System for automatically grading and weighing poultry

Abstract

The invention relates to devices for weighing, sorting and evaluating meat-producing and egg-laying breeds of poultry. The present system comprises an open housing having a weighing platform mounted thereinside, said weighing platform being equipped with four strain gauges connected by a communication channel to an electronic control unit comprising a control card, coupled to a power supply, and a display. The housing is open on the underside and is raised above the ground. Mounted inside the housing beneath the weighing platform is a vertical dividing partition with a horizontal inclined partition mounted perpendicular thereto. The weighing platform and the inclined partition have rotary mechanisms that are fixed in the walls of the housing. Disposed outside the housing are two motors for imparting movement to the weighing platform and the inclined partition. Mounted inside the housing are a sensor for monitoring the horizontal level of the weighing platform and a sensor for monitoring the position of the inclined partition, and on each side of the dividing partition is a sensor for monitoring the vertical level of the weighing platform during rotation. The electronic control unit comprises a power board for controlling the motors. The technical result of the claimed invention consists in reducing time expenditure, increasing workforce productivity, improving weighing accuracy, minimizing the effect of stress factors on poultry and reducing biological risks.

Description

[0001] COMPLEX OF AUTOMATIC GRADING AND WEIGHING OF POULTRY

[0002] The invention relates to devices for weighing, sorting and evaluating meat and egg breeds of poultry according to productive qualities in order to increase their economic value.

[0003] The main method of monitoring the growth of poultry is regular re-weighing. Along with re-weighing, regular grading is necessary for parent flocks of poultry, i.e. dividing the poultry inside the housing into several weight groups, from the lightest to the heaviest. Today, these operations are carried out manually, where the poultry farmer weighs the bird on floor or hanging scales and then takes it to the appropriate part of the hall or cage. This reduces overall labor productivity, systematically increases the likelihood of incorrect weight assessment, carries additional biorisks, injury hazard and increased stress for the bird.

[0004] A device for processing, sorting and vaccinating live birds is known from the prior art (RU Patent for Invention No. 2723592, published on 16.06.2020), comprising: a main element; a receiving element, rotatably attached to the main element and configured to receive and hold a bird by its scapulohumeral joint in a first position and to release the bird in a second position of the receiving element, and a locking element, movably attached to the main element and configured to lock the receiving element in the first position and to unlock the receiving element to rotate the receiving element from its first position to the second position to release the bird.The disadvantages of the device are its large dimensions, significantly greater weight (more than 230 kg) and low mobility associated with these factors (moving it into the poultry housing and removing it back requires disassembling and then assembling the device), as well as the presence of a large number of complex mechanisms for hanging the bird (22 units) and pneumatics, which significantly reduces the reliability of operation and increases the costs of maintaining the working condition and repair. In addition, the design of the device implies additional manipulations (hanging the bird), which increases stress and negatively affects the quality indicators of industrial poultry products.

[0005] A known system for weighing and grading birds (patent CN 110146147B, “Poultry online weighing and grading system and method”, published on 15.12.2020) comprises a bracket, a drive chain, a rotating weighing device, a lifting ring and a pneumatic sorting device. The rotating weighing device comprises: a combined force transmission lever, the equipment is located on the base of the rotating weighing device, the rings of the force transmission lever of each group are connected, a gyroscopic wheel is installed at the other end of this force transmission lever. The gyroscopic wheel and the weighing sensor are mounted on the rotating weighing device and all elements are provided with a mounting nut on this force transmission lever. The mounting nut on all these force transmission levers has the same circumference and is provided with an arcuate groove corresponding to this mounting nut on the upper support crossbar of the rotating weighing device.The sensor is installed in the groove of the arc-shaped groove. When the gyroscopic wheel rolls to the center point of the weighing sensor and drops, this sensor is triggered on this mounting nut.

[0006] An electronic scale for weighing poultry is known (patent CN207263277U, “A kind of electronic scale weighed for poultry”, published on 20.04.2018). The design includes a base support plate, an electronic weighing device, a weighing platform, an anti-slip panel, a connecting rod, a control panel, a display screen, and a control button. The base support plate passes through a screw connection with the electronic weighing device, it is built into the upper part of the electronic weighing device with a weighing platform. The weighing platform is connected to the anti-slip panel. The side device of the electronic scale is connected to the connecting rod, which is equipped with a control panel. The control panel is equipped with a display screen and a control button.The electronic weighing device includes a pressure sensor, a connecting plate, pressure rods, a pressure bar, a buffer spring, a data transmission plate, installed on the upper part of the pressure sensor with the connecting plate. The beneficial effect of the electronic poultry weighing scale is that the pressure sensor and the buffer spring are located in the electronic weighing device, which can prevent overweight and cause the sensor to fail abnormally.

