Living bird transfer apparatus

Abstract

To provide a living bird transfer apparatus capable of preventing damage to living birds caused by falling.SOLUTION: A living bird transfer apparatus comprises: a dumping device that is provided with a cage containing living birds, and discharges the living birds from the cage; a receiver device that receives the living birds discharged from the dumping device; and a conveyor device that includes a receiving conveyor which receives the living birds from the receiver device and transfers them. The dumping device includes a frame on which the cage is placed and a first tilting section that tilts the frame. The receiver device includes a body section with a transport portion and a second tilting section that tilts the body section. The first tilting section tilts the frame among a first initial position in which the frame is not tilted, a first position in which the frame is tilted by a first angle, and a second position in which the frame is tilted by a second angle greater than the first angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a live bird transport device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a stacking device for stacking poultry from one or more stacked box collections onto a poultry conveying device. The stacking device includes a tilting unit and a chute. The tilting unit is configured to tilt one or more stacked box collections about a tilt axis between a receiving position where the one or more stacked box collections are received and a depositing position where the poultry are transferred from the one or more stacked box collections via the chute to the poultry conveying device. In addition, the chute is tiltable between the receiving position and the depositing position independently of the tilting unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7218414 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the invention described in Patent Document 1, when poultry (live birds) are discharged from cages into a poultry transport device, the live birds fall and pile up, which can cause damage to the live birds and lead to a deterioration in the quality of the poultry after processing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a live bird transport device that can prevent damage to live birds due to dropping. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the live bird transporting device of the present invention is, for example, a live bird transporting device that discharges and transports live birds from a cage in which the live birds are placed, and includes a dumping device in which the cage is provided, the dumping device discharging the live birds from the cage, a receiver device receiving the live birds carried out from the dumping device, and a conveyor device having a receiving conveyor that receives and transports the live birds from the receiver device, the dumping device having a frame in which the cage is provided and a first tilting portion that tilts the frame, the receiver device having a main body portion having a conveying portion and a second tilting portion that tilts the main body portion, the first tilting portion being configured to move between a first initial position in which the frame is not tilted and a second initial position in which the frame is tilted. The frame is tilted between a first position where the frame is tilted by a first angle and a second position where the frame is tilted by a second angle greater than the first angle, and the second tilting portion tilts the conveying section between a second initial position where the conveying section is tilted by a third angle with respect to the horizontal so that the height of the conveying section increases as it moves away from the frame, and a third position where the conveying section is approximately horizontal or tilted at the third angle or less, and when the frame is located at the first position and the conveying section is located at the second initial position, the frame and the main body section are connected, and when the frame is located at the second position and the conveying section is located at the third position, the conveying section and the receiving conveyor are connected.

[0007] According to the live bird transport device of the present invention, the frame and the main body are connected when the frame is located at a first position inclined by a first angle and the transport unit is located at a second initial position inclined by a third angle with respect to the horizontal direction so that the height of the transport unit increases as the frame moves away from the frame. That is, the bottom surface of the cage and the transport unit are connected via the connecting unit. Also, when the frame is located at a second position inclined by a second angle larger than the first angle and the transport unit is located at a third position which is substantially horizontal or inclined by the third angle or less, the transport unit and the receiving conveyor are connected. This can prevent damage to the live birds. It is preferable that the connecting unit connecting the bottom surface of the cage and the transport unit has a curved surface.

[0008] The cages may be stacked in multiple tiers, the main body may have the same number of transport units as the number of tiers of the cages, and the conveyor device may have a moving unit that connects the receiving conveyor to any one of the multiple transport units. This makes it possible to move a large number of live birds in one operation while reducing damage to the live birds.

[0009] The conveyor may be a belt conveyor, and the conveyor may be substantially horizontal at the third position, thereby preventing the live birds from falling during conveyance by the conveyor.

[0010] The cage may further include a tilt control unit that controls the first tilt unit and the second tilt unit to tilt the frame, which is in the first initial position, to the first position, and then tilt the frame from the first position to the second position and tilt the transport unit, which is in the second initial position, to the third position. This shortens the distance between the frame (cage) and the transport unit, and prevents the live birds from falling or thrashing about when moving to the transport unit. Even if the live birds fall when moving to the transport unit, the fall of the live birds stops near the end of the transport unit on the frame side. This prevents damage to the live birds.

[0011] The apparatus may further include a detection unit that detects the approach of the receiving conveyor to the transport unit, a stopper provided near the end of the transport unit opposite to the frame, and an opening / closing control unit that opens the stopper of the detected transport unit when the transport unit is located at the third position and the approach of the receiving conveyor is detected by the detection unit. This allows the receiving conveyor to receive live birds from the transport unit even when multiple cages are used, and prevents live birds from moving (preventing live birds from falling) from the transport unit that is not transported by the receiving conveyor.

