Poultry Evisceration Guide Means for Esophageal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for eviscerating poultry often result in contamination and damage to the intestines or body due to the use of clamping devices and uneven surfaces, leading to broken esophagi and other injuries, especially at high processing speeds.
Innovation Solution
A guide means is integrated with the evisceration device, forming a bend in the esophagus during retraction, aligning the pull direction with the natural orientation of the esophagus, reducing the risk of breakage and allowing for a gentler extraction without clamping, and the device is designed with a smooth, stainless steel construction to minimize damage and facilitate cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If clamping devices and grippers are used to hold the esophagus near the crop, then the risk of esophageal breakage is reduced, but the device complexity increases and the risk of contamination increases due to small moveable parts and joints
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the complex clamping devices and grippers from the evisceration apparatus. Instead of using mechanical clamps to hold the esophagus, the system relies on the spoon's geometry and the guide means to naturally guide and protect the esophagus during extraction, eliminating the need for small moveable parts and joints that are difficult to keep clean
Solution Approach 2:
The guide means acts as an intermediary element between the spoon and the esophagus. This smooth, jointless component guides the esophagus during extraction without requiring complex clamping mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining esophageal integrity and minimizing contamination risk
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a smaller spoon with additional joint is used to keep the spoon flat against the gripper, then the insertion is gentler, but the device complexity increases and cleaning becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention eliminates the additional joint required in previous designs by using a different mechanical approach. The spoon is connected to the drive mechanism through a straightforward linkage that achieves gentle insertion without requiring extra joints, thereby simplifying the device and facilitating cleaning
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a jointed mechanism to achieve gentle insertion, the invention inverts the approach by using a smooth, jointless spoon design combined with guide means that naturally guide the esophagus. The gentleness is achieved through the geometry and guidance system rather than through articulated joints
3Productivity
If high processing speeds are used to process about 9000 broilers per hour, then the productivity increases, but the risk of broken ribs and other damages to the body increases due to violent insertion action
Solution Approach 1:
The guide means is positioned and configured in advance to guide the esophagus before the spoon makes contact. This preliminary positioning ensures that the esophagus is properly aligned and protected during the high-speed insertion process, preventing damage even at processing speeds of 9000 broilers per hour
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for eviscerating intestine packs of slaughtered poultry by which decapitated poultry suspended in legs or joints are eviscerated in an evisceration apparatus comprising a number of evisceration devices. Each evisceration devise comprises an evisceration spoon, which is in- serted into the body of the poultry in a movement forward and towards the breast bone, then moved forward along the breast bone and finally swung towards the back of the poultry to a fully advanced position, in which the spoon surrounds the intestine pack on the breast side thereof. The evisceration spoon is subsequently retracted, thereby pulling the in- testine pack out of the body. The evisceration device further comprises a guide means, which is inserted together with the spoon and is moved across the esophagus during the forward movement within the body. While the crop is being pulled loose, the guide means forms a bend on the esophagus, so that the esophagus extends from the bend to the crop in a direction more aligned with the retraction direction than the portion of the esophagus extending from the bend to the spoon. The guide means is movable with respect to the evisceration spoon between the first position and a second position. In the first position an end area of the guide means is located at the spoon edge and in the second position the end area of the guide means is located at a distance from the evis- ceration spoon.