Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Arrangement for lateral slitting of the skin on both sides of a slaughtered
animal in a
saddled position, a support body of such an arrangement for saddling the
animal
body, a processing machine using the arrangement for slitting the skin, as
well as an
appropriate method for slitting the skin
The invention relates to an arrangement for lateral cutting of the skin on
both sides of a
slaughtered animal in a position saddled on a support body, comprising a
passage way
associated to the passing through of the support body, which extends in the
direction of
passage and is formed by a pair of slitting elements for making the slits,
which is moveable
by means of a control at least substantially transverse to the direction of
passage and a
control means for implementing the control movements. The invention also
relates to a
processing machine for filleting slaughtered animals, in particular poultry,
with a transport
conveyor forming an upper run and a lower run and being arranged in an
endlessly
revolving manner in the conveying direction and with a plurality of processing
stations,
wherein a series of support bodies, for accommodating an animal body each, is
disposed on
the transport conveyor. The invention furthermore is directed to a support
body, which is
equipped for developing the arrangement for slitting the skin. In addition,
the invention
comprises a method for the lateral slitting of the skin on both sides of
slaughtered animals,
which are saddled on a series of support bodies for transporting and
processing, wherein the
slitting elements, which determine a passage way for the support body and are
movable
transversely to the conveying direction of the support body, are controlled
for producing
longitudinal slits at the longitudinal sides of the conveyed animal bodies.
The arrangement for lateral cutting of the skin on both sides, referred to
hereinafter also as
the slitting arrangement, usually is used in the aforementioned processing
apparatus for
processing slaughtered animal bodies. Animal bodies, in particular, are body
parts,
primarily front halves and breast caps of poultry. In this manner, the
processing apparatus is
equipped, in particular, for handling or respectively processing poultry, and
namely for
filleting breast caps or front halves.
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The lateral skin slits on both sides are produced primarily in order to be
able to grip the skin
for skinning after the slits have been made. "Slitting" is understood to be a
cut or incision
which cuts through the whole of the skin, which leaves the subcutaneous fatty
tissue and the
animal carcass untouched. Slitting in the form of slitting open the skin for
the purpose of
skinning is particularly required if the skin of the animal body is
particularly taut, accessible
only with difficulty and/or dry, so that it cannot be gripped or gripped only
with difficulty
with skinning tools. For example, the skin of a poultry breast cap generally
can be gripped
at the respiratory fold of the animal body without any tools while this is no
longer or no
longer reliably possible in the front halves of poultry, especially when the
latter are air-
dried. In such cases, use is made of an indirect control, which is provided
for a wing cut, for
slitting the skin if the poultry cut can be omitted. Such a control is carried
out by means of
adjustable sliding jaws, which, cam controlled, abut on a base, namely a
saddle base plate of
a support body. The known control, which can be used only if the wing cut is
omitted, takes
up much space and uses slitting knives, which partially come into contact with
the side
surfaces of the support body when slitting the skin. This leads to wear and
damage.
On the other hand, it is an object of the invention to improve slitting the
skin of said animal
bodies significantly, especially in that the space, required for an
arrangement of elements
and organs for slitting the skin, is particularly small and the skin slit can
be made reliably
even if the skin is particularly thin, dry and/or taut without damaging the
slitting element
and the support body. In a processing machine, slitting the skin is not to
prevent or impair
other processes, especially not a wing cut.
According to the present invention, there is provided an arrangement (1) for
the lateral
slitting of the skin at both sides of a slaughtered animal, in a position
saddled on a support
body (15), comprising a passage way (11) associated to the passing through of
the support
body (15), which extends in the direction of the passage way (D), formed by a
pair of
slitting elements (12) for making the slits, which can be moved by means of a
control at
least substantially transversely to the direction of the passage way (D), and
a control means
(13) for implementing the control movements, characterized in that the control
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means (13) is formed by a pair of sliding elements (14), which are moveable
transversely to
the direction of the passage way (D) and are set up for sliding contact, with
slitting elements
(12) of the pair of slitting elements, which are arranged thereon and protrude
therefrom
transversely to the direction of the passage way (D), by control surfaces
(16), which are
associated to the sliding elements (14), and are formed laterally on both
sides of the support
body (15) and against which the sliding elements (14) are moveable to bring
about a control
deflection which changes the width of the passage way (11) as well as by
longitudinal
grooves (17) formed laterally on both sides of the support body (15), which
extend
corresponding to the direction of the passage way (D) and are associated to
the slitting
elements (12) and into which the protruding slitting elements (12) can be
plunged freely.