[0007] A known weighing system for classifying poultry (patent CN208303258U, “Poultry is classified weighing system”, published 01.01.2019) contains a transmission system and additionally contains a movable plate, which is mounted on the sun visor at the top or bottom, a lifting platform with a sling, the middle part of which is pivotally connected to the sun visor, and one end is fixed with eight strips, and a step is provided on the platform sling, which can be locked by the movable plate, and when the movable plate moves upward, the platform rotates on the slings, and the bird can slide off the eight crossbars. The system also contains a rod, the middle part of which is pivotally connected to the support of the pneumatic cylinder, and one end is free.The piston rod of the other end and the cylinder are hingedly connected, and when the piston rod is raised, the free end can rise along the horizontal plane of the movable plate, and the vertical plane goes beyond the step of the platform sling. The system includes an electronic scale, a guide rail suspension, the upper part of which is placed on the electronic scale, the guide rail is divided into a weighing section and a fixed section. The fixed section is fixed by a rack, and the weighing section is fixed only by the guide rail suspension and can only move up and down, and when the guide wheel rolls across the weighing section, the weight of the bird can be shown on the scale platform.

[0008] The described devices represent separate concepts and principles of weighing poultry and its subsequent methodological division into categories, including poultry carcasses in slaughterhouses, based on the data obtained online, but do not provide for sorting of poultry. The essence of these devices is the use of one of the variations of the principles of constructing stationary weighing, but not grading of poultry.

[0009] A device for transporting and separating living poultry birds is known (patent WO2021099326 Al, “Assembly for transporting and separating living poultry birds”, published on 27.05.2021), which comprises: a first conveyor (10) for transporting poultry, a carousel (12) containing a rotating platform (14), wherein said carousel (12) is designed to provide spatial separation of the bird during the rotation of this platform (14). The birds are introduced into its entrance in such a way as to line them up one after another. The device also comprises an ejector (18) for pushing the birds, thus separated from the carousel (12), onto an evacuation conveyor (19) and aligning them. The device comprises a distribution device (11) for receiving said live birds from the first conveyor (10) and feeding them to the carousel (12). The distribution device (11) is an inclined guide for directing the birds downwards towards said carousel (12).The distributor (I), located under the lower end of the first conveyor (10), forms a circular sector. The distributor has vertical guide walls (13) on its lateral edges for guiding the birds to the said carousel (12). The ejector (18) contains at least one device for blowing gas, configured to push the live bird out of the carousel (12). The ejector contains a blowing head connected to a cylinder for compressed gas, and control means for sequentially releasing compressed gas from the cylinder in such a way that the ejection of compressed gas by the pumping head and the passage of the live bird past the outlet opening of the carousel (12) are essentially simultaneous. The carousel (12) contains a rotating platform (14) of an annular shape and a conveyor (17) for extraction, located under the rotating platform (14) for receiving birds leaving this platform.The input conveyor (10) and the discharge conveyor (19) are conveyors with a longitudinal axis to ensure linear movement of birds along their surface.

[0010] The described device belongs to a different class and is designed for sorting chickens in an incubator. The width of the transport line and the diameter / height of the sorting unit are definitely not suitable for working with young (500 g - 2000 g) and especially adult birds (more than 2 kg, the dimensions of such birds are 30 cm in diameter and 50 cm in height). The principle of sorting by "blowing" specified in the description is insufficient for adult birds - you simply cannot "blow" them off the spot, using the "blowing" principle will most likely lead to the bird taking off and thereby to its descent from the transport belt, and "blowing" itself requires a compressor and pneumatics, which complicates and weighs down the device. The sorting process itself involves the use of boxes, which then need to be moved, which reduces the productivity of the process. In addition, the device is large, and the presence of many parts and joints complicates its design and reduces the reliability and durability of the device.

[0011] The problem that the claimed invention is aimed at solving is to combine the operations of “weighing” and “sorting” in the process of grading meat and egg breeds of poultry.

