Cutting device for dividing an animal carcass into halves and a robot incorporating such a cutting device

Abstract

According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a tool for cutting a carcass of a slaughtered animal, preferably a bovine animal, in half in a fully automatic manner. The cutting tool of the present invention incorporates two different guide mechanisms in the cutting tool itself, namely an inner carcass following mechanism capable of following the inner side of the carcass during the cutting process and an outer carcass following mechanism capable of following the outer side of the carcass during the cutting process. This allows to substantially increase the precision of the cutting process and to eliminate any type of manual intervention when cutting or guiding the parts. According to a second aspect, the present invention also relates to a robot comprising said cutting tool.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of meat processing machines, and more particularly to a fully automatic tool for cutting a slaughtered animal, preferably a bovine animal such as a cattle, in half. The cutting tool is adapted to be mounted on a robot.

[0002] The invention also relates to a robot equipped with such a cutting tool. [Background technology]

[0003] The term "bovine carcass" refers to the anatomical structures remaining after a live bovine animal has been slaughtered according to standard slaughterhouse procedures, skinned (removed entire hide), eviscerated, and decapitated.

[0004] The types of bovine carcasses that can be identified post-mortem are essentially steers, bull calves, yearlings, young bulls, calves, heifers, cows and bulls.

[0005] When processing a bovine carcass, or the carcasses of other types of animals having a similar body structure, it is common to divide the carcass longitudinally along the entire length of the spine (i.e., along a plane of symmetry) into two halves (known in technical terms as a right carcass half and a left carcass half) to facilitate subsequent processing of each of these two halves.

[0006] Depending on the size and structure of each type of animal being slaughtered, a cutting machine into two different halves adapted for each type and size of piece must be used.

[0007] In large, highly automated meat processing plants, beef carcasses are hung from two legs on a conveyor line and an operation is carried out from the top down that cuts the beef carcass into two halves.

[0008] Currently, the technology used to cut up cattle carcasses is typically a semi-automated process, which still employs a high level of labour and has a low degree of automation.

[0009] Devices for cutting a beef carcass into two halves are known in the art. These cutting devices typically include a saw / blade disk or saw for symmetrically dividing the pieces.

[0010] However, these types of devices for cutting bovine carcasses into two halves known to date have the drawback of not having guide means on the dorsal and ventral sides of the pieces that correctly adapt to the geometric shape of the carcass. This leads to inefficient guiding of the pieces, which can move and distort, resulting in an incomplete cut. Such guides on both sides (dorsal and ventral) of the animal carcass are essential in the cutting process, since there is a great variability in the shape and size of each carcass and the carcass is suspended and hanging only by its legs. The guides therefore provide the stability and precision required to optimally carry out the longitudinal cut of the carcass. Summary of the Invention

[0011] It is therefore apparent that there is a need for a tool for cutting a slaughtered bovine animal carcass in half, the cutting tool being adapted to be mounted on a robot, and a robot comprising said cutting tool, which allows for a longitudinal cut along the entire backbone of the carcass with much better precision, while at the same time correctly guiding and supporting the animal pieces from top to bottom during the cutting process, taking into account the large variability in the morphology and size of each carcass.

[0012] The first object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks by developing a tool for cutting a meat carcass, preferably a slaughtered cattle or any other kind of animal with a similar body structure, into two halves.

[0013] According to this first object, the present invention provides a cutting tool for cutting a meat carcass piece into two halves, said carcass hanging suspended from its legs, said cutting tool adapted to be coupled to a robot, The cutting tool comprises: a frame adapted for connection to a robotic arm; - means for cutting said carcass into two halves by a longitudinal cut, - means for activating the cutting means of the carcass; - means for guiding the carcass during the cutting process, a following mechanism for the inner side of the carcass, configured to follow the inner side of the carcass during the cutting process; a following mechanism for the outer side of the carcass, configured to follow the outer side of the carcass during the cutting process; and The present invention relates to a cutting tool comprising:

[0014] The great advantage that the cutting tool of the present invention achieves over the known ones is the integration in the cutting tool itself of two different guide mechanisms, namely an inner carcass following mechanism that can follow the inner side of the carcass during the cutting process and an outer carcass following mechanism that can follow the outer side of the carcass during the cutting process. These followings on both sides of the carcass optimize the precision of the cutting process and eliminate any type of manual work when cutting or guiding the carcass, i.e. the cutting process can be fully automated.