Preferably, the objects of the invention are achieved for an arrangement with
the features
named hereinbefore in that the control means is formed by a pair of sliding
elements, which
can be moved transversely to the passage way direction and are set up for
sliding contact,
with slitting elements of the pair of slitting elements, which are arranged
thereon and
protrude therefrom transversely to the direction of the passage way, as well
as by the control
surfaces, which are associated to the sliding elements, and are formed
laterally on both sides
of the support bodies and against which the sliding elements can be moved to
bring about a
control deflection, which changes the width of the passage way and with
longitudinal
grooves, which extend in accordance with the direction of the passage way and
into which
the protruding slitting elements can be plunged freely to avoid any direct
contact with the
support body. They are not in contact with the support body at any time and
for any control
deflection.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a processing
machine (3) for
filleting slaughtered animal bodies, namely poultry bodies, with a transport
conveyor (4)
forming an upper run (41) and a lower run (42) which is arranged in an
endlessly revolving
manner in the conveying direction (F) and with a plurality of processing
stations (30),
wherein a series of support bodies (15) for accommodating a poultry body each
is arranged
on the transport conveyor (4), characterized in that, in a processing station
(308)
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equipped for slitting the skin according to the arrangement as defined herein,
the control
means (13) is provided together with each support body (15), wherein all
support bodies
(15) are designed with the control surfaces (16) as well as the lateral
longitudinal grooves
(17) for keeping the slittiing elements (12) away from the support bodies
(15).
Preferably, for a processing machine named hereinbefore, in particular for
filleting
slaughtered poultry carcasses, it is provided according to the invention that
in a processing
station, equipped for slitting skin, according to the slitting arrangement
according to the
invention the control means is provided together with each support body, all
support bodies
being designed with the control surfaces as well as with the longitudinal
grooves for
keeping the slitting elements away from the support bodies.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a support body
(15), equipped for
forming the arrangement (1) for slitting the skin as defined herein, wherein
the support body
(15), which is designed for saddling and transporting a slaughtered animal
body, in
particular a poultry body, has a saddle-like shape with a top seat surface
(151) and
longitudinal side surfaces (152), wherein at least one section of each
longitudinal side
surface (152) is designed as a control surface (16), which forms an abutment
surface for a
sliding element (14) holding a slitting element (12), and wherein a
longitudinal groove (17)
is designed, associated to said control surface (16), in at least one section
of each
longitudinal side surface (152), in which said slitting element (12) can
engage without
making contact, when said sliding element (14) abuts on the associated control
surface (16).
Preferably, a support body, which is designed for saddling and transporting a
slaughtered
animal and has a saddle-like shape with a top seat surface and longitudinal
side surfaces, is
characterised according to the invention in that it is equipped for forming
the slitting
arrangement for slitting the skin, at least one section of each longitudinal
side surface being
designed as a control surface, which forms an abutment surface for a sliding
element
holding a slitting element, and a longitudinal groove being designed,
associated to said
control surface, in at least one section of each longitudinal side surface, in
which
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longitudinal groove said sitting element can engage without making contact, in
particular
when said sliding element abuts on the associated control surface directly.
