Bone-Meat Separation Apparatus with V-Guide Stabilization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing bone-meat separation devices face issues with positional shifts and oscillations of the femoral head, leading to reduced meat yield and failure to separate valuable oyster meat during the deboning process of bone-in limb meats.

Innovation Solution

A bone-meat separation device with a V-shaped guide space and a cutter positioned downstream, along with a holding portion to stabilize the meat part, ensures accurate cutting by suppressing oscillation and positional shifts, and includes movable guide members and a plate-like cutter with an arc-like blade edge for improved cutting efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If the bone-in limb meat is guided to the Y-shaped guide space and positioned by abutting on the Y-shaped derivation guide, then the automation of the cutting process is achieved, but the cutting position shifts due to oscillation of the femoral head or positional shift of the femoral head running on the guide

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation of cutting processVSAvoidcutting position accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The V-shaped guide space is designed to preliminarily position and constrain the bone-in limb meat before cutting occurs. The guide space pre-establishes the correct cutting position by guiding the bone-in limb meat into a predetermined orientation, ensuring that the femoral head is properly aligned with the cutter before the cutting action takes place.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The V-shaped guide space acts as an intermediary element between the conveying mechanism and the cutter. It mediates the positioning of the bone-in limb meat, translating the conveying motion into a stable, pre-positioned state that is ready for accurate cutting, thereby reducing oscillation and positional shifts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If the femoral head runs on the Y-shaped derivation guide without additional support, then the structure remains simple, but oscillation of the femoral head causes cutting position shifts and reduces meat yield

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidmeat yield
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The V-shaped guide space preliminarily stabilizes the bone-in limb meat and femoral head before cutting by constraining their movement. This preliminary positioning action prevents oscillation during the cutting process, ensuring that the cutting position remains accurate and maximizing meat yield without requiring complex additional support structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Extent of automation

If the cutter is positioned at the downstream end of the guide space, then the cutting process is automated, but oyster meat adhering to the vicinity of the femoral head remains unseparated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation of cutting processVSAvoidseparation of oyster meat
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The V-shaped guide space performs a preliminary separation function by guiding and positioning the bone-in limb meat in a way that exposes both the main meat part and the oyster meat to the cutter. The guide space pre-positions the specimen so that the cutter can effectively separate both types of meat from the femoral head in a single automated cutting action.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3603405B1Bone-meat separation apparatus for bone-including limb meat and bone-meat separation method for bone-including limb meat
Publication Date: 2022.06.22 MAYEKAWA MFG CO LTD
  • EP3603405B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3603405B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3603405B1 patent drawingFigure 2A

AI summary

A bone-meat separation device for a bone-in limb meat according to an embodiment is a bone-meat separation device for a bone-in limb meat for separating a meat part adhering to a trunk-side end bone head of a bone-in limb meat, the device including a plurality of clamp portions for conveying the bone-in limb meat along a conveying path, a guide portion disposed on the conveying path and forming a V-shaped guide space with an open end thereof being directed upstream in a conveying direction of the bone-in limb meat, a cutter disposed at a downstream end of the guide space in the conveying direction, and a holding portion holding the meat part below the guide portion and the cutter. The holding portion is configured to hold the meat part of the bone-in limb meat when the meat part is cut from the trunk-side end bone head with the cutter.