[0015] In this patent specification, the term "meat pieces" is understood to mean pieces of slaughtered animals, preferably bovine animals. The term "bovine" refers to animals included in this mammalian subfamily, such as steers, bull calves, yearlings, young bulls, calves, heifers, cows and bulls, but this list is not limiting.

[0016] The term used in this patent to refer to an animal's body is "carcass." The term "carcass" refers to the anatomical structures remaining after a live animal has been slaughtered by standard slaughterhouse procedures, skinned (hide in its entirety), eviscerated, and its head severed (at the head-atroid joint).

[0017] The term "half carcass" or "halves" refers to each of two portions resulting from dividing a carcass by a longitudinal cut through the midline of the spine.

[0018] The term "lateral side" or "dorsal side" refers to that part of an animal carcass that corresponds to the back. The term "medial side" or "ventral side" refers to that part of an animal carcass that corresponds to the belly.

[0019] Possible embodiments of the device according to the dependent claims are described below.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner tracking mechanism of the carcass comprises at least the following elements: an arm articulated at its upper end to a point on said frame; - first actuation means for actuating said articulated arm; an inner side support articulated to the lower end of the articulating arm; - second actuation means for rotating said inner side support, - one or more inner side rollers connected to the inner side support and adapted to guide the abdomen of the carcass; The device is configured to have:

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer tracking mechanism of the carcass comprises at least the following elements: - upper inclined arms for supporting one or more upper outer side rollers, the upper inclined arms being inclined with respect to a common pivot axis located at one point on the frame; one or more upper outer side rollers for the upper guide of the abdomen of the carcass, the upper outer side rollers being arranged at the free end of the upper inclined arm; - third actuation means for the rotation of said upper tilt arm; - a lower inclined arm for supporting one or more lower outer side rollers, the lower inclined arm being inclined with respect to the same common pivot axis of the frame; one or more lower outer side rollers for the lower guidance of the abdomen of the carcass, said lower outer side rollers being arranged at the free end of said lower inclined arm; - fourth actuation means for rotating said lower tilt arm; The device is configured to have:

[0022] In this patent specification, the term "roller" is understood as a rotating wheel. The roller may be an essentially cylindrical wheel or may have a certain taper that decreases inwardly.

[0023] Notable advantages achieved by this preferred embodiment of the present invention include: - The upper and lower outer side rollers for the downward guidance to two different points on the back of the carcass are integrated in the cutting tool, and the upper and lower rollers operate independently of each other, allowing the force of both the upper and lower rollers to be adjusted independently, which allows a fully automated guidance of the back of the carcass during the cutting process and also provides a better adaptation to the morphology of the carcass. - By integrating in the cutting tool one or more inner side rollers with respective degrees of freedom due to the presence of an articulating arm and an inner side articulating support, the guidance of the carcass abdomen during the cutting process is fully automated and a better adaptation to the morphology of the carcass is achieved.

[0024] The two different technical effects mentioned above contribute to improving the cutting accuracy of the carcasses while realizing a short cutting time compared to other conventional cutting devices, which is determined by the speed of the conveying line for each carcass.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more elements of the outer carcass guide mechanism and the one or more elements of the inner carcass guide mechanism are arranged on either side of the frame, so that a carcass cutting means can be arranged in the free space between the two parts.

[0026] As regards the inner side articulating support, according to a possible embodiment of the invention, it incorporates an extension part extending in a first direction. This extension part is configured to stabilize the carcass by centering the breastbone of the carcass. In this possible embodiment of the invention, the inner roller is connected to a part of the inner roller support opposite to the direction of extension of the extension part. The extension part on one side of the inner side roller support allows a better stabilization of the carcass during the longitudinal cutting process by centering the breastbone of the carcass. Although a slight improvement in terms of stabilization of the carcass is achieved, this extension part can be omitted and the cutting accuracy of the cutting tool will also be acceptable. Advantageously, the inner side support is provided on the part opposite to the part where the extension part is present with corresponding fixing points spaced apart from each other for fixing the respective roller. Each roller is fixed to the inner side articulating support by a different fixing point.