[0012] The apparatus may further include an opening / closing control section that opens a discharge door provided near the end of the cage on the conveying section side when the frame is located at the first position. Since the frame (cage) is inclined, the discharge door can be easily opened. In addition, since the discharge door is opened at a position where the live birds will not move, the live birds can be prevented from falling. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, damage to live birds due to dropping can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a poultry processing apparatus 100 including a live bird transport device 1. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a live bird transporting device 1, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of a main part. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of a main part of a receiver device 20. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the live bird transport device 1. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the live bird transport device 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a live bird transporting device 1 arranged at an initial position, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of a main part. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a state in which a cage 101 in a live bird transporting device 1 is arranged inside a frame 11, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of a main part. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a state in which a frame 11 of a live bird transporting device 1 is located at position A, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of a main portion. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are partial enlarged views of the frame 11 when it is located at position A, where (A) shows a state in which the discharge door 101e is closed, and (B) shows a state in which the discharge door 101e is open. [Figure 10]This is a diagram showing an outline of the state when the frame 11 in the live bird transport device 1 is in the process of moving from position A to position B, and when the receiver device 20 is in the process of moving from the initial position to position C, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of the main parts. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an outline of a state in which the frame 11 in the live bird transporting device 1 has moved to position B and the receiver device 20 is located at position C, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of the main parts. [Figure 12] 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams showing the live bird transport device 1 after a certain time has elapsed from the state shown in FIG. 11, where (A) is a perspective view of the main parts, (B) is a partially enlarged view of (A), and (C) is a partially enlarged front view. [Figure 13] 12A and 12B are diagrams showing an outline of the live bird transporting device 1 after a certain time has elapsed from the state shown in FIG. 11, where (A) is a perspective view of the main part, and (B) is a partially enlarged front view. [Figure 14] 1 is a perspective view of essential parts showing how live birds P are received from the conveying section 23 and transported by the receiving conveyor 31. FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a perspective view of essential parts showing how live birds P are received from the conveying section 24 and transported by the receiving conveyor 31. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view of a main part showing how live birds P are received from the conveying section 25 and transported by a receiving conveyor 31. FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is a perspective view of a main part showing a state in which the receiver device 20 has returned to the initial position. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The live bird transporting device of the present invention is a device for discharging live birds from a cage and transporting the discharged live birds.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a poultry processing apparatus 100 including a raw bird transporting device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the phase directions of a cage 101 and raw birds are indicated by arrows. The poultry processing apparatus 100 mainly includes a raw bird transporting device 1, a waiting conveyor 102, an introduction conveyor 103, turning conveyors 104 and 108, a weighing conveyor 105, a washing device 106, a draining device 107, a discharge conveyor 109, a connecting conveyor 111, a hanging bird conveyor 112, and forklifts 113 and 114.

[0017] Cages 101 containing raw birds are carried into the poultry processing equipment 100 by a forklift 113. The carried-in cages 101 are transferred by a standby conveyor 102 to an introduction conveyor 103 equipped with a weighing device, and after being weighed, are rotated 90° by a turning conveyor 104 and then transferred to the raw bird transfer device 1.

[0018] The cages 101 are stacked in multiple tiers, four tiers in this embodiment. A live bird is placed in each tier of the cages 101. In the live bird transporting device 1, the live birds are discharged from the cages 101 and transported to a connecting conveyor 111. The live birds are transported from the connecting conveyor 111 to a hanging bird conveyor 112.

[0019] The cages 101 into which the raw birds have been discharged are weighed by a weighing conveyor 105 equipped with a scale, and then transferred to a cleaning device 106. After the cages 101 have been washed by the cleaning device 106, they are drained by a draining device 107, rotated 90° by a turning conveyor 108, and then transferred to a discharge conveyor 109. Thereafter, the cages 101 are removed from the poultry processing device 100 by a forklift 114.

[0020] Hereinafter, the vertical direction is defined as the z direction, and the direction from bottom to top is defined as the +z direction. When viewed from the +z direction, the horizontal direction connecting the turning conveyor 104 and the turning conveyor 108 is defined as the x direction, and the transfer direction of the cage 101 is defined as the +x direction. The horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the x direction is defined as the y direction, and the phase direction of the live birds is defined as the +y direction.

[0021] 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the live bird transporting device 1, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of the main parts. The perspective view of the main parts shows the main parts provided inside the live bird transporting device 1.

[0022] The live bird transporting device 1 mainly comprises a dumping device 10, a receiver device 20, and a conveyor device 30. The dumping device 10 is a device that discharges live birds from a cage 101, the receiver device 20 is a device that receives the live birds discharged from the dumping device 10 and sequentially discharges them onto the conveyor device 30, and the conveyor device 30 is a device that transfers the live birds discharged from the receiver device 20 to a connecting conveyor 111.

[0023] The damping device 10 mainly includes a frame 11, a discharge door opening / closing section 12, positioning sections 13 and 14, an inclined section 15, a basket fixing section 16, a basket transfer stopper 17, and a base 19. The frame 11 is rotatably provided on the base 19. A basket 101 transferred from a rotating conveyor 104 is provided inside the frame 11. When the basket 101 is transferred to the damping device 10, the basket 101 is placed on a bottom surface 11e. The bottom surface 11e is formed by combining a plurality of rod-shaped members, for example. The frame 11 also includes plate-shaped connecting sections 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d that connect the basket 101 to the receiver device 20.

[0024] A basket transfer stopper 17 is provided on the frame 11 (bottom surface 11e). The basket transfer stopper 17 is provided near the end of the bottom surface 11e on the +x side so as to be movable up and down. The positioning unit 14 has an actuator (not shown) and moves the basket transfer stopper 17 up and down. The positioning unit 13 has a piston 13a and an actuator 13b that moves the piston 13a. For example, a plate-shaped portion is provided at the tip of the piston 13a, and the piston 13a presses against the basket 101.

