Cutting system for cutting carcass parts while the carcass parts are carried by carriers connected to and moved by an overhang transport system

The present invention relates to a cutting system and a method for cutting carcass parts while the carcass parts are carried by carriers connected to and moved by an overhang transport system.

In existing cutting system commonly used in slaughterhouses, carcass parts such as half beef carcasses, that are carried by carriers connected to and moved by an overhang transport system need to be cut into smaller pieces. A common initial cut is to cut such carcass parts into two pieces, one which remains on the carrier and the other piece drops down onto e.g. an underlying conveyor. The cutting device that is applied is often a circular rotating saw that rotates around a vertical rotation axis or a band saw. Such circular saws can have a diameter of 750 mm, and the vertical cutting position of these circular saws depends on the size and shape of the incoming carcasses. An example of such a cutting process is to utilize a detection device that detects a cutting position on an incoming carcass part, and this is used as an input command in adjusting a vertical height position of circular saw. After the carcass part has been cut into two pieces and after the remaining piece carried by the carrier has passed the circular saw the process is repeated and the height of the circular saw is adjusted for the subsequent incoming carcass part while the circular saw is located between adjacent carcasses. In order to make this possible, the distance between adjacent carcass parts must be at least 750 mm, possible around 1000 mm. This decreases the throughput of the cutting process.

On the above background it is an object of embodiments of the present invention to enhance the throughput of the cutting process for carcass parts that are conveyed with an overhang transport system. The term carcass part may as an example be understood as a front or hind leg of any four leg animal such as pork, beef, lamb, or it may be half carcass of such a four leg animal, where the carcass parts are carried by carriers. The term carcass part may as an example be understood as a front or hind leg of any four leg animal such as pork, beef, lamb, or it may be a half carcass of such a four leg animal, where the carcass parts are carried by carriers.

In general, the invention preferably seeks to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art singly or in any combination. In particular, it may be seen as an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a cutting system that solves the above mentioned problems, or other problems.

To better address one or more of these concerns, in a first aspect of the invention, a cutting system is provided for cutting carcass parts while the carcass parts are carried by carriers connected to and moved by an overhang transport system, the system comprising:

The throughput of the cutting process may thus be increased because the limitation to make the height adjustment of the at least one cutting device when it is positioned between adjacent carcass parts, i.e. await until the carcass part or a resulting sub-part has fully passed the at least one cutting device, is no longer an obstacle meaning that the distance between adjacent incoming carcass parts part may be shortened.

By ‘initiate displacement of the carcass part’ may be understood displacement of the entire carcass part or one or more or all sub-parts of the entire carcass part.

By ‘between the upstream cutting edge and the downstream edge’ may be understood between positions on an axis along the conveying direction corresponding to the positions of the upstream cutting edge and the downstream edge.

In one embodiment, the carcass displacement device comprises the at least one cutting device that at least partly contributes in displacing the carcass part away from the cutting position via the moving mechanism by means of controlling height displacement of the at least one cutting device. In an embodiment, the step of controlling the height displacement of the at least one cutting device is performed such that subsequent to cutting the carcass part, e.g. into two pieces or such that such two pieces are still partially connected together, a re-positioning of the at least one cutting device for a subsequent incoming carcass part is carried out in accordance to a determined cutting position for the subsequent carcass part, where the height displacement is carried out such that the upwardly facing surface structure of the at least one cutting device either temporarily acts as a support structure, e.g. for the resulting first sub-piece carried by a carrier causing it to temporarily lift the first sub-piece until it passes the at least one cutting device, or e.g. such that the downwardly facing surface structure at least one cutting device acts as a pusher for a second sub-piece, such as causing it to be removed from the carcass part or from another part of the carcass part. Accordingly, in the case of cutting the carcass part into the first and the second sub-pieces, the first sub-piece is then resting on the at least one cutting device while the height displacement takes place. If the cutting line for the next adjacent carcass part is above this previous cutting line, then the at least one cutting device is moved upwards towards the new cutting line to the new cutting position while the first sub-piece is resting on it so that it is at the right position when the adjacent carcass part reaches the at least one cutting device. This means that the time while the first sub-piece is passing the at least one cutting device may be used to adjust the height displacement of the at least one cutting device.

The displacement of the carcass part away from the at least one cutting position may accordingly be understood as when the height adjustment of the at least one cutting device occurs towards the new cutting position for the subsequent carcass part.

The carcass part may have a pre-cut that may e.g. have been done on an upstream side, and where the determined cutting position comprises identifying this pre-cut position and cut at the pre-cut location.

The height displacement may be understood as a vertical height displacement of the carcass part, or a combination of a vertical and side wise displacement.