[0027] According to a possible embodiment of the invention, the cutting means for dividing the carcass into two halves and the actuating means for the cutting means are arranged in front of the frame and behind the frame. Preferably, the cutting means for dividing the carcass into two halves can be embodied in an electric saw disk. The actuating means comprises a motor which rotates the saw disk at a constant rotational speed. By "electric saw disk" is meant a blade having saw teeth on its periphery which is rotated by the rotating means. However, it is also possible to employ cutting means other than a saw blade without changing the essence of the invention. Preferably, the actuating means for the cutting means further comprises a coupling and a transmission (by chain, belt, cardan, pinion or gear) for transmitting the movement and force from the motor to the cutting disk.

[0028] The rollers preferably consist of two oppositely disposed pairs of wheels having equal dimensions and configuration, each wheel (referred to as the left wheel and the right wheel) being rotatable independently of the other when in contact with the surface of the carcass.

[0029] According to a possible embodiment of the invention, four inner side rollers are provided in pairs, two of which are arranged at the same height and the other two at different heights, with their respective fixing points fixed in their centers to the inner side support. These joints allow the rollers to rotate freely.

[0030] Also according to a possible embodiment of the invention, four outer side rollers are provided in pairs, each pair of rollers being arranged at the same height, one pair of rollers (called upper rollers) being arranged at a point near the free end of the upper inclined arm, and the other pair of rollers (called lower rollers) being arranged at a point near the free end of the lower inclined arm. The two pairs of upper rollers (upper pair and lower pair) may have different sizes and configurations. On the other hand, the rollers of the same pair are preferably identical in external shape and geometric shape. For example, the upper roller pair has a more rounded profile and the lower roller pair has a more tapered profile. Advantageously, this tapered shape allows the roller pairs to be better fixed on the neck of the carcass.

[0031] With regard to the outer carcass following mechanism, preferably the common articulation axis of the two independent tilting outer side arms is located at a point on the frame, for example at the bottom of the frame, and the upper and lower tilting arms are articulated such that one outer side arm rotates inwards and the other rotates outwards.

[0032] Preferably, the tilt arm has two parts spaced apart at a distance so that there is a gap between them to allow the power saw disc to pass through. Also preferably, the tilt arm has a length greater than the diameter of the power saw disc so that when the tilt arm is placed in the downward tilted position (which is when the cutting process begins at the top of the carcass), the inner side support remains lower than the power saw.

[0033] Regarding the first actuating means, second actuating means, third actuating means and fourth actuating means, preferably each is a cylinder which may be pneumatic or electric.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cutting tool of the invention comprises a fixing flange which is fixed to the free end of the robot arm, for example by means of a screw and a screw thread, said fixing flange being preferably arranged at an inclination with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cutting tool, said inclination allowing the cutting tool to assume different spatial positions of the cutting saw and of the inner side follower mechanism and the outer side follower mechanism.

[0035] Advantageously, the cutting tool of the invention incorporates a laser, optical system or artificial vision system configured to provide specific measurements or coordinates of the anatomical structures of each carcass before the cutting process is carried out. It also incorporates a processor connected to the artificial vision system and also to the actuation means of the cutting tool. Based on said measurements or coordinates of the carcass to be cut received from the artificial vision system, the processor (which stores predetermined data) issues commands to the means of actuation of the cutting tool and to the various means of the robot to position itself and adjust its various movements and forces to carry out the cutting process of the particular carcass. By way of example, said artificial vision system comprises at least one camera for obtaining an image of the meat product and an image of the meat product, which is analysed by combining said image with the cutting requirements to obtain the various points (x i , y i , z i ) and a computer program that determines the various forces applied by the various elements of the cutting tool. For example, the entry point (x) where the cutting element should be located to initiate the cut. i ent, y i ent, z i ent) and the spatial coordinates of the exit point of the cutting element (x i sal, y i sal, z i The spatial coordinates of the vertex (sal) are determined.

