Assembly for transporting and separating live poultry and birds

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, particularly chicks. According to the invention, the assembly comprises: - a first conveyor (10) for transporting the poultry; - a disc conveyor (12) comprising a rotating platform (14) configured to ensure spatial separation of the poultry introduced at its inlet during rotation of the platform (14) so ​​that they are arranged in a straight line one after another; - an ejector (18) for ejecting the poultry thus separated from the disc conveyor (12) onto an evacuation conveyor (19) and aligning them.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, such as chicks.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a chick characterization system comprising such a transport and separation assembly. Existing technology

[0003] In the poultry farming industry, chicks are known to be treated for various operations, such as determining the sex of each chick, injecting one or more treatments, weighing them, or assessing their health.

[0004] These chicks can be handled manually or semi-automatically.

[0005] In the latter case, they are usually transported by a conveyor system that also ensures the separation of these chicks, i.e., creating space between them.

[0006] In fact, such separation is necessary for individualizing the handling of chicks on one or more workstations.

[0007] However, this separation must be carried out properly to ensure accurate classification of the chicks, while being as rapid as possible to minimize stress on the animals and maximize yield.

[0008] Although known conveyors and separation systems typically provide such separation for chicks, it can be observed that the latter is difficult to adjust, if not impossible.

[0009] Therefore, these existing conveyor and separation systems are not, or only slightly, suitable for handling, especially observing, different devices for chicks.

[0010] This lack of adaptability has a significant impact on operators, as the processing speed and / or quality of the treatment will inevitably be affected.

[0011] Furthermore, it can be observed that chicks may experience significant stress from existing conveyor and separation systems.

[0012] In fact, these systems are particularly complex, noisy, and almost unhygienic because they are difficult to clean.

[0013] It was also observed that chicks may suffer bruises and bone trauma during transport and separation.

[0014] Meeting animal welfare standards is now a major issue.

[0015] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a system for transporting and separating chicks that was originally designed to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art listed above.

[0016] Purpose of the invention

[0017] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry (such as chicks) that is simple in design and operation and ensures that a batch of dispersed poultry is aligned one after another.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is that such a transport and separation assembly allows for adjustment of the distance or separation between two live poultry birds, thereby aligning them to ensure adaptation to different materials used for sorting and / or determining the health status of these live animals.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry and birds that prioritizes the health of these animals.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is an automatic chick sex identification system equipped with an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry birds.

[0021] Another object of the present invention is a system for determining the health status of poultry, the system being equipped with an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry.

[0022] Invention disclosure

[0023] Therefore, the present invention relates to an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry.

[0024] According to the present invention, the assembly comprises:

[0025] - The first conveyor belt was used to transport these poultry and birds.

[0026] - A disc conveyor comprising a rotating platform, the disc conveyor being configured to ensure spatial separation of poultry introduced at its entrance during rotation of the platform, so that they are placed in a straight line on the rotating platform.

[0027] - An ejector, used to eject the separated poultry birds from the disc conveyor and guide them toward the output conveyor.

[0028] Advantageously, the disc conveyor makes it possible to align poultry one by one at the latter's outlet port or on the rotating platform. Then, the pusher or pushing device makes it possible to push these poultry one by one through the outlet port and toward the output conveyor as they appear or reach the front of the outlet.

[0029] For purely illustrative purposes, since the platform is annular, it can have a lateral dimension or annular width, thus defining an area for receiving live poultry birds, a single live bird capable of standing stably at a given point within this receiving area. Therefore, a bird adjacent to a position on the platform already occupied by another bird finds itself at least partially placed outside this receiving area, for example, by offset and positioned on the inner edge of the annular platform. Due to its unstable position, it may be pushed off the platform. This ensures spatial separation of poultry birds placed in the same position on the rotating platform.

[0030] One or more control devices can also be implemented to control the correct linear positioning of live poultry on the ring platform, i.e., one after another, after they have traveled a predetermined trajectory via a rotating disc conveyor.

[0031] For purely illustrative purposes, such a control device is a rotating gate that allows a single bird to pass through at a time.

[0032] The original design of this assembly for transporting and separating live poultry made it possible to position a scattered or disordered batch of live poultry (such as chicks) one by one in a straight line and to create separation among these poultry. This separation among the aligned poultry is advantageously uniform.

[0033] Such dispersed batches can be generated, for example, by positioning a group of live poultry birds initially contained in a transport crate or basket on a first conveyor. This positioning can be achieved when day-old chicks are separated from their shells.

[0034] Advantageously, the spacing between the live animals arranged on the output conveyor is adjustable.

