Pelt handling apparatus, pelt puller and pelt removal method

Abstract

Disclosed is a pelt handling or skinning apparatus 10 comprising: a clamp comprising a pair of opposed clamping jaws 11, 12 having a clamp opening 14 therebetween, the clamp configured to clamp onto a

Description

FIELD This invention relates to a pelt handling apparatus, a pelt puller and a pelt removal method. BACKGROUND When processing an animal carcass, it is sometimes desired to remove the pelt from the carcass. This may involve clamping onto a loose portion of the pelt (i.e. a portion that has been separated from the body of the carcass) and pulling the pelt. When removing the pelt from a woolly carcass such as that of a lamb, loose portions of the pelt may sit well away from the body of the carcass, making it relatively easy to insert a clamp jaw between a loose portion and the carcass body. With non-woolly pelts the loose portion can sit closer to the carcass body, making it difficult to clamp the pelt accurately and without damaging the pelt. In some cases, a pelt may be manually pulled from a carcass. In some cases, laws, regulations or industry standards may require processing of animals to be done at certain facilities. These facilities may consequently handle large numbers of animal carcasses requiring pelt removal. New Zealand patent application 535658 discloses a method and apparatus for removing the pelt from an animal. The apparatus and method of NZ 535658 are designed for use with sheep, which typically have woolly pelts. SUMMARY According to a first example embodiment there is provided a pelt-handling apparatus comprising: a clamp comprising a pair of opposed clamping jaws having a clamp opening therebetween, the clamp configured to clamp onto a portion of pelt that has been separated from a carcass body; and a compliant guide extending beyond a distal end of a first one of the pair of clamping jaws; wherein the compliant guide is configured to: a) contact the carcass between the portion of pelt and the carcass body; b) compliantly move upon contacting the carcass body; and c) guide the portion of pelt to the clamp opening prior to clamping. Embodiments of the first example may be implemented according to any one of claims 2 to 11, 35 or 36. According to a second example embodiment there is provided a pelt-handling apparatus for use in a pelt-removal process, the pelt-handling apparatus comprising: a clamp comprising a pair of opposed clamping jaws having a clamp opening therebetween, the clamp configured to clamp onto a non-woolly portion of a pelt that has been separated from a carcass body and hold the portion of pelt during pulling of the pelt from the carcass; and an alignment apparatus configured to align the portion of the pelt and the clamp opening prior to the clamping of the portion of the pelt by: a) mechanically locating the portion of the pelt in alignment with the opening of the clamp; and / or b) contacting the carcass body and compliantly adjusting the position of at least a portion of the clamp such that the clamp opening is aligned with the portion of the pelt. Embodiments of the second example may be implemented according to any one of the claims 13 to 22, 35 or 36. According to a third example there is provided a pelt puller comprising one or more actuated arms and a pelt-handling apparatus according to the first or second example or an embodiment thereof attached to one or more of the actuated arms, the pelt puller being configured to pull the pelt from the carcass while the portion of pelt is clamped in the clamp of the pelt-handling apparatus. Embodiments of the third example may be implemented according to any one of the claims 24 to 28, 35 or 36. According to a fourth example there is provided a method for at least partly removing a pelt from a carcass, the method comprising: separating a non-woolly portion of pelt from a carcass body; mechanically aligning the portion of pelt and an opening of a clamp; causing relative movement between the portion of pelt and the clamp to position the portion of pelt in the opening of the clamp, the relative movement being in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the carcass; clamping and holding the portion of the pelt with the clamp; mechanically pulling the pelt from the carcass while the portion of pelt is held by the clamp. Embodiments of the fourth example may be implemented according to anyone of the claims 30 to 36. In this specification, references to non-woolly animals, carcasses, pelts or portions of pelts are to be understood in opposition to woolly animals, carcasses, pelts or portions of pelts. A non-woolly portion of pelt may be a portion of pelt on a non-woolly carcass or a portion of pelt on a woolly carcass from which wool has been removed, at least in the region of the portion of pelt. For example, the carcass may be a bovine carcass such as a bobby calf carcass. In another example, the carcass could be a sheep carcass from which wool has been shorn in the region of the pelt. It will be appreciated that the apparatuses and methods disclosed herein may be suitable for use with various types of carcass. Although being described in the context of non-woolly portions of pelt, the apparatuses and / or methods disclosed and claimed herein may be additionally applicable to carcasses that are woolly, at least in the region of the separated portion of pelt. Non-woolly portions of pelts may be difficult for prior pelt-handling apparatuses to clamp onto and / or hold. It is thought that this may be largely