A poultry piece cutting apparatus

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of poultry cutting and processing technology, and discloses a poultry cutting device, including a working box. Inside the working box, from left to right, are arranged a drive assembly, a feeding conveyor belt, a sorting conveyor belt, and a dynamic leveling mechanism. The feeding conveyor belt is inclined to the upper right, and the sorting conveyor belt is also inclined. Another drive assembly is located at the bottom of the side of the sorting conveyor belt away from the feeding conveyor belt, and this other drive assembly is located below the sorting conveyor belt. A discharge conveyor belt is located directly below this other drive assembly. This utility model eliminates cleaning dead zones through a detachable partition design; it achieves efficient and gentle three-dimensional uniform distribution of materials by using a double-layer stepped load-bearing plate and buffer assembly; and it ensures consistent material layer thickness through an adjustable dynamic leveling brush. No manual secondary sorting is required, greatly improving automated production efficiency, finished product consistency, and food safety levels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of poultry cutting and processing technology, specifically a poultry cutting device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the poultry product processing industry is developing rapidly. Whether it's chicken nuggets from fast-food chains or diced chicken and duck pieces in home-cooked meals, market demand is increasingly strong. These products place extremely high demands on the uniformity of the size, shape, and weight of the raw meat pieces. To meet this demand for large-scale, standardized production, automated cutting equipment has emerged and has become an indispensable core piece of equipment in this field.

[0003] Regarding the aforementioned issues, existing poultry cutting equipment typically employs an assembly line operation mode. Its basic workflow generally involves feeding large, pre-processed pieces of poultry meat (such as boneless chicken breast) into the equipment, where they are cut by one or more sets of high-speed rotating blades. The cut pieces fall onto a conveyor belt below and are transported to the discharge port for collection. In some cases where the final product shape is critical, subsequent sorting or shaping processes are often required after discharge.

[0004] However, in actual operation, these traditional block cutting devices have some inherent defects that urgently need to be addressed.

[0005] A very obvious phenomenon is that after the initial cutting, the meat chunks often pile up haphazardly on the conveyor belt, completely lacking any order. This disorderly accumulation directly leads to uneven material layers, making it impossible for the blades to process the material evenly and effectively when it enters the next cutting station. The final cut products naturally vary in size and shape, resulting in a less than ideal product qualification rate.

[0006] To compensate for this deficiency, factories commonly add an extra manual sorting and arrangement process at the output end of the cutting equipment. This patchwork approach not only significantly increases valuable labor costs but also severely slows down the entire production line, creating an efficiency bottleneck. More importantly, the repeated manual contact also brings the risk of secondary contamination, which is something that must be avoided in the food processing industry.

[0007] Another headache is cleaning the equipment. The internal structure of many existing machines, especially components used for separation or guidance, is often directly welded to the frame, forming a fixed unit. This inevitably creates numerous structural gaps and unsanitary corners. In the daily production process, meat scraps and grease, once they get into these nooks and crannies, are extremely difficult to thoroughly clean with water guns or brushes. Over time, these areas become breeding grounds for bacteria, posing a significant threat to the food safety of the final product. Utility Model Content

[0008] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, this utility model provides a poultry cutting device, which aims to solve the problems of inconsistent finished product size caused by disorderly accumulation of materials after cutting in existing poultry cutting equipment, as well as the low efficiency and high hygiene risks caused by the need for secondary manual sorting.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a poultry cutting device, comprising a working box with multiple feet at its bottom. Inside the working box, from left to right, are arranged a drive assembly, a feeding conveyor belt, a sorting conveyor belt, and a dynamic leveling mechanism. The drive assembly is used for preliminary cutting of the input poultry meat pieces. The feeding conveyor belt is inclined to the upper right and is used to lift and transfer the cut meat pieces. The highest point of the upper right of the feeding conveyor belt is located above the sorting conveyor belt, which is also inclined and used to arrange the transferred meat pieces. The dynamic leveling mechanism is located above the sorting conveyor belt. The dynamic leveling mechanism is used to level the meat pieces located on the sorting conveyor belt. Another driving component is provided at the bottom of the side of the sorting conveyor belt away from the feeding conveyor belt, and the other driving component is located below the sorting conveyor belt. A discharge conveyor belt is provided directly below the other driving component. Multiple mounting bases are evenly arranged on the outer side of the sorting conveyor belt, and the multiple mounting bases are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the outer side of the sorting conveyor belt. A partition is inserted between the interior of two vertically arranged mounting bases. Two load-bearing plates are symmetrically arranged between two adjacent partitions. Multiple drainage grooves are opened inside the load-bearing plates, and a buffer component is provided between the load-bearing plates and the two mounting bases.

