Dual Scraper Steak Cleaning for Thickness-Adaptive Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for cleaning steaks in the meat processing industry are inefficient and inconsistent, often requiring manual or automated flipping to clean both sides, which is time-consuming and does not ensure thorough cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A meat cleaning system with dual scraping assemblies and conveyor belts that simultaneously clean the top and bottom surfaces of steaks without flipping, utilizing sensors to measure steak thickness and adjust the vertical position of the top scraper for precise cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional manual or automated flipping methods are used to clean both sides of steaks, then both surfaces can be cleaned, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into two independent scraping assemblies: a bottom scraping assembly and a top scraping assembly. Each assembly independently cleans one surface of the steak simultaneously, eliminating the need for flipping operations and doubling the cleaning productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-sided cleaning approach to a dual-sided cleaning approach by adding a top scraping assembly positioned above the conveyor belt. This dimensional expansion allows both surfaces of the steak to be cleaned at the same time without increasing the footprint of the system.
2Reliability
If conventional cleaning methods are used, then the process is simple, but cleaning consistency and thoroughness are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The top scraping assembly is mounted on a movable carriage that can be adjusted vertically along guide rails. This dynamic positioning system allows the scraper to adapt to different steak thicknesses and maintain optimal cleaning contact pressure, ensuring consistent cleaning results across varying product specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that detect steak thickness and provide feedback to the control system. Based on this feedback, the top scraping assembly automatically adjusts its vertical position to maintain the correct cleaning depth and pressure, ensuring reliable and consistent cleaning performance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed position scrapers are used, then the device is simple, but it cannot accommodate varying steak thicknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The top scraping assembly is mounted on a movable carriage that can be adjusted vertically along guide rails. This dynamic positioning system allows the scraper to adapt to different steak thicknesses and maintain optimal cleaning contact pressure, ensuring consistent cleaning results across varying product specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the vertical position parameter of the top scraping assembly based on detected steak thickness. By dynamically adjusting this positional parameter, the system maintains effective cleaning contact across a range of steak thicknesses without requiring manual intervention or complex reconfiguration.
Data Source
AI summary
A meat cleaning system for cleaning debris from a meat cut. The meat cleaning system comprises a control system, one or more conveyor assemblies having a first end and a second end, a first scraping assembly for scraping a bottom surface of the meat cut, a second scraping assembly for scraping a top surface of the meat cut, a tower housing the second scraping assembly, a base supporting the one or more conveyor assemblies, the first scraping assembly and the tower, one or more motors each configured to selectively drive the first scraping assembly, the second scraping assembly and the one or more conveyor assemblies, and one or more sensors for measuring a thickness of the meat cut. The control system comprises a memory having an application, one or more processors, and a communication hardware. The application is executed using the one or more processors.