The at least one cutting device may include two or more cutting devices that may be jointly mounted on the moving mechanism, where the two or more cutting devices may be configured to perform different cutting operation.

In one embodiment, the carcass displacement device comprises a guiding structure configured to side-wise guide and/or push force on the carcass part during the cutting so as to remove the cut carcass part, or the resulting sub-part, carried by a carrier side-wise from the at least one cutting device before the cut carcass part, or the resulting sub-part, carried by a carrier reaches the downstream edge of the at least one cutting device. The side-wise pushing force may be understood as a force vector that may be pointing perpendicular to the conveying direction of the carcass part (and optionally comprising or consisting of a component pointing perpendicular to the conveying direction in a horizontal plane), or have an angle in an upstream direction (such as making a smallest angle with an upstream direction in the interval]0; 90[degrees and optionally comprising a component pointing perpendicular to the conveying direction in a horizontal plane) or downstream direction (such as making a smallest angle with an upstream direction in the interval]90; 180[degrees and optionally comprising a component pointing perpendicular to the conveying direction in a horizontal plane). Referring to the previous example where the cutting line for the next adjacent carcass part is above this previous cutting line, the height displacement would preferably not occur until the cut carcass part has been fully removed from the at least one cutting device. It is thus, in addition to higher throughput, ensured that the cut carcass part, or the resulting sub-part (e.g. said first sub-piece), will not fall from the carrier carrying it, which might occur if the difference in the height displacement between the two cutting lines is too large, e.g. because of too big size differences between the two adjacent carcass parts.

The displacement of the carcass part away from the at least one cutting position may accordingly be understood as when the carcass part has been pushed side-wise (optionally in a direction comprising or consisting of a component pointing perpendicular to the conveying direction in a horizontal plane) from the at least one cutting device until the at least one cutting device is free to be moved e.g. upwards or downwards.

In an embodiment, the at least one cutting device comprises a circular rotating cutting saw or blade positioned such that an upwardly facing side of the circular rotating cutting saw defines the upwardly facing surface structure, and a downwardly facing side of the circular rotating cutting saw defines the downwardly facing surface structure. One of the advantages of using circular saw is the minimal amount of sawdust is formed from the cutting process. It is common to use circular saws having a diameter 750 mm, in some instances 500-650 mm, to cut hanging carcasses into two smaller pieces, but the diameter should not be construed to these diameter values. In the prior art systems using such circular rotating cutting saw, the distance between adjacent carcasses must correspond to at least this diameter distance, e.g. at least 750 mm, before the height adjustment can take place. However, according to the present invention, this distance may be reduced down to as an example 50-100 mm or even less since these restrictions to wait until the cut carcass part has completely passed the at least one cutting device is no longer a limitation.

The moving mechanism may in one embodiment comprise a mechanical structure connected to the at least one cutting device and may e.g. comprise a servo driven motor or electrical motor, to move the at least one cutting device upwards/downward. As an example, in the embodiment where the at least one cutting device comprises a circular saw, the moving mechanism may be mechanically connected to a drive shaft mechanism that drives to the at least one cutting device in the rotational movement.

In one embodiment, the circular rotating cutting saw rotates around a vertical rotation axis. In another embodiment, the circular rotating cutting saw rotates around a rotation axis angled in relative to a vertical axis. This angular position or these angular positions may e.g. be adjusted manually by an operator.

In yet another embodiment, the rotation axis is adjustable based on the determined cutting position. Accordingly, the angular position may now be adjusted automatically by e.g. the moving mechanism, and thus the yield of the cut may further be enhanced.

The at least one cutting device may in another embodiment comprise a scissor cutter, or any type of a at least one cutting device such as band saw, depending on the application and the type of carcass parts, where the upper side of the scissor cutter or the band saw define the upwardly facing surface structure and the side facing downwards define the downwardly facing surface structure.

In one embodiment, the detection device comprises one or more of the following:

In cases where the light source is operated by an operator, e.g. by pointing a laser pen or similar to the cutting position, the operation of the height displacement of the at least one cutting device may be considered as a semi-automatic process, whereas generally in the absence of an operator intervening in the process, the operation may be considered as automatic process.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises a positioning structure configured to interact with the carcass parts while being moved and adjust their angular position such that the carcass parts have a pre-defined angular position when the carcass parts are cut. Accordingly, by selecting such a pre-defined and optimal angular position, it is possible to optimize the cut to achieve maximum yield.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises an engaging device or one or more engaging devices, for engaging with the carcass parts for maintaining the carcass parts in a stationary position relative to the carriers while the cutting takes place. Accordingly, maintaining the carcass parts in a stationary position will not only improve the yield but also enhance the quality of the cut. The engaging device may further be configured to adjust the angular position of the carcass part, e.g. via relative speed difference between the carriers and the engaging structure.