[0010] Preferably, the drive assembly includes two cutters, each with a transmission gear at its end, the two transmission gears meshing together, a pad is fixedly connected to the outside of the work box, a drive motor is mounted on the top of the pad, and the output end of the drive motor is fixedly connected to the inside of one of the transmission gears.

[0011] Preferably, the dynamic leveling mechanism includes a leveling brush, an adjustment component one, and an adjustment component two. The adjustment component one includes an adjustment plate one. A rear extension wall is fixedly connected to the top rear side of the work box. The adjustment plate one is slidably connected inside the rear extension wall. One end of the leveling brush is rotatably connected inside the adjustment plate one. A drive motor is mounted on the top of the adjustment plate one through a fixing ring. The output end of the drive motor is fixedly connected to the top of the leveling brush. A pin one is inserted into the interior of the adjustment plate one.

[0012] Preferably, the smoothing brush is arranged parallel to the sorting conveyor belt, and the outer bristles of the smoothing brush are in direct contact with the partition.

[0013] Preferably, the adjustment plate has a plurality of slots vertically opened inside, and the pin passes through the interior of the rear extension wall and is inserted into the slot.

[0014] Preferably, the second adjustment component includes a second adjustment plate, the bottom end of the flat brush is rotatably connected to the inside of the second adjustment plate, both sides of the second adjustment plate are provided with limiting side plates, and multiple slots are provided between the two. The second adjustment plate is slidably connected to the inside of the work box, and a second pin is inserted between the two limiting side plates and the second adjustment plate.

[0015] Preferably, the buffer assembly includes a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft, both of which are rotatably connected inside the load-bearing plate. An installation groove is provided on the opposite side between two adjacent partitions. The first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are slidably connected inside the installation groove. An adjustment groove is provided at the bottom front end of the installation groove, and a return spring is provided inside the adjustment groove.

[0016] Preferably, the rotating shaft is slidably connected inside the adjustment groove, and the top end of the return spring abuts against the outside of the rotating shaft, while the bottom end of the return spring is fixedly connected to the bottom of the adjustment groove.

[0017] Preferably, the load-bearing plate is rotatably connected between the two partitions.

[0018] This utility model provides a poultry cutting device. It has the following advantages:

[0019] 1. In this invention, the pluggable connection between the partition and the mounting base allows operators to easily remove all partitions used to separate passageways by hand after production, enabling independent, thorough cleaning and disinfection. In contrast, existing technologies often employ welding or bolting, creating numerous hard-to-reach hygiene dead zones that accumulate meat scraps and grease, fostering bacterial growth. This invention fundamentally solves this persistent problem, significantly improving equipment cleanliness, ensuring food safety, and substantially reducing the intensity and time cost of cleaning work.

[0020] 2. This utility model employs a double-layer stepped load-bearing plate structure, significantly enhancing the processing capacity of the material shaping area. When meat strips fall from a height, they preferentially fill the upper load-bearing plate. Once the upper plate is full, excess meat strips overflow naturally due to gravity and are caught by the lower load-bearing plate. Furthermore, the buffer component effectively eliminates the impact force of falling meat, achieving three-dimensional, self-adaptive material filling. In contrast, the commonly used flat single-layer conveyor belts in existing technologies often result in disorderly material accumulation, wasting significant effective carrying space and creating considerable difficulties for subsequent leveling. This utility model, through a simple structural change, doubles the carrying capacity per unit area and the initial uniform distribution of materials, resulting in higher efficiency.

[0021] 3. This utility model incorporates a dynamically leveling mechanism with adjustable height. The core of this mechanism is a rotating leveling brush that actively "combs" and "guides" excessively piled meat strips from the load-bearing plate into open spaces, rather than passively blocking them. Existing technologies either lack this leveling step, resulting in inconsistent finished product sizes, or use fixed scrapers, which are rigid and unsuitable for materials of different sizes. The dynamic leveling mechanism of this utility model not only acts gently and protects the meat, but its height-adjustable design also gives the equipment great flexibility, perfectly adapting to the processing of different batches and types of poultry meat, thus ensuring a high degree of consistency in the size and weight of the final product.