[0036] A possible operation of the cutting tool of the invention is as follows: When a carcass of an animal, suspended by its two legs downwards by a hook or chain on each leg, is placed in front of a robot with a cutting tool of the invention, the cutting tool approaches the top of the carcass (i.e. the toe part) with the inclined arm of the inner follower mechanism of the carcass in the extended position (i.e. in a substantially horizontal starting direction) so as to pass over the carcass. Once past the carcass, said arm descends (at approximately 60-90° to the substantially horizontal direction) and remains in a substantially vertical position pointing downwards. This positions the roller of the inner follower mechanism on the inner side of the top of the carcass. In this starting position, the roller of the outer follower mechanism approaches the carcass as well and is positioned on the outer side of the top of the carcass to start cutting the part. This reduces the distance between the inner roller and the outer roller. In this starting position of the cut, at least the extended part of the inner follower mechanism is outside the carcass. Prior to the start of these movements, the saw disc begins to rotate. During the cutting process, as the head moves from top to bottom, the saw performs a longitudinal cut and separates the carcass into two carcass halves. Throughout the cutting process, at least a portion of the extension of the inner follower mechanism is always outside the carcass, and the inner and outer rollers always follow the inner and outer sides of the carcass, respectively.

[0037] A second object of the invention is to design a robot for the above-mentioned cutting tool. According to this second object, the invention relates to a robot comprising a support base on which one or more articulated arms are arranged, the free ends of which exhibit six degrees of freedom of movement, characterized in that they are provided with the above-mentioned cutting tool at their free ends. In this way, the fixing point of the cutting tool is determined by a predetermined point (x i , y i , z i ), i.e., it can be positioned in any direction in three-dimensional space, and even around any rotation axis (α i , β i , γ i ) can be moved around.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment, the robot has an articulated arm, the cutting tool is mounted at the free end of the upper arm of the robot, and the robot has servo motors generating six degrees of freedom.

[0039] For a better understanding of the specification a series of drawings are provided which show, diagrammatically and purely as non-limiting examples, practical examples of embodiments of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a robotic object of the present invention with a cutting tool attached to its free end, without showing the carcass. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cutting tool of FIG. 1 showing a small portion of the robot arm. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows another view of the cutting tool of FIG. 1 from another perspective. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the robot with the cutting tool of FIGS. 1-3 illustrating predetermined timing of the process of cutting a carcass. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the robot with the cutting tool of FIGS. 1-3 illustrating different timings of the process of cutting a carcass. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the robot with the cutting tool of FIGS. 1-3 illustrating different timings of the process of cutting a carcass. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the robot with the cutting tool of FIGS. 1-3 illustrating different timings of the process of cutting a carcass. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a schematic of the structure and operation of the carcass internal tracking mechanism. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows a schematic of the structure and operation of the outer carcass follower mechanism. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the outer tracking mechanism of the slaughter object of the present invention in a particular position of the two tilt arms. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 shows a side elevational view of the outer follower mechanism of the slaughter object of the present invention in a particular position of the two tilt arms. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows a side elevational view of the inner side follower mechanism of the slaughter object of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows a front elevational view of the inner side follower mechanism of the slaughter object of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] Preferred embodiments of the cutting tool 1 and the robot will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0042] Figure 1 shows a preferred practical embodiment of a robot 20, in which a cutting tool 1 is arranged at the upper free end of the robot arm. The robot 20 is arranged on a bench (not shown in Figure 1) so that it can be stationed at a specific fixed position and at a desired height, depending on the specific characteristics of the factory in which it is to be installed. The robot 20 has a flat base 25 and arms 21, 22 which are articulated under the action of one or more servo motors 23, 24. This allows the cutting tool 1 to be moved to a desired spatial position (x i , y i , z i , α i , β i , γ i ) can be positioned or displaced. The cutting tool 1 can be removably mounted on the free end of the upper robot arm 22 of the robot 20. This provides a stable and easy to assemble / disassemble attachment. Due to this advantageous configuration of the robot arm, the cutting tool 1 can be positioned in an arbitrary position in three-dimensional space in an automated manner.