In one embodiment, the moving mechanism comprises a robotic system having at least one manipulation arm, and where the at least one cutting device, such as the circular rotating cutting saw, is attached to the at least one manipulation arm, and where the height displacement of the at least one cutting device is carried out by the at least one manipulation arm.

In one embodiment, the engaging device comprises at least one suction device configured to engage with the carcass part by mean of a suction force while the cutting takes place, and where the suction device is attached to the at least one manipulation arm. Accordingly, a simple solution is provided to remain the carcass parts stationary while the cutting takes place, followed by releasing the suction force e.g. by shutting down the suction force temporarily, e.g. automatically by a vacuum source connected to the suction device, where the process is then repeated on the subsequent carcass part.

In one embodiment, the at least one cutting device and the suction device are attached to different manipulation arms. However, in another alternative, a single manipulator may both carry the at least one cutting device and the suction device.

The upstream cutting edge may be understood as the first contact point where the cutting process starts, and the downstream edge may be understood as the second point where the carcass part or cut sub-part would leave the at least one cutting device as in prior art systems where no “external” force (side-wise pushing, lifting upwards as discussed previously). This means that if e.g. the at least one cutting device comprises a circular rotating cutting saw, the distance between the first and the second point would correspond to the diameter of the circular rotating cutting saw. Similarly, if e.g. the at least one cutting device comprises a band saw, this distance between the first and the second point would correspond to the width of the band saw.

In a second aspect of the invention, a carcass cutting system is provided having a plurality of carriers comprising gambrel carriers, each gambrel having a first end area arranged to carry a first carcass part and an opposite end arranged to carry a second carcass part, wherein the cutting of the first and the second carcass parts is performed simultaneously with two cutting systems according to the present invention, such as with two cutting systems according to the first aspect. Accordingly, the throughput is increased further by running such two cutting processes parallel. As an example, two of said robotic systems may be placed on opposite sides of the gambrel where the cutting process is continued by the respective robotic systems while the gambrels are moved past the robotic systems.

In a third aspect of the invention, a method is provided for cutting carcass parts while the carcass parts are carried by carriers connected to and moved by an overhang transport system, where the cutting is performed using at least one cutting device, such as a cutting device, having at least one upwardly and/or downwardly facing surface structures (or having an upwardly and downwardly facing surface structures, or having an upwardly facing surface structure and a downwardly facing surface structure), and optionally an upstream cutting edge and a downstream edge, the method comprising:

In one embodiment, the carcass parts are freely hanging, or partially freely hanging. The carcass parts may be half carcasses of e.g. beef, pork, lamb or any type of four leg animal. The cutting position may as an example be between adjacent ribs, such as between 2and 3, between 3or 4, between 4and 5, and/or at fore end resulting in that the fore ends define the second sub-pieces and optionally a subsequent middle cut such that the middle cuts define the second sub-pieces after the fore end cuts.

In one embodiment, an angular position of the carcass parts is adjusted such that a longitudinal axis of the carcass parts forms an angle relative to a vertical axis when the carcass parts are cut. This angular position is defined based on the position of the cut with the aim of maximizing the yield of the cut. This angular position may be parallel to the movement, or in any angular position relative to the moving direction, e.g. perpendicular to the moving direction, 45 degrees relative to the moving direction and any angular position there between. This angular position may be in the interval [0°; 90° ], such as [0°; 45° ] or [45°; 90° ], with respect to a moving direction.

The cutting position includes or is selected from: a single point position, a straight or curved profile or a 3D profile, e.g. extending partially from one position to another position on the carcass part, e.g. via a laser or light source, or the cutting position may be a point position, i.e. a single coordinate position.

In general, the various aspects of the invention may be combined and coupled in any way possible within the scope of the invention. These and other aspects, features and/or advantages of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

depicts graphically one embodiment of a cutting systemaccording to the present invention for cutting carcass partswhile the carcass parts are carried by carriersconnected to and moved in a direction indicated by arrowby an overhang transport system, where the system comprises a detection device, at least one cutting device, a moving mechanismand a carcass displacement device.

As shown in this embodiment, the carcass parts are cut into two smaller piecesa,b. The present invention should however not be construed as being limited to such a separation into two pieces. The cut may as an example be a partial cut where no such a clear separation takes place such that the upper part and the lower part are partially attached together.

depicts a scenario where carcassesare carried by the carriersthat are coupled to the overhang transport systemand moved towards the at least one cutting devicehaving an upwardly and downwardly facing surface structures.