[0022] 4. This utility model provides a complete automated solution from "shaping and arranging" to "synchronous precision cutting". From the moment the material enters the sorting conveyor belt, it remains within an independent channel defined by partitions, arranged in an orderly manner throughout the process, until it is finally cut into pieces by the synchronized cutting blade group. This completely overturns the outdated mode in the prior art where, after the cutting machine outputs the meat pieces, they pile up haphazardly, requiring a large amount of manual labor for secondary sorting and arranging. The solution of this utility model directly eliminates the high-labor-cost, low-efficiency process of "secondary sorting", realizing automated assembly line operation from raw materials to well-ordered finished products. This not only greatly improves the overall production efficiency but also avoids the risk of secondary contamination caused by manual handling and contact. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cutter of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flat brush of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the adjustment plate two of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the adjustment plate of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting base of this utility model;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of the load-bearing plate of this utility model;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the reset spring of this utility model.

[0031] The components include: 1. Working box; 11. Base; 2. Discharge conveyor belt; 3. Loading conveyor belt; 4. Drive assembly; 401. Pad block; 402. Drive motor; 403. Transmission gear; 404. Cutter; 5. Dynamic leveling mechanism; 51. Leveling brush; 52. Adjustment assembly one; 521. Adjustment plate one; 522. Transmission motor; 523. Fixing ring; 524. Pin one; 53. Adjustment assembly two; 531. Adjustment plate two; 532. Limiting side plate; 533. Pin two; 6. Rear extension wall; 7. Sorting conveyor belt; 701. Partition; 702. Mounting base; 703. Load-bearing plate; 704. Drainage trough; 8. Adjustment assembly; 801. Rotating shaft one; 802. Rotating shaft two; 803. Mounting groove; 804. Adjustment groove; 805. Return spring. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0033] Please see the appendix Figure 1 - Appendix Figure 8This utility model provides a poultry cutting device. The main structure of the device is integrated into a sturdy and durable working box 1. The working box 1 is made of stainless steel with a brushed or mirror finish, which not only ensures the hygiene standards of the food processing environment but also facilitates daily cleaning and maintenance. Multiple feet 11 are evenly arranged at the bottom of the working box 1 to ensure stable operation of the equipment under different ground conditions and reduce vibration caused by unevenness.

[0034] Inside the work chamber 1, the entire processing flow follows a material movement trajectory from left to right and from top to bottom, with each functional unit compactly arranged and seamlessly connected. At the upper left of the device, there is a feed hopper (not shown), below which is the first drive assembly 4, which performs the initial cutting task. Immediately following is a feeding conveyor belt 3, angled upwards to the right, used to lift the initially cut meat pieces. The end point of the feeding conveyor belt 3 is directly above the starting end of the sorting conveyor belt 7. Above the conveying path of the sorting conveyor belt 7, a dynamic leveling mechanism 5 is installed. When the material reaches the end of the sorting conveyor belt 7, another drive assembly 4 is located below it for final precision cutting, while the finished product falls directly into the discharge conveyor belt 2 at the bottom of the device, which is responsible for transporting the finished product to an external collection container or the next process step.

[0035] There are two sets of drive components 4, with identical structure and function, responsible for initial cutting and fine cutting respectively. A thickened pad 401 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the work box 1 by high-strength bolts, providing a stable mounting base for the drive motor 402. The output shaft of the drive motor 402 transmits its power to one of the transmission gears 403 via a coupling. This transmission gear 403 meshes precisely with another transmission gear 403 of the same specification. The central hole of each transmission gear 403 is coaxially fixed to the blade shaft of a cutter 404. The cutter 404 is preferably a disc-shaped grid blade made of high-hardness alloy steel, with multiple parallel sharp blades. When the drive motor 402 starts, its rotational motion is converted into synchronous, opposite rotational motion of the two cutters 404 through the meshing of the pair of transmission gears 403. This quickly and cleanly cuts the poultry meat pieces passing between them into uniform strips or blocks, resulting in high cutting efficiency and neat finished products.

[0036] After initial cutting, the strips of meat fall onto the surface of the feeding conveyor belt 3 under the influence of gravity. This feeding conveyor belt 3 features an integral baffle, and its tilt angle is precisely calculated to ensure that the meat strips will neither slip due to gravity nor be thrown out by centrifugal force during lifting. Its highest point on the upper right side, the discharge end, extends precisely above the sorting conveyor belt 7, ensuring a smooth transition of materials to the next workstation.

[0037] On both sides of the outer side of the sorting conveyor belt 7 frame, multiple reinforced mounting bases 702 are fixedly welded at equal intervals along the conveying direction. Each mounting base 702 has a vertical slot for inserting a partition 701. The bottom of the partition 701 is designed with a tenon and mortise structure that matches the slot, allowing operators to quickly install or remove it by hand without any tools. After the production task is completed, all partitions 701 can be easily removed for independent, thorough soaking, scrubbing, and disinfection, fundamentally ensuring food safety.