due to the non-woolly portion of pelt sitting close to the body of the carcass when it is separated from and lies over the carcass body. This is in contrast to woolly carcasses, where the wool can hold the portion well apart from the carcass body. There is therefore a relatively small region between the loose portion of pelt and the carcass body into which a clamping jaw needs to be inserted to clamp the loose portion of pelt. The apparatuses disclosed and claimed herein may be better at clamping onto non-woolly portions of pelts than prior apparatuses. The methods disclosed and claimed herein may be particularly suitable for removing pelts with non-woolly loose portions. Non-woolly can mean having no wool or having wool of less than about 20 mm in thickness, less than about 15 mm in thickness, less than about 10 mm in thickness, or less than about 5 mm in thickness. References herein to the body of a carcass or the carcass body refer to the main part of the carcass other than the loose portion(s) of pelt. The carcass is not necessarily a complete carcass and typically one or more body parts such as the head will have been removed before pelt removal begins. References to removing the pelt and similar do not necessarily require the pelt to be taken right off the carcass. For example, the pelt removal processes discussed herein may entail the pelt being pulled from around the shoulder of the carcass down to around the waist of the carcass. Subsequent steps may be performed to finish removal of the pelt from the carcass. References to compliance and similar can include either passive or active compliance unless it is clear from the context that the term means only one or the other. It is acknowledged that the terms "comprise", "comprises" and "comprising" may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, these terms are intended to have an inclusive meaning - i.e., they will be taken to mean an inclusion of the listed components which the use directly references, and possibly also of other non-specified components or elements. Reference to any document in this specification does not constitute an admission that it is prior art, validly combinable with other documents or that it forms part of the common general knowledge. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pelt-handling apparatus according to one example with a clamp in an open state; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the pelt-handling apparatus of Figure 1 with the clamp in a closed state; Figure 3 is another view of the pelt-handling apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a pelt puller according to one example; Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to one example; Figure 6 is a sequence illustrating exemplary steps of the method of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a side view of a carcass to be processed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The apparatuses and method disclosed herein are particularly well suited to handling and removing non-woolly pelts, or pelts that are at least not woolly in the region where a clamp jaw is inserted between the loose portion of pelt and the carcass body. The apparatuses and methods may allow accurate and precise alignment of the loose portion of the pelt and the opening of the clamp even when processing carcasses of different widths. As mentioned above, non-woolly carcasses may require more precise placement of the clamps. Also, some types of non-woolly carcasses may have a low correlation between carcass length and carcass width. This means that the width at which to place the clamps when first clamping the pelt may not be reliably based on the determined length of the carcass. For example, it has been found that there is very little correlation between the length and width of bobby calf carcasses. Figure 7 shows an exemplary carcass 40 hung up for processing. In this case, the carcass 40 is hung on a spreader 44, with each of its forelegs 13 wedged into a tapering gap between a respective pair of short bars. Line 45 generally indicates the longitudinal axis of the carcass, which is approximately vertical as the carcass is hanging vertically. The pelt of the carcass 40 has been stripped from the forelegs 43, resulting in two portions 41 of pelt, one from each foreleg 43, being separated from the body 42 of the carcass. These portions 41 are also referred to herein as "loose portions". The loose portions 41 lie over the body 42 of the carcass. Processing of the carcass 40 can include removal of the pelt, e.g. by pulling. In a pelt-pulling process, the loose portions of pelt 41 can be clamped onto by a pelthandling apparatus and pulled by a pelt puller to at least partly remove the pelt from the carcass 40. In the following description, certain apparatuses and method steps are described in the context of aligning with, clamping onto, and pulling a (singular) portion of pelt. It should be understood that typically there would be two portions of pelt that are clamped on to and pulled and the description of the singular apparatus and portion of pelt can equally apply to a corresponding second apparatus and second portion of pelt. In other examples, the carcass 40 could be in a different orientation (e.g. horizontal) during pelt removal, the pelt removal could be started at a different part of the carcass 40, and the loose portion(s) of pelt can be clamped by various numbers of pelt-handling apparatuses (including 1, 2 or more than 2). Figures 1-3 illustrate a pelt-handling apparatus 10 