Tail cutter for protecting and partially cutting off the tail of a slaughtered animal

Abstract

Tail cutter or tail protector, which can partially cut off the tail of an animal carcass when a cutting device cuts the back of the animal carcass in half. The tail protector is adapted to be connected to a cutting device for separating an animal carcass. The tail cutter includes a tail knife and a finger portion. The tail knife has a longitudinal cutting blade for cutting off a part of the tail at the base portion of the tail. The finger portion is connected to the tail knife and can guide the loose part of the tail to a predetermined side of the animal carcass. The finger portion is bent to the right or left relative to the longitudinal direction of the cutting blade of the tail knife. And when the tail knife is positioned in the cutting device, the cutting blade of the tail knife is positioned to be aligned with the cutting device and / or in the same plane as the cutting device.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a tail cutter for protecting and partially cutting free the tail of a carcass of a slaughtered animal, such as a pig, to a separating saw comprising the tail cutter, and to a method for removing the tail of a slaughtered animal. A tail protection or finger on the tail cutter secures the tail that is to be partially cut free and subsequently removed, which tail comprises the entire tail or entire tail part present on the entire carcass of the slaughtered animal. Background of the Invention

[0002] The tail of a slaughtered animal, such as a pig tail and a cow tail, has a food value. This value can be higher if the tail is the entire tail and / or the tail is cut in a straight direction transverse to the length of the tail and if no damage is caused along the length of the tail during removal of the tail.

[0003] In the case of separating the carcass of a slaughtered animal along the spine, such as by means of a separating saw, the tail can be cut into two parts by longitudinally cutting through the bone of the tail or through a part of the tail, thus separating the tail into two longitudinal segments, or by partially longitudinally cutting, at least removing a part of the tail. Thereby, the tail has little value, at least not the value that can be obtained when sold for human consumption.

[0004] In the case of separating the carcass of a slaughtered animal along the spine, another possibility is, in the case of cutting in the region where the tail is located, to make a cut on one side of the tail, thereby obtaining the tail on one of the halves of the separated carcass, but also thereby obtaining a non-straight cut of the back of the carcass in the region where the tail is located, and thereby cutting some ham meat from the ham at the side where the tail is cut off. Removing meat from the ham part reduces the ham weight and thereby reduces the value of that part.

[0005] In the case of separating the carcass using a separate saw, there is an additional possibility of pushing the tail to one side and, before separating the carcass by the saw, cutting along the base of the tail using a tail cutter. It has been observed that such a tail cutter has a protruding finger-like part that is slightly curved towards one side to guide the tail to the opposite side before cutting off the tail. However, the blade of the tail cutter is not in the same plane as the saw that separates the back of the carcass, resulting in the tail being cut not at the base of the tail but further upwards along the tail in the direction of the tail end. And thus, in the case of removing the tail and leaving the tail attached to one of the half-carcasses, the tail cutter does not make a high-quality cut of the tail. The cut often forms an angle with the longitudinal direction of the tail, thereby cutting across several of the tail bones. In addition, the tail blade cannot be adjusted.

[0006] The invention described herein is a tail cutter that controls the movement of the tail or tail part located on the carcass shortly before using a saw to separate the carcass into two halves, before and / or when cutting at the base part of the tail bone. The partially removed tail is cut such that the quality of the tail is improved, thereby increasing the value of the tail when it is sold for human consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a tail cutter that is adapted to be connected to a cutting device for separating an animal carcass. The tail cutter is capable of partially cutting off the tail of the animal carcass when the cutting device cuts the back of the animal carcass into two halves. The tail cutter comprises:

[0008] · a tail blade with a longitudinal cutting blade for cutting off a part of the tail at the base part of the tail,

[0009] · a finger-like part connected to the tail blade, the finger-like part being capable of guiding the loose part of the tail to a predetermined side of the animal carcass,

[0010] · the finger-like part is bent to the right or left with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cutting blade of the tail blade, and

[0011] · when the tail blade is positioned on the cutting device, the cutting blade of the tail blade is positioned to be aligned with and / or in the same plane as the cutting device.

