A double-scene automatic receiving and overturning cutting equipment suitable for fresh-cut beef and mutton

Abstract

The application discloses a double-scene automatic material receiving and overturning cutting equipment suitable for fresh-cut beef and mutton, belongs to the technical field of meat fresh-cut processing equipment, and is designed for non-frozen fresh-cut processing of acid-discharging cold fresh beef and fresh whole mutton carcasses. The equipment adopts a separable modular structure, comprises an intelligent meat hanging cabinet module and a lifting and translating overturning operation table module, and can be commonly used in double scenes. Fresh products are automatically lifted and discharged, the height of the operation table is adjusted, translation alignment and angle overturning are realized through four groups of servo motors, and a flexible fresh product clamping mechanism is matched to avoid damage to fresh meat, so that a PLC control system realizes full-process automatic linkage. The application solves the problems of poor scene adaptability, easy damage to meat, and low automation degree of existing fresh-cut equipment, has the advantages of non-damage meat protection, high efficiency, hygiene, convenient operation and low cost, and is widely applicable to fresh-cut processing links of community fresh-cut beef and mutton stores and small slaughterhouses.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of meat fresh-cutting equipment, specifically relating to a dual-scenario automatic feeding, flipping, and cutting device for fresh beef and mutton after acid removal and whole fresh carcasses. It is compatible with both intelligent meat hanging cabinets in community fresh-cutting stores and single-rail systems in small slaughterhouses, enabling automatic feeding, flexible clamping, angle flipping, and precise cutting of fresh beef and mutton. Background Technology

[0002] With the upgrading of residents' consumption, fresh-cut beef and mutton have become the mainstream consumer category in community fresh food stores, fresh-cut beef and mutton specialty stores and small-scale slaughtering and processing links due to their advantages of tender taste and complete preservation of nutrition. These fresh products are all chilled beef and mutton that have undergone acid removal treatment and are not frozen throughout the entire process, which requires extremely high professionalism, hygiene and non-destructiveness of processing equipment. Currently, there are many technical deficiencies in the processing equipment for fresh-cut beef and mutton in the industry, which seriously restrict the standardization and automation of fresh-cut beef and mutton processing: First, existing commercial hanging meat cabinets only have refrigeration and hanging storage functions, and lack automated feeding mechanisms. Fresh beef halves and whole fresh mutton carcasses after aging are soft, smooth, and heavy. The manual removal and handling process can easily cause the carcasses to bump, the meat to crumble, and the surface to be damaged, directly affecting the appearance and selling price of fresh-cut meat. At the same time, manual handling is labor-intensive, poses safety hazards, and frequent human contact with fresh products makes it difficult to meet the hygiene processing standards for fresh food. Second, conventional meat processing tables have limited functions and can only achieve basic placement. They cannot adjust the receiving position according to the height of the hanging meat cabinet or single-rail track, and fresh carcasses are prone to rolling after being placed. First, the equipment suffers from several drawbacks. First, it lacks a dedicated positioning structure, making it difficult to ensure uniform cuts and failing to meet the standardized requirements for fresh-cut sales. Second, its adaptability to different scenarios is extremely poor. The hanging cabinets and equipment specifically designed for community fresh-cut shops are unsuitable for the single-track fresh-processing scenarios of small slaughterhouses. Furthermore, slaughterhouse-specific equipment cannot be used in stores due to its size and structural limitations, forcing operators to purchase multiple sets of equipment and significantly increasing operating costs. Third, existing equipment lacks a non-destructive clamping structure, often using hard clamps to fix the carcass, which easily damages and scratches the fresh meat, compromising its integrity. Fourth, the overall level of automation is low. From carcass handling and receiving to flipping and cutting, the entire process relies on manual operation, resulting in low processing efficiency. Prolonged exposure of fresh products can affect their freshness, failing to meet the market demand for fresh-cut sales. In summary, the market currently lacks an integrated cutting device specifically designed for fresh-cut beef and mutton that can be adapted to both community meat hanging cabinets and slaughterhouse single-rail systems, and features automated material receiving, non-destructive clamping, adjustable angle, and convenient operation. This makes it difficult to solve practical problems such as meat quality damage, low efficiency, limited application scenarios, and substandard hygiene in the processing of fresh-cut beef and mutton. Therefore, developing a dual-scenario automatic material receiving and flipping cutting device suitable for fresh-cut beef and mutton has become a pressing technical challenge for the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a dual-scenario automatic receiving and flipping cutting device suitable for fresh-cut beef and mutton. It is specifically designed for non-frozen fresh-cut processing of chilled beef carcasses and whole fresh mutton carcasses after aging. This invention solves the problems of low automation, easy damage to fresh meat quality, poor scene adaptability, high dependence on manual labor, and failure to meet hygiene standards in existing equipment. It achieves automation, non-destructive processing, and standardization of fresh-cut beef and mutton processing, while also being suitable for use in both community fresh-cut shops and small slaughterhouses. This reduces equipment investment costs and improves fresh-cut processing efficiency and product quality. Technical solution