according to an example embodiment. The pelt-handling apparatus 10 may be particularly well suited to handling a non-woolly portion of pelt (e.g. loose portion 41 in Figure 7) in a peltremoval process. As noted above, it can require a high degree of accuracy to engage a non-woolly portion of pelt with the clamp because the loose portion of pelt can sit much closer to the body of the carcass than a woolly portion of pelt would. However, the pelt-handling apparatus 10 may also be useful for handling woolly pelts during pelt removal. The pelt-handling apparatus 10 includes a clamp formed from opposing jaws 11 and 12. Between the jaws 11 and 12 is a clamp opening 14. The pelt-handling apparatus 10 in this example also includes a compliant guide 13 extending from the jaw 12. The jaws 11 and 12 may be substantially straight in the proximal-distal direction (i.e. from base to tip). This may help them to move into place over the loose portion of pelt. As will be explained in more detail with reference to Figures 5 and 6, the clamp can be moved into place to clamp the loose portion of pelt transverse - e.g. substantially perpendicular - to the longitudinal axis of the carcass. This direction is generally indicated by the arrow 46 in Figure 7 and can be substantially parallel to the proximal-distal direction of the clamp jaws. The clamp jaws 11 and 12 can have complementary shapes on their clamping surfaces to provide a good grip on the pelt. In the example of Figures 1-3, the jaw 12 has a substantially convex clamping surface and the jaw 11 has a substantially concave clamping surface. By convex, it is meant that the middle of the clamping surface protrudes outwards toward the opposing clamp. The term convex does not necessarily mean that the clamping surface is circular or rounded, although it could be. In the example of Figures 1-3, the clamping surface of jaw 12 is a substantially circular arc in cross-section. By concave, it is meant that the middle of the clamping surface is recessed inwards away from the opposing clamp. The term concave does not necessarily mean that the clamping surface is circular or rounded, although it could be. In the example of Figures 1-3, the clamping surface of jaw 11 is formed from two straight pieces meeting at a substantially 90° angle. Further grip features such as grooves, ridges or knurled surfaces could be provided on the clamping surfaces. To clamp a loose portion of pelt, the jaws 11 and 12 must be accurately placed with the portion of pelt in the opening 14 or, equivalently, the portion of pelt must be accurately moved into the opening 14. The pelt-handling apparatus 10 can include an alignment mechanism to assist with this. The compliant guide 13 is one example of an alignment mechanism. In the example pelt handling apparatus 10 of Figures 1-3, the compliant guide 13 is on the end of the clamp jaw 12. The clamp jaw 12 is configured to go between the separated portion of pelt and the carcass body, with the clamp jaw 11 being located on the other side of the separated portion of pelt. The clamp jaw 12 is immovably fixed to the base 18. The jaw 11 is movable and carried on pivoting clamp arm 17. Movement of the clamp jaw 11 can be driven by the hydraulic cylinder 22, which engages with the pivoting arm 17 via claw 29. The hydraulic cylinder 22 is housed in cylinder housing 23. As shown in Figure 1, the cylinder 22 is in a retracted state and the clamp is open. In Figure 2, the cylinder 22 is in an extended state and the clamp is closed. Other suitable actuators could be used in place of the hydraulic cylinder. In other examples, the clamp jaw 12 may be movable, in addition to or instead of clamp jaw 11. The compliant guide 13 in this example is connected to the clamp jaw 12 by an articulated joint 15. This allows the compliant guide 13 to pivot about axis 16. A biasing means, in this case a spring rod 19, is provided to allow compliant pivoting of the guide 13 away from a neutral orientation when the carcass-contacting portion 132 of the guide 13 contacts the carcass and then return the compliant guide to a neutral orientation. The neutral position is near the carcass, so the biasing means biases the guide 13 towards the carcass and away from the clamp jaw 11. One end of the spring rod 19 is attached to the compliant guide 13 and the other end is attached to the clamp jaw 12. In alternative examples, a different compliant guide could be used. For example, a four-bar link could be provided at the end of the jaw 12. In another example, an elastically flexible tip could be mounted to the end of the jaw 12 without an articulated joint. In another example, the entire clamp head (i.e. the base 18 and parts mounted to it) could be compliantly pivotable, for example by attaching the mount 21 to the base 18 via a rotationally compliant joint. The compliant guide 13 can be an elongate member. The compliant guide 13 may be made of any suitable material, for example plastic. The distal tip of the compliant guide 13 may be rounded to reduce the chance of it sticking in the pelt or carcass. When the pelt-handling apparatus 10 is brought into engagement with the carcass, the compliant guide 13 can contact the carcass body, for example about the ribs, and ride over the surface of the carcass body. While riding over the surface of the carcass body, the compliant guide 13 compliantly moves to adapt to the width of the carcass body. As the pelt handling apparatus 10 moves relative to the carcass, the separated portion of the pelt is moved towards the clamp and is guided