[0012] A tail cutter can be used to partially cut off the tail of a carcass of a slaughtered animal, such as the tail of a pig carcass, which can be suspended by the hind legs with the head facing downwards. Before separating the carcass and partially cutting off the tail, the carcass is opened along the abdominal side and preferably the intestines and the orifice (anus opening) are removed. The carcass to be processed can be conveyed by a conveying system towards the location where the carcass is to be separated, or the carcass can be located in an area where multiple processes are performed on each carcass. In the case where the back part of the carcass is to be cut, i.e., separated by a longitudinal cut from the dorsal end of the carcass towards the head part, this is performed by a cutting device for separating an animal carcass, which is guided from the abdominal side of the carcass towards the spine, i.e., the cutting device is located inside the open carcass. The tail cutter as described herein can be connected to the cutting device to partially cut off the tail. By partially cutting around the base end of the tail and performing a substantially straight vertical cut on the tail bone, where the vertical is with respect to the axis passing through the length of the tail, a high-quality tail is obtained by this cut.

[0013] "Partially cutting off the tail" means that the tail cutter cuts on one side of the tail relative to the longitudinal cut that is performed to divide the carcass into two half-carcass parts. The tail cutter also cuts through the tail by a cut that is substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis passing through the bone in the tail. Thereby, the tail is cut off from one half-part of the carcass and the tail remains connected to the other half-part of the separated carcass. Thus, "partially cutting off the tail" means that the tail is completely removed from one half-carcass part but still connected to the other half-carcass part. This connection is obtained by not cutting through the skin on one side of the tail, which means that the connection itself includes the skin, fat and other tissue structures located around the base part of the tail.

[0014] The tail knife of the tail cutter includes a longitudinal cutting blade and is preferably stationary or fixed, which means that the tail cutter itself does not move. The cutting blade is preferably inclined and preferably the cutting blade is also flat in the longitudinal direction.

[0015] The finger part is connected to the tail knife, and the finger part is bent towards the right side or the left side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cutting blade of the tail knife. During the processing, that is, before cutting the tail and / or during the cutting of the tail, the finger part will guide the loose tail part to the other side because the finger part itself is bent towards one side, that is, if the finger part is bent to the right, the loose tail part is guided to the left. By guiding the loose tail part to one side, the tail knife will not cut into the tail, except at the base part of the tail that is connected to the hind leg part of the animal carcass. By selecting the direction in which the finger part is bent, it is determined which half-carcass part the partially cut-off tail will be connected to after performing the cutting and separation of the carcass.

[0016] When the tail knife is positioned in the cutting device, the cutting blade of the tail knife is positioned to be aligned with the cutting device and / or in the same plane as the cutting device. More specifically, the cutting edge of the tail knife and the cutting device (the blade of the separating saw) are in the same straight line / same plane. The result obtained therefrom is that the cut made by the cutting blade of the tail knife is straight and / or follows the plane of the cutting device, and thus when compared with cutting using a prior art tail cutter, by cutting too far from the base of the tail, this cut will not damage the hind leg, or this cut reduces the cutting into the hind leg meat. At least for some markets, the value of the meat located on the hind leg is higher than the value of the same amount of meat located on the tail.

[0017] "The tail knife is positioned in the cutting device" means that the tail knife is positioned close to the cutting device. For example, in the case where the separating device is in the position when processing the pig suspended by its hind legs, the tail knife is in front of the cutting device. The physical connection for positioning the tail knife relative to the cutting device is preferably between the holder of the tail knife or the tail cutter and the separating device.

[0018] The finger part of the tail cutter is positioned at an angle A of about 90 degrees to 160 degrees, such as 110 degrees to 130 degrees, with respect to the cutting blade of the tail knife. The angle A is from the cutting blade to the edge of the finger part closest to the blade of the tail cutter.

[0019] The finger part of the tail cutter is bent towards one side, and on that side, the finger part is positioned at an angle B of approximately 130 degrees to 180 degrees, such as 150 degrees to 170 degrees, with respect to the rest of the tail cutter.

