact face of the blade between the two side faces is substantially flat.

Reference to the contact face being substantially flat should be understood to mean that a lateral section across the face at any point between the two side faces is not curved.

A flat contact face having a width within the preferred range may enable the blade to act as a punch rather than as a knife. In essence, the blade, in cooperation with the aperture in the mask (which has a width similar to the width of the blade although slightly larger to enable the blade to fit snugly within the aperture) may result in a section of intercostal meat being punched out by the blade as it enters the aperture.

However, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments of the present invention a contact surface of the blade may be concave or convex, and reference to a flat blade only throughout this specification should not be seen as limiting.

In a preferred embodiment the blade is configured such that a contact face progressively enters the aperture.

The applicants have found that shaping the blade such that at least some section of the contact face progressively enters the aperture may result in a more efficient removal of the intercostal meat as it is removed progressively from the side of the rib bone.

This progressive action may also allow time for the bone to move ahead of the blade, essentially enabling the blade to push the bone to the side should that be necessary. For example, the bone may be curved, so that even if the edge of the blade is correctly aligned with the edge of the bone when the blade begins to remove the meat, it may not be so aligned at the end of the cut. The bones of the rack, being interconnected by the attachecT rneat, may move somewhat elastically over a short distance if subjected to a force, such as provided by the blade, and as a consequence have the ability to move to the side if necessary. As a result, using a blade configured to move progressively along the edge of the bone may result in more uniform removal of the meat along a greater length of the bone. Again, it is envisaged by the applicants that in some other embodiments the blade may be configured such that the entire contact surface enters the aperture at the same time.

In a preferred embodiment the driver includes a pneumatically operated cylinder.

The use of a pneumatically operated cylinder to operate the blade is preferred as typically a source of compressed air to operate the cylinder is available within the meat works. However, in other embodiments other forms of propulsion may be used for the blade, including an hydraulically operated cylinder or electric motor for example.

In step f) of the method the meat separation device is operated sequentially to remove a portion of meat from each edge of each rib bone in the rack, and in step g) (if required) to remove any remaining intercostal meat from between adjacent rib bones.

A frenched rack is produced by repeating steps d) and e) of the method for each (internal) edge of each rib bone until all the required intercostal meat is removed.

The embodiment of a frenched racking apparatus described above is only one of many variations for carrying out the method.

For example, in some other embodiments the meat separation device may be fixed in both location and orientation and the support member moved, both laterally (with respect to the meat separation device) and rotationally, to align a rib bone of a rack with the meat separation device. Conversely the support member may be fixed and the meat separation device moved (both laterally and rotationally) to the desired alignment.

It is further envisaged that in some embodiments the meat separation device may include a plurality of matched blades and apertures of different sizes and widths so that, for example, a blade/aperture having a width comparable to the spacing between adjacent rib bones may be selected, resulting in only a single motion of the blade being required to remove the inter costal meat from between the bones. This may save time during the processing of a rack, and therefore reduce the production costs for the rack.

These, and the numerous other possible variations, are all envisaged to fall within the scope of the invention.

In a preferred embodiment the meat separation device includes a collector configured to collect material pushed through the aperture.

A collector, typically attached to the mask in the vicinity of the aperture on the side of the mask distal to the blade, may be used to collect the intercostal meat as it is pushed by the blade through the aperture. An advantage of this is that all the intercostal meat removed from the rack may be collected in an hygienic environment thus reducing wastage and adding value to the overall process. The method and apparatus of the present invention has many advantages over the prior art methods and devices, including:

• lower cost of production as the frenched racking apparatus of the present invention does not require the high skill, high cost labour of the manual form of preparation.