[0004] An automated receiving, flipping, and cutting device suitable for fresh-cut beef and mutton is disclosed. The device features a modular and detachable design, comprising an intelligent meat hanging cabinet module, a lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module, a servo drive system, a flexible fresh-product clamping mechanism, and a PLC control system. The intelligent meat hanging cabinet module and the lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module are independent and detachable structures. They can be used in combination for integrated processing in community fresh-cut beef and mutton shops with refrigerated processing. Alternatively, the lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module can be used independently for small slaughterhouses with single-track fresh-product cutting lines. The device is designed entirely for chilled, de-acidified fresh beef and mutton and is solely for fresh-cut processing; it does not handle frozen beef and mutton. The intelligent meat hanging cabinet module includes a refrigerated cabinet body, an upward-opening electric cabinet door, a main meat hanging beam, an electric lifting hook, and a hook lifting servo motor. The refrigerated cabinet body is made of food-grade stainless steel and has a constant temperature refrigeration function. It is used to hang and store fresh beef halves and whole lamb carcasses after aging to ensure the freshness of the products. The main meat hanging beam is horizontally fixedly installed at the top of the refrigerated cabinet body to support the weight of the fresh carcasses. The hook lifting servo motor is sealed and installed on the top outside of the refrigerated cabinet body through a fixed bracket. Its output end is connected to the electric lifting hook through a chain and wire rope combination transmission assembly. Hanging below the main meat-hanging beam, the hook lifting servo motor drives the carcass to rise and fall smoothly in the vertical direction, achieving uniform descent of the fresh carcass and avoiding impact damage caused by rapid descent. The upward-opening electric cabinet door is located below the front of the refrigerated cabinet and is driven by a small electric push rod. The door opens by folding upwards for storage, and when open, it completely fits the top outer side of the cabinet, without occupying the operating space in front of the cabinet. It is also electrically linked with the electric lifting hook, and the hook lifting servo motor can only receive a signal to start when the cabinet door is fully open, preventing the carcass from being scratched due to the cabinet door not being open, and avoiding operational errors.The lifting, translating, and flipping workbench module includes a food-grade stainless steel work surface, a scissor lift mechanism, a linear guide rail translation mechanism, a flipping support arm, and a base. The base is a single-piece load-bearing structure, equipped with anti-slip pads and casters for easy movement and fixation. The scissor lift mechanism is fixedly mounted on the base, with a lifting servo motor sealed on one side of its outer wall. This servo motor drives the scissor lift mechanism to perform vertical lifting motion, with the lifting stroke adaptable to the height of conventional meat hanging cabinets and single-bar tracks, enabling precise adjustment of the receiving height. The linear guide rail translation mechanism is fixedly mounted on top of the scissor lift mechanism, lifting synchronously with it. A translation servo motor is sealed on one side of its outer wall, driving the linear guide rail translation mechanism to move horizontally back and forth, with the translation stroke covering the meat hanging cabinet's discharge port and the single-bar track. The area below the channel ensures precise alignment of the receiving position. The worktable is movably connected to a linear guide rail translation mechanism via two sets of symmetrically arranged flipping support arms. A flipping servo motor is sealed at the end of the flipping support arm, and the output end of the flipping servo motor is connected to the worktable for transmission, driving the worktable to achieve an angle flipping range of 0°-90°. The cutting angle can be adjusted according to the needs of fresh cutting operations, ensuring convenient cutting operations and uniform cuts. A U-shaped limiting groove is opened in the middle of the worktable. The size and depth of the U-shaped limiting groove are specially adapted to the shape and structure of fresh beef halves and fresh whole lamb carcasses. The edges of the groove are rounded to prevent scratching the fresh meat. The U-shaped limiting groove and the electric lifting hook of the intelligent meat hanging cabinet module are on the same vertical center line, ensuring that the fresh carcass can accurately fall into the groove after being lowered, thus preventing the fresh meat from rolling and shifting at the source. The flexible fresh meat clamping mechanism is specifically designed for the delicate characteristics of fresh meat. It includes two sets of flexible clamping straps, an electromagnetic automatic buckle, and a miniature clamping drive motor. The two sets of flexible clamping straps are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the U-shaped limiting groove on the work surface. They are made of food-grade soft silicone material, with a width of not less than 8cm. The clamping surface is treated with an anti-slip texture to ensure a firm clamping while preventing damage to the fresh meat during the clamping process. One end of the flexible clamping strap is fixed to the side of the work surface, and the other end is detachably connected to the other side of the work surface via an electromagnetic automatic buckle. The miniature clamping drive motor is electrically connected to the electromagnetic automatic buckle to realize the automatic locking and unlocking of the clamping straps without manual operation. The servo drive system includes four independently controlled servo motors: a hook lifting servo motor, a lifting servo motor, a translation servo motor, and a tilting servo motor. All four servo motors adopt a sealed, waterproof, and oil-proof structure, suitable for fresh food processing environments, and are electrically connected to the PLC control system via signal lines. The PLC control system is integrated on one side of the equipment base and is equipped with a touch screen and a manual / automatic dual-mode switching button. In automatic mode, it can achieve full-process linkage control, while in manual mode, it can control the actions of each mechanism individually to meet the personalized needs of different operating scenarios. At the same time, the system has built-in overload protection and an emergency stop button to improve the safety of equipment operation.When used alone as the lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module, this equipment does not require the intelligent meat hanging cabinet module. It can be directly moved to the area below the single-rail system in a small slaughterhouse. The height and position of the worktable are adjusted via lifting and translating servo motors, aligning the U-shaped limiting groove with the fresh carcass on the single-rail system. After the fresh carcass is manually pushed into the groove, the clamping, flipping, and cutting process can begin. This system is fully compatible with single-rail fresh-cutting processing scenarios. The U-shaped limiting groove is at least 15cm deep, and its width can accommodate both fresh beef halves and whole fresh lamb carcasses, offering strong versatility. Furthermore, the entire worktable is detachable, facilitating cleaning and disinfection after fresh food processing, and meeting food processing hygiene standards.