[0025] After the basket 101 is provided on the frame 11 (placed on the bottom surface 11 e ), the positioning units 13 and 14 position the basket 101 inside the frame 11 .

[0026] Once the position of the basket 101 relative to the frame 11 (bottom surface 11e) has been determined by the positioning units 13 and 14, the basket fixing unit 16 fixes the basket 101 to the frame 11. The basket fixing unit 16 can use various methods for fixing the bottom surface of the basket 101, such as a physical fixing method or a fixing method using a magnet. The discharge door opening / closing unit 12 opens and closes the discharge door 101e (described in detail later) of the basket 101 while the basket 101 is fixed to the frame 11. For example, the discharge door opening / closing unit 12 may rotate a shaft provided on the basket 101 to remove a hook provided on the shaft from the discharge door 101e, thereby opening the discharge door 101e. The discharge door 101e is provided near the end of the basket 101 on the conveying units 22 to 25 side.

[0027] The tilting portion 15 (corresponding to the first tilting portion of the present invention) tilts the frame 11 (i.e., the frame 11 and the basket 101 fixed to the frame 11). The tilting portion 15 has a rod-shaped member 15a that is extendable and retractable, an actuator 15b that moves the rod-shaped member 15a, and a stopper 15c that stops the rod-shaped member 15a. The tilting portion 15 tilts the frame 11 between an initial position (corresponding to the first initial position of the present invention) where the frame 11 is not tilted, a position A (corresponding to the first position of the present invention) where the frame 11 is tilted from the initial position by an angle θ1 (first angle of the present invention), and a position B (corresponding to the second position of the present invention) where the frame 11 is tilted from the initial position by an angle θ2 (corresponding to the second angle of the present invention). The angle θ2 is greater than the angle θ1. In this embodiment, the angle θ1 is approximately 15°, and the angle θ2 is approximately 50°.

[0028] The receiver device 20 mainly has a main body 21, an inclined portion 26, and an opening / closing portion 29. The main body 21 has the same number (four in this case) of conveying portions 22, 23, 24, 25 as the number of stages (four in this case) of the basket 101. The conveying portions 22, 23, 24, 25 are belt conveyors, and are each configured to be connectable to the bottom surface of the basket 101.

[0029] 3 is a perspective view of the main parts showing an outline of the receiver device 20. The conveying units 22, 23, 24, and 25 are, for example, belt conveyors, and have rollers 22a, 23a, 24a, and 25a, and belts 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b. The belts 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b are wound around the rollers 22a, 23a, 24a, and 25a, respectively, and are driven by actuators (not shown). The conveying units 22, 23, 24, and 25 have similar configurations, although the lengths of the chute portions (distance in the y direction) are different.

[0030] Connecting portions 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d are provided near the ends of conveying portions 22, 23, 24, and 25 on the frame 11 side, respectively. Also, stoppers 28 are provided on conveying portions 22, 23, 24, and 25. Stoppers 28 include stoppers 28a, 28b, 28c, and 28d provided on conveying portions 22, 23, 24, and 25, respectively. Stoppers 28a, 28b, 28c, and 28d are provided near the ends of conveying portions 22, 23, 24, and 25 on the opposite side to frame 11, respectively.

[0031] Returning to the description of Fig. 2, the transport sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 are provided with an opening / closing section 29. The opening / closing section 29 has opening / closing sections 29a, 29b, 29c, and 29d provided on the transport sections 22, 23, 24, and 25, respectively. The opening / closing sections 29a, 29b, 29c, and 29d open and close the stoppers 28a, 28b, 28c, and 28d, respectively.

[0032] The inclination section 26 (corresponding to the second inclination section of the present invention) inclines the main body section 21 (i.e., the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, and 25). The inclination section 26 has a rod-shaped member 26a that can expand and contract, an actuator 26b that moves the rod-shaped member 26a, and a stopper 26c that stops the rod-shaped member 26a at the upper end. The inclination section 26 inclines the main body section 21 between an initial position (corresponding to the second initial position of the present invention) and a position C (corresponding to the third position of the present invention) where the main body section 21 is inclined from the initial position. In the initial position, the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 are inclined by an angle θ3 (corresponding to the third angle of the present invention) with respect to the horizontal direction so that the height of the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 increases as they move away from the frame 11. In the position C, the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 are approximately horizontal. In the present invention, approximately horizontal is a concept that includes a case where the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 are inclined by about ±5° or less with respect to the horizontal.

[0033] The conveyor device 30 has a receiving conveyor 31 that receives and transports the live birds from the receiver device 20, and a moving section 32 that moves the receiving conveyor 31.

[0034] The receiving conveyor 31 is, for example, a belt conveyor. It is desirable that both ends of the receiving conveyor 31 (at least the end on the receiver device 20 side) have a small arc shape in order to eliminate steps as much as possible when receiving live birds.

[0035] The moving unit 32 moves the height of the end of the receiving conveyor 31 on the receiver device 20 side, and connects the receiving conveyor 31 to any of the transport units 22 to 25. The moving unit 32 has an expandable rod member 32a, an actuator 32b that moves the rod member 32a, and a stopper 32c that stops the rod member 26a at the upper end.