[0020] The fingers of the tail cutter include finger tips, and the fingers are bent to one side such that the finger tips are displaced perpendicularly from the cutting plane by 1 cm - 3 cm, which cutting plane is executed by the cutting device. Since the cutting blade of the tail knife and the cutting blade of the cutting device are in the same straight line / the same plane, therefore, the finger tips can also be displaced perpendicularly from the plane of the cutting blade of the tail cutter by 1 cm - 3 cm. Measured from the edge of the cutting blade of the tail knife, the length of the finger is preferably 5 cm - 15 cm. The length of the cutting blade of the tail knife can be 4 cm - 10 cm. All these dimensions are preferably selected relative to the size of the animal carcass to be processed. As an example, for pigs, the mentioned dimensions - or some of these dimensions - should be greater for large pigs such as sows than for young pigs raised only for meat production.

[0021] The tail knife can be connected to a holder which is adapted to hold the tail knife in place relative to the cutting device (the blade of the band saw). The holder connects the tail knife to the cutting device, or more precisely, to a device or system with a cutting saw or blade for cutting the carcass into two half - carcasses. When positioned during the processing of the carcass, the holder is preferably located above the cutting device, and the holder is preferably connected to the separating device above the cutting device. The holder can be located on one or both sides of the tail knife and hold the tail knife in place.

[0022] The holder and / or the tail knife can include an adjustment mechanism and can be adjusted to position the tail knife in alignment with the cutting device and / or in the same plane as the cutting device. The effect of this is that if it is decided to use a cutting device of a different size, the tail cutter can still be positioned in alignment with the cutting device / in the same plane as the cutting device. Thus, if a larger cutting device is to be used, the tail cutter or the tail knife should be re - positioned and further away from, for example, the center point of the cutting blade.

[0023] The holder and / or the tail cutter can be adjustable at least in the backward direction and / or in the forward direction relative to the plane of the cutting blade of the cutting device. Thus, the holder and / or the tail cutter can include an adjustment mechanism for adjusting or re - positioning the tail cutter relative to the size of the cutting device to position the cutting blade of the tail cutter in alignment with the cutting device and / or in a plane with the cutting device. Due to wear and thus the decreasing diameter of the cutting device, the tail cutter can also be re - positioned, for example, once a day.

[0024] The tail cutter and / or holder may also include a quick-change system for disconnecting and connecting the tail knife to the holder, or for disconnecting and connecting the holder to the separating device. The advantage of such a quick-change system is that if the carcasses to be processed are generally smaller or larger, the tail knife can be quickly replaced with a tail knife of a different size, or if the size of one or some of the carcasses conveyed to the separating station / area is different from the size of the carcasses normally processed, the tail knife can be quickly removed. Thus, carcasses of different sizes, such as sows' carcasses between carcasses of pigs of normal size, cannot be processed by the tail cutter because it may not be suitable to process a carcass of that size with a tail cutter suitable for cutting smaller carcasses.

[0025] The fingers of the tail cutter are preferably blunt or not sharp. The advantage of this is that when the tail is guided towards one side, the fingers can engage with the tail of the carcass without damaging the tail. At least the outermost end edge of the fingers and the edge towards the cutting blade of the tail knife should preferably be blunt or not sharp because these edges mainly contact the tail during the processing.

[0026] The cutting device is preferably a saw blade or a knife blade and is preferably circular. The cutting device is used to separate the carcass from one end to the other end, including dividing the spine into two halves.

[0027] A second aspect of the invention relates to a separating device for separating the carcasses of slaughtered animals. The separating device may include a cutting device and a tail cutter as described herein. The cutting device is such as a saw or a knife for separating the animal along the spine, and the tail cutter is used to guide the tail to one side and cut the base portion of the tail.

[0028] "Separating the animal along the spine" means separating the carcass into two half-carcasses by dividing the spine into two halves, and where there is no spine, also by separating at the back end of the carcass, and optionally at the head end of the carcass if there is a head end of the carcass.