[0005] Dual-Scenario Specific Workflow Scenario 1: Community Fresh-Cut Beef and Lamb Shop Scenario 1. The operator activates the automatic mode via the PLC control system. The upward-opening electric cabinet door receives a signal and is driven by an electric push rod to fully fold upwards for storage. 2. Once the cabinet door is fully open, a linkage sensor is triggered, and the hook lifting servo motor automatically starts. Through the transmission component, the electric lifting hook descends at a uniform speed, causing the fresh beef halves or whole fresh lamb carcasses inside the refrigerated cabinet to move vertically downwards. 3. Simultaneously, the lifting servo motor and the translation servo motor start. The scissor lift mechanism adjusts the worktable to a suitable receiving height, and the linear guide translation mechanism drives the worktable to translate towards the inside of the cabinet, allowing the U-shaped limit... 4. The electric lifting hook precisely aligns the slot with the electric lifting hook directly below the carcass; 5. After the electric lifting hook smoothly places the fresh carcass into the U-shaped limiting slot, it automatically and evenly rises and resets to the main hanging beam; 6. The micro clamping drive motor starts, the electromagnetic automatic buckle locks, and the double-sided flexible clamping straps tighten smoothly, securing the fresh carcass without damage; 7. The flipping servo motor starts, driving the worktable to flip to the preset fresh-cutting angle, allowing the operator to perform the fresh-cutting operation. After cutting, the product can be sold directly; 8. After fresh-cutting is completed, the electromagnetic automatic buckle releases, the flexible clamping straps reset, the fresh-cut product is removed, the worktable automatically resets, the electric cabinet door closes, and the single fresh-cutting processing flow is completed.