Further, it does away with the need for large amounts of water and the plumbing required to manage the water used in the water jet process;

the frenched racks produced by the present process are produced in a clean and hygienic environment with relatively little opportunity for contamination, in comparison with the handling required in the manual operation and particularly in comparison with contamination due to water in the water jet process. As a consequence the frenched racks can be chilled and sold as fresh meat (as well as frozen if required) which may raise the overall value of frenched racks produced by this process;

the punching action of the present invention may remove intercostal meat cleanly and uniformly from along the rib bones and in particular without contacting the rib bones which can lead to contamination and the production of bone chips which may degrade or cause rejection of the frenched rack. Hence, the rejection rate may be significantly lower than in either the manual or the water jet processes; and

there may be a higher added value component as all of the removed intercostal meat is collected in an hygienic way immediately after removal from the bone. This meat can be further processed into valuable bi-products adding value to the process, in particular in comparison with the water jet process where the intercostal meat removed is generally not available for further processing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a frenched racking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a view of part of the frenched racking apparatus according to one

embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 shows a view of part of the frenched racking apparatus according to one

embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 shows a schematic view of a blade according on one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a schematic view of part of a meat separation device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 shows a schematic view of part of a meat separation device according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 7 shows a schematic view of part of a sensing system for a frenched racking

apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A frenched racking apparatus accordingly to one embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by arrow 1 in Figure 1. The frenched racking apparatus 1 includes a support member 2 in the form of a plate having a flat surface.

A clamp 3, in the form of a pneumatically operated bar, is configured to span across a rack 29 and to hold it firmly in position against the flat surface of the support member.

The support member is mounted to a guide 4 in the form of a linear track. The support member is moved along the guide by an endless toothed belt 45 attached to the support member. The guide is connected to a rigid base 5 of the frenched racking apparatus such that it is orientated in a transverse direction with respect to the frenched racking apparatus.

A meat separation device according to one embodiment is generally indicated by arrow 6 in Figure 1. The meat separation device 6, which is shown in more detail in Figures 2 and 3, includes a blade 7. The blade has two substantially flat side faces 8 and 9, and a contact face 10, as shown in more detail in Figures 4 and 5. The contact face extends between two side edges, 11 and 12, a top edge 13 and bottom edge 14. The width of the contact face between the edges 11 and 12 is typically in the range from 10 mm -12 mm. The contact face 10 is substantially flat, so that the blade acts as a blunt instrument.

The meat separation device 6 includes a mask 15 in the form of a rigid plate, as illustrated in Figure 5. The mask 15 includes a U-shaped aperture 16 having side edges 17, 18 and top edge 19. The width between the side edges 17, 18 of the aperture is similar to, but slightly larger than the width of the contact face 10 of the blade, so that the blade, on entering the aperture 16, substantially fills the space between the side edges 17, 18 of the aperture without actually touching the edges 17, 18.

The mask 15 and blade 7 are arranged relative to one another such that the height (above the bottom of the base 5) of the top edge 19 of the aperture is substantially the same as the height of the top edge 13 of the contact face 10 of the blade 7, there being sufficient clearance so that the blade can enter into the aperture.

The contact face 10 of the blade is inclined with respect to a plane of the mask 15 so that the contact face progressively enters into the aperture 16 when the blade is moved forward.

The meat separation device includes a pneumatically operated driver 21 configured to move the blade directly forward in the direction indicated by arrow 22 in Figure 3 so that the contact face 10 of the blade 7 enters the aperture 16.

The meat separation device, including the blade 7, driver 21 and mask 15, is mounted on a cradle 23 which is pivotally mounted at each end by mounts 24, 25 such that it can pivot about an axis parallel to the direction of movement of the blade indicated by arrow 22.

The cradle is rotated about the axis by a pneumatically driven driver (not shown).

A meat separation device according to another embodiment is generally indicated by arrow 6' in Figure 6. Features common to both these embodiments have been indicated by the same numeral, but including a prime ('), in Figure 6. One difference between the embodiment shown in Figure 6 and that shown in Figures 2 and 3 is that the meat separation device of Figure 6 is configured to pivot about a single pivot indicated by 24'. Another difference is that the driver configured to move the blade 7' is in the form of two pneumatic cylinders, 21' (the left hand cylinder is partly obscured in Figure 6). The pneumatic driver for operating the pivot is generally indicated by arrow 46'.