The saddle-like
shape corresponds at least partially to the inner shape of the poultry
carcass. The control
surfaces correspond at least substantially to the outer shape of the carcass
with and along the
skin to be slit.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for the
lateral cutting of
the skin on both sides of slaughtered animal bodies, which are saddled on a
series of support
bodies (15) for transporting and processing, wherein slitting elements (12)
determining a
passage way (11) for the support body (15) and moveable transversely to the
conveying
direction (F) of the support bodies (15) are controlled for making
longitudinal slits at the
longitudinal sides of the conveyed animal body, characterized in that the slit
at
each longitudinal side of the animal body is made parallel to an abutment
track of a sliding
element (14) sliding along this abutment track on the outside of the animal
body, and that by
means of each sliding element (14) the associated slitting element (12) is
held and guided
such that when the size of the passage way (11) changes it is always kept free
from the
support body (15), wherein it can plunge, without making contact, into an air
gap (170)
designed on each support body (15) and running coincidently with the slit.
Preferably, a method according to the invention, corresponding to the
functions of the
physical features of the invention, for the longitudinal slitting of the skin
on both sides, is
characterised in that the slit at each longitudinal side of the animal body is
made parallel to
an abutment track of a sliding element, sliding along this abutment track on
the outside of
the animal body and that, by means of each sliding element, the associated
slitting element
is held and guided such that when the size of the passage changes, it is
always kept away
from the support body and can plunge, without making contact, into an air gap
running
coincidently with the slit. The slitting element is guided such that, at least
in the case of
support bodies not being provided with animal bodies, it plunges, without
making contact,
into the air gap running coincidently with the slit to be applied, preferably
along at least the
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greater part of its total length. A series of advantages is achieved with the
measures
according to the invention.
Preferably, the slit arrangement according to the invention is characterised
in particular in
that the depth of the cut for slitting the skin is adapted and limited, the
skin being cut
through reliably whereas the subcutaneous fatty tissue or the carcass remain
free of the skin
cut. It is ensured reliably that the slitting element does not make any
contact with the
support body. Wear and damage are avoided. When the support body is not loaded
and
possibly before the start and/or after the end of the slitting process, the
sliding elements are
in direct contact with the control surfaces of the support body. During the
slitting, they
come into contact with the skin of the animal body to be slit, the control
surface, with the
interposed animal body with tissue and skin, forming a guiding counter-
abutment for the
sliding elements. Here, it is essential that the transverse movement of the
slitting elements is
adapted to the saddled carcass and the outer layer thereupon, the transverse
movement of
the slitting elements following the actual contour or respectively the surface
structure of the
animal body for slitting. Consequently, the control is direct and immediate.
The control
surfaces correspond at least substantially to the outer shape of the carcass
with and along the
skin to be slit. Thus the controlling abutment track, along which the
associated sliding
element slides on the outside of the animal body, corresponds to the shape of
the body along
the skin to be slit. The slitting elements can also protrude relatively far at
the sliding
elements wherein before and/or after slitting the skin, they plunge only into
the longitudinal
groove without contacting the support body, that is, they plunge only into an
air gap. This
may be the case, for example, when the slitting element has not yet reached or
respectively
has left a region of skin to be slit. Any damage to the slitting elements and
the support body
is likewise and, in particular, reliably avoided when no animal is saddled on
the support
body, i.e. the support body is moving in idle operation through the passage
way in the
direction of passage. Said advantages of the arrangement according to the
invention
correspondingly result in relation to the processing machine according to the
invention, the
support body according to the invention and the method according to the
invention.
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Preferably, means, elements and/or parts of the arrangement, namely, in
particular, of the
control means, for example, a restoring device and/or a swivelling device with
the sliding
elements, are saddled on a console, a rack, a frame or a similar supporting
element.
Preferably, a particularly space-saving arrangement is achieved in that the
control surfaces
are designed at the support body in the region of the skin to be slitof animal
bodies that can
be saddled. Advantageously, the control surfaces then adjoin the longitudinal
grooves,
adjoining the longitudinal edges of the longitudinal grooves or being formed
by such
longitudinal edges.
The control means for the sliding abutment of the sliding elements may be
equipped in a
particularly space-saving and space-utilising manner with restoring devices,
which produce
contact and restoring forces and are connected with the two associated sliding
elements.