[0012] The technical result of the claimed invention consists in reducing the time resources spent on grading birds, increasing the productivity of poultry farm personnel, increasing the accuracy of re-weighing due to the absence of the human factor, minimizing the effects of stress factors for birds kept on poultry farms, as well as reducing the biorisks of contamination with bacterial and viral infections due to a decrease in the number of "human-bird" contacts in industrial poultry farming. The technical result is achieved by a complex for automatic grading and re-weighing of meat and egg breed poultry, containing a housing open at the top with a weighing platform installed inside, equipped with strain gauges connected via a communication channel to an electronic control unit containing a control board connected to a power source, and a display. The housing is open at the bottom and raised to a height equal to at least the maximum possible growth of meat and egg breed poultry.A vertical dividing partition is installed inside the housing under the weighing platform, dividing it into two sections. The said strain gauge sensors are fixed under the weighing platform in the amount of four so that there are two for each section. The weighing platform contains a rotary mechanism installed in its plane, the ends of which are fixed in the opposite walls of the housing, and the axis of rotation is in the same plane as the dividing partition and parallel to its edge. A horizontal inclined partition is installed perpendicular to the dividing partition, the minimum distance to which is equal to the radius of rotation of the weighing platform. The inclined partition contains a rotary mechanism installed in its plane, the ends of which are fixed in the opposite walls of the housing so that the axis of rotation is in the plane perpendicular to the plane of the dividing partition.A weighing platform level control sensor and an inclined partition position sensor are installed inside the housing, connected via a communication channel to the electronic control unit. On each side of the dividing partition, a weighing platform vertical level sensor is installed during rotation, interacting via communication channels with the electronic control unit. The electronic control unit contains a power board for controlling the motors, connected to the power source and to the motors via a communication channel. Two motors, driving the weighing platform and the inclined partition, are located outside the housing.

[0013] The rotary mechanism of the weighing platform may consist of a shaft, the ends of which are fixed in the walls of the housing by means of ball-type hinge joints.

[0014] The rotary mechanism of the weighing platform can be a cylindrical hinge joint, with the axis of its rotation being a rod, the ends of which are rigidly fixed in the walls of the housing.

[0015] The rotary mechanism of the inclined partition may consist of a shaft, the ends of which are fixed in the walls of the housing by means of ball-type hinge joints. The rotary mechanism of the inclined partition may be a cylindrical hinge joint, with its axis of rotation being a rod, the ends of which are rigidly fixed in the walls of the housing.

[0016] The external appearance of the automatic grading and weighing complex is shown in the figure. The following is indicated by numbers:

[0017] 1 - body;

[0018] 2 - electronic control unit;

[0019] 3 - weighing platform;

[0020] 4 - dividing partition;

[0021] 5 - inclined partition.

[0022] The automatic grading and weighing complex for poultry of meat and egg breeds "Agrobit V" consists of a rigid body 1, in the upper part of which there is an opening that serves as a receiving head for the operator to place the bird through it inside the body 1.

[0023] Inside the housing 1 there is a flat weighing platform 3, preferably rectangular in shape, resting on a supporting frame of an H-shape so that the corners of the weighing platform 3 coincide with the ends of the supporting frame. On the lower surface of the weighing platform 3, four strain gauge sensors are placed at the corners. The strain gauge sensors are arranged so that the load on them is distributed evenly. The number of strain gauge sensors is determined by and corresponds to the number of attachment points of the weighing platform 3 to the supporting frame. The weighing platform 3 contains a rotary mechanism installed in its plane in a neutral position, the ends of which are fixed in the opposite walls of the housing 1, thereby allowing the weighing platform 3 to rotate "right / left" (or "forward / backward"). The supporting frame is attached to the rotary mechanism (rotation axis) of the weighing platform 3.The rotary mechanism of the weighing platform 3 is a rod, the ends of which are fixed in the walls of the housing 1 by means of ball-type hinge joints. Also, a cylindrical hinge joint can be used as a rotary mechanism of the weighing platform 3, with its axis of rotation being a shaft with ends rigidly fixed in the walls of the housing 1. Inside the housing 1, on the wall of its upper part, a sensor for monitoring the level of the weighing platform 3 horizon is installed.

[0024] A dividing partition 4 is vertically placed under the weighing platform 3, dividing the space inside the housing 1 into two sections, right and left (or front and back). The dividing partition 4 is installed so that the axis of rotation of the weighing platform 3 is in the same plane with it and parallel to its edge. The minimum distance from the inlet of the housing 1 to the dividing partition 4 is less than the radius of rotation of the weighing platform 3 by 30 millimeters to limit the spontaneous circular motion of the weighing platform 3 and to stop it during transportation without power supply. The dividing partition 4 is fixed on opposite sides of the housing 1 in any of the known ways. Inside the housing 1, on both sides of the dividing partition 4, in its upper part, two vertical level sensors of the weighing platform 3 are installed, determining whether the weighing platform 3 has reached the extreme position when the bird is tilted to the left or to the right (forward or backward).