[0006] Scene 2: Small Slaughterhouse Scene 1. Move the lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module to below the single-bar track in the slaughterhouse, and switch to manual / independent mode via the PLC control system; 2. Start the lifting and translating servo motors, adjust the height and position of the worktable, and ensure the U-shaped limiting groove is precisely aligned with the underside of the aging fresh carcass on the single-bar track; 3. Manually and smoothly push the fresh beef halves or whole fresh sheep carcasses from the single-bar track into the U-shaped limiting groove on the worktable; 4. Activate the flexible fresh product clamping mechanism to automatically lock and secure the fresh carcass, and adjust the worktable to the appropriate cutting angle using the flipping servo motor; 5. Operation After the staff completes the fresh-cutting and processing, they release the clamps, remove the fresh meat, and the equipment resets. The entire process requires no intervention from the intelligent meat hanging cabinet module. Beneficial effects: 1. Dedicated to fresh-cutting, ensuring no damage to the meat: The equipment is designed specifically for chilled, de-acidified beef and lamb, using food-grade flexible clamps and rounded U-shaped limiting grooves to prevent bumps, crushing, and scratches on the fresh carcass, maximizing the preservation of the meat's integrity and appearance, and increasing the selling price of fresh-cut products; 2. Versatile for both scenarios, reducing costs: Adopting a detachable modular design, one set of equipment can be used in both community fresh-cutting shop meat hanging cabinets and slaughterhouse single-rail systems, eliminating the need to purchase multiple sets. The equipment significantly reduces operators' equipment investment and operating costs, filling the gap in the industry for universal fresh-cutting equipment for both scenarios; 3. High degree of automation, high efficiency and hygiene: Four sets of servo motors are linked for control, realizing full automation of cabinet door opening, fresh product feeding, precise receiving, automatic clamping, and angle flipping, reducing the frequency of manual contact with fresh products, improving food hygiene standards, and reducing labor intensity, increasing fresh-cutting efficiency by more than 60%; 4. Reasonable structural design and convenient operation: The hanging meat cabinet door flips upward for storage, with no interference from operating space, and the worktable is equipped with casters for flexible movement, and the PLC control system... 5. **Dual-mode switching, simple operation, and detachable for cleaning, adaptable to the hygiene requirements of fresh food processing:** The U-shaped limiting groove and flexible clamping mechanism can simultaneously accommodate fresh beef halves and whole fresh lamb carcasses. Lifting, translation, and flipping angles are all adjustable to meet the processing needs of different specifications of fresh products and different cutting angles, making it widely applicable. 6. **Stable operation and reliable safety:** The servo motor control is precise, and the equipment has linkage protection, overload protection, and emergency stop functions. The sealed motor design is suitable for the humid environment of fresh produce, ensuring stable operation, long service life, and high safety performance.