into the clamp opening 14 by the compliant guide 13, specifically by sliding along the pelt-contacting portion 131. Other alignment mechanisms than the compliant guide 13 can be used. Generally speaking, the alignment mechanism can align a loose portion of the pelt with the opening 14 by controlling the position of one or both of the loose portion of pelt and at least part of the clamp. In some examples, the alignment mechanism mechanically locates the portion of the pelt in alignment with the opening 14. In other examples, at least a portion of the clamp compliantly moves to align the opening 14 and the loose portion of pelt. In some examples, the alignment mechanism can do both of these things. The exemplary alignment mechanism of Figures 1-3 - the compliant guide 13 - can both a) align the loose portion of the pelt with the opening by guiding it along the pelt-contacting portion 131 and b) compliantly move to follow the carcass surface so that the mouth of the clamp opening remains aligned with loose portion of pelt for a range of carcass widths. To locate the separated portion of the pelt in alignment with the clamp opening, the alignment mechanism can in some examples be or include a pelt mover that moves the loose portion of pelt into the opening 14 or into the path followed by the clamp as the clamp moves relative to the loose portion of pelt. Alternatively, the alignment mechanism be or include a pelt holder that retains the loose portion of pelt in a fixed position in the path of the clamp. In these examples, the portion of pelt may be placed on or in the pelt holder by another mechanism or by a person. In examples where a person places the loose portion of the pelt on or in the pelt holder, a person may begin the pelt-removal process by cutting the pelt (e.g. at the forelegs) and separating portions of it from the body of the carcass. Each separated portion of the pelt can then be manually placed on or in a pelt holder, for example by hanging it over a bar or putting it in a clamp. In these examples, the pelt holder can be spatially separated from the clamp of the pelt-handling apparatus and other moving parts of a pelt puller when the person is placing the loose portion of the pelt on the pelt holder. This helps to ensure safety of the operator, especially in an automated pelt pulling application. In examples where the alignment mechanism has a pelt mover that moves the loose portion of pelt into the opening or into the path of the clamp, the pelt mover could be powered or unpowered. The compliant guide 13 is one example of an unpowered pelt mover because it is passively compliant, however in alternative configurations the compliant guide could be actively compliant and hence powered. In another example, an unpowered pelt mover could be a flexible guide rod that goes under the separated portion of the pelt and is angled away from the centre of the carcass in the direction of travel of the carcass to guide the separated portion of pelt away from the body of the carcass into alignment with the clamp opening 14 as the carcass is moved towards the pelt-handling apparatus. In one example, a powered pelt mover could include one or more suction cups that attach to the separated portion of the pelt on the smooth interior side and to move it into alignment with the clamp opening. In this example, the suction cup assembly could be mounted with or near the clamp. In another example, a powered pelt mover could include a roller having flexible bristles or the like. The roller could be positioned at the side of the carcass such that the part of the roller that contacts the separated portion of the pelt moves upwards and carries the separated portion of pelt over the roller. The separated portion can then hang over the other side of the roller in alignment with the clamp opening 14. In examples in which the alignment apparatus compliantly aligns the clamp opening with the loose portion of the pelt, this can involve moving all or just a part of the clamp. The example of the compliant guide 13 is discussed above, in which the guide on the end of the clamp jaw 12 is moved upon contacting the carcass. In other examples, the clamp jaw 11 could compliantly move when a carcasscontacting portion of the alignment mechanism (e.g. the back of the clamp jaw 11 or a separate member) contacts the carcass body. In this example, the clamp jaw 12 may or may not also compliantly move. In some examples, the entire clamp head could be compliantly mounted to move based on contact with the carcass body. For example, the clamp head could be slidably or rotatably mounted to the mount 21 and biased in a direction towards the carcass body. In another example, a puller arm on which the clamp head is mounted could be compliantly movable. The base 18 of the pelt-handling apparatus 10 can be releasably mounted to the mount 21. The base 18 and the parts mounted to it, including the clamp jaws 11, 12 and the arm 17, are herein referred to as a clamp head. The clamp head may be detached from the mount 21 to allow the clamp head to be swapped for a different clamp head, for example one that is designed for use with woolly pelts. One example of such a clamp head is disclosed in NZ patent publication 535658. The mount 21, cylinder 22 and cylinder housing 23 may be provided on an actuated arm of a pelt puller, for example as shown in Figure 4. In such examples, the clamp head may constitute the pelt handling apparatus, with the mount 21, cylinder 22 and cylinder housing 23 being separately provided on a pelt puller