[0036] Furthermore, the live bird transporting device 1 includes a detection unit that detects the proximity of the receiving conveyor 31 to the transporting units 22 to 25. The detection unit includes sensor dogs 22c, 23c, 24c, 25c (see FIG. 3) provided in the receiver device 20 (the transporting units 22 to 25) and a proximity sensor 31a (described in detail later) provided in the receiving conveyor 31. Note that the transporting units 22 to 25 may include the proximity sensor, and the receiving conveyor 31 may include the sensor dog.

[0037] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the live bird transporting device 1. The live bird transporting device 1 includes a control unit 40, which is configured to be able to communicate with the dumping device 10, the receiver device 20, and the conveyor device 30 via wire or wirelessly.

[0038] The control unit 40 can be realized by using an information processing device such as a dedicated or general-purpose server computer. The control unit 40 may be configured by a single information processing device or by a plurality of information processing devices distributed on a communication network. The control unit 40 may be disposed in a location different from the damping device 10, the receiver device 20, and the conveyor device 30, or may be mounted on any of the damping device 10, the receiver device 20, and the conveyor device 30. The control unit 40 may include other configurations that are generally included in a server device, in addition to the main hardware configurations such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a communication device, and a storage device.

[0039] The control unit 40 mainly comprises functional blocks such as a position control unit 41, a tilt control unit 42, an opening / closing control unit 43, and a movement control unit 44 as software resources.

[0040] The position control unit 41 is a functional unit that performs positioning of the basket 101 with respect to the frame 11. For example, the position control unit 41 controls the positioning unit 13 to determine the position of the basket 101. Also, for example, the position control unit 41 controls the actuator of the positioning unit 14 to move the basket transfer stopper 17 up and down. Also, for example, the position control unit 41 controls the basket fixing unit 16 to fix the basket 101 to the frame 11.

[0041] The tilt control unit 42 is a functional unit that tilts the frame 11 and the main body unit 21 at an arbitrary angle. For example, the tilt control unit 42 controls the actuator 15b of the tilt unit 15 to move the rod-shaped member 15a, thereby tilting the frame 11 from the initial position to position A, from position A to position B, and from position B to the initial position. The tilt control unit 42 also controls the actuator 26b of the tilt unit 26 to move the rod-shaped member 26a, thereby tilting the main body unit 21 from the initial position to position C, and from position C to the initial position. The tilt control unit 42 controls the actuators 15b and 26b simultaneously or separately. For example, the tilt control unit 42 also controls the actuator 32b of the moving unit 32 to move the rod-shaped member 32a, thereby moving the receiving conveyor 31.

[0042] The opening / closing control unit 43 is a functional unit that opens and closes the discharge door 101e and the stopper 28 at any timing. For example, when the frame 11 is located at position A, the opening / closing control unit 43 controls the discharge door opening / closing unit 12 to open and close the discharge door 101e. In addition, when the transport units 22 to 25 are located at position C, the opening / closing control unit 43 controls the opening / closing unit 29 to open and close the stopper 28 based on the detection result of the proximity sensor 31a (described in detail later).

[0043] The movement control unit 44 is a functional unit that controls the driving of the transport units 22-25 and the receiving conveyor 31. For example, the movement control unit 44 controls actuators (not shown) of the transport units 22-25 to drive the belts 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b simultaneously or separately. The movement control unit 44 also controls the driving speeds of the belts 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b. For example, the movement control unit 44 controls an actuator (not shown) of the receiving conveyor 31 to drive the belt.

[0044] Next, there will be described an operation of the live bird transferring device 1. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation of the live bird transferring device 1. The process shown in Fig. 5 is mainly performed by the control unit 40.

[0045] <Step SP10> When the power is turned on, the control unit 40 places the dumping device 10, the receiver device 20, and the conveyor device 30 in their initial positions. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of the live bird transporting device 1 placed in the initial position, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of the main parts.

[0046] In the damping device 10, in the initial position, the frame 11 is not inclined, and the bottom surface 11e is along the horizontal direction. Also, in the initial position, the cage transfer stopper 17 is disposed in a raised position.

[0047] In the receiver device 20, in the initial position (corresponding to the second initial position of the present invention), the conveying sections 22-25 are inclined at an angle θ3 (corresponding to the third angle of the present invention) with respect to the horizontal direction so that the height of the conveying sections 22-25 increases as the main body 21 moves away from the frame 11. In this embodiment, the angle θ3 is approximately 35°. At this time, the rod-shaped member 26a is stopped at its upper end by the stopper 26c.

[0048] In the initial position of the conveyor device 30, the end of the receiving conveyor 31 on the receiver device 20 side is disposed at the highest position. At this time, the rod-shaped member 32a is stopped at the upper end by a stopper 32c.

[0049] <Step SP11> Returning to the explanation of Fig. 5, the cage 101 transferred from the revolving conveyor 104 is placed inside the frame 11. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of the live bird transferring device 1 in a state in which the cage 101 is placed inside the frame 11, (A) being a front view and (B) being a perspective view of the main part.

[0050] A live bird P is placed in each tier of the cage 101, and the live bird P is placed on bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d. The bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d are adjacent to the connecting portions 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, respectively.

