Poultry Carcass Fillet Harvesting with Residual Meat Detaching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for harvesting breast fillets from poultry carcasses often leave residual meat and tissue behind on the breastbone, which are not efficiently removed, leading to suboptimal yield and increased costs for meeting pharmaceutical industry standards for cartilage quality.

Innovation Solution

A system incorporating a detaching device with rollers and/or a scraper is positioned downstream of the fillet harvesting device to automate the removal of residual meat and tissue from the breastbone, utilizing rollers with helical profiles to grip and pull away anchorage tissue and a scraper to adapt to the anatomical shape for efficient tissue removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If breast fillet is harvested by cutting or scraping away from the breastbone, then the breast fillet can be efficiently removed, but residual meat and tissue remain on the breastbone reducing overall yield

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebreast fillet harvesting efficiencyVSAvoidresidual meat yield
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the harvesting process into two distinct stages: first the breast fillet is harvested by cutting/scraping, then the detaching device with rollers and scrapers removes the residual meat and tissue in a separate step. This segmentation allows each device to be optimized for its specific function, maximizing overall meat recovery while maintaining breast fillet harvesting efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The detaching device with rollers and scrapers is positioned to perform preliminary removal of residual tissue before the cartilage is harvested. This preliminary action cleans the breastbone surface, ensuring that when cartilage is subsequently harvested, minimal tissue remains that would contaminate the cartilage product, thereby reducing later processing requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If manual removal of residual tissue and cartilage is performed, then pharmaceutical industry standards for cartilage quality can be met, but labor costs and processing time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecartilage quality standardsVSAvoidprocessing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The detaching device with rollers and scrapers is designed to automatically remove residual tissue and cartilage from the breastbone without human intervention. The rollers with protrusions grip and pull away tissue, while scrapers mechanically remove cartilage, enabling the system to service itself and maintain pharmaceutical quality standards through automated mechanical action rather than manual labor.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual mechanical removal with automated mechanical devices. The detaching device uses rollers with protrusions that rotate to grip and pull tissue, combined with scrapers that mechanically remove cartilage, substituting human hands and tools with a controlled mechanical system that maintains consistency and speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If automated harvesting of cartilage is implemented, then labor costs decrease and productivity increases, but achieving pharmaceutical industry quality standards becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecartilage harvesting efficiencyVSAvoidcartilage quality consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The detaching device applies different mechanisms to different parts of the breastbone: rollers with protrusions target and remove soft tissue and membrane, while scrapers specifically remove cartilage. This localized approach ensures that each type of tissue is removed by the most effective mechanism, maintaining pharmaceutical quality standards while achieving automated high-speed processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system controls the rotation speed, pressure, and engagement depth of the rollers and scrapers to optimize tissue removal. By adjusting these parameters, the automated device can gently remove tissue without damaging remaining meat or bone structure, ensuring pharmaceutical quality while maintaining high productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2134184B2System and method for processing a carcass part of slaughtered poultry
Publication Date: 2021.05.19 MAREL STORK POULTRY PROCESSING
  • EP2134184B2 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2134184B2 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2134184B2 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a system for processing a carcass part (1) of slaughtered poultry, which carcass part comprises at least a part of the breast, the breast comprising at least a part of the breastbone (2) and a part of the breast fillet (5). The system according to the invention comprises a fillet harvesting device (10) for harvesting the breast fillet present on the carcass part, and a detaching device (20) for harvesting residual meat still present on the breastbone after harvesting of the breast fillet, and a conveyor with product carriers for conveying the carcass parts along a path, the fillet harvesting device and the detaching device being disposed along the path of the conveyor, and the detaching device being placed downstream of the fillet harvesting device, and comprising a collection means (60) for collecting harvested residual meat.