Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02661667 2010-10-13
MEAT PROCESSING SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a meat processing system and more
particularly to a system wherein pieces of meat are conveyed through a wash
tub or
housing with the conveyed meat being immersed in agitated chilled water so
that
foreign material such as bone chips, blood clots and skin are removed from the
pieces of meat.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many meat processing plants, portions or pieces of meat are first
severed from an animal carcass and are then further processed downstream in
the
plant for particular uses. During the severing process of the meat from the
carcass,
bone chips which may result from the severing process may cling to the
exterior of
the piece of meat. Further, undesirable blood clots and pieces of skin may
adhere to
the piece of meat. Usually, the foreign materials adhering to the piece of
meat must
be manually removed therefrom which is a time consuming and labor intensive
task.
This is especially true in those processing plants where "picnics" are cut
from hog
carcasses and are then processed into meat products such as sausage or the
like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore oneobject of the invention to provide an improved meat
processing system.
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According to the invention there is provided a meat processing system,
comprising:
an elongated housing having a first end and a second end;
said housing including a bottom wall and horizontally spaced-apart
side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall;
said housing being filled to a predetermined level with water;
an endless belt conveyor having opposite side edges, an input end and
an output end, movably mounted in said housing which extends between said
first
and second ends of said housing;
said side edges of said belt conveyor being positioned adjacent said
side walls of said housing;
said belt conveyor including at least:
(a) a first conveyor portion, having first and second ends, at
said first end of said housing which is positioned above the water level in
said
housing so that pieces of meat may be placed thereon;
(b) a second conveyor portion, having first and second ends,
extending downwardly from said second end of said first conveyor portion into
the
water in said housing and towards said second end of said housing;
(c) a third conveyor portion, having first and second ends,
extending from said second end of said second conveyor portion, below the
water
level in said housing, towards said second end of said housing;
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(d) and a fourth conveyor portion, having first and second
ends, extending upwardly from said third conveyor portion towards said second
end
of said housing;
said fourth conveyor portion having an upper end portion which is
positioned above the water level in said housing;
each of said conveyor portions having carry and return portions;
said endless belt conveyor being movable so that pieces of meat
placed on said first conveyor portion will be conveyed downwardly into said
water in
said housing, through the water in said housing by said endless belt conveyor;
an air blower positioned above said second end of said housing which
blows excess water downwardly from the pieces of meat after the meat has been
moved upwardly from the water in said housing by said conveyor with the excess
water being returned to the water in said housing;
a water agitator associated with said housing to at least agitate the
water adjacent said third conveyor portion so as to remove foreign material
from the
pieces of meat positioned on said carry portion of said third conveyor
portion.
In general the arrangement as described in more detail hereinafter
comprises a method and means for processing pieces of meat is disclosed
wherein
the apparatus for processing the pieces of meat comprises an elongated housing
having a first end and a second end with the housing including a bottom wall
and
horizontally spaced-apart side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall.
The
housing is filled to a pre-determined level with chilled water. An endless
conveyor is
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movably mounted in the housing which extends between the first and second ends
of the housing. The conveyor includes at least first, second and third
conveyor
portions. Each of the first and third conveyor portions are inclined and have
upper
and lower ends,. The second conveyor portion is generally horizontally
disposed and
has first and second ends.
The first conveyor portion of the endless conveyor extends from the
first end of the housing towards the second end of the housing. The upper end
of the
first conveyor portion is positioned above the level of water in the housing
with the
lower end of the first conveyor portion being positioned below the level of
water in
the housing. The second conveyor portion extends from the lower end of the
first
conveyor portion towards the second end of the housing beneath the level of
water
in the housing. The third conveyor portion extends upwardly from the second
end of
the second conveyor portion towards the second end of the housing. The lower
end
of the third conveyor portion is positioned below the level of water in the
housing.
The upper end of the third conveyor portion is positioned above the water
level in the
housing.
The conveyor is movable so that meat placed on the upper end of the
first conveyor portion will be conveyed downwardly into the water in the
housing by
the first conveyor portion, thence conveyed through the water in the housing
by the
second conveyor portion, and thence upwardly from the water in the housing by
the
third conveyor portion.
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A water agitator is associated with the housing to agitate the water
therein so as to remove foreign material such as bone chips, blood clots or
skin from
the pieces of meat being conveyed through the water in the housing. The meat
processing system includes a water recirculator which recirculates chilled
water
through the housing. The water in the housing is agitated by means of water
and/or
air nozzles which direct pressurized water and/or air into the housing so that
the
meat being conveyed by the conveyor will pass through the agitated water in
the
housing. The system also includes an air blower positioned above the third
conveyor
below the upper end thereof which blows excess water from the meat after the
meat
has moved upwardly from the water in the housing.
The arrangement described hereinafter may provide one or more of
the following features:
a meat processing system wherein pieces of meat are conveyed
through agitated, chilled water so that the agitated water removes bone chips,
blood
clots and skin from the meat being conveyed through the water;
a meat processing system including a water recirculation means which
further includes a filter to filter out the foreign material which has been
removed from
the pieces of meat being processed;
a method and means for processing meat which eliminates the need
for manually removing foreign material from the pieces of meat being
processed;
and
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a system of the type described which is economical of manufacture,
efficient and durable in use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention is described hereinafter in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the meat processing system of this
invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the meat inlet end of the meat
conveyor of the system;
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the meat discharge end of the
meat conveyor of the system;
FIG. 4 is a partial side perspective view of the housing of the system;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the housing of the system; and
FIG. 6 is a side view of the conveyor illustrating the various portions
thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The meat processing system of this invention is referred to generally
by the reference numeral 10. System 10 includes a conveyor 12 which is
positioned
within a housing or tank 14. Housing 14 includes a bottom 16, inclined end
walls 18
and 20, and side walls 22 and 24. Conveyor 12 is of the endless type and is
preferably constructed of a linked plastic material which creates openings 25
therein
which make the cleaning of the same more efficient.