[0051] When the cage 101 is transported inside the frame 11, the cage 101 comes into contact with the cage transfer stopper 17, thereby positioning the cage 101 in the x direction. When the cage 101 comes into contact with the cage transfer stopper 17, the movement of the cage 101 is stopped by a control device (not shown) or the like.

[0052] <Step SP12> Returning to the explanation of FIG. 5, the frame 11 on which the basket 101 is mounted starts to tilt, and the frame 11 is moved to position A (a position tilted at an angle θ1). The basket 101 is then positioned in the y direction and fixed. Once the frame 11 has moved to position A, the discharge door 101e is opened. In this way, when the frame 11 is located at position A and the transport units 22-25 are located at their initial positions, the basket 101 and the transport units 22-25 are connected to each other.

[0053] 8 is a diagram showing an outline of the live bird transporting device 1 when the frame 11 is located at position A, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of the main parts. When the piston 13a presses the cage 101 in the +y direction, the cage 101 comes into contact with the positioning portion 11f of the frame 11, and the cage 101 is positioned in the y direction. As a result, the sides of the cage 101 become parallel to the x direction or the y direction. Then, the bottom surface of the cage 101 is fixed by the cage fixing portion 16 so that the cage 101 does not move.

[0054] As the frame 11 tilts to position A, the frame 11 and the main body 21 are connected to each other. That is, the bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d of the basket 101 are connected to the conveying units 22, 23, 24, and 25 via the connecting portions 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d and the connecting portions 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d.

[0055] 9 is a partial enlarged view of the frame 11 in position A, where (A) shows the discharge door 101e in a closed state and (B) shows the discharge door 101e in an open state. Discharge doors 101e are provided on the bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d, respectively, and the discharge door opening / closing unit 12 unlocks all of the discharge doors 101e simultaneously. Because the frame 11 is inclined by angle θ1, the discharge door 101e opens when the discharge door 101e is unlocked.

[0056] When the frame 11 is located at position A, the inclination angle is small and the live birds P do not move. In this way, since the discharge door 101e is opened at a position where the live birds do not move, it is possible to prevent the live birds P from falling out when the discharge door 101e is opened.

[0057] <Step SP13> Returning to the explanation of Fig. 5, the frame 11 to which the cage 101 is fixed is tilted from position A to position B, and the receiver device 20 is tilted from the initial position to position C.

[0058] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of the state in which the frame 11 is in the middle of moving from position A to position B and the receiver device 20 is in the middle of moving from the initial position to position C, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of the main parts. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of the state in which the frame 11 has moved to position B and the receiver device 20 is located at position C, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a perspective view of the main parts. Note that the frame 11 and the receiver device 20 do not stop in the state shown in Fig. 10, but move continuously from the state shown in Fig. 8 to the state shown in Fig. 11.

[0059] In Fig. 10, the frame 11 and the receiver device 20 are tilted 15° from the state shown in Fig. 8, and the inclination angle θ4 of the frame 11 is approximately 30°. Because the discharge door 101e is open, the live birds P are sequentially discharged from the cage 101 when the frame 11 is inclined at the angle θ4. The live birds P move from the bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d to the connecting parts 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d. At this time, the belts 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b are driven.

[0060] When the inclination angle of the frame 11 is about angle θ4, the live bird P moves from the bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d to the connecting parts 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d. Since the live bird P does not fall at the angle θ4, damage to the live bird P due to falling can be prevented.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 11, the live bird P discharged from the cage 101 is sequentially moved to the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, 25 via the connecting sections 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d. The live bird P moved to the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, 25 is placed on the belts 22b, 23b, 24b, 25b, and is moved in the +y direction by the driving of the belts 22b, 23b, 24b, 25b. In addition, since the live bird P is conveyed by the belts 22b, 23b, 24b, 25b, the live bird P does not fall in the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, 25, and the live bird P is not damaged. In addition, since the lengths of the chute parts of the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, 25 are different, it is desirable to increase the moving speed of the belt 25b of the conveying section 25 having the longer chute part.

[0062] Since the conveying sections 22-25 are substantially horizontal when the live bird P is moving, even if the live bird P falls when moving to the conveying sections 22-25, the fall of the live bird P stops near the end of the conveying sections 22-25 on the frame 11 side. Also, since the conveying sections 22-25 are inclined at the initial position, the distance between the discharge door 101e and the conveying sections 22-25 can be shortened, so that even if the live bird P falls, the live bird P will not move about violently when it falls. Therefore, damage to the live bird P can be prevented.

[0063] Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of the live bird transporting device 1 after a certain time has elapsed from the state shown in Fig. 11, where (A) is a perspective view of the main part, (B) is a partially enlarged view of (A), and (C) is a partially enlarged front view. The live bird P is put into a waiting state on the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 by stoppers 28a, 28b, 28c, and 28d. It is preferable that the moving speed of the belts 22b-24b of the conveying sections 22-24 having short chute portions is slowed down after a certain time has elapsed.

[0064] <Step SP14> Returning to the explanation of Fig. 5, when the frame 11 is located at position B and the receiver device 20 (main body 21) is located at position C, the transport section 22 and the receiving conveyor 31 are connected to transfer the live bird P to the receiving conveyor 31. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of the live bird transferring device 1 after a certain time has elapsed from the state shown in Fig. 11, where (A) is a perspective view of the main part and (B) is a partially enlarged front view.