Advantageously, at least one of said restoring devices comprises a swivelling
device with a
pivot axis, about which the associated sliding element for the sliding
abutment is held
pivotably.
The sliding element, in conjunction with the associated slitting element, can
be adjusted
particularly selectively and in a particularly defined manner to the skin,
that is, the skin to
be slit. Accordingly, the sliding elements and slitting elements can be set up
in such a
manner that the slitting elements each protrude beyond the sliding surfaces of
the sliding
elements, depending on the thickness of the skin of the animal body that is to
be slit.
For this purpose, preferably, the control means is set up with at least one
adjusting means
for adjusting a basic width of the passage way, starting from which the width
of the passage
way can be enlarged in accordance with the control deflection. In particular,
the start and
end of the slitting process can be set with the adjustment of the basic width.
An adjustment
to the geometry of the animal body can be realised.
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Preferably, one embodiment is characterised in that, in relation to a saddle
height of the
support body, the sliding elements carry the slitting elements at a height
which is associated
to the respiratory folds of animal bodies which can be saddled. On the one
hand, the
respiratory folds are used in order to cut the skin in a region which
protrudes or respectively
is easily accessible for gripping the skin with skinning tools and, on the
other, there is a
defined separation to the back skinning and breast skinning, which can be
carried out after
the skin is slit with a processing machine according to the invention or in
accordance with
the method according to the invention.
In particular and preferably, the skin slits are made in order to directly
subsequently carry
out at least one skin separation. The processing machine then comprises at
least one
skinning device, which, in the conveying direction of the processing machine
or
respectively in the direction of the passage way, is disposed downstream of
the processing
station for slitting the skin.
Preferably, the support body according to the invention is in a special
relationship to the
control means on account of the arrangement according to the invention. A most
preferable
design of the support body is achieved in that the control surfaces of the
support body are
formed in the region of the skin to be slit of animal bodies that can be
saddled. For this
purpose, the control surfaces of the support body adjoin the longitudinal
edges of the
longitudinal grooves.
In particular and preferably, bulbously convexly-shaped lateral side surfaces
of the support
body are suitable to form the longitudinal groove with an exact assignment to
the slitting of
the skin or respectively slitting elements. A longitudinal groove can be
formed by an at least
substantially straight recess that runs through the bulbous area.
Preferably, a particular design of the support body that is equipped and
designed to saddle a
poultry carcass in the form of a front half of a poultry carcass is achieved
in that the
longitudinal grooves are arranged at the longitudinal side surfaces of the
support body at the
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height of the respiratory folds of the saddled front halves. Whereas a poultry
breast cap
substantially consists of the part of the poultry breast containing the keel
bone, the
wishbones and the coracoid processes, the poultry front half additionally
comprises a
shoulder region with a part of the spine and free ribs. These parts of the
skeleton surround a
recess in the foremost region of the front half. The support body is designed
with a part, in
particular a saddle horn, that reaches into the recess of the saddled poultry
body.
It is particularly advantageous that with the method according to the
invention, the skin of
dried, generally air-dried animal bodies, in particular front halves of
poultry, can be slit in a
defined manner and at a relatively high processing speed. Skin tautened by
drying requires
slitting (cutting) so that it can be taken hold of for skinning.
Only particularly practical and advantageous embodiments and possibilities
will be
described in more detail on the basis of the following description of the
exemplary
embodiments shown in the schematic drawing. Each described individual or
detailed design
within an exemplary embodiment is to be understood as an independent exemplary
detail
for other embodiments and designs which fall under the invention and are not,
or not
completely described.
In the figures
Fig. 1 shows an arrangement according to the invention in
an
axonometric representation as well as a support body
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according to the invention for the lateral cutting of the skin on
both sides of a slaughtered animal body,
Fig. 2A to 2C show a top view and rear view of an arrangement
according to
the invention according to Fig. 1, substantially formed by a
support body according to the invention and a part of an
associated control device and
Fig. 3 shows a processing machine according to the invention with a
processing station for slitting skin that is provided with an
arrangement according to Fig. 1 to 2C.