arm. The clamp head may be provided as a separate item for mounting on the mount 21 of a pelt puller. Figure 4 shows a pelt puller 20 that includes two pelt-handling apparatuses 10a and 10b. This configuration would be suitable for clamping and pulling two separated portions of pelt, for example portions separated from the forelegs of the carcass as shown in Figure 7. This is the typical configuration because pulling two portions of pelt, one on each side of the carcass, is known to be effective. However, in other examples the pelt puller may have only one pelt-handling apparatus or it may have more than two. In the example of Figure 4, the pelt puller 20 is substantially similar in construction to the one disclosed in NZ 535658 except for the pelt-handling apparatuses 10a, 10b. The pelt puller 20 includes a main arm 27 and two load arms 24a and 24b. The main arm 27 can be pivoted using hydraulic cylinder 28. The load arms 24a, 24b can be pivoted relative to the main arm 27 using hydraulic cylinder 26. The clamps of the pelt-handling apparatuses 10a, 10b can be opened and closed using hydraulic cylinders 22a, 22b. The pelt-handling apparatuses 10a, 10b can be releasable mounted to the load arms via the mounts 21a, 21b. The pelt puller can also include hydraulic cylinders 25b (25a not visible in this view) that can be used to control the orientation of the pelt-handling apparatuses 10a, 10b. As noted above, the construction of the pelt puller (apart from the pelt-handling apparatuses) is similar to that of NZ 535658 but its operation may be different. The pelt puller may also be integrated into an automated processing line in a similar manner to that of NZ 535658. Operation of the pelt puller can be controlled by any suitable combination of hardware and software components such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) running software designed to implement the method disclosed herein. Figure 5 is a flow chart of steps of a pelt removal method 30. The method begins at step 31 with a portion of the pelt being separated from the body of the carcass. This may be done by a person cutting the pelt from the forelegs or shoulders of the carcass. The separated portion of the pelt is a non-woolly portion, for example because the carcass is of a non-woolly animal or because the wool has been shorn from the region around the separated portion of the pelt. In some examples, the height of the clamp may be set to a suitable height for clamping onto the loose portion of pelt. This may be done by directly measuring the height of the loose portion of pelt or by estimating the height of the loose portion of the pelt based on the determined length of the carcass. Length of the carcass may be determined from optical or mechanical measurements. Next, at step 32 the separated portion of the pelt is aligned with the opening of a clamp. Alignment may be done using any of the alignment mechanisms discussed herein, for example the compliant guide 13 of Figures 1-3. The alignment step 32 may be automated. Although the length of the carcass has been determined, and the height of the loose portion of the pelt estimated from the length, it has been found that estimating the lateral position of the loose portion of pelt from measurements of the length of the carcass may not be sufficiently accurate or precise for non-woolly pelts. The alignment of step 32 is therefore provided to allow for more accurate and precise lateral placement of the clamp with respect to the loose portion of pelt. At step 33 the separated portion of the pelt is positioned in the clamp opening by relative movement between the pelt and the clamp. This can be due to movement of the carcass, movement of the clamp, or both. The movement is transverse to the longitudinal axis (axis 45 in Figure 7) of the carcass, unlike in the method of NZ 535658. One example of this step is illustrated in the sequence A-F of Figure 6. It has been found that the mechanical alignment step / alignment mechanisms disclosed herein allow the clamp to be inserted into position either side of the pelt portion in this manner, without scraping the clamp vertically up the ribs of the carcass as in NZ 535658. It has also been found that inserting the clamps in this way leads to less bunching of the pelt, especially with non-woolly pelts. The clamp can be moved in substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carcass, i.e. substantially horizontal when the carcass is hanging vertically. The positioning step 33 may be automated. At step 34, the clamp clamps onto and holds the separated portion of the pelt. The clamping step 34 may be automated. At step 35, the pelt is mechanically pulled from the carcass while the portion of the pelt is held by the clamp. The pulling step 35 may be automated. The pelt may be pulled away from the front end of the carcass (i.e. downwards when the carcass is hanging from its forelegs like in Figure 7) at an angle of less than 45° to the longitudinal axis of the carcass, or less than about 20° to the longitudinal axis. As illustrated in image G of Figure 6, the pelt can be pulled substantially in the direction indicated by the arrow 50. It has been found that pulling in this direction works well when clamping non-woolly portions of pelt and may result in less bunching of the pelt. It may also be particularly well suited to use with the pelthandling apparatuses disclosed herein. While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departure from the spirit or scope of the Applicant's general inventive concept.