[0043] Figures 2 and 3 show the cutting tool 1 of Figure 1 in detail in two different angles. An upper longitudinally and a lower vertically extending frame 3 is shown. Also shown is a power saw disk 5 arranged in a front position of the frame 3 for cutting the carcass 30 into two halves, and a motor 4 arranged in a rear position of the frame 3 for rotating the power saw disk 5. Also shown is a fixed flange 2 arranged on top of the cutting tool 1, inclined (approximately 30 degrees) with respect to the longitudinal axis "X" of the frame 3 of the cutting tool 1. Figure 2 also shows a part of a robot arm 20 to which the fixed flange 2 of the cutting tool 1 is fixed.

[0044] 2 and 3 also show a possible configuration of the inner follower mechanism of the carcass 30. The inner follower mechanism is formed by the following elements: an articulated arm 8 formed from two parts placed on either side of the frame 3, both parts articulating by a same articulation axis ea1 placed in the upper part of the frame 3; a first pneumatic cylinder 7 for actuating an articulated arm 8, an inner roller support 10 formed by two wings 10', 10" spaced apart on either side of the frame 3 and articulated by an articulation axis ea arranged at the lower end of the two parts of the articulation arm 8, the inner roller support 10 also incorporating in this example the oppositely extending extensions 13 of the inner side rollers 12a, 12b; a second pneumatic cylinder 11 for the rotation of the inner roller support 10; - four inner side rollers, i.e. two upper rollers 12a right, 12a left and two lower rollers 12b right, 12b left, which connect to different heights of the inner side support 10 in the area of ​​the support 10 opposite the position where the extension portion 13 extends, each pair of left rollers 12a left, 12b left and 12a right, 12b right being inner side rollers fixed to different wings 10', 10" of the inner side support 10; It is formed by:

[0045] The operation of the inner follower of a carcass 30 is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8. A first pneumatic cylinder 7 (and its respective flow regulator) actuates an articulated arm 8. The arm 8 is articulated on an articulation axis ea1. At its lower part is fixed a support 10, which is articulated to the lower part of the arm 8 by an articulation axis ea2. A second pneumatic cylinder 11 (and its respective flow regulator), which actuates the support 10, is arranged on said second articulation axis ea2. Two of the upper and lower rollers of the support 10 are shown.

[0046] The lower part of the inner follower mechanism of the carcass 30 is shown in detail in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 show possible shapes with possible configurations of the four inner rollers 12a-left, 12b-left, 12a-right, 12a-left, but this configuration is not limited. Fig. 12 shows that the extension portion 13 has a slight upward incline and ends in a tip shape. Fig. 13 shows the two wings 10', 10" of the inner side roller support 10 and the double rollers 12a-left, 12b-left and 12a-right, 12b-right fixed to four different fixing points on these two wings 10', 10". The four inner rollers 12a-left, 12b-left, 12a-right, 12b-right have a tapering that decreases in the inner direction. FIG. 13 shows a fixed point pfa for the right of the upper right roller support 12a and a fixed point pfb for the right of the lower left roller support 12b, as well as the joint axis ea2 of the support 10.

[0047] 2 and 3 also show the outer follower mechanism of the carcass 30, which is formed by the following elements: a first upper inclined arm 14 for supporting two upper outer side rollers 16 right, 16 left, inclined with respect to a common articulation axis 15 located at a lower point of the frame 3; - two upper outer side rollers 16 right, 16 left for the upper guide of the back of the carcass 30, which are arranged at respective fixed points at the free end of the upper inclined arm 14; a third pneumatic cylinder 17 for the rotation of the upper tilt arm 14; another lower inclined arm 18 for supporting two lower outer side rollers 20 right, 20 left, inclined with respect to the same common articulation axis 15 of the frame 3; - two lower outer side rollers 20 right, 20 left for the lower guide of the back of the carcass, which are arranged at fixed points at the free ends of the lower inclined arms 18; a fourth pneumatic cylinder 21 for the rotation of the lower tilt arm 18; It is formed by:

[0048] As shown in the embodiment of figures 2 and 3, the first pneumatic cylinder 7 is arranged in a forward position relative to the articulating arm 8. This is advantageous for the stability of all parts of the cutting tool 1.

