Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
21 8~374
Apparatus for removing the heart and lungs from an entrai~
package
The invention relates to an apparatus for removing
the heart and lungs from an entrails package which has been
removed from a slaughtered bird, comprising a conveyor for
conveying the entrails package in a suspended condition.
After the entrails package has been removed from
within a slaughtered bird it has to be divided into parts,
because said parts have different destinations. In this aspect
it is important that dividing such an entrails package occurs
in a uniform and reproducable manner, also at the high
production rates applied in modern slaughtering lines.
One of the parts of the entrails package which has
to be removed is the assembly of heart and lungs. There
already exist apparatus which then divide such an assembly in
a heart at one hand and the lungs at the other hand; however,
such apparatus are not capable of removing the assem.bly of
heart and lungs from a complete entrails package.
Thus it is an object of the invention to provide an
apparatus for removing the heart and lungs from an entrails
package, using which uniform and reproducable results are
obtained.
Thus the apparatus according to the invention is
characterised by separation means for spacing apart of at
least the heart and lungs at one hand and the remainder of the
package at the other hand, and further by following loosening
means for loosening the heart and lungs from the remainder of
the package.
Applicant did realise that succesfully loosening
the heart and lungs from the r~m~;n~er of the package can only
be realised when previously the heart and lungs are spaced
apart from the remainder of the package. Thus the separation
means do not yet loosen the heart and lungs from the package,
but are only meant to offer sufficient space to the following
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loosening means such that these can operate in an optimal
manner.
In correspondence with a preferred embodiment of
the apparatus according to the invention the separation means
comprise a rotating roller extending substantially hori-
zontally and into the conveying direction of the conveyor,
with a profiled surface, wherein the roller is positioned
such relative to the conveyor, that the package will engage
the side of the roller that is rotating upwardly.
The entrails package which is conveyed by the
conveyor in a suspended condition (whereby for example the
stomach rests upon a guide and the rem~;n~er of the entrails
package depends below the guide) will engage said upwardly
rotating side of the roller. There it appears that the heart
and lungs are taken along by the profile of the roller and are
moved towards the opposite side (the downwardly rotating side)
of the roller. In this way the heart and lungs are positioned
at some distance from the r~m~in~r of the package, which
remainder r~m~ins at the original lupwardly rotating) side of
the roller.
Further said rotating roller can already partly
loosen tissue connections which are present between the guts
and other parts of the entrails package, as a result of which
the division of the entrails package into parts, as will occur
later, is promoted.
The profile of the roller can consist of projecting
ribs, notches or alike. The ribs can have different shapes; in
most cases the most appropriate shape can be determined by
tests.
Such as to further improve the operation of the
rotating roller, it is preferred that guiding means are
provided at the side of the roller that is rotating upwardly
for maintaining and for guiding the rem~;n~er of the package
at that side. Like this it is possible to prevent in a
reliable m~nner that unwantedly also the remainder of the
package is taken along by the roller and moves towards the
21 89374
opposite side (the downwardly rotating side) of the roller
together with the heart and lungs. Such guiding means can
consist of appropriately bent and cooperating rods, which
therebetween define a guiding track for the rem~;n~er of the
package. If necessary, the guiding means can extend along the
entire length of the apparatus.
As mentioned before, the separation means are
followed by loosening means for loosening the heart and lungs
from the rem~;nfler of the package. In correspondence with a
preferred e-m-bodiment of the apparatus according to the
invention the loosening means consist of a guiding receiving
the assembly of heart and lungs which follows the separation
means, and of means adjoining said guiding for disconnecting
the connection between the assembly and the rem~;n~er of the
package. Because the heart and lungs are positioned at some
distance from the rem~;n~er of the package it is now possible
through using the separation means to lead only the assembly
comprising heart and lungs into the guide which belongs to the
loosening means, whereas the r~m~;n~er of the package is
positioned outside said guide. The means adjoining said guide
for disconnecting the connection between the assembly and the
rem~;n~er of the package then can become effectively
operative.