The frenched racking apparatus 1 includes a sensing system 27, which in a preferred embodiment includes a light source transmitter 27 A, in the form of a laser, which, in use, radiates light through the rack as shown schematically in Figure 7. A photo- detector receiver 27B, senses the light transmitted through the rack.

Preferably a set of three laser/photo-detector receivers is arranged linearly in a direction transverse to the direction of motion of the guide 4. The laser/photo-detector system is an Osiris™ Thru-beam system XU2-M18AP20D.

The arrangement of laser transmitters and receivers enables both the position and orientation of each rib bone to be determined as the bone passes through the laser beam. The signal from each receiver is sent to a processor 27C. The processor extracts the meat/bone interface data and transmits this data to the controller 27D (which may be integrated with the processor), that controls the frenched rack machine as described previously.

The applicants have found that the signal definition is improved when a mask is placed over the 3 receivers, the mask consisting of a plate with 3 narrow (~1 mm wide) rectangular slits arranged such that each slit limits the beam of light entering one of the 3 receivers.

The frenched racking apparatus 1 further includes a controller in the form of a PLC housed (not shown in the figures as it is housed within the main body of the frenched racking machine (indicated by arrow 40)). The PLC is programmed with a set of computer executable instructions programmed to operate the functions of the frenched racking machine, including operating the various pneumatic drivers (not all shown in the Figures) which control movement of the support member 2 along the guide 4, the pneumatic driver 46' to rotate the cradle 23, 23' and the driver 21, 21' to move the blade 7, 7'. The trenched racking apparatus includes a user operated controller console 41, as shown in Figure 1 , by which an operator can initiate (and/or stop) the various functions of the machine.

In the first step of the method of the present invention an operator secures a rack of lamb, generally indicated by arrow 29 to the support member 2 by operation of the clamp 3. The rack of lamb is orientated on the support member so that the trimmed free ends extend below/above the bottom/top edge of the support member respectively by at least the distance

(predetermined) corresponding to the amount of intercostal meat to be removed from the edge of each rib bone.

In step b) the support member is moved along the guide so that the exposed rib bones of the rack pass through the sensing system 27A, 27B. Information relating to the location of each rib bone is sensed by the 3 photo detectors 27B and data from each photo detector is sent the controller.

In step c) the sensed data is processed in the controller to determine the location and orientation of each rib bone in the lamb rack 29 with respect to the support member 2.

In step d) of the method the controller uses the location and orientation data to activate the toothed belt 45 to move the support along the guide 4 until the inner edge of the first rib bone is in a location directly in front of the blade 7, 7'. The controller then operates the pneumatic driver 46' for the cradle 23, 23' to rotate the meat separation device 6, 6' so that an edge of the blade 7, 7' is aligned with the edge of the rib bone.

The controller, in step e), activates the driver 21, 21' of the meat separation device to move the blade forward in the direction of motion 22, 22' so that the contact surface 10 of the blade progressively punches and separates the intercostal meat from the edge of the rib bone by forcing it through the aperture 16, 16' in the mask 15, 15'. The removed intercostal meat is collected in the container 30, 30' arranged to the rear of the mask behind and/or below the aperture.

If, as is typically the case, a second cut is required to remove all the meat from between adjacent rib bones, the controller is activated to move the support member and to rotate the cradle 23, 23' so that the opposite edge of the blade 7, 7' is aligned with the edge of the adjacent rib bone. The controller then operates the meat separation device 6, 6' to remove the remaining intercostal meat. This process is continued for each edge of each rib bone until all the required intercostal meat has been removed and the trenched rack has been formed.

The operation is completed by the controller activating the pneumatic driver of the support member 2 to remove it back to the starting position, followed by release of the clamp and the operator removing the completed trenched rack. Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.