[0038] Within each independent conveying channel defined by two adjacent partitions 701, two symmetrically arranged load-bearing plates 703 are installed. These two load-bearing plates 703 are not on the same horizontal plane, but cleverly designed in a stepped shape: one is slightly higher and closer to the channel centerline, while the other is slightly lower and closer to the partition 701. When meat strips fall from above, they preferentially fall onto the higher load-bearing plate 703; once it is full, subsequent meat strips will naturally overflow and be stably caught by the lower load-bearing plate 703. This design greatly improves the material carrying capacity and space utilization within the channel. Furthermore, to address the issue of blood seepage from poultry meat pieces during processing, each load-bearing plate 703 has multiple arrayed drainage channels 704 stamped or cut on its surface. The width and length of these drainage channels 704 are optimized to ensure smooth drainage of blood without allowing small pieces of meat to get stuck or leak, thus achieving synchronous drainage during conveying and improving the quality of the final product.

[0039] To mitigate the impact of meat falling from a height and protect its structure, this invention introduces a buffer assembly 8. Each load-bearing plate 703 is not rigidly fixed between the partitions 701, but rather rotatably connected at a certain angle via two internally embedded pivots 801 and 802. On the inner wall of each partition 701, corresponding to the pivot position of the load-bearing plate 703, a mounting groove 803 is formed, allowing the end of the pivot to slide within a small range. Specifically, at the bottom front end of the mounting groove 803, an adjustment groove 804 is further recessed downwards, containing a pre-installed return spring 805. The end of pivot 801 is slidably connected inside the adjustment groove 804 and abuts against the top of the return spring 805. When the meat falls and impacts, the load-bearing plate 703 causes pivot 801 to move downwards within the adjustment groove 804, thereby compressing the return spring 805. The deformation of the spring absorbs most of the impact energy, providing excellent cushioning. After the impact, the elastic potential energy stored in the return spring 805 is released, gently pushing the load-bearing plate 703 back to its initial horizontal position. The whole process is smooth and rapid.

[0040] After the meat pieces have been buffered and initially arranged, the dynamic leveling mechanism 5 begins to function to ensure a more even distribution. The main body of this mechanism is a horizontally positioned leveling brush 51, its length covering all conveyor channels. The bristles of the leveling brush 51 are made of soft and elastic food-grade nylon, and their length is precisely calculated to ensure that they gently contact and agitate the meat pieces on the support plate 703 during rotation without damaging them or sweeping them out of the channels. The rotational power of the leveling brush 51 comes from a drive motor 522 mounted at one end, which is securely mounted on an adjustable adjustment plate 521 via a retaining ring 523.

[0041] The height adjustment function of the dynamic leveling mechanism 5 is achieved by adjustment component 1 52 and adjustment component 2 53. A rear extension wall 6, serving as a guide rail base, is fixedly connected to the top rear side of the work box 1. Adjustment plate 1 521 can slide up and down on this rear extension wall 6. To lock its height, multiple slots are vertically formed on the plate body of adjustment plate 1 521, and corresponding through holes are provided on the rear extension wall 6. The operator only needs to pull out pin 1 524, move adjustment plate 1 521 to the desired height, and then insert pin 1 524 through the through hole of the rear extension wall 6 and into the selected slot to complete the height setting of that end. Similarly, the other end of the leveling brush 51 is also rotatably connected via adjustment plate 2 531, which moves in a slide rail formed by the inner wall of the work box 1 and the limiting side plate 532. The height of the other end can be locked by the engagement of pin 2 533 with the multiple slots formed on the limiting side plate 532. This dual-end independently adjustable design not only allows for the overall raising and lowering of the brush, but also enables it to be tilted to meet various complex material leveling needs, demonstrating extremely high flexibility and adaptability.

[0042] In summary, the workflow of this utility model can be summarized as follows: First, the operator installs the partition 701 and sets the height of the flattening brush 51 according to production needs. After starting the equipment, large pieces of poultry meat are initially cut into strips by the first drive component 4, lifted by the feeding conveyor belt 3, and scattered into various channels of the sorting conveyor belt 7. The buffer component 8 effectively mitigates the impact of the fall, and the drain trough 704 on the load-bearing plate 703 drains excess blood. Subsequently, under the action of the dynamic flattening mechanism 5, the meat strips are arranged to be of uniform thickness and orderly. Finally, these neatly arranged meat strips are finally finely cut by the second drive component 4 at the end of the sorting conveyor belt 7, and the resulting regular meat blocks fall into the discharge conveyor belt 2, completing the entire automated processing flow.