It is preferred, that the guiding consists of a
slot and in that the means for disconnecting said connection
consist of obstruction means immediately following said slot
and acting on the assembly of heart and lungs. When the
assembly comprising heart and lungs moves along in the slot it
reaches the obstruction means which obstruct a further motion
of the heart and lungs; however, because the conveyor moves
along the entrails package the heart and lungs are torn loose
from the r~m~;n~er of the entrails package by means of the
obstruction means. Next, this assembly of heart and lungs can
be collected in an appropriate way and be supplied to further
processing means (for example for separating heart and lungs).
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Constructively it is possible, that the obstruction
means are defined by two pins extending at both sides of and
perpendicularly to said slot. The tissue connection between
the assembly of heart and lungs at one hand and the r~m~;n~er
of the entrails package at the other hand is sufficiently
narrow for a passage through the slot; generally the heart and
lungs are positioned below said slot. Because the pins
basically define a passage which has just about the same width
as the slot, the heart and lungs cannot pass these pins, as a
result of which they are torn loose from the remainder of the
package.
Further there is the possibility, that one of said
pins has been replaced by a rotating cylinder having an axis
of rotation which extends in parallel with the other pin and
having a helically extending external profile. By means of
such a rotating cylinder it can be avoided that packages torn
loose comprising heart and lungs obstruct the passage. In this
aspect it is further advantageous, if the direction of
rotation of said cylinder is such that its surface at the slot
moves along with the assembly of heart and lungs and in that
the helically extending profile is such that a disconnected
assembly of heart and lungs is moved away from said slot. Due
to the combination of direction of rotation and profile of the
cylinder the disconnected heart and lungs are, in a manner of
speaking, pulled out of the passage in parallel to said pin.
As noted, tearing loose the heart and lungs from
the remainder of the package occurs because the remainder of
the package keeps moving along. Although such a motion can be
caused directly by the conveyor, this is not preferred,
because as a result several tissue connections between for
example heart and lungs at one hand and for example stomach at
the other hand are excessively stressed. A result could be
that the entrails package is torn at a not desired position.
In order to avoid this an embodiment of the apparatus
according to the invention is preferred, according to which
auxiliary conveying means are applied for synchronously with
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the conveyor moving the assembly of heart and lungs through
the guide. For example such auxiliary conveying means can
comprise a disc with drivers, wherein the guide extends
concentrically with the disc along part of the circumference
thereof. Such a disc with its drivers directly engages the
tissue connection between the heart and lungs at one hand and
the remainder of the entrails package at the other hand, such
that, when the heart and lungs are obstructed by the
obstruction means, tearing loose will occur also at said
specific tissue connection.
By the way, the axis of rotation of such a disc can
coincide with the axis of rotation of the rotating cylinder
acting as one of the obstruction means, if applied.
Finally an embodiment is mentioned in which at
least part of the guide is pivotable against a spring load. As
a result an adaption of the guide can occur taking into
account the dimensions of a received assembly comprising heart
and lungs.
Hereinafter the invention will be elucidated
referring to the drawing, in which an embodiment of the
apparatus according to the invention is illustrated. Herein:
fig. 1 shows schematically a side elevational view of an
embodiment of the apparatus according to the
invention;
fig. 2 shows two views according to II in fig. 1;
fig. 3 shows a view according to III in fig. 1, and
fig. 4 shows a section according to IV-IV in fig. 3.
Prior to a detailed discussion of the figures it is
noted that the apparatus and its parts shown therein are
indicated only schematically and that for the sake of clarity
in particular ratios between different parts can deviate from
practice.
In fig. 1 a conveyor 2 comprising drivers 1 is
indicated. The drivers 1 can engage for example stomachs 3 of
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an entrails package 4. Hereby the stomachs 3 can be supported
by a guide 5, only indicated schematically, whereas the
rem~;n~er of the entrails package 4 depends down below the
guide. The direction of motion of the conveyor is indicated by
an arrow.