Claims

1. A dual-scene automatic receiving and flipping cutting device suitable for fresh-cut beef and mutton, characterized in that, The equipment includes an intelligent meat hanging cabinet module, a lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module, a servo drive system, a flexible fresh product clamping mechanism, and a PLC control system. The intelligent meat hanging cabinet module and the lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module are independent and separable structures. They can be combined and linked to adapt to the cold storage and fresh cutting scenarios of community fresh-cut shops, or the lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module can be used alone to adapt to the single-rail fresh cutting scenarios of slaughterhouses. The equipment is specifically designed for non-frozen fresh cutting processing of chilled beef carcasses and whole fresh sheep carcasses after acid removal. The intelligent meat hanging cabinet module includes a refrigerator cabinet, an upward-opening electric cabinet door, a meat hanging main beam, an electric lifting hook and a hook lifting servo motor. The meat hanging main beam is fixed to the top of the inside of the refrigerator cabinet. The hook lifting servo motor is sealed and installed on the top of the cabinet. It is connected to the electric lifting hook through a transmission component and drives it to lift vertically. The upward-opening electric cabinet door is located at the bottom of the front of the cabinet. It folds up to store the meat and is electrically linked to the electric lifting hook. The lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module includes a worktable surface, a scissor lift mechanism, a linear guide rail translation mechanism, a flipping support arm, and an equipment base. The bottom of the scissor lift mechanism is connected to the equipment base, and the top is connected to the linear guide rail translation mechanism. A lifting servo motor is installed on its side, and a translation servo motor is installed on the side of the linear guide rail translation mechanism. The worktable surface is connected to the translation mechanism through the flipping support arm, and a flipping servo motor is installed at the end of the flipping support arm. A U-shaped limiting groove is opened in the middle of the worktable surface, and the U-shaped limiting groove is on the same vertical center line as the electric lifting hook. The flexible fresh product clamping mechanism includes two sets of food-grade flexible clamping straps symmetrically arranged on both sides of the U-shaped limiting groove, an electromagnetic automatic buckle, and a micro clamping drive motor. The servo drive system includes a hook lifting servo motor, a lifting servo motor, a translation servo motor, and a flipping servo motor. All four motors are electrically connected to the PLC control system.

2. The dual-scene automatic receiving and flipping cutting device for fresh-cut beef and mutton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upward-opening electric cabinet door is driven by an electric push rod. The hook lifting servo motor can only be started after the cabinet door is fully opened. The cabinet body is made of 304 food-grade stainless steel and has a constant temperature refrigeration function for fresh products.

3. The dual-scene automatic receiving and flipping cutting device for fresh-cut beef and mutton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting servo motor drives the scissor lift mechanism to lift vertically, the translation servo motor drives the linear guide rail translation mechanism to move horizontally back and forth, and the flipping servo motor drives the worktable to achieve 0°-90° angle flipping.

4. The dual-scene automatic receiving and flipping cutting device for fresh-cut beef and mutton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible clamping band is made of food-grade silicone, with a width of not less than 8cm and a U-shaped limiting groove depth of not less than 15cm. The groove edge is rounded, making it suitable for placing fresh beef halves and fresh whole lamb carcasses.

5. The dual-scene automatic receiving and flipping cutting device for fresh-cut beef and mutton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The PLC control system is equipped with a touch screen and a manual / automatic dual-mode switching button. It features linkage control, overload protection, and emergency stop functions. All four servo motors have an IP67 waterproof and sealed structure.

6. The dual-scene automatic receiving and flipping cutting device for fresh-cut beef and mutton according to claim 1, characterized in that, When using the lifting, translating, and flipping worktable module alone, the position can be adjusted by the lifting servo motor and the translating servo motor to directly support the fresh carcass on the single-bar track, completing the clamping, flipping, and fresh-cutting processing.

7. The dual-scene automatic receiving and flipping cutting device for fresh-cut beef and mutton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The work surface is made of detachable 304 food-grade stainless steel, and the bottom of the equipment base is equipped with casters and anti-slip pads.