[0043] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A poultry cutting device, comprising a working box (1), characterized in that, The bottom of the work box (1) is provided with multiple feet (11). Inside the work box (1), from left to right, there are a drive assembly (4), a feeding conveyor belt (3), a sorting conveyor belt (7), and a dynamic leveling mechanism (5). The drive assembly (4) is used to perform preliminary cutting on the input poultry meat pieces. The feeding conveyor belt (3) is inclined to the upper right and is used to lift and transfer the cut meat pieces. The highest point of the upper right of the feeding conveyor belt (3) is located above the sorting conveyor belt (7). The sorting conveyor belt (7) is inclined and is used to arrange the transferred meat pieces. The dynamic leveling mechanism (5) is located above the sorting conveyor belt (7) and is used to level the meat pieces located on the sorting conveyor belt (7). (7) Another drive assembly (4) is provided at the bottom of the side away from the feeding conveyor belt (3), and the other drive assembly (4) is located below the sorting conveyor belt (7). The discharge conveyor belt (2) is provided directly below the other drive assembly (4). Multiple mounting bases (702) are evenly arranged on the outer side of the sorting conveyor belt (7), and the multiple mounting bases (702) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the outer side of the sorting conveyor belt (7). A partition (701) is inserted between the two vertically arranged mounting bases (702). Two load-bearing plates (703) are symmetrically arranged between the two adjacent partitions (701). Multiple drainage grooves (704) are opened inside the load-bearing plates (703), and a buffer assembly (8) is provided between the load-bearing plates (703) and the two mounting bases (702).

2. The poultry dicing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive assembly (4) includes two cutters (404), and each of them is provided with a transmission gear (403) at its end. The two transmission gears (403) mesh with each other. A pad (401) is fixedly connected to the outside of the work box (1). A drive motor (402) is installed on the top of the pad (401). The output end of the drive motor (402) is fixedly connected to the inside of one of the transmission gears (403).

3. The poultry dicing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dynamic leveling mechanism (5) includes a leveling brush (51), an adjustment component one (52), and an adjustment component two (53). The adjustment component one (52) includes an adjustment plate one (521). A rear extension wall (6) is fixedly connected to the top of the rear side of the work box (1). The adjustment plate one (521) is slidably connected inside the rear extension wall (6). One end of the leveling brush (51) is rotatably connected inside the adjustment plate one (521). A drive motor (522) is installed on the top of the adjustment plate one (521) through a fixing ring (523). The output end of the drive motor (522) is fixedly connected to the top of the leveling brush (51). A pin one (524) is inserted into the inside of the adjustment plate one (521).

4. A poultry dicing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The smoothing brush (51) is arranged parallel to the sorting conveyor belt (7), and the outer bristles of the smoothing brush (51) are in direct contact with the partition (701).

5. A poultry dicing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The adjustment plate (521) has multiple slots vertically opened inside, and the pin (524) passes through the interior of the rear extension wall (6) and is inserted into the slot.

6. A poultry dicing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second adjustment component (53) includes a second adjustment plate (531). The bottom end of the flat brush (51) is rotatably connected to the inside of the second adjustment plate (531). Limiting side plates (532) are provided on both sides of the second adjustment plate (531), and multiple slots are provided between them. The second adjustment plate (531) is slidably connected to the inside of the work box (1). A pin (533) is inserted between the two limiting side plates (532) and the second adjustment plate (531).

7. A poultry dicing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buffer assembly (8) includes a first rotating shaft (801) and a second rotating shaft (802), both of which are rotatably connected inside the load-bearing plate (703). An installation groove (803) is provided on the opposite side of the two adjacent partitions (701). The first rotating shaft (801) and the second rotating shaft (802) are slidably connected inside the installation groove (803). An adjustment groove (804) is provided at the bottom of the front end of the installation groove (803), and a return spring (805) is provided inside the adjustment groove (804).

8. A poultry dicing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The rotating shaft (801) is slidably connected inside the adjusting groove (804), and the top end of the return spring (805) abuts against the outside of the rotating shaft (801), while the bottom of the return spring (805) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the adjusting groove (804).

9. A poultry dicing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The load-bearing plate (703) is rotatably connected between the two partition plates (701).

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