Method and apparatus for successive transfer of slaughtered poultry, particularly broilers, from one hanging conveyor to another hanging conveyor

The present invention relates to a method for successive transfer of slaughtered poultry, particularly broilers, from one overhead or hanging conveyor to another hanging conveyor, and of the type described in the introductory part of claim 1.

5 In connection with slaughtering, plucking, cutting open, eviscerating, and cutting up of slaughtered poultry, for instance broilers, these are carried between the respective treatment stations by means of more separate hanging conveyors each with its own type of shackles, in which the broilers normally are suspended in feet or legs.

10 During killing, scaldering, plucking, and removal of head and neck skin the broilers are suspended in foot joint or underleg in shackles. Before the cutting open and eviscerating the broilers are transferred by means of a transfer apparatus to a hanging conveyor with shackles, in which the broilers are suspended in thigh bone or "knee joint". During this transfer - namely while foot joint or underleg still are fixed in first-mentioned hanging

15 conveyor, and "knee joint" is fixed in periphery recesses of horizontal transfer wheels of the transfer apparatus - feet and thighs are cut off by the passage of a rotating knife.

Known transfer apparatuses for this purpose comprise mechanisms, which by the transfer almost throw or fling the broilers into the shackles, when these are in correct 2 position. In practise this very often results in the fact, that the broilers are incorrectly suspended or simply fall down, because some shackles are obligue, that means that empty recesses on the secondary hanging conveyor may occur, which of course means reduced capacity.

25 On this background the invention has for its purpose to provide a method of the type mentioned in the introductory part for transfer of broilers from one hanging conveyor to another hanging conveyor, and by means of which conveyor a more precise and more gentle transfer of the broilers may be achieved.

The method according to the invention is distinctive in that the broilers - while they are suspended with end parts of thighs fixed in said recesses of the transfer wheel - are gripped preferably from the outside, that is preferably from the back, and are carried inwards and lifted upwards under the transfer wheel in such a manner that the thighs are displaced upwards and outwards in the recesses of the transfer wheel within an arched guide rail, so that the said end parts of the thighs are guided in between shackles of the other hanging conveyor, and that the grip around the broilers is relaxed at the same time as the guide rail ends, so that the body of the broilers again are allowed to be led downwards, that is so that their upper thigh are led downwards and said end parts of the thighs are fixed in the shackles of the other hanging conveyor. In a simple manner it is hereby secured that said end parts of the thighs are gripped and fixed by the shackles of the other hanging conveyor also even though some shackles should be oblique. Further¬ more a generally more precise and gentle transfer of the broilers to the secondary hanging conveyor is obtained.

The invention furthermore relates to an apparatus for using the method according to the invention, which means for successive transfer of slaughtered poultry, particularly broilers, from one hanging conveyor to another hanging conveyor, and preferably adapted to cooperate in a coordinated manner with a usual transfer wheel, where leg parts of broilers temporarily are fixed in outwardly open recesses along the periphery of the transfer wheel,, which apparatus is desticntive in that a rotating apparatus part - mounted on a vertical shaft for the transfer wheel - comprises a number of gripping means being adapted to from the outside, that is preferably from the back of a broiler suspended in the transfer wheel, to grip around the hind part of the broiler and carry and lift the broiler inwards and upwards displacing said leg parts upwards and outwards in said recesses within a stationary, arched guide rail, so that the leg parts are carried into a shackle of the other hanging conveyor and are transferred to this, when said guide rail ends and that said grip means furthermore are adapted immediately to be removed downwards away from the broiler, when the arched guide rail ends, so that said leg parts of the broiler - by permitting the broiler again to be lead downwards - is fixed in a

shackle of the other hanging conveyor. By simple apparatus technical provisions a more precise and more gentle transfer of the broilers is obtained.

Appropriately, the transfer apparatus, according to the invention is such provided, that the rotating apparatus part is built up around a stationary drum, which at its outer cylinder surfaces is provided with guide tracks, in which guide rollers of slide mem¬ bers, which outside the drum are displaceably mounted on vertical guide bars, which along the periphery of horizontal, circular bearing plates are secured between these, which bearing plates are pivotally mounted on a vertical bearing shaft for the stationary drum, which slide members by means of link rods are pivotally connected with gripping means comprising a base plate and therefrom projecting gripping bows, which - when the base plate from outside is lead preferably towards the back of a broiler - grip around the body of the broiler just in front of the leg of the broiler, which gripping means are adapted from the outside to be swung upwards and inwards in a combined movement, when the slide members by the engagement of the guide rollers in said guide track are displaced upwards and at the same time displaced towards each other on the guide bars, and to be carried quickly downwards, when the guide rollers in front of the end of said arched guide rails at the same time are lead downwards in a common single guide track or in a double guide track.

For better controlling the outward-displacement of said end parts of the thighs in said recesses of the transfer wheel according to the invention the apparatus may advantageo¬ usly be such provided, that a concentric ring member with said recesses is mounted at the underside of the transfer wheel, which ring member in front of pair by pair belonging recesses is provided with radial outwards and downwards projecting guide plates being adapted to grip around the thighs of the broilers from the outside, so that these thighs are prevented to be spread from each other, when the broiler by means of said gripping means are lifted upwards and outwards for displacement of said end parts of the thighs upwards and outwards in said recesses of the transfer wheel.