[0065] The receiving conveyor 31 is provided with a proximity sensor 31a, and the transport sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 are provided with sensor dogs 22c, 23c, 24c, and 25c (see Figs. 3 and 13(B)), respectively. When the proximity sensor 31a detects the sensor dog 22c, the opening / closing section 29a opens the stopper 28a. As a result, the live bird P moves from the transport section 22 to the receiving conveyor 31, and the receiving conveyor 31 transports the live bird P. The transport section 22 and the receiving conveyor 31 are adjacent to each other, and the heights of the transport section 22 and the receiving conveyor 31 are approximately the same. Therefore, the live bird P does not fall when it moves from the transport section 22 to the receiving conveyor 31, and damage to the live bird P can be prevented.

[0066] In addition, since the stopper 28a is opened only in the transport section 22 adjacent to the receiving conveyor 31, the live birds P continue to wait in the transport sections 23 to 25 that are not adjacent to the receiving conveyor 31. This allows only the live birds P that can be transported by the receiving conveyor 31 to be moved to the receiving conveyor 31.

[0067] <Step SP15> Returning to the explanation of Fig. 5, when a certain time has elapsed since the start of step SP14, the receiving conveyor 31 is lowered to a position adjacent to the next lower transfer section 23. As a result, the transfer section 23 and the receiving conveyor 31 are connected to transfer the live bird P to the receiving conveyor 31. Note that the frame 11 continues to be located at position B, and the receiver device 20 (main body section 21) continues to be located at position C.

[0068] The receiving conveyor 31 is lowered by moving the rod-shaped member 32a while detecting the amount of movement with the encoder of the actuator 32b, and stopping the actuator 32b when the proximity sensor 31a detects the sensor dog 23c.

[0069] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the main part showing how the live bird P is received from the conveying section 23 and transferred by the receiving conveyor 31. When the proximity sensor 31a (see FIG. 13(B)) detects the sensor dog 23c (see FIG. 3), the opening / closing section 29b (see FIG. 2) opens the stopper 28b (see FIG. 3). As a result, the live bird P moves from the conveying section 23 to the receiving conveyor 31, and the receiving conveyor 31 transfers the live bird P. The height of the conveying section 23 and the height of the receiving conveyor 31 are almost the same, and the live bird P does not fall when moving from the conveying section 23 to the receiving conveyor 31, so that damage to the live bird P can be prevented. In addition, the stopper 28b opens only for the conveying section 23 adjacent to the receiving conveyor 31, so the live bird P cannot be transferred from the conveying sections 24 and 25 that are not transferred by the receiving conveyor 31.

[0070] <Step SP16> Returning to the explanation of Fig. 5, when a certain time has elapsed since the start of step SP15, the receiving conveyor 31 is lowered to a position close to the next lower transfer section 24. As a result, the transfer section 24 and the receiving conveyor 31 are connected, and the live bird P is transferred to the receiving conveyor 31. Note that the frame 11 continues to be located at position B, and the receiver device 20 (main body section 21) continues to be located at position C. The method of lowering the receiving conveyor 31 is the same as in step SP15.

[0071] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the main part showing how the live bird P is received from the conveying section 24 and transferred by the receiving conveyor 31. When the proximity sensor 31a (see FIG. 13(B)) detects the sensor dog 24c (see FIG. 3), the opening / closing section 29c (see FIG. 2) opens the stopper 28c (see FIG. 3). As a result, the live bird P moves from the conveying section 24 to the receiving conveyor 31, and the receiving conveyor 31 transfers the live bird P. The height of the conveying section 24 and the height of the receiving conveyor 31 are almost the same, and the live bird P does not fall when moving from the conveying section 24 to the receiving conveyor 31, so that damage to the live bird P can be prevented. In addition, the stopper 28c opens only for the conveying section 24 adjacent to the receiving conveyor 31, so the live bird P cannot be transferred from the conveying section 25 that is not transferred by the receiving conveyor 31.

[0072] <Step SP17> Returning to the explanation of FIG. 5, during the operation of step SP16, the inclined section 15 returns the frame 11 to its initial position. When the frame 11 has returned to its initial position, the piston 13a of the positioning section 13 is retracted, and the positioning section 14 lowers the cage transfer stopper 17. This makes it possible for the cage 101 to be discharged from the dumping device 10. The poultry processing device 100 then moves the cage 101 to the weighing conveyor 105.

[0073] <Step SP18> When a certain time has elapsed since the start of step SP16, the receiving conveyor 31 is lowered to a position close to the next lower transfer section 25. As a result, the transfer section 25 and the receiving conveyor 31 are connected, and the live bird P is transferred to the receiving conveyor 31. Note that the frame 11 continues to be located at position B, and the receiver device 20 (main body section 21) continues to be located at position C. The method of lowering the receiving conveyor 31 is the same as in steps SP15 and SP16.