[0025] Perpendicular to the dividing partition 4 in the horizontal plane there is an inclined partition 5 for sorting in the direction "forward / backward" (or "right / left"). The minimum distance from the axis of rotation of the weighing platform 3 to the axis of rotation of the inclined partition 5 is equal to the radius of rotation of the weighing platform 3. The inclined partition 5 contains a rotary mechanism installed in its plane, the ends of which are fixed in the opposite walls of the housing 1 so that the axis of rotation is in the plane perpendicular to the plane of the dividing partition 4, thereby allowing the inclined partition 5 to tilt "forward / backward" (or "right / left"). The rotary mechanism of the inclined partition 5 can be placed under the dividing partition 4 or pass through it (in this case, the inclined partition 5 will be divided into two segments by the dividing partition 4).The rotary mechanism of the inclined partition 5 is a rod, the ends of which are fixed in the walls of the housing 1 by means of ball-type hinge joints. Also, as a rotary mechanism of the inclined partition 5, a cylindrical hinge joint can be used, in which case the axis of its rotation will be a shaft with ends rigidly fixed in the walls of the housing 1. Inside the housing 1, on one of the walls of its lower part in the sliding zone of the edges of the inclined partition 5, a position sensor of the inclined partition 5 is installed.

[0026] Outside the housing 1, two motors are located, driving the weighing platform 3 and the inclined partition 5. Stepper electric motors with belt drives are used as motors.

[0027] An electronic control unit 2 is located outside the housing 1, consisting of a computer (e.g., industrial), a control board, a power board, two electric motor drivers (one for each electric motor), a display (e.g., with touch control), two power supplies, a voltage stabilizer, as well as a wireless communication module, an output for color indication of the loading of the weighing platform 3 and a USB output to the control panel for wired data transmission. One power supply is connected to the control board, and the other power supply is connected to the power board. Proprietary software is recorded on a permanent recording device installed on the control board of the electronic control unit 2, which allows receiving data on weighing of poultry, recording them and generating a report with the total number, individual and total weight of poultry, variation coefficients, standard deviation and averaging, as well as storing the received data.The user can save this data to an external device for storage, reading and processing via a wireless communication module or USB output. The strain gauges are connected via a shielded flexible heat-resistant mounting cable to the control board, which is connected to the electronic control unit 2 via the UART interface. The sensors for monitoring the horizon level and vertical position of the weighing platform 3 and the position sensors of the inclined partition 5 are also connected to the control board.

[0028] The housing 1 is open at the bottom and raised to a height equal to at least the maximum possible growth of poultry of meat and egg breeds. In order to ensure the possibility of convenient transportation, the complex is mobile: it is equipped with wheels (for example, two) and handles for carrying.

[0029] The equipment is powered from the working power grid, but if necessary, it can be powered by using an electric generator. The described design has a nominal capacity of up to 2200 heads / hour and a weighing range of 250-5000 grams, with a weighing accuracy of 1%.