[0035] This adjustment can be easily made by regulating the linear velocity of the inlet conveyor and the angular velocity of the rotating platform of the disc conveyor. The linear velocity of the inlet conveyor is always lower than the angular velocity of the rotating platform of the disc conveyor to prevent poultry from accumulating on the rotating platform.

[0036] The actuation frequency of the pusher can also be adjusted, and it can be adjustable. For this purpose, the pusher can include means for adjusting its actuation frequency to, for example, delay the actuation of the pusher. Therefore, it can be understood that instead of systematically pushing out poultry appearing in a straight line in front of the exit of the disc conveyor, one bird is pushed out from two or more.

[0037] Therefore, and according to a specific embodiment of such an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, the first conveyor includes means for adjusting its linear velocity, and the disc conveyor includes means for adjusting the angular velocity of its rotating platform to allow adjustment of the distance by which two directly adjacent poultry are separated in a straight line formed on the rotating platform.

[0038] It can also be observed that such a combination for transportation and separation is easy to clean and resistant to high-pressure cleaning, making it more hygienic.

[0039] According to another embodiment of this assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, it includes a dispensing device for receiving live poultry from a first conveyor and guiding them onto a disc conveyor.

[0040] Preferably, the dispensing device is an inclined slider to guide live poultry downward toward the disc conveyor.

[0041] Advantageously, when the slider is placed below the downstream end of the first conveyor, it forms a circular area designed to ensure first spatial separation of poultry and birds received on its surface.

[0042] The poultry and birds thus fall from the first conveyor onto the sliding part. This fall is accompanied by a slight deceleration of the poultry and birds, as the latter are chicks or young birds and spontaneously spread their wings to cushion their fall.

[0043] Therefore, the linear speed of the first conveyor and the configuration of the distribution device ensure smooth reception of poultry and birds on the sliding parts.

[0044] The movement of these poultry and birds on the sliding surface also ensures their spatial separation or allocation.

[0045] Preferably, the distance or height at which the downstream end or inlet conveyor of the first conveyor is separated from the sliding member is at least seven (7) cm, and preferably between seven (7) cm and twelve (12) cm.

[0046] The circular area can be flat or substantially flat, or even circular, to allow each bird to move toward one of the side edges of the slider. The circular area can also be a plate with notches for step-by-step operation.

[0047] Advantageously, the slider has vertical guide walls on its side edges to guide poultry and birds toward the disc conveyor.

[0048] According to another embodiment of such an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, the ejector includes at least one gas blowing device configured to eject live poultry from the disc conveyor.

[0049] Preferably, the ejection is carried out in a direction or substantially orthogonal to the disk conveyor.

[0050] Advantageously, each blowing device includes a blowing head connected to a pressurized gas tank (such as compressed air), and a control device for sequentially releasing pressurized gas from the tank, such that the expulsion of pressurized gas through the blowing head and the passage of live birds through the front of the outlet port of the disc conveyor occur substantially simultaneously.

[0051] For purely illustrative purposes, this sequential release of pressurized gas could be due to the detection of the presence of poultry or birds at the outlet port. Such detection could be performed, for example, by a laser presence sensor.

[0052] Preferably, the blowing device is configured to release a pressurized gas jet lasting less than 0.5 s and preferably 0.1 s.

[0053] Therefore, these are pressurized gas flashes oriented in a given direction, preferably orthogonal to the disk conveyor.

[0054] Advantageously, the blowing device is configured to release a gas jet at a pressure between 4 bar and 8 bar.

[0055] This implementation ensures gentler handling of poultry and birds, and thus makes it possible to advantageously prioritize the health of each of these animals.

[0056] According to another embodiment of the assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, the disc conveyor includes an annular rotating platform and a recovery conveyor placed below the rotating platform to receive poultry leaving the platform.

[0057] Preferably, the width and geometry of the annular rotating platform or plate define an area for receiving live poultry on its surface. This receiving area allows a single live bird to be held in its given position. Consequently, another live bird located at or near this position is in an unstable position on the rotating platform.

[0058] Advantageously, the assembly may also include an obstacle arranged to be positioned in the path of a live bird not located in the receiving area. Thus, when the trajectory of the poultry, in an unstable position, encounters the obstacle during the platform's rotation, it is gently pushed off the platform into the interior space of the disc conveyor. This interior space is hollow, so the pushed-out live bird is placed below the rotating platform of the disc conveyor and, preferably, in the center of the disc conveyor for recovery by a collection conveyor.