[0029] The separating device can be connected to an automated system for separating the carcasses of slaughtered animals. The separating device can be used for automatic single-sided pig tail cutting.

[0030] The automated system may include at least one robotic arm and / or a system for determining the position of a carcass to be processed, the at least one robotic arm having at least three degrees of freedom, and the system for determining the position of the carcass to be processed being, for example, a vision system. Additional systems may also be included, such as an image analysis system for receiving and analyzing image data of the carcass and the carcass position, and a control unit for receiving information from the analysis system and for at least controlling the automated system to manipulate and activate the separating device relative to the carcass to be processed.

[0031] A third aspect of the invention relates to a method for partially cutting off the tail from a carcass of a slaughtered animal by using the tail cutter described herein or by using the separating device described herein, wherein the method may include the steps of:

[0032] a) guiding the fingers of the tail cutter on a first side of the tail located on the carcass, thereby pushing the tail to one side,

[0033] b) cutting into the skin of the carcass on the first side of the tail by the cutting blade of the tail knife,

[0034] c) further cutting into the carcass around the base portion of the tail by the cutting blade of the tail knife and cutting through at least one bone and / or cartilage at the base portion of the tail,

[0035] d) thereby partially cutting off the tail from the carcass.

[0036] In the method described, in step d), the partially cut-off tail is preferably connected to the carcass on a second side of the tail, where the second side is opposite to the first side. Thus, the tail is preferably attached to a half-carcass by a skin connection. In a subsequent step, the tail can be cut off, for example, by manual cutting. The cut-off tail can be of high quality suitable for human consumption. The quality of the tail also depends on the quality of the tail of the live animal before slaughter, and the methods and devices described herein can be used to obtain a high-quality cut in the case of removing the tail at the base portion of the tail.

[0037] In the method, before and / or during step a), at least a portion of the spinal column near the base portion of the tail can be cut in half. The spinal column can be cut by the cutting device described elsewhere. The separating device described herein can be used to separate the carcass and partially cut off the tails of these carcasses.

[0038] In the method, cutting through at least one bone and / or cartilage at the base portion of the tail can be cutting through the coccyx or caudal vertebrae, which are the curved, semi-flexible lower end portions of the backbone.

[0039] It should be understood that any feature of one aspect can be combined with any feature of another aspect described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a separating device with a tail cutter.

[0041] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tail knife.

[0042] Figure 3 is a view from below of the tail knife.

[0043] Figure 4 is a perspective view from below of the tail knife.

[0044] Figure 5 is a side view of the tail knife.

[0045] Figure 6 is a side view of the tail cutter.

[0046] Figure 7 is a front view of the tail cutter.

[0047] Figures 8A to 8E illustrates a tail knife for protecting and cutting the tail of a pig carcass. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Figure 1 Illustrated is a separating device 1 with a tail cutter 3 located at the front of the separating device 1. The tail cutter 3 is located above the cutting device 2 of the separating device 1 and in such a way that the fingers 6 of the tail cutter 3 are in front of the upper part of the cutting device 2. The cutting device 2 can be a circular saw blade or a knife blade for separating the carcass by guiding the separating device 1 from the abdominal side (not illustrated) of the carcass towards the spine and cutting the spine from the end of the hind leg of the carcass towards the head end.

[0049] Figure 2 Illustrated is a tail knife 4. The tail knife 4 includes fingers 6 and a cutting blade 5, and the fingers 6 have finger tips 7. The fingers 6 are curved towards the right side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cutting blade 5 and when observed from the position marked with an X circled at the front of the tail knife 4 (see in detail below Figure 3 , Figure 4 , and Figure 7 ). When processing the carcass, the fingers 6 will be guided to the right side of the tail (not illustrated) so that the tail will be guided to the left side, and the cutting blade 5 will cut along the right side of the tail at the base part of the tail. The circled cross lines illustrate the position at the front of the tail knife 4, and right and left are determined from this position in the text.

[0050] Figure 3 The tail knife 4 is shown as seen from below and looking towards the cutting blade 5. The illustrated cutting blade 5 is longitudinal and the fingers 6 are bent to one side. The ends 7 of the fingers are rounded to avoid sharp edges.