[0049] Figure 9 shows diagrammatically the operation of the outer follower mechanism of the carcass 30. Shown is the third pneumatic cylinder 17 (and its respective flow regulator) which actuates the upper tilt arm joint 14, and the fourth pneumatic cylinder 21 (and its respective flow regulator) which actuates the lower tilt arm joint 18. Figure 9 also shows how both tilt arms 14 and 18 are tilted relative to the same joint axis 15.

[0050] Figures 10 and 11 show in detail the outer follower mechanism of the carcass 30. Two tilt arms (upper tilt arm 14 and lower tilt arm 18) and two pneumatic or electric cylinders 17 and 21 and the common articulation shaft 15 are visible. Figure 10 also shows the geometry of the upper outer side rollers 16 and the lower rollers 20. In this conceivable specific embodiment of the invention, the two lower outer side rollers 20 have a larger diameter compared to the two upper outer side rollers 16. And the separation distance between the left and right rollers of the lower outer side double rollers 20 is larger than the separation distance between the left and right rollers of the upper outer side double rollers 16. The common articulation shaft 15 is located at one end of each tilt arm 14, 18. So, one of the arms 14, 18 rotates inside and the other rotates outside.

[0051] Figures 4 to 7 show a possible robot 20 with a preferred embodiment of the cutting tool 1 at different times during the cutting process of a bovine carcass 30. In said figures 4 to 7 a part of the bench 19 on which the base 25 of the robot 20 is mounted is shown.

[0052] While the cutting process is carried out, the carcass 30 remains suspended upside down from its two legs and it is the cutting tool 1 and the robotic arm that approaches said carcass 30 and cuts it into halves from top to bottom. Typically, the carcasses 30 to be cut circulate on a carousel (not shown in the drawings) with spaces between each carcass 30.

[0053] At a timing before the start of the cutting process, the artificial vision device and other complementary mechanisms (not shown in the accompanying drawings) determine, by analysis prior to the cutting process of the carcass 30, various specific values ​​of the anatomical structures of the carcass 30 of the meat product to be cut. From these measurements, the processor outputs various parameters related to the position and / or speed and / or acceleration of the cutting tool 1 and the robot 20 (i.e. the forces of the various joints and the various cylinders) at their initial starting position of the cut and during the cutting process.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 4, at a first point in the cutting process, the cutting tool 1 approaches the carcass 30. In this first approach position, the arm 8 is in a substantially horizontal position so that it can pass over the top of the carcass 30. In a second position, shown in FIG. 5 below, the arm 8 is placed along the back of the carcass 30 and rotates until it reaches a substantially vertical position (shown in FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 6, the arm 8 is kept in this substantially vertical downward position throughout the longitudinal cut of the carcass 30, when the cutting by the power saw 5 has already started. Finally, in FIG. 7, at the end of the descent, when the entire carcass 30 has already been cut into two half carcasses (not shown), it is shown how the arm 8 and the aligned inner and outer side rollers are kept in this same substantially vertical downward position. FIGS. 6 and 7 show different positions of the two tilting arms 14, 18 of the outer follower mechanism. 3 because, following the contours of the carcass 30 back, they gradually conform to the various curvatures and irregularities in the animal's surface.

[0055] Although specific embodiments of the invention have been mentioned, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the above-mentioned cutting tool and the robot equipped with a cutting tool are subject to numerous variations and modifications and that all the details mentioned can be replaced by other technical equivalents without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cutting tool (1) for cutting a carcass (30) of meat pieces into two halves, said carcass (30) hanging suspended from its legs, said cutting tool (1) adapted to be coupled to a robot (20), The cutting tool (1) comprises: a frame (3) adapted for connection to a robotic arm; - means for cutting said carcass into two halves by a longitudinal cut, - means for activating the cutting means of the carcass; - means for guiding said carcass during the cutting process, a following mechanism for the inner side of the carcass, adapted to follow the inner side of the carcass during the cutting process; a following mechanism for the outer side of the carcass, adapted to follow the outer side of the carcass during the cutting process; and A cutting tool (1), comprising:

2. The inner tracking mechanism of the carcass comprises at least the following elements: - an arm (8) whose upper end is articulated at a point on said frame (3); - first actuation means (7) for actuating said articulated arm (8); an inner side support (10) articulated and fixed to the lower end of said articulated arm (8); - second actuation means (11) for rotating said inner side support (10); - one or more inner side rollers (12) connected to said inner side support (10) and adapted to guide the abdomen of said carcass (30); Equipped with A cutting tool (1) according to claim 1.