[0074] 16 is a perspective view of the main parts showing how the live bird P is received from the conveying section 25 and transferred by the receiving conveyor 31. When the proximity sensor 31a (see FIG. 13(B)) detects the sensor dog 25c (see FIG. 3), the opening / closing section 29d (see FIG. 2) opens the stopper 28d (see FIG. 3). As a result, the live bird P moves from the conveying section 25 to the receiving conveyor 31, and the receiving conveyor 31 conveys the live bird P. The height of the conveying section 25 and the height of the receiving conveyor 31 are approximately the same, and the live bird P does not fall when it moves from the conveying section 25 to the receiving conveyor 31, so that damage to the live bird P can be prevented.

[0075] <Step SP19> Returning to the explanation of Fig. 5, when a certain time has elapsed since the start of step SP18, it is assumed that all of the live birds P have been moved to the receiving conveyor 31, and the inclined portion 26 returns the main body portion 21 to its initial position. Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the main portion showing the receiver device 20 having been returned to its initial position.

[0076] <Step SP20> Returning to the explanation of Fig. 5, when a certain time has elapsed since the start of step SP19, it is assumed that all the live birds P have been moved from the receiving conveyor 31 to the connecting conveyor 111, and the moving unit 32 returns the receiving conveyor 31 to its initial position. As a result, the live bird transporting device 1 returns to its initial position shown in Fig. 5, and becomes available to receive the next cage 101.

[0077] According to this embodiment, the main body 21 is tilted at an initial position, and when the frame 11 is tilted to position A, the main body 21 (conveying sections 22-25) in the initial position and the frame 11 are connected. Also, the conveying sections 22-25 and the receiving conveyor 31 are adjacent to each other, so that the live bird P can be prevented from falling when the live bird P is moved from the cage 101 to the receiver device 20 and when the live bird P is moved from the receiver device 20 to the receiving conveyor 31.

[0078] For example, if the raw birds P fall and pile up when they fall, they may be crushed to death or the quality of the poultry meat may be reduced due to bruising. Also, if the raw birds P fall and thrash about, problems such as broken wing bones may occur, which may lead to problems such as the poultry meat being unable to be shipped. Therefore, by preventing the falling or thrashing of the raw birds P, i.e., damage to the raw birds P when they are discharged and transported by the raw bird transporting device 1 as in this embodiment, defects in the poultry meat after processing are reduced, which is economical.

[0079] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the cages 101 are stacked in multiple layers, a large number of live birds P can be moved in one operation, which is economical.

[0080] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the conveying sections 22-25 are belt conveyors and are substantially horizontal, so that the live birds P do not fall at the conveying sections 22-25. Moreover, because the conveying sections 22-25 are belt conveyors, even if the live birds P fall at the connecting sections 27a-27d, the live birds P move within the conveying sections 22-25 without overlapping. Therefore, damage to the live birds P can be prevented.

[0081] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, frame 11 in the initial position is tilted to position A, and then frame 11 is tilted from position A to position B, and transport units 22-25 in the initial position are tilted to position C, thereby shortening the distance between frame 11 and transport units 22-25. This makes it possible to prevent live birds P from dropping or thrashing about when moving from frame 11 to transport units 22-25. This makes it possible to prevent damage to live birds P.

[0082] In this embodiment, the cages 101 are stacked in multiple stages and multiple conveying units 22 to 25 are provided, but the cages 101 may be one stage and there may be one conveying unit 22. Even in this case, damage to the live birds P caused by falling can be prevented. When there is one conveying unit 22, there is no need for the receiving conveyor 31 to move up and down, and the moving unit 32 is not required.

[0083] In the present embodiment, the control unit 40 controls the damping device 10, the receiver device 20, and the conveyor device 30 to drive the damping device 10, the receiver device 20, and the conveyor device 30, but the damping device 10, the receiver device 20, and the conveyor device 30 may be driven manually. For example, an operator may press a button or the like to open the discharge door 101e or the stopper 28, drive the transport units 22 to 25 and the receiving conveyor 31, or drive the inclined units 15, 26, and the moving unit 32.

[0084] In addition, in this embodiment, the angle θ1 is approximately 15° and the angle θ2 is approximately 50°, but the angles θ1 and θ2 are not limited to these as long as the angle θ2 is larger than the angle θ1. For example, the angle θ1 may be 10°, 20°, or 25°. However, since the live birds P start to be sequentially discharged from the cage 101 at about the angle θ4 of approximately 30°, it is preferable that the angle θ1 is smaller than 30°. Also, it is preferable that the angle θ2 is 30° or more. Furthermore, the angle θ3 is not limited to approximately 35° and can be any angle larger than the angle θ4, for example.

[0085] In the present embodiment, the conveying sections 22, 23, 24, and 25 are belt conveyors, and the conveying sections 22-25 are substantially horizontal at the position C, but the form of the conveying sections 22-25 is not limited to this. For example, the conveying sections 22-25 may be plate-like members (chutes) made of metal or the like, and may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the height of the conveying sections 22-25 decreases as the conveying sections move away from the frame 11 at the position C. This allows the live bird P to be moved by sliding it without using a belt conveyor. In this case, in order to prevent damage to the live bird P, it is desirable that the inclination angle of the conveying sections 22-25 is equal to or less than the angle θ4.

[0086] Furthermore, when the transport sections 22-25 are belt conveyors, the transport sections 22-25 may be inclined at an angle smaller than the angle θ3 with respect to the horizontal direction at position C. The inclination may be such that the height of the transport sections 22-25 becomes lower or higher as it moves away from the frame 11. However, in order to avoid problems during transport, it is desirable that the transport sections 22-25 are approximately horizontal.