[0051] Figure 4 The tail knife 4 is shown as seen from below and looking towards the fingers 6. The ends 7 of the fingers and the cutting blade 5 are illustrated. This figure illustrates how the fingers are bent to one side and the angle B11 between the finger 6 and the base portion of the cutting blade 5.

[0052] Figure 5 Is a side view of the tail knife 4. The angle A 9 between the cutting blade 5 and the fingers 6 is indicated. The outline 10 of a part of the cutting device 2, such as a saw blade, is also indicated.

[0053] Figure 6 Is a side view of the tail cutter 3. The holder 8 holds the tail knife 4. The outline 10 indicates the position where a part of the cutting blade of the cutting device 2 is located when the tail cutter 3 is correctly positioned such that the cutting blade 5 is aligned with or in the same plane as the cutting device 2. The adjustment mechanism 12 can be used to adjust the position of the tail cutter 3 on the separating device (not shown). As indicated by the double arrow 17, by adjusting the adjustment mechanism 12, the tail cutter 3 can be moved forward, i.e., to the left, or backward, i.e., to the right. In this solution, the adjustment mechanism 12 adjusts along the oval hole present in the holder 8 and / or in the part connecting the tail cutter 3 to the separating device.

[0054] Figure 7 Is a front view of the tail cutter 3. The holder 8 is located on both sides of the tail knife 4 and the cutting device illustrated by the outline 10. The fingers 6 are bent to one side.

[0055] Figures 8A to 8E Illustrates the tail knife 4 for protecting and cutting the tail 13 of a pig carcass 14. Before the separating process, the pig carcass 14 has been opened in the abdominal part and the intestines and the orifice (anus opening) have been removed, leaving an opening 15 beside the base of the tail. During the process, the separating device enters from the abdominal side towards the carcass 14, and the separating device cuts the spine from the inside of the carcass 14. In Figure 8AIn , the tail knife 4 with the finger part 6, the holder 8 and the cutting device 2 are shown before the cutting device 2 just starts to cut into the hind leg part of the carcass 14 or when the cutting device 2 just starts to cut into the hind leg part of the carcass 14. As can be seen, the tail knife 4 and the finger part 6 of the tail knife 4 are positioned at the front part of the cutting device 2, and thus are in a position capable of engaging with the tail 13. In Figure 8B In , the cutting device 2 is cutting the hind leg segment or has cut the hind leg segment, and a part of the cutting device 2 can be seen where the orifice opening 15 exists. The finger part 6 of the tail knife 4 is guided on the right side part of the tail 13. In Figure 8C In , the cutting device 2 has cut through the tail 13 but has not cut into the tail 13. The finger part 6 guides the tail 13 to the left side part, and the tail knife 4 engages with the tail 13 and is about to cut through the tail 13 at the base part 16 of the tail 13 and at the right side part of the tail 13. In Figure 8D In , the tail knife 4 is cutting through the base part 16 or the tail 13 by means of a cutting blade (the cutting blade is hidden), while the tail knife 4 continues to hold the tail 13 at one side, thereby preventing the tail 13 from being damaged or cut in a low-quality cutting manner. Figure 8E It is shown that after the separation is completed, the protected - i.e., undamaged - and partially cut-off tail 13 is located on one of the half carcasses - the first half carcass 18. The hind leg part 20 of the first half carcass 18 is also indicated as the hind leg part 20 of the second half carcass 19. No tail part remains on the second half carcass 19. Although the tail 13 is cut off from the second half carcass 19, the base part 16 of the tail 13 is indicated. The tail 13 can be removed from the first half carcass 18 in subsequent processing, which can be easily carried out manually because before cutting, the tail 13 is connected to the half carcass through the skin, fat and other tissue structures existing at the base part of the tail 16.