The detection deviceis configured for determining at least one cutting positiona of an incoming carcass part, but this may be a single point position or e.g. a 2D or 3D cutting profile, a curved profile or a straight profile. The detection device may comprise, but is not limited to, a three dimensional (3D) sensor for capturing a 3D profile of the carcass parts, or a light source such as a laser light source for illuminating on the carcass parts where a cut is desired, and a sensor for capturing reflected light from the carcass parts, or a color sensor Red Green Blue (RGB) sensor for capturing color differences on the surface of the carcass parts, or an X-ray apparatus for capturing X-ray image of the carcass parts that identifies the cutting position. The detection device may also comprise a manually operated laser pen or similar means where an operator points with the laser to a point of interest on the carcass part and where the reflected light point or light line, indicated by the dotted line, is captured by a sensor. Other types of detection devices well known to a person skilled in the art, may be used.

The moving mechanismmechanically connected to the at least one cutting device and is configured to control the position of the at least one cutting device on the basis of the determined cutting positiona.

The carcass displacement device arranged to initiate displacement of the carcass part away from the at least one cutting position while the carcass part or a resulting sub-part carried by a carrier is located between the upstream cutting edge and the downstream edge. In the embodiment shown here, the carcass displacement device comprises the at least one cutting device, which is a rotating circular cutting saw, that at least partly contribute in displacing the carcass part away from the cutting position via the moving mechanism by means of controlling height displacementof the at least one cutting device. The rotating circular cutting saw rotates around a rotation axis, which as shown here may as an example be a vertical rotation axis. The moving mechanismis mechanically connected to the at least one cutting device for controlling the position of the at least one cutting device on the basis of the determined cutting position.

depicts the scenario where the circular sawhas just performed a horizontal (or angular) cut through the carcass part, i.e. into a first carcass parta that is still attached to the carrierand the second carcass partb. The controlling includes at this moment in time, or around this moment in time (either shortly before or shortly after), re-positioning the circular sawfor the subsequent cut, based on image data, in this case the cutting lineb infor the subsequent carcass part. As depicted here, the cutting lineb is above the cutting linea shown in, meaning that the moving mechanismwill adjust the height position of the at least one cutting device upwards as indicated by arrowb. In this case, this upwards displacement is carried out causing the upwardly facing surface structure of the circular saw to act as a temporal support surface while the first sub-piecea passes the circular saw. This results in that valuable time is saved and the circular saw is repositioned for the subsequent carcass part as shown in, while the first sub-piece passes the saw. Accordingly, the distance dcan be shortened significantly compared to distance d, i.e. spacing distance d>dbetween adjacent carcass parts in prior art system that is needed to give the circular saw the space needed to adjust its height position is no longer needed.

As depicted in this embodiment, the circular saw rotates around an axis, but in one embodiment the controlling may further include that the moving mechanismfurther adjusts the rotation axis on the basis of the determined cutting position such that the new rotation axis, which may only be adjusted temporarily during the cutting, forms and angle relative to the axis.

It should be noted that the at least one cutting device should not be construed as being limited to a circular saw, other at least one cutting devices well known to a skilled person may just as well be used, such as, scissor cutter, band saw cutter, and the like.

depicts a time line sequence of one embodiment of, where the systemfurther comprises a positioning structure,for interacting with a lower side of a carcass part, in this case below the determined cutting position, for adjusting the angular position of it so that it has a pre-defined angular position relative to the carrierwhile the cutting takes place as shown in.

The angular adjustment may be parallel to the movement direction of the carcass part, or in any angular position relative to the moving direction, e.g. perpendicular to the moving direction, 45 degrees relative to the moving direction and any angular position there between. One way of achieving such an angular adjustment of the carcass part is when the engaging structure and the carrier move relative to each other with a different speed up which may be seen inand, until the pre-defined angular position is obtained for the cutting. The height adjustment of the at least one cutting device discussed in relation toapplies also here.

shows a half carcass partand two different cutting positions, a first cutting positiona, which result in that a fore end partis removed first, and a second cutting positionb, which results in that a middle partis subsequently removed leaving the remaining leg parton the carrier (not shown).

This is illustrated graphically in, where additionally intermediate cutting steps may be performed, namely a flank cut, where also the tenderloinand tailboneare removed.

shows another embodiment of the cutting systemaccording to the present invention, where the moving mechanism comprises a robotic systema,b. The two robotic systemsa andb shown here are positioned opposite to each such that two carcass partsa,b are cut simultaneously. The two carcass parts are carried by a gambrelat its opposite endsa,b, where the gambrel is moved by an overhang transport system (not shown) in a direction indicated by arrow.

This embodiment should not be construed as being limited in using two robotic systems, a single robotic system may of course be used where the incoming carcass part is carried by a single carrier.

Each of the two robotic systemsa,b comprise a first manipulation arma,b that carries a circular sawa,b, and where the height displacement of the circular sawa,b is carried out by the at least one manipulation arm.