Poultry Defeathering Guide Rail Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for automatically defeathering killed poultry face challenges in efficiently guiding poultry into a narrow channel due to deflection and reduced engagement with defeathering means, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A device with a stationary means that applies a mechanical force component in the transport direction to actively support the poultry's entry between side walls, ensuring they are gripped and aligned correctly with defeathering heads, which are mounted on stationary side walls and can rotate to maintain contact over the channel's length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the channel is made narrow to ensure defeathering means contact with poultry, then defeathering efficiency is improved, but poultry insertion becomes difficult and birds are deflected against transport direction
Solution Approach 1:
A guide rail is arranged in front of the channel entry point, tapering in the direction of transport to gradually narrow the opening. This preliminary guiding structure prepares the poultry for entry into the narrow channel, allowing smooth transition without sudden constriction that would cause deflection or insertion difficulties.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rail acts as an intermediary element between the open entry area and the narrow channel. It mediates the transition by providing a tapered intermediate zone that gradually constrains the poultry, preventing direct impact with the narrow channel walls and eliminating deflection against transport direction.
2Ease of operation
If side walls are arranged in converging manner to simplify poultry entry, then insertion is facilitated, but not all defeathering means contact the poultry along the channel length
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail performs the preliminary action of narrowing and guiding the poultry before it enters the main channel. This allows the channel itself to maintain a parallel, uniform width throughout its length, ensuring consistent contact between all defeathering means and the poultry without requiring converging side walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The narrowing function is moved from the channel's side walls (one-dimensional constriction) to a separate guide rail structure positioned in front of the channel (spatial reorganization). This dimensional separation allows the channel to maintain optimal parallel geometry for defeathering while the guide rail handles the entry facilitation function.
3Productivity
If poultry are held back or pushed against transport direction during defoliation, then engagement with defoliation means is improved, but poultry are lifted out of transport vehicle and removed from mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail performs preliminary alignment and gentle constriction before the poultry enters the channel. By the time poultry reach the defeathering means, they are already properly positioned and constrained, eliminating the need for additional holding-back forces that would lift them from the transport vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rail creates a smooth, gradual transition zone where poultry are gently guided into position without sudden force changes. This equipotential approach maintains consistent forward motion throughout the entry process, preventing the force imbalances that would cause poultry to lift out of the transport system.
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 solution facilitates smooth and efficient defeathering by ensuring all defeathering heads engage the poultry, improving the process's efficiency and reducing the risk of damage, while allowing for independent control of the support mechanism and transport speed.
Implementation Method 1
the means for actively assisting the entry of the poultry between the two side walls is designed and configured to apply a mechanical force component in the transport direction T of the poultry
Implementation Method 2
transport means designed and equipped for the freely downward-hanging transport of poultry suspended by their feet in the transport direction T
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (10), designed and configured to automatically defeather slaughtered poultry (11), comprising a transport means (12) that is designed and configured for the free downward hanging transport of poultry (11) hanging by their feet in transport direction T along a transport path, as well as two side parts (14, 15) which are at a distance from one another, are arranged on opposing sides of the transport path, and form a channel (13), and which, on the inner sides thereof opposing one another and facing the transport path, have respective means (16) for defeathering the poultry (11) transported through the channel (13), wherein the means (16) for defeathering can be brought into contact with the poultry (11) to be defeathered, characterised in that the device (10) comprises a stationary means (17) for actively supporting the introduction of the poultry (11) between the two side parts (14, 15) and the defeathering means (16) arranged thereon, said means being situated in the introduction region E of the poultry (11) into the channel (13). The invention also relates to a corresponding method.