[0056] It should be understood that although the detailed description and specific examples point out embodiments of the present invention, they are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Claims

1. A tail cutter (3), the tail cutter (3) being adapted to be connected to a cutting device (2) for splitting an animal carcass, the tail cutter (3) being capable of partially cutting off the tail of the animal carcass when the cutting device (2) cuts the back of the animal carcass in half, the tail cutter (3) comprising: · A tail knife (4) having a longitudinal cutting blade (5) for cutting off a part of the tail at the base part of the tail, · Fingers (6) connected to the tail knife (4), the fingers (6) being capable of guiding the loose part of the tail to a predetermined side of the animal carcass, · The fingers (6) being bent to the right or left with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cutting blade (5) of the tail knife (4), and · When the tail knife (4) is positioned in the cutting device (2), the cutting blade (5) of the tail knife (4) is positioned to be aligned with the cutting device (2) and / or in the same plane as the cutting device (2).

2. The tail cutter (3) according to claim 1, wherein, The fingers (6) are positioned at an angle A of 90 degrees to 160 degrees with respect to the cutting blade (5) of the tail knife (4).

3. The tail cutter (3) according to claim 2, wherein, The fingers (6) are positioned at an angle A of 110 degrees to 130 degrees with respect to the cutting blade (5) of the tail knife (4).

4. The tail cutter (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The fingers (6) include a finger tip (7), and the fingers (6) are bent to one side such that the finger tip (7) is vertically displaced 1 cm - 3 cm from the cutting plane performed by the cutting device (2).

5. The tail cutter (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The tail knife (4) is connected to a holder (8), the holder (8) being adapted to hold the tail knife (4) in place relative to the cutting device (2).

6. The tail cutter (3) according to claim 5, wherein, The holder (8) and / or the tail cutter (3) includes an adjustment mechanism (12), and in the case of using cutting devices (2) of different sizes, the holder (8) and / or the tail cutter (3) is adjustable to position the tail cutter (3) in alignment with the cutting device (2).

7. The trailing cutter (3) according to claim 6, wherein, The holder (8) and / or the tail cutter (3) can be adjusted relative to the plane of the cutting device (2) in a backward direction and / or in a forward direction.

8. The tail cutter (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The fingers (6) are blunt or not sharp.

9. The tail cutter (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The cutting device (2) is a saw blade or a blade.

10. The tail cutter (3) according to claim 9, wherein, The cutting device (2) is a circular saw blade or a circular blade.

11. The tail cutter (3) according to claim 5, the tail cutter (3) further comprising a quick change system for disconnecting and connecting the tail cutter (3) to the holder (8), or for disconnecting and connecting the holder (8) to a separating device (1).

12. A separating device (1) for separating the carcass of a slaughtered animal, the separating device (1) comprising: · A cutting device (2) for separating the carcass along the spine, and · A tail cutter (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the tail cutter (3) being adapted to guide the tail to one side and cut the base portion of the tail.

13. The separating device (1) according to claim 12, wherein, The separating device (1) is connected to an automated system for separating the carcass of a slaughtered animal.

14. The separating device (1) according to claim 13, wherein, The automated system includes at least one robotic arm and / or a system for determining the position of the carcass to be processed, the at least one robotic arm having at least three degrees of freedom.

15. The separating device (1) according to claim 14, wherein, The system for determining the position of the carcass to be processed is a vision system.

16. A method for partially cutting off a tail from a carcass of a slaughtered animal by using a tail cutter (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or by using a separating device (1) according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein, The method includes the steps of: a) guiding the fingers (6) of the tail cutter on a first side portion of the tail located on the carcass, thereby pushing the tail to one side, b) cutting into the skin of the carcass on the first side portion of the tail with the cutting blade (5) of the tail knife (4), c) further cutting into the carcass around the base portion of the tail with the cutting blade (5) of the tail knife (4) and cutting through at least one bone and / or cartilage at the base portion of the tail, d) thereby partially cutting off the tail from the carcass.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, In step d), the partially cut-off tail is connected to the carcass at a second side portion of the tail, where the second side portion is opposite to the first side portion.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein before step a) and / or during step a), at least a portion of the spinal column near the base portion of the tail is cut in half.

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