Meat grill installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preparing large quantities of thin meat slices are labor-intensive and limited in capacity, as they often require manual handling and lack efficient heating solutions for frozen meat, which can pose health risks due to bacterial and fungal contamination.
Innovation Solution
A meat grill installation featuring a detachable horizontal cylindrical carrier with rotating motors, heaters, and sensors to evenly heat and cut large quantities of frozen meat, utilizing a conveyor belt and cutting element for controlled processing, ensuring consistent temperature and slice thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling methods are used for preparing thin meat slices, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but productivity is limited and labor intensity is high
Solution Approach 1:
The meat processing system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a cylindrical carrier for holding meat blocks, multiple heaters positioned at different locations, a conveyor belt for transport, and a cutting element for slicing. This modular segmentation enables automated high-volume processing while maintaining manageable system complexity through standardized, replaceable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic elements including the rotatable cylindrical carrier that rotates to present different meat surfaces to heaters, adjustable heater positions that can move closer or farther from the meat, and a conveyor belt that continuously transports meat blocks through the processing zone. These dynamic features enable automated processing of large quantities without requiring complex manual intervention.
2Stability of the object's composition
If frozen meat is heated using conventional methods, then energy consumption is reduced, but heating uniformity and thoroughness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multiple heaters (typically 2-5 heaters) positioned at different locations around the cylindrical carrier, with each heater individually adapted in length to match the meat block dimensions. This local distribution of heating elements ensures uniform heat application across the entire meat surface while maintaining energy efficiency through targeted heating zones rather than heating the entire chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical carrier provides a curved surface that presents the meat block to heaters in a consistent geometric configuration. This spherical/curved geometry ensures that heat is distributed evenly around the meat as it rotates, achieving uniform heating throughout the meat mass without requiring excessive energy input or prolonged heating times.
3Productivity
If the cylindrical element rotates faster to increase processing speed, then productivity improves, but temperature control precision and meat quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates temperature sensors that continuously monitor the meat temperature during the heating and rotating process. This feedback information is used by a controller to adjust heater power output and rotation speed in real-time, ensuring that the meat reaches the desired internal temperature uniformly without overheating or undercooking, even at higher processing speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical carrier rotates continuously through the heating zone, presenting all surfaces of the meat block to the heaters in an unbroken sequence. This continuous rotation ensures that every part of the meat receives consistent heat exposure over time, maintaining temperature control precision while maximizing processing throughput. The conveyor belt also provides continuous transport, eliminating idle time between processing cycles.
4Temperature
If multiple heaters are positioned close to the meat for efficient heating, then heating effectiveness improves, but risk of overheating and quality loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system positions multiple heaters at different locations around the cylindrical carrier, with each heater individually controlled and positioned at optimized distances from the meat surface. This local distribution allows efficient heat transfer to occur at multiple points simultaneously while preventing any single heater from causing localized overheating. The individual length adaptation of each heater to the meat block dimensions further ensures that heat is applied only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature sensors positioned near the meat provide real-time feedback on the thermal state of the meat during heating. This feedback enables the control system to dynamically adjust the power output of individual heaters, reducing power to areas that are already sufficiently heated while maintaining or increasing power to cooler areas, thereby preventing overheating while maximizing heating efficiency.
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
Enables efficient and controlled processing of 100-3000 kg of frozen meat, providing reliable and safe heating while maintaining meat quality, thereby increasing capacity and reducing manual labor.
Implementation Method 1
at least two heaters (30) for grilling the meat... wherein the at least two heaters are divided over a circumference of the cylindrical element
Implementation Method 2
heating the meat evenly and as thorough as required
Implementation Method 3
at least one sensor is provided, preferably at least two sensors, for determining a temperature of the heated meat
Implementation Method 4
a motor for rotating the cylindrical element around its horizontal axis
Implementation Method 5
a conveyer belt is provided located underneath the cylindrical element for receiving and transporting heated meat
Data Source
AI summary
A meat grill installation for preparing large quantities of meat, and a method of preparing such large quantities of meat. Embodiments of the meat installation comprise various features, including a detachable horizontal cylindrical carrier comprising a series of meat fixators, a motor, heaters, at least two position adapters for maintaining each individual heater at a predetermined distance from the cylindrical carrier, at least one temperature sensor, a conveyer belt located underneath the cylindrical carrier for receiving and transporting heated meat, a cutter for removing a slice of a predetermined thickness of meat from the detachable cylindrical carrier, and at least one controller for driving the motor, for maintaining and/or adapting a temperature of each individual heater, for driving the at least two position adapters, for receiving the sensor output, for providing feedback to at least one heater, and for controlling thickness of slices of meat.