Crab Butchering Apparatus with Measuring Device for Precise Carapace Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crab butchering methods are inefficient and result in low productivity and yield due to manual processing, which depends on worker expertise and ergonomics, and existing machinery, such as the star wheel, causes damage to the product and reduces yield by tearing out meat from leg/shoulder clusters.
Innovation Solution
A compact crab butchering apparatus with a conveying system, measuring device, and three separate pivotable tools (butchering arm, carapace horn, and tail remover) that accurately determine crab geometry and control tool movements for precise removal of carapace, mandibles, and tail, ensuring maximum yield and minimal damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual processing is used, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but productivity and yield are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The butchering process is divided into distinct sequential operations: carapace removal by the butchering arm, gap maintenance by the carapace horn, and tail removal by the tail remover. Each tool is independently controlled and optimized for its specific function, enabling automated high-speed processing while maintaining precision through specialized design rather than general-purpose mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus employs dynamically controllable tools that can be independently activated and positioned based on real-time crab geometry measurements. The measuring device continuously monitors crab position and size, and the control unit adjusts tool activation timing and positioning accordingly, enabling adaptive automated processing that maintains high productivity across variable crab specifications
2Manufacturing precision
If a universal tool like star wheel is used, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and product damage are increased
Solution Approach 1:
Each butchering tool is specifically designed with local quality optimized for its particular function: the butchering arm has a head geometry optimized for engaging and removing the carapace, the carapace horn has a curved surface optimized for maintaining gaps without damaging underlying tissue, and the tail remover has features optimized for tail extraction. This specialized design for each local function achieves high precision while the modular independent configuration keeps overall system complexity manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The butchering function is segmented into three separate specialized tools rather than one universal tool. This segmentation allows each tool to be optimized for its specific task, achieving superior precision for each operation while the independent control of each segment prevents the complexity explosion that would result from attempting to make a single tool perform all functions with equal precision
3Productivity
If wide arms are used for carapace removal, then carapace removal effectiveness is improved, but meat damage and yield loss are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The carapace removal function is segmented and assigned to a specialized butchering arm with a specifically designed head geometry optimized for engaging the carapace edge and leveraging it off. This segmented specialization allows effective carapace removal using a more precisely sized tool rather than a wide universal arm, thereby removing the cause of meat damage while maintaining removal effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The butchering arm head is designed with local quality specifically optimized for carapace engagement - the head geometry and positioning are tailored to contact only the carapace and mandibles without interfering with the leg/shoulder clusters. This localized optimization enables effective carapace removal while preventing the widespread meat damage that would occur with a wide universal tool
4Reliability
If multiple separate tools are used, then product damage is reduced, but device complexity and measurement requirements are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The measuring device operates in advance of the butchering tools along the transport path, continuously monitoring crab position, carapace front location, and body geometry before the crab reaches the butchering zone. This preliminary measurement and information gathering enables the control unit to pre-calculate optimal tool activation timing and positioning for each crab, simplifying the control complexity of coordinating multiple tools while ensuring precise, damage-free operation
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that receives measurement data from the measuring device and translates it into coordinated control signals for the multiple independent butchering tools. This intermediary control layer simplifies the overall system by centralizing the complexity of coordinating multiple tools based on real-time measurements, while each individual tool remains relatively simple in design and function
Data Source
AI summary
A crab butchering machine removes the carapace, mandibles and tail from a crab by timing actuation of tools depending upon the measured dimensions of the carapace. A measuring tool determines the location of the front and rear of the carapace relative to the saddle, securing and advancing the crab through the machine. The positions of the ends of the tools that operate on the crab are known. After measuring, the crab is advanced into a calculated position relative to a first tool, whereby an arm moves upwards, separating the carapace from the crab. The crab is next advanced past a 10 second tool that lifts the carapace away from the crab carcass, allowing a third tool to move upwards, separating the carapace and tail from the carcass when the saddle is in a second calculated position. The remaining leg clusters are separated and released from the saddle for further processing.