Claims

1. A pelt-handling apparatus comprising:a clamp comprising a pair of opposed clamping jaws having a clamp opening therebetween, the clamp configured to clamp onto a portion of pelt that has been separated from a carcass body; anda compliant guide extending beyond a distal end of a first one of the pair of clamping jaws;wherein the compliant guide is configured to:a) contact the carcass between the portion of pelt and the carcass body;b) compliantly move upon contacting the carcass body; andc) guide the portion of pelt to the clamp opening prior to clamping.

2. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the compliant guide is on the first one of the clamping jaws.

3. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 2 wherein the compliant guide is pivotably connected to the distal end of the first one of the pair of clamping jaws.

4. The pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the compliant guide is an elongate member.

5. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 4 wherein the compliant guide has a rounded tip.

6. The pelt-handing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the compliant guide is biased in a direction away from a second one of the pair of clamping jaws.

7. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 6 wherein the compliant guide is biased by spring rod that extends between the first one of the pair of clamping jaws and the compliant guide.

8. The pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein each clamping jaw is substantially straight in a proximal-distal direction.

9. The pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the pair of clamping jaws comprise a moving jaw and a substantially fixed jaw, wherein the substantially fixed jaw is the first one of the pair of clamping jaws.

10. The pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein one of the pair of clamping jaws has a convex clamping surface and the other of the pair of clamping jaws has a concave clamping surface.

11. The pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 10 further comprising a mountfor releasably mountingthe pelt-handling apparatus to a mechanical arm.

12. A pelt-handling apparatus for use in a pelt-removal process, the pelthandling apparatus comprising:a clamp comprising a pair of opposed clamping jaws having a clamp opening therebetween, the clamp configured to clamp onto a non-woolly portion of a pelt that has been separated from a carcass body and hold the portion of pelt during pulling of the pelt from the carcass; andan alignment apparatus configured to align the portion of the pelt and the clamp opening prior to the clamping of the portion of the pelt by:a) mechanically locating the portion of the pelt in alignment with the opening of the clamp; and / orb) contacting the carcass body and compliantly adjusting the position of at least a portion of the clamp such that the clamp opening is aligned with the portion of the pelt.

13. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 12 wherein the alignment apparatus comprises a carcass-contacting portion configured to ride along the surface of the carcass body below the portion of the pelt.

14. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a pelt guide portion connected to the carcass-contacting portion, the pelt guide portion configured to contact the portion of pelt and mechanically locate the portion of pelt in alignment with the opening of the clamp by guiding the portion of pelt into a region between the clamp jaws.

15. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 14 wherein the pelt guide portion and the carcass-contacting portion are on an elongate member.

16. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 15 wherein the elongate member is configured to compliantly move as the carcass-contacting portion rides along the surface of the carcass body.

17. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 16 wherein the elongate member is on a first one of the pair of clamping jaws.

18. The pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 13 to 15 wherein the clamp is compliantly mounted and configured to compliantly move as the carcasscontacting portion rides along the surface of the carcass body.

19. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 18 wherein at least the distal end of the clamp is biased towards the carcass body.

20. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 12 wherein the alignment mechanism comprises a pelt holder configured to hold the portion of pelt in a position in which it is aligned with the clamp opening.

21. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 20 wherein the pelt holder and the clamp are relatively movable, wherein the pelt-handling apparatus is configured such that:the pelt holder can receive the portion of pelt while the pelt holder is spatially separated from the clamp; andthe pelt holder and the clamp can be moved towards each other while the pelt holder holds the portion of pelt to move the portion of pelt into the clamp opening.

22. The pelt-handling apparatus of claim 12 wherein the alignment mechanism comprises a pelt mover mechanism configured to contact the portion of pelt and move it into alignment with the clamp opening.

23. A pelt puller comprising one or more actuated arms and a pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 22 attached to one or more of the actuated arms, the pelt puller being configured to pull the pelt from the carcass while the portion of pelt is clamped in the clamp of the pelt-handling apparatus.

24. The pelt puller of claim 23 further comprising a second pelt-handling apparatus, wherein one pelt-handling apparatus is configured to handle a first portion of pelt at a first side of the carcass and the other pelt-handling apparatus is configured to handle a second portion of pelt at a second side of the carcass.

25. The pelt puller of claim 23 or claim 24 wherein pulling of the pelt from the carcass is automated.

26. The pelt puller of claim 25 further configured to automatically clamp onto the portion(s) of pelt.

27. The pelt puller of any one of claims 23 to 26 wherein the or each pelthandling apparatus is configured to be releasably attached to the actuated arm(s).

28. The pelt puller of any one of claims 23 to 27 further comprising heightsetting mechanism configured to set the height of the clamp(s) based on a determined height of the portion(s) of pelt and or a determined length of the carcass.

29. A method for at least partly removing a pelt from a carcass, the method comprising:separating a non-woolly portion of pelt from a carcass body;mechanically aligning the portion of pelt and an opening of a clamp;causing relative movement between the portion of pelt and the clamp to position the portion of pelt in the opening of the clamp, the relative movement being in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the carcass;clamping and holding the portion of the pelt with the clamp;mechanically pulling the pelt from the carcass while the portion of pelt is held by the clamp.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the relative movement is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carcass.

31. The method of claim 29 or 30 wherein pulling the pelt from the carcass comprises pulling the pelt away from the front end of the carcass at an angle of less than 45° to the longitudinal axis.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein pulling the pelt from the carcass comprises pulling the pelt away from the front end of the carcass at an angle of less than about 20° to the longitudinal axis.

33. The method of any one of claims 29 to 32 wherein the steps of causing 5 relative movement, clamping and holding, and mechanically pulling are automated.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the step of mechanically aligning is automated.

35. The pelt-handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 22, the pelt puller of 10 any one of claims 23 to 28, or the method of any one of claims 29 to 34 wherein the carcass is a bovine carcass.

36. The pelt-handling apparatus, pelt puller, or method of claim 35 wherein the carcass is a bobby calf carcass.A

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