Adaptive Knife Mechanism for Meat-Bone Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for automatic separation of meat and bone at the spine of a carcass often risk cutting into bones due to the design of knives, which can lead to inefficiencies and reduced meat yields.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features multiple knife devices arranged along the transport path, with independent activation means for horizontal and vertical movement, allowing each knife to be resiliently pressed against the carcass and adapt to the bone structure, reducing the risk of cutting into bones while maintaining close proximity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If knives are designed to cut close to bones for efficient meat separation, then productivity is improved, but the risk of cutting into bones increases
Solution Approach 1:
The knife is designed with dynamic movement capabilities, allowing it to move horizontally towards the transport device during cutting and back away from the region of operation. The knife can also move vertically in response to bone contact, enabling adaptive adjustment during the cutting process to avoid cutting into bones while maintaining close proximity for efficient meat separation
Solution Approach 2:
The knife's position and orientation are changed dynamically during operation. The knife moves from a retracted position to a cutting position, and can adjust its vertical position in response to bone contact. This parameter change allows the knife to maintain optimal cutting distance from bones while avoiding actual contact that would cause damage
2Device complexity
If knives are designed with fixed positions for simplicity, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to adapt to bone structure is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The knife is designed with dynamic movement capabilities, allowing it to move horizontally towards the transport device during cutting and back away from the region of operation. The knife can also move vertically in response to bone contact, enabling adaptive adjustment during the cutting process to avoid cutting into bones while maintaining close proximity for efficient meat separation
Solution Approach 2:
The knife system incorporates activation means that enable the knife to automatically adjust its position and orientation in response to the carcass part and bone structure. The system uses detection means to sense bone contact and automatically adjusts knife movement accordingly, allowing the knife to adapt to varying bone structures without manual intervention
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables precise cutting close to bones without cutting into them, resulting in higher meat yields and efficient automated boning processes for middle and loin parts with spine and ribs.
Implementation Method 1
One or more of the activation means can resiliently or elastically press the knife against the carcass part during cutting, so that the knife can be pressed back by a return force of the carcass part
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatus for automatic separation of meat and bone at the spine of a part of a carcass, comprising knives (10, 11, 12) and an oblong transport device with gripping elements (1) for gripping the part at the spine and transporting it past the knives, while the spine is held by the gripping elements with the splitting face of the spine abutting on mainly horizontally arranged abutment faces (2) on the gripping elements, wherein the apparatus comprises two or more knife devices (13, 14, 15), which are placed opposite the transport arrangement and placed in succession seen in the transport direction of the transport arrangement, and that each knife device comprises a knife (10, 11, 12) and a first activation means (34) for moving the knife in direction towards the transport arrangement plus a second activation means (31) for moving the knife in direction towards the abutment faces (2).