In the following the invention is described in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a principle sketch showing transfer of broilers from one hanging conveyor ^' to another hanging conveyor via transfer wheels,

Fig. 2 shows a sideview - partly in section - of an embodiment for a transfer apparatus according to the invention, while

Fig. 3 shows a detail view - partly in section - of a situation, where a broiler by means of the transfer apparatus according to the invention is lifted inwards and upwards under a transfer wheel.

The principle sketch shown in Fig. 1 shows the hanging conveyor 2 of a slaughtering line, where the broilers 4 - as shown i picture A - are suspended in the feet in shackles 6. i a distance under a horizontal turning wheel 8 a transfer wheel 10 is shown mounted on the same shaft and parallel with the turning wheel 8, said transfer wheel 10 along the periphery is provided with outwardly open recesses 12, in which upper end parts 14 of the thighs of the broilers are fixed, while the broilers 4 still are suspended in the feet in the shackles 6 of the hanging conveyor 2. The transfer wheel 10 is rotated synchronously with the transfer wheels 16 and 18, which regarding the embodiment are similar to the transfer wheel 10, that is which also have outwardly open recesses 12 along the periphery.

Just before the transfer point between the transfer wheels 10 and 16, cut off of underleg and feet of the broilers 4 is carried out in a known manner by passage of a rotating knife, so that underlegs and feet continue with the hanging conveyor 2 of the slaughte¬ ring line, while broilers 4 - also in a known manner - suspended in the upper end parts 14 of the thighs of the broilers are transferred to the periphery recesses 12 of the transfer wheel 16.

In the hanging conveyor 2 of the slaughtering line the broilers are suspended with the breast facing the turning wheel 8 and the transfer wheel 10, which is shown with a sig¬ nature 20 having a point illustrating the breast of the broilers and an arch illustrating the back of the broilers.

In the transfer wheel 16 the breast of the broilers 4 faces outwardly, and the transfer wheel 18, whereto the broilers 4 also are transferred in a known manner, is necessary to have the back of the broilers 4 to face outwardly, because the broilers 4 in another hanging conveyor 22 are wanted to be suspended with the breast outwardly and with the upper end parts 14 of the thighs fixed directly in shackles 24 - as shown in picture B, that is that the shackles 24 are empty at the entrance of a turning wheel 26 of the hanging conveyor 22.

The transfer apparatus 28 according to the invention is mounted in a distance under the transfer wheel 18 and comprises a rotating apparatus part 30 around a stationary drum part 32, which at its outer cylinder surface 34 is provided with guide tracks for guide rollers 36 of slide members 38, which outside the drum part 32 are displaceably mounted on vertical guide bars 40. The slide members 38 are by means of link rods 42, 44, 46, and 48 pivotably connected with the gripping means 50 comprising a base plate member 52 and a therefrom projecting gripping bow 54, and as shown in Fig. 2 is adapted from the outside, that is from the back of the broilers 4 suspended along the pe¬ riphery of the transfer wheel 18, to be moved against the back of a broiler 4, to grip around the body of the broiler 4 - just in front of the thigh of the broiler (Fig. 3) - and to carry the broiler body upwards and inwards in a combined movement, so that the upper end parts 14 of the thigh of the broiler are displaced outwardly in the recesses 12 within an arched guide rail 56 for guiding the end parts 14 into the shackles 24 of the other hanging conveyor 22.

When the guide rail 56 ends, that is in the transfer zone, where the end parts 14 already are displaced upwards and outwards and placed in the shackles 24, the gripping means

50 are moved quickly downwards, so that the broilers 4 due to gravity are permitted to

be moved downwards, whereby the end parts 14 of the thighs are fixed in the shackles 24.

L other words the broilers 4 are lifted, while the end parts 14 of the thighs are fixed in ^' the recesses 12 within the guide rail 56, preferably from the back inwards and upwards under the transfer wheel 18, which - as shown in Fig. 3 - at the underside is provided with a ring-shaped bar member 58 stretching concentricly with the recesses 12 within these, and which has radial projecting guide plates 60. In front of pair by pair belonging recesses the guide plates 60 are adapted to grip outwardly around the thighs of the broilers, so that these thighs are prevented to be spread from each other, when the broiler 4 by means of said gripping means 50 is lifted upwards and outwards for displa¬ cement of the end parts 14 of the thighs upwards and outwards in the recesses 12.

In stead of - as shown in Fig. 1 - transferring broilers 4 from the transfer wheel 18 to the other hanging conveyor 22 at the end of the guide rail 56, that is where only very brief contact arises between the transfer wheel 18 and the other hanging conveyor 22, an alternative solution may be used, namely where the other hanging conveyor 62 - as shown at 64 - stretches tangently inwards the transfer wheel 18 - and as shown at 66 first leaves the transfer wheel 18 via a minor guide wheel 68 after an embracing zone of about 90°, so that there will be better time and possibility to have a precise and gende transfer of the broilers 4 from the transfer wheel 18 to the other hanging conveyor 62, that is so that there also may be compensated for possible oblique shackles 24.