Fig. 1 shows an arrangement 1 according to the invention that is realised, for
example, in a
processing station 308 of a processing machine 3. An example of a processing
machine 3,
which will be described in more detail below, is shown in Fig. 3. Located here
is the
processing station 308 at the end of an upper run 41 of a transport conveyor
4. Key
elements of the arrangement 1 are also shown in Fig. 2A to 2C. Fig. 2C shows a
detail Z of
Fig. 2A.
The arrangement 1 comprises a passage way 11 and a support body 15 that is
formed to
pass through the passage way 11 and to interact with the passage way 11. The
arrangement
1 is such that the support body 15 can pass through the passage way 11 with a
front part,
namely a saddlehom, leading in the conveying direction F, which here
corresponds to the
direction of passage D of the passage way 11.
Fig. 1 shows the support body 15 by way of example in an initial position that
is reached
once the front part of the support body 15 has passed through the passage way
11. Figs. 2A
to 2C show the support body 15 by way of example in a second position through
which it
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passes with a rear part that is located in the passage way 11 and which has a
maximum
bulge on the longitudinal side.
The support body 15 is shaped in the form of a saddle and is connected to a
saddle base
plate by which it can be attached to the transport conveyor 4. Such a base
plate 43 is guided
on a rack 32 of the processing machine 3, the transport conveyor 4 being borne
under a
horizontal alignment of upper run 41 or respectively lower run 42 as well as
in vertical
deflecting planes and is set up for the revolving drive. In particular, the
support body 15 can
be connected to the base plate 43 by means of a quick connection not shown
here.
As can be seen in particular in Fig. 2B, the support body 15 has a U-shaped
space in the
cross-section that receives a clamping device 5. This is equipped with a
clamping lever 51
(Fig. 1) as well as a release lever 52 (Fig. 2B).
The support body 15 is designed to saddle a slaughtered animal body not shown
here in a
known way, namely in the exemplary embodiment the front half of a poultry
body. In the
saddled position the front half with its inside parts rests against the saddle
support surfaces,
namely against the upper seat surface 151 and longitudinal side surfaces 152,
and is held in
place by means of the clamping device 5, whereby the free end of the clamping
lever 51
works against the breast bone plate of the front half of the poultry carcass
or respectively
against the support body 15, for example a spring-mounted bolt 53 fastened to
this or the
like. A clamping control mechanism not shown here that has the trigger element
52
protruding from the base plate 43, opens or respectively closes the clamping
device 5 for
feeding or emptying. The elements and functions of the support body or
respectively the
connection with the transport conveyor 4 described above in this respect as
well as
associated constructions and mechanisms, which can be very diversified, are
common and
are known.
Inventive key features of the support body 15 are that each longitudinal side
surface 152 is
designed with a longitudinal groove 17 that forms an air gap 170. The
longitudinal groove
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17 extends in a section of the support body 15 that curves convexly outwards
longitudinally
in the support body cross-section. The support body surface can also be
designed otherwise
here, e.g. flat and/or partly set back. A further key feature is that each
longitudinal groove
17 is assigned an associated control surface 16 on each side surface 152,
whereby the
control surface 16 extends longitudinally with the longitudinal groove 17. The
control
surface 16 is formed by a stripe-like or line-like surface section of the
support body 15. In
the exemplary embodiment it adjoins the longitudinal groove 17 on the
transport or run side
so that it is formed by a run-side edge of the longitudinal groove 17. This
design is
generally particularly advantageous.
A horizontal centre plane 153 is located in parallel alignment with the base
plate 43 or
respectively a conveyance or passage level. On account of the convex shape of
the support
body 15, the centre plane 153 can be defined by a maximum cross-section
diameter QM of
the support body 15 in the passage area in the centre plane (Fig. 2C).