It is noted that basically it is possible too that
the entrails package is conveyed in suspended condition
differently. It is only important that at least the assembly
of heart and lungs and guts is conveyed in a freely suspending
manner.
At some distance below the conveyor 2 a roller 6 is
positioned which can rotate around its centre line 7. The
direction of rotation is indicated by arrows in fig. 2. At the
surface of the roller 6 profiles are provided which in the
illustrated embodiment are shaped as ribs 8. Further, at the
upwardly moving side of the roller 6 a number of guiding means
9, for example rods, are provided.
When an entrails package 4 reaches the roller 6
initially the entire package 4 is positioned at the right hand
upwardly moving side of the roller 6, as seen in fig. 2. Due
to the rotational "love",ent and gripping action of the ribs 8
at least the assembly comprising heart and lungs 10 is moved
to the opposite, downwardly moving, side of the roller 6. The
rem~n;ng part of the package 4, especially the depending
guts, is received between the guiding rods 9 and is held
thereby. Like this one can avoid unwantedly that this part too
is moved towards the other side of the roller 6.
Thus, by means of the roller 6 the assembly of
heart and lungs 10 is positioned at some distance from the
rem~-n~er of the entrail package 4, without eliminating the
interconnection therebetween. Immediately following the roller
6 there are provided loosening means 11 which comprise a slot
12 (see fig. 3) defining a guide for the assembly of heart and
lungs. Initially said slot narrows and next extends along some
distance concentrically with a disc 13. Said disc 13 comprises
drivers 14. Although several embodiments are possible, in the
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illustrated embodiment the guide shaped like this comprises
two uppermost cooperating plates 15, 16 which thereinbetween
define a slot 12, and two lowermost plates 17 and 18 co-
operating therewith (only visible in fig. 4). The disc 13 with
drivers 14 is housed between the plates 15 and 16 at one hand
and the plates 17 and 18 at the other hand.
After leaving the roller 6 the assembly 10
comprising heart and lungs is moved through the narrowing slot
12 below plates 15 until 18, wherein the tissue connection
between said assembly 10 and the r~m~;n~er of the entrails
package 4 extends upwardly through the slot 12. Next, the
drivers 14 of the disc 13 engage said tissue connection and
take the assembly along in synchronisation with the conveyor
2. Thus, during said motion moving along the assembly of heart
and lungs 10 is not caused by the propelling force of the
conveyor 2, but instead by the motion of the drivers 14 of the
disc 13, such that no undesired stresses are created in the
entrails package 4.
After the assembly of heart and lungs 10 has in
this manner been carried along by the drivers 14 over some
distance said assembly 10 reaches the pin 19 provided on the
lowermost plate 17 and a cylinder 20 positioned below plate
18, which extend at both sides of and perpendicularly to the
slot 12. Said pin 19 and cylinder 20 obstruct the heart and
lungs 10, as a result of whlch these are torn loose from the
remainder of the entrails package 4.
The cylinder 20, which has been indicated in fig. 4
in side elevational view and not in cross-section, comprises
at its circumference a helically extending profile 22 and is
driven around an axis of rotation 21 extending in parellel to
pin 19 in such a way, that the profile acts onto the heart and
lungs with a downward force, as seen in fig. 4. Like this one
can avoid effectively that the heart and lungs block the
passage between cylinder 20 and the pin. The axis of rotation
21 can coincide with the axis of rotation of the disc 13.
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It has not been shown that part of the guide 15, 16
can be pivotable for obtaining an automatic adaption to
entrails packages 4 having different ~;m~n.~ions.
The loosened assembly of heart and lungs can be
supplied to means not shown further for separating the heart
at one hand and the lungs at the other hand. Further the
remainder of the entrails package, from which the heart and
lungs are now removed, can be supplied to means not shown
further to separate said package into parts.
Instead of the pin 19 and cylinder 20 acting as
obstruction means, also different means can be applied for
loosening the connection between the assembly 10 comprising
heart and lungs and the rPm~in~er of the package 4, for
example two pins or knives.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment
described before which can be varied widely within the scope
of the invention as defined by the claims.