[0087] In the present embodiment, the bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d of the basket 101 are connected to the transport units 22, 23, 24, and 25 via the connecting parts 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d and the connecting parts 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d, respectively, but the form of the connecting parts connecting the bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d to the transport units 22, 23, 24, and 25 is not limited thereto. For example, only any one of the connecting parts 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d and the connecting parts 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d may be used. However, in order to prevent damage to the live birds P, it is preferable that connecting parts 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d having curved surfaces are provided between the bottom surfaces 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d and the transport parts 22, 23, 24, and 25.

[0088] In addition, since the live birds P tend to become agitated when light enters and it becomes bright, it is desirable to provide covers on the main body 21 and the receiving conveyor 31 and cover the main body 21 and the receiving conveyor 31 with the covers to block out light.

[0089] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included.

[0090] In addition, "substantially" is a concept that includes not only the case of being strictly identical, but also an error or deformation to the extent that the identity is not lost. For example, "substantially orthogonal" is a concept that includes the case where it can be regarded as the same as orthogonal, for example, not limited to the case of being strictly orthogonal. In addition, for example, when expressing orthogonal, parallel, coincident, etc., it includes not only the case of being strictly orthogonal, parallel, coincident, etc., but also the case of approximately parallel, approximately orthogonal, approximately coincident, etc.

[0091] In addition, "vicinity" means including a certain range (which can be determined arbitrarily) near a reference position. For example, in the case of "near an end," it is a concept indicating a certain range of an area near the end, which may or may not include the end. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1: Live bird transfer device 10:Damping device 11: Frame 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d: Connection part 11e: Bottom 11f: Positioning section 12: Discharge door opening / closing section 13: Positioning section 13a: Piston 13b: Actuator 14: Positioning section 15: Inclined part 15a: Rod-shaped member 15b: Actuator 15c: Stopper 16:Cage fixing part 17: Basket transfer stopper 19: Foundation 20: Receiver device 21: Main body 22, 23, 24, 25: Transport section 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a: Roller 22b, 23b, 24b, 25b: Belt 22c, 23c, 24c, 25c: Sensor dog 26: Inclined part 26a: Rod-shaped member 26b: Actuator 26c: Stopper 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d: Connection part 28, 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d: Stopper 29, 29a, 29b, 29c, 29d: Opening / closing part 30: Conveyor device 31: Receiving conveyor 31a: Proximity sensor 32: Moving part 32a: Rod-shaped member 32b: Actuator 32c: Stopper 40: Control section 41: Position control section 42: Tilt control section 43: Opening and closing control section 44: Movement control unit 100: Poultry processing equipment 101: Basket 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d: bottom 101e: Discharge door 102: Waiting conveyor 103: Inlet conveyor 104: Rotating conveyor 105: Weighing conveyor 106: Cleaning equipment 107: Water draining device 108: Rotating conveyor 109: Discharge conveyor 111: Connection conveyor 112: Hanging Bird Conveyor

Claims

1. a dumping device provided with a cage containing live birds, the dumping device discharging the live birds from the cage; a receiver device that receives the live birds discharged from the dumping device; a conveyor device having a receiving conveyor that receives the live bird from the receiver device and transfers it; Equipped with The damping device includes a frame on which the cage is provided and a first inclination portion that inclines the frame, The receiver device includes a main body having a transport unit and a second tilt unit configured to tilt the main body, the first tilting unit tilts the frame between a first initial position where the frame is not tilted, a first position where the frame is tilted by a first angle, and a second position where the frame is tilted by a second angle larger than the first angle; the second inclination portion inclines the transport portion between a second initial position in which the transport portion is inclined at a third angle with respect to the horizontal direction so that the height of the transport portion increases as the transport portion moves away from the frame, and a third position in which the transport portion is substantially horizontal or inclined at the third angle or less; when the frame is located at the first position and the transport section is located at the second initial position, the frame and the main body section are coupled to each other; When the frame is located at the second position and the transport unit is located at the third position, the transport unit and the receiving conveyor are connected to each other. A live bird transport device.

2. The cages are stacked in multiple layers, The main body portion has the same number of conveying portions as the number of stages of the baskets, The conveyor device has a moving section that connects the receiving conveyor to any one of the plurality of transport sections.

2. A live bird transport device according to claim 1.

3. The conveying unit is a belt conveyor, In the third position, the transport section is substantially horizontal.

3. A live bird transport device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a tilt control unit that controls the first tilt unit and the second tilt unit so as to tilt the frame, which is in the first initial position, to the first position, and then tilt the frame from the first position to the second position and tilt the transport unit, which is in the second initial position, to the third position. A live bird transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A detection unit that detects the approach of the receiving conveyor to the transport unit; a stopper provided near an end of the conveying section opposite to the frame; an opening / closing control unit that opens the stopper of the detected conveying unit when the conveying unit is located at the third position and the detection unit detects the approach of the receiving conveyor; The live bird transport device according to claim 2, further comprising:

6. and an opening / closing control unit that opens a discharge door provided near the end of the basket on the conveying unit side when the frame is located at the first position. A live bird transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images