[0059] For example, the obstacle, or one of the obstacles, is a plate placed high above the rotating platform, the height H being determined to allow poultry positioned in a predetermined area of ​​the rotating platform to pass freely and to push poultry placed at least partially outside the predetermined area of ​​the rotating platform into the interior space of the disc conveyor.

[0060] Alternatively, the barrier could be a rotating gate that allows only one live bird to pass at a time.

[0061] Advantageously, the disc conveyor also includes a vertical guide wall extending on a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the disc conveyor to hold poultry and birds moving with the rotating platform.

[0062] According to another embodiment of this assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, the rotation frequency of the disc conveyor platform is between 4 rpm and 8 rpm.

[0063] The high frequency of rotation of the disc conveyor platform ensures that live birds are not harmed during ejection from the rotating platform.

[0064] The angular velocity of the disk conveyor platform is advantageously adjustable.

[0065] According to another embodiment of this assembly for transporting and separating live poultry, the inlet conveyor and outlet conveyor are conveyors with longitudinal or even linear axes to ensure linear movement of the poultry on their surfaces.

[0066] For example, it is a ring belt conveyor.

[0067] The present invention also relates to an automatic chick sex identification system, which is equipped with at least one assembly as described above for transporting and separating live poultry birds.

[0068] The present invention also relates to a system for determining the health status of poultry, the system being equipped with at least one assembly as described above for transporting and separating live poultry.

[0069] In a known manner, such systems include conveyors to carry one or more poultry birds and move them through analysis stations to perform quality classification on these poultry birds.

[0070] The analysis station includes at least one image capture device for capturing one or more images of birds; a data storage unit containing a library of digital images of healthy poultry and other poultry that are unhealthy; and a processor connected to or communicating with the image capture device and the data storage unit, thereby comparing the acquired one or more images of the bird with the digital images in the library to determine the health status of the bird. Attached Figure Description

[0071] Other advantages, objects, and specific features of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which is for illustrative purposes and in no way intended to be limiting relative to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0072] Figure 1

[0073] [ Figure 1 [This is a partial perspective view of an assembly for transporting and separating chicks according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;]

[0074] Figure 2

[0075] [ Figure 2 ]yes Figure 1 A top view of the assembly used for transportation and separation;

[0076] Figure 3

[0077] [ Figure 3 ]yes Figure 1 An enlarged view of the assembly used for transport and separation, showing the slider and disc conveyor;

[0078] Figure 4

[0079] [ Figure 4 ] is included as Figure 1 The diagram shown illustrates the installation of multiple interconnected assemblies for transport and separation. Detailed Implementation

[0080] The accompanying drawings and the following description largely contain obvious elements. Therefore, they can not only be used to better understand the invention, but also contribute to its definition where appropriate.

[0081] First, it should be noted that the attached diagram is not to scale.

[0082] Figures 1 to 3 An assembly for transporting and separating chicks according to a specific embodiment of the present invention is illustrated schematically.

[0083] This assembly for transport and separation is designed to ensure that a group of chicks are lined up in a straight line, initially in a disordered manner, while creating gaps or spatial separation between these chicks so that they can appear individually in front of the workstation.

[0084] The assembly includes a first linear conveyor 10, referred to as the inlet conveyor, for transporting chicks to be processed. The inlet conveyor 10 is, in this context, a belt conveyor.

[0085] Below the downstream end of the first conveyor 10, a slider 11 with an angular area shape is placed to ensure that chicks received on its surface are distributed or sorted toward the rotating disc conveyor 12. For purely illustrative purposes, the opening angle of this area is 120° here.

[0086] The slider 11 is tilted to guide the chicks downwards toward the disc conveyor 12 on its surface. The slider 11 is metal for ease of cleaning, but it could also be made of plastic.

[0087] Vertical guide walls 13 are advantageously positioned on the side edges of the angular region of the slider 11 so as to gently guide poultry and birds toward the rotating disc conveyor 12 against these walls.

[0088] The rotating disc conveyor 12 includes an annular platform 14 and a vertical axis. The annular platform defines a hollow internal space within the disc conveyor 12, which is rotated about the vertical axis by an electric motor. The rotation of the annular platform 14 depends on the operating speed of the electric motor, thus making it possible to control the angular velocity of the rotating platform 14. The linear velocity of the first conveyor 10 is lower than the rotational speed of the annular platform 14 to prevent the chicks from accumulating.

[0089] A vertical guide wall 15 extends on a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the disc conveyor 12 to keep the chicks in motion on the annular platform 14.

[0090] The annular platform 14 defines an area for transporting or receiving chicks between the vertical guide wall 15 and the interior space of the disc conveyor 12, the lateral dimensions of which allow a single chick to be stably positioned at a given point within the area. The surface of the transport area can be advantageously embossed to provide a container for each chick.