3. The outer tracking mechanism of the carcass comprises at least the following elements: - an upper inclined arm (14) for supporting one or more upper outer side rollers (16), said upper inclined arm (14) being inclined with respect to a common articulation axis (15) located at one point of said frame (3); one or more upper outer side rollers (16) for the upper guide of the abdomen of the carcass, said upper outer side rollers (16) being arranged at the free end of said upper inclined arm (14); - third actuation means (17) for rotating said upper tilt arm (14); a lower inclined arm (18) for supporting one or more lower outer side rollers (20), said lower inclined arm (18) being inclined with respect to the same common articulation axis (15) of said frame (3); one or more lower outer side rollers (20) for the lower guidance of the abdomen of the carcass, said lower outer side rollers (20) being arranged at the free end of said lower inclined arm (18); - fourth actuation means (21) for rotating said lower tilt arm (18); Equipped with A cutting tool (1) according to claim 1.

4. the one or more elements of the outer carcass guide mechanism and the one or more elements of the inner carcass guide mechanism are arranged on either side of the frame (3) to allow the passage of the carcass cutting means; Cutting tool (1) according to claim 3 which recites claim 2.

5. the inner side support includes an extension portion extending in a direction opposite to a direction in which the one or more inner side rollers are disposed; A cutting tool (1) according to claim 2.

6. said means for cutting said carcass into two halves are arranged in front of said frame (3) and actuation means for said cutting means are arranged behind said frame (3); A cutting tool (1) according to claim 1.

7. said means for cutting said carcass (30) into two halves comprises an electric saw disc (5); A cutting tool (1) according to claim 1.

8. said means for actuating said cutting means comprises a motor (4) for rotating a saw disk (5), a coupling and a transmitter for transmitting motion and force from said motor (4) to said electric saw disk (5); A cutting tool (1) according to claim 1.

9. the joint axis (15) common to the upper inclined arm (14) and the lower inclined arm (18) is disposed at the lower part of the frame (3), and the upper inclined arm (14) and the lower inclined arm (18) are disposed on the joint axis (15) such that one arm (14, 15) rotates on the inside and the other rotates on the outside; A cutting tool (1) according to claim 3.

10. said articulated arm (8) having two parts spaced apart at a distance through which the cutting means of the carcass passes, A cutting tool (1) according to claim 2.

11. Four inner side rollers are provided in pairs; Two inner side rollers are arranged at the same height and the other two inner side rollers are arranged at different heights by their respective fixing points on the inner side support. A cutting tool (1) according to claim 2.

12. Four outer side rollers are provided in pairs; Each pair of rollers is positioned at the same height; an upper pair of rollers disposed at a point adjacent the free end of the upper tilt arm and a lower pair of rollers disposed at a point adjacent the free end of the lower tilt arm; A cutting tool (1) according to claim 3.

13. The cutting tool (1) further comprises a laser or optical artificial vision system, said laser or optical artificial vision system is configured to provide specific measurements or coordinates of the anatomical structures of each carcass (30) before the cutting process is carried out, and to position and regulate the movements and forces of the various components of said cutting tool (1); A cutting tool (1) according to claim 1.

14. The cutting tool (1) further comprises at its top a fixing flange (2) for fixing the cutting tool (1) to a free end of a robot arm, the fixing flange is arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the frame (3) of the cutting tool (1); A cutting tool (1) according to claim 1.

15. A robot (20) comprising a support base on which one or more articulated arms are disposed, said robot (20) comprising, mounted at its upper free end, said cutting tool (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, The robot (20) has a free end that exhibits six degrees of freedom of spatial movement. A robot (20).

Images