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Although conveyor 12 is of the endless type, conveyor 12 will be
described as including a first conveyor portion 26, a second conveyor portion
28, a
third conveyor portion 30, a fourth conveyor portion 32, a fifth conveyor
portion 34,
and a sixth conveyor portion 36. As seen in the drawings, conveyor portions
28, 32,
34 and 36 are inclined while conveyor portions 26 and 30 are generally
horizontally
disposed. For purposes of description, first conveyor portion 26 will be
described as
having a first end 38 and a second end 40. Second conveyor portion 28 will be
described as having an upper end and a lower end. Third conveyor portion 30
will be
described as having a first end 42 and a second end 44. Fourth conveyor
portion 32
will be described as having a lower end and an upper end while fifth conveyor
portion 34 will be described as having a first end 46 and a second end 48.
Sixth
conveyor portion 36 will be described as having an upper end and a lower end.
As seen in FIG. 6, conveyor portion 28 extends downwardly from
second end 40 of conveyor portion 26 to first end 42 of conveyor portion 30.
As
seen, conveyor portion 32 extends upwardly from second end 44 of conveyor
portion
30 to first end 46 of conveyor portion 34. Conveyor portion 34 extends
slightly
upwardly to first end of conveyor portion 36. As also seen, sixth conveyor
portion 36
extends upwardly from the second end 48 of conveyor portion 34. Conveyor 12 is
mounted on horizontally extending shafts which extend between side walls 22
and
24 and which are mounted in suitable bearings. Conveyor 12 has a width which
is
just slightly less than the width of the housing 14. Conveyor 12 is driven by
any
convenient means such as an electric motor in conventional fashion.
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The numeral 50 refers to a tower which has a filter 52 at the upper end
thereof and a water chiller 54 of conventional design mounted below the filter
52.
Water chiller 54 is supplied with water under pressure by means of a line 56
extending from a suitable and conventional water source 58. The numeral 60
refers
to a water return line which extends from pump 62 to filter 52, with the pump
62
being imposed in line 64 which is in communication with the interior of the
housing
14.
The numeral 70 refers to a source of air under pressure which is in
communication with a plurality of air lines 72 which extend towards the
housing 14
for connection to pressure regulator 73. The numeral 74 refers to a plurality
of
spaced-apart air/water injector nozzles which are positioned in the side walls
22 and
24 and which are fluidly connected to the pressure regulator 73 by lines 75
and
which are also in communication with the water line 60 which extends from the
pump
62 to the filter 52 (FIG. 4). The numeral 76 refers to a water line extending
from the
chiller 54 to the housing 14.
The numeral 78 refers to a chute or hopper-like device positioned
above conveyor portion 26 which is adapted to direct the pieces of meat 80
falling
from an infeed conveyor 82 onto the conveyor portion 26. The numeral 84 refers
to
an air blower which is positioned above conveyor portion 36 for blowing water
from
the pieces of meat 80 traveling up the conveyor portion 36 towards the outfeed
conveyor 86.
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In operation, replenishment water is furnished to the water chiller 54 by
the source of water 58. The pieces of meat 80 are supplied to the hopper 78
which is
positioned over the conveyor portion 26 so that the pieces of meat 80 drop
from the
discharge end of the conveyor 80 onto the moving conveyor portion 26. The
pieces
of meat 80 travel downwardly onto the conveyor portion 28 and are immersed in
the
water inasmuch as the water level WL is above the conveyor portion 30. The
air/water injection into the housing 14 by the injection nozzles 74 agitate
the water
which surrounds the pieces of meat 80 as they travel on the conveyor portion
30
beneath the water level WL within the housing 14 with the agitated water
removing
foreign material therefrom such as bone chips, blood clots or skin. Many of
those
foreign material particles will fall through the conveyor 12 to the bottom of
the
housing 14. After the pieces of meat 80 have been subjected to the agitated
water to
remove the foreign material therefrom, the pieces of meat 80 travel upwardly
on the
conveyor portion 32 to the conveyor portion 34 and then upwardly on the
conveyor
portion 36. The air blower 84 directs forced air onto the pieces of meat 80 on
the
conveyor portion 36 to remove excess water therefrom with that water passing
through the conveyor 12 downwardly to the bottom of the housing. The pieces of
meat 80 are then discharged from the outlet or discharge end of the conveyor
portion 36 onto the outfeed conveyor 86 for further processing.
The water is recirculated or recycled from the housing 14 by means of
the pump 62 which draws the water, bone chips, blood clots, and skin
therethrough
and forces the same through the pipe 60 to the upper end of the filter 52
which
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removes the foreign material from the water. The filtered water passes through
the
lower end of the filter 52 into the water chiller 54 which chills the water to
the desired
temperature for discharge therefrom through the pipe or conduit 76 into the
interior
of the housing 14. If any replenishment water is needed in the water chiller
54, the
5 same is supplied thereto from the source of water 58 through the pipe or
conduit 56.
Although six conveyor portions have been described as comprising
portions of the conveyor 12, the conveyor 12 is endless and the conveyor 12
could
have many different conveyor portions as long as at least a portion of the
conveyor
12 is positioned below the water level WL in the housing 14 so that the
agitated
10 water in the housing 14 may be directed onto the pieces of meat 80 for at
least a
portion of their travel on the conveyor 12 so as to remove the foreign
particles
therefrom.