Each control surface 16 of the control surface pair is located at the
associated side surface
152 on the side/saddle height of the cross-section diameter QM. According to
the described
location, the longitudinal grooves 17 are located on the seat side of the
support body 15 in
the area between the upper seat surface 151 and the cross-section diameter QM
to which
they adjoin. The longitudinal grooves 17 are assigned to the respiratory folds
of the front
half of the poultry that can be saddled on the support body 15 with these
positions or
respectively attachment points.
The support body 15 has a vertical centre plane 154 that extends in its
longitudinal
direction and that stands vertical to the horizontal centre plane 154. The
support body 15 is
shaped symmetrical relative to the vertical centre plane 154 with its parts
that are essential
to the invention.
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,
The pair of control surfaces 16 and the pair of longitudinal grooves 17 are
elements of a
control means 13 of the arrangement 1, wherein they correspond with further
elements of
the control means 13, namely with sliding elements 14 and slitting elements
12.
The sliding elements 14 are assigned to the control surfaces 16. They are
borne on
stationary consoles 19, that are plate-shaped in the exemplary embodiment, and
indeed in a
horizontal position parallel to the plane of the base plate 43 in the area of
the passage way
11. Instead of that, the sliding elements 14 can be borne in any other way on
a rack, for
example also a part of a rack 32, of arrangement 1. The consoles 19 can be
elements of a
rack, a frame or a similar supporting element.
The pair of sliding elements 14 and the pair of slitting elements 12 attached
to these form
the passage way 11. The width of this can be changed depending on the swivel
positions of
the sliding elements 14 around pivot axes 180 of a swivelling device 181.
Each sliding element 14 is provided with a sliding surface 140 that lies at
the height of the
associated control surface 16 and faces the latter. Each slitting element 12
has a cutting
edge 121 that can plunge freely into the associated longitudinal groove 17.
Each slitting
element 12 is rigidly fastened to the associated sliding element 14.
Each swivelling device 181 is designed such that the pivot axis 180 is
arranged in the
direction of passage D or respectively in the conveying direction F in the
area before the
passage way 11 or respectively before the sliding elements 14 and the slitting
elements 12.
Each swivelling device 181 is a component part of a return device 18. This
comprises an
angled lever arm 183 that is firmly connected, e.g. in a screwed connection,
to the sliding
element 14 and which extends with a free end into the area behind the passage
way 11,
viewed in the direction of conveyance/passage F, D. An adjusting means 182 is
mounted on
the bracket 19 or another part of the rack, e.g. in the form of an adjustable
stop screw,
against which the free end of the lever arm 183 abuts in an initial position.
The in principle
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identical initial positions of the two sliding elements 14 define a basic
passage width of the
passage way 11, if there is no support body 15 in the passage way 11 and
consequently no
deflection occurs. The return device 18 further comprises a return means 184
in the form of
a tension spring, one end of which is fastened to the free end of the lever
arm 183 and the
other end to the console 19, which is arranged such that the sliding element
14 is kept in the
initial position leading to the basic passage width by means of the lever arm
183 and the
adjusting means 182. It can be swivelled out from this around the pivot axis
180 to enlarge
the passage way width when a support body 15 passes through the passage way
11. This
takes place on account of the arrangement according to the invention by means
of the
control deflection effected by the elements of the control means 13.
Fig. 1 to 2C shows a saddle body 15 that passes through the passage way 11
without an
animal body being saddled on this. In the aforementioned initial position
according to Fig.
1 the sliding surfaces 140 of the sliding elements 14 impact on the control
surfaces 16, and
the sliding elements 14 increasingly swivel against the restoring force of the
return device
18 when the support body 15 expanding with the convex bulge passes through the
passage
way 11 or respectively the sliding surfaces 140 come up against the associated
control
surfaces 16. In the second position described above according to Fig. 2A to
2C, the sliding
elements 14 are largely pilot opened against the control surfaces 16 under the
restoring
force contact of the sliding surfaces 140, so that a reverse movement
subsequently takes
place in which the sliding elements 14 swivel back to the named initial
position under the
effect of the associated restoring force when the support body 15 moves
forwards and
leaves the passage way 11.