[0091] Therefore, when a chick arrives on the rotating platform 14, if free space is provided to the first chick at a point in the transport area already occupied by the first chick, the other chick is forced to position itself behind or in front of the first chick, or is unable to move laterally to find a support position. Given the configuration of the disc conveyor 12, the chick can, for example, be supported on the inner edge 16 of the annular platform 14. In this position, it is therefore in an unstable position and may be pushed out from the annular platform 14 toward the hollow interior space of the rotating disc conveyor 12.

[0092] The assembly may also include one or more control devices (not shown) positioned on the track of the chicks driven to rotate by the annular platform 14. For example, such a control device is a rotating gate that allows one chick to pass through at a time in one direction. If another chick appears in front of the rotating gate simultaneously or substantially simultaneously with the first chick, it will face an obstacle that will naturally and sensitively push it off the annular platform 14 and toward the interior space of the disc conveyor 12.

[0093] A recycling conveyor 17 is disposed in the internal space and located below the platform 14 to receive chicks that are rotated out from the platform 14.

[0094] The chicks are then conveyed to the recycling conveyor 17 and then redirected to the inlet conveyor 10 for a new processing cycle.

[0095] Chicks placed in the transport area of ​​the rotating platform 14 continue their rotating movement until they reach the pusher 18, making it possible to push the poultry birds thus separated from the disc conveyor and align them toward the miniature conveyor, which has a direction of movement perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the disc conveyor 12.

[0096] The miniature conveyor (not shown) is positioned above the output conveyor 19, which has a longitudinal axis and a linear velocity between 0.5 m / s and 0.9 m / s.

[0097] The ejector 18 here includes a single blower head connected to a compressed air tank, and a control device for sequentially releasing compressed air from the tank, such that the ejection of compressed air through the blower head and the passage of live birds through the front of the outlet port 20 of the disc conveyor occur substantially simultaneously.

[0098] It can be observed that the chicks transported by the output conveyor 19 are arranged in a straight line and separated at predetermined intervals, which are advantageously adjustable.

Claims

1. An assembly for transporting and separating live poultry birds, characterized in that, The assembly comprises: - a first conveyor for conveying the poultry birds, - a carousel comprising a rotating platform, wherein the carousel is configured to ensure, during rotation of the rotating platform, the spatial separation of the poultry birds introduced at its inlet so as to align the latter, the carousel comprising an annular platform defining a hollow inner space of the carousel, the carousel comprising vertical guide walls extending on a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the carousel to retain the chicks moving with the rotating platform, the annular platform defining between the straight guide walls and the inner space of the carousel a transport area able to position a single chick at a given point of the transport area, - an ejector for ejecting the poultry birds separated from the carousel and aligning them towards an output conveyor.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein, The assembly comprises a distribution device for receiving the live poultry birds from the first conveyor and directing them onto the carousel.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein, The distribution device is an inclined slide to direct the poultry birds downwards towards the carousel.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein, The slide is placed below the downstream end of the first conveyor and forms a circular area.

5. The assembly of claim 3 or 4, wherein, The slide has vertical guide walls on its lateral edges to direct the poultry birds towards the carousel.

6. The assembly of any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The ejector comprises at least one gas blowing device configured to eject live poultry birds out of the carousel.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein, Each blowing device comprises a blowing head connected to a pressurized gas tank and control means for the sequential release of pressurized gas from the tank, so that the ejection of the pressurized gas by the blowing head is substantially simultaneous with the passage of a live poultry bird in front of the outlet port of the carousel.

8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein, The blowing device is configured to emit a jet of pressurized gas lasting less than 0.5 s.

9. The assembly of claim 6, wherein, The blowing device is configured to emit a jet of gas at a pressure of between 4 and 8 bars.

10. The assembly of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The carousel comprises an annular rotating platform and a recovery conveyor placed below the rotating platform for receiving the poultry birds leaving the platform.

11. The assembly of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The rotation frequency of the carousel is between 4 and 8 rpm.

12. The assembly of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The first conveyor and the output conveyor are conveyors with a longitudinal axis to ensure the linear movement of the poultry birds on their surface.

13. The assembly of claim 6, wherein, The blowing device is configured to emit a jet of pressurized gas lasting 0.1 s.

14. An automatic chick gender identification system equipped with at least one assembly for transporting and separating live poultry birds according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A system for determining the health status of poultry birds, the system being equipped with at least one assembly for transporting and separating live poultry birds according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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