[0030] The operation of the complex is carried out as follows. Under the body 1, screens are preliminarily installed, for example, made of plastic or fabric, dividing the space under the body 1 into 1, 2, 3 or 4 zones depending on the technological task and the weight categories of the birds whose weight is measured. The operator switches on the complex and performs a standard verification of the scale readings using a calibration weight standard, and also sets the weight limits for each of the weight groups and the direction of dropping each of the weight groups of birds in the complex control window on the display. Then the operator places the bird in the receiving head of the body 1, on the weighing platform 3. Strain gauges record the weight of the bird and transmit a signal to the control board of the electronic control unit 2 - automatic weighing of one head of the bird occurs. At the same time, in the software of the electronic unit 2, a comparison with the target indicators of the weight categories of the bird and a recording of the obtained data takes place.Based on the comparison results, the direction of bird tipping in the transverse axis is selected - into the left or right compartment (or front-back), and the direction along the longitudinal axis is selected - forward or backward (or right-left). The control board sends signals via the power board to the drivers of the electric motors of the weighing platform 3 and the inclined partition 5. One electric motor sets in motion the rotating mechanism of the weighing platform 3, and the rotating weighing platform 3 itself rotates 82 degrees to the right or left (forward or backward) depending on the weight category to which the bird belongs.At the same time, the control board sends a signal about the deviation of the weighing platform 3 (in the range of 45 degrees in each direction, relative to the position perpendicular to the horizon) in one direction or another, and another electric motor sets the shaft of the inclined partition 5 in motion, and the inclined partition 5 itself tilts into the zone that allows the bird to be directed into the discharge zone corresponding to the weight group to which the bird belongs. The bird slides under its own weight inside the housing 1, first to the right or to the left, and then forward or backward (forward or backward, and then to the right or left), ultimately getting into the zone fenced off in advance under the housing 1 with screens. In this way, the bird is sorted according to weight indicators. The right or left (front or back) sensor of the vertical level of the weighing platform 3 signals that the weighing platform 3 has reached the lower position.Then the weighing platform 3 returns to the horizontal position, and the weighing platform 3 horizon level sensor transmits a signal to the electronic control unit 2 about the readiness of the complex to place the next bird on the weighing platform 3. At the same time, the inclined partition position sensor transmits a signal to the electronic control unit 2 about the final location of the inclined partition 5 - in the tilt position toward the rear or front (left or right) wall of the housing 1, which is taken into account by the proprietary software at the next step of weighing and sorting. The software of the electronic control unit 2 sequentially records the received data and provides them in the form of an aggregated report with the total number, individual and total weight of the bird, variation coefficients, standard deviation and averaging. The received data are placed by the software in the electronic archive for storage on the electronic control unit of the complex.Through the wireless communication module or USB output, the user can save this data to an external device for storage, reading and processing.The use of the AGROBIT V automatic grading and weighing system for meat and egg breed poultry makes it possible to manage the growth and productivity of poultry on an industrial scale, namely, to speed up and combine the weighing and handling operations, as a result of which labor productivity increases by more than 2 times with a corresponding decrease in the number of human-bird contacts (based on the assumption that the standard composition of a sorting team of 11-12 people includes 5 weighers, 5 feeders and 1-2 beaters, and the use of the claimed invention makes it possible to sort an equal volume of poultry in the same period of time (standard work shift) by a sorting team of 5-6 people consisting of 1 operator, 3-4 feeders and 1 beater), and also to reduce the overall level of poultry injuries by reducing the number of manipulations and decreasing the height of the bird's drop onto the floor compared to the manual method by 2-3 times.

Claims

CLAUSES OF THE INVENTION 1. A complex for automatic grading and re-weighing of poultry of meat and egg breeds, comprising a housing open at the top with a weighing platform installed inside, equipped with strain gauge sensors connected via a communication channel to an electronic control unit containing a control board connected to a power source, and a display, characterized in that the housing is open at the bottom and raised to a height equal to at least the maximum possible height of poultry of meat and egg breeds, a vertical dividing partition is installed inside the housing under the weighing platform, dividing it into two sections, the said strain gauge sensors are fixed under the weighing platform in an amount of four so that there are two for each section, the weighing platform contains a rotating mechanism installed in its plane, the ends of which are fixed in opposite walls of the housing, and the axis of rotation is in the same plane with the dividing partition and parallel to its edge,a horizontal inclined partition is installed perpendicular to the dividing partition, the minimum distance to which is equal to the radius of rotation of the weighing platform, the inclined partition contains a rotating mechanism installed in its plane, the ends of which are fixed in the opposite walls of the housing so that the axis of rotation is in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the dividing partition, two motors are placed outside the housing, driving the weighing platform and the inclined partition, a sensor for monitoring the horizontal level of the weighing platform and a sensor for the position of the inclined partition are installed inside the housing, connected via a communication channel with the electronic control unit, and on each side of the dividing partition a sensor for the vertical level of the weighing platform during rotation is placed, interacting via communication channels with the electronic control unit, wherein the electronic control unit contains a power board for controlling the motors,connected to the power source and to the motors via a communication channel.

2. A complex for automatic grading and re-weighing of poultry of meat and egg breeds according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the rotary mechanism consists of a rod, the ends of which are fixed in the walls of the housing by means of ball-type hinge joints.

3. A complex for automatic grading and re-weighing of poultry of meat and egg breeds according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the rotary mechanism is a cylindrical type hinge joint, where the axis of its rotation is a rod, the ends of which are rigidly fixed in the walls of the housing.

4. A complex for automatic grading and re-weighing of poultry of meat and egg breeds according to item 1, characterized in that the rotating mechanism of the inclined partition consists of a shaft, the ends of which are fixed in the walls of the housing by means of ball-type hinge joints.

5. A complex for automatic grading and re-weighing of poultry of meat and egg breeds according to item 1, characterized in that the rotating mechanism of the inclined partition is a cylindrical-type hinge joint, wherein the axis of its rotation is a rod, the ends of which are rigidly fixed in the walls of the housing.

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