It can be seen that the cutting edges 121 with which the slitting elements 12
protrude at the
sliding elements 14 plunge into the longitudinal grooves 17 during the control
process
described above, during which the sliding elements 14 abut directly sliding at
the control
surfaces 16, whereby they remain free from any contact with the support body
15. The
longitudinal grooves 17 each form the air gap 170 with the gap width 171.
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Advantageously, at least one of the slitting elements 12 can be height-
adjustable transverse
to the direction of passage D and transverse to the horizontal centre plane
153 or to a
corresponding bearing or holding plane of a holding device, e.g. the console
19, and in a
direction H corresponding to the gap width 171, and namely with a height
adjustment
device not shown here. This can be set up such that the slitting element 12 in
its distance
position in relation to the bearing/holding plane can be changed and locked
relative to the
associated sliding element 14 and/or together with the sliding element 14. A
simple
adjustment of the position of the slitting element 12 to the position of the
skin slit to be cut
is achieved with such an adjusting means. When adjusting only the slitting
element 12
relative to the sliding element 14, the height of the sliding element 14
remains unchanged
relative to the control surface 16 and thus its abutment track.
The processing machine 3 shown in Fig. 3 comprises on the upper run 41 a
loading station
301 in which consecutive support bodies 15 are each loaded with a front half
of a poultry
not shown here. The loaded support bodies 15 on the upper run 41 in the
conveying
direction F pass through a number of processing stations 30 to carry out
certain cuts. The
air-dried front halves of the poultry are then guided through the processing
station 308 at
the end of the upper run 41 to sever the dry taut skin of the front halves at
the height of
their respiratory folds by slitting. The rotatingly driven run transport
conveyor 4 is driven
by means of a drive 45 that is not shown here. At the beginning of the lower
run 42,
directly after the run deflection by means of a deflection roller 44, there
are processing
stations 309, 310, in which the front halves of the poultry are skinned. The
so-called skin
slits are made in the processing station 308 in preparation for the skin
removal. In the
processing station 309, skin-removal tools that are not shown here grip the
skin areas
produced by slitting to skin the front halves of the poultry from the rear,
whereas in
processing station 310 the breast side of the front halves of the poultry
carcass is skinned in
the same way.
To produce the slit, the slitting elements 12 that can be moved transverse to
the conveying
direction F in the processing station 308 are controlled with the control
means 13 described
CA 02806223 2013-01-29
- 14
in Fig. 1 to 2C. On each longitudinal side of the front half of the poultry
the slit is made
parallel to an abutment track of the sliding element 14 that slides along this
abutment track
on the outside of the front half of the poultry. The skin is hereby divided by
slitting with a
depth of cut that is determined by the dimension with which the slitting
elements 12 each
protrude on the associated sliding elements 14, whereby the slitting element
12 is kept at a
distance by the control surface 16 or respectively the air gap 170 depending
on the direct
control of the sliding element 14 by means of the surface contour of the front
half against
which it abuts. The skin slit is made automatically in that the sliding
elements 14, during
the passage of the support body 15 with the saddled front half of the poultry
through the
passage way 11, impact against the outer sides of the front half of the
poultry and thus, by
means of the effect of the return device 18, abut in the area of the skin to
be slit so that the
named abutment tracks can be achieved. The slits are made during this
abutment, i.e. also
during the controlled return movement of the slitting elements 12. In
addition, the
associated slitting element 12 is held and guided by each sliding element 14
such that,
depending on the size of the passage way 11 it can plunge into the air gap 170
running
coincidentally with the slit, formed by the longitudinal groove 17, without
making contact.
This plunge movement does not take place during a normal slitting of skin. But
it is
essential that if flaws should occur or a support body 15 or respectively the
support bodies
15 that pass through the passage way 11 are not loaded, the air gap 170
according to the
invention comes into effect in that it accommodates the slitting elements 12
or respectively
their cutting edges 121 freely.
Following on from the processing station 310, there follows at the lower run
42 of the
processing machine 3 a series of further processing stations 30 with which the
front halves
of the poultry are filleted by scraping off the skin in a known way.
