Automated Meat Removal from Articulated Poultry Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated deboning methods for poultry legs and thighs are costly and complex, making them inaccessible to smaller meat processing industries, requiring a more reliable, cost-effective, and simpler solution for removing meat from animal or poultry extremities with articulated bones.
Innovation Solution
A method involving mechanical separation and severing of bones at the joint, using existing equipment modified to hold and process bones with meat strippers and tendon cutters, allowing for efficient removal and collection of meat in two steps, optionally including pre-cutting and de-skinning, suitable for small-scale industries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If existing automated deboning methods are used, then meat removal efficiency is improved, but equipment complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The automated deboning process is divided into two separate stages: first removing meat from the lower leg bone, then removing meat from the upper leg bone. This segmentation allows each stage to use simpler, more focused equipment rather than requiring a single complex system to handle both bones simultaneously, thereby reducing overall equipment complexity while maintaining high meat removal efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The method extracts and removes the joint connection between the two bones before proceeding with meat removal from the second bone. By taking out the joint connection early in the process, the system can handle each bone independently through simpler equipment rather than requiring complex coordinated systems to manage the articulated bones together
2Extent of automation
If existing automated deboning methods are used, then meat removal is automated, but financial investment required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated process is segmented into two independent stages, each using separate equipment that can be implemented at a lower individual cost. This allows smaller processing facilities to invest in automation gradually rather than requiring a large upfront financial investment in a single complex automated system
Solution Approach 2:
By extracting the joint connection and handling each bone separately, the system enables the use of simpler, more cost-effective automated equipment for each stage rather than requiring expensive specialized equipment designed to handle articulated bones as a single unit
3Productivity
If meat is moved lengthwise of the first bone toward the joint, then meat collection efficiency is improved, but risk of leaving inedible remnants increases
Solution Approach 1:
The meat removal process is segmented into two distinct phases: first moving meat toward the joint along the lower leg bone, then severing the joint and removing meat from the upper leg bone. This segmentation allows each phase to optimize for its specific task, improving overall meat collection efficiency while maintaining precision through focused, task-specific equipment at each stage
Solution Approach 2:
By extracting and removing the joint connection between bones, the system eliminates the risk of leaving inedible bone fragments in the meat. The joint severing step ensures complete separation, allowing meat to be moved and collected efficiently without contamination from articulated bone structures
Data Source
AI summary
A method of automatically removing meat from an animal extremity that includes first and second bones articulated by a joint and surrounded by the meat. The method includes obtaining the animal extremity, holding the first bone at a free end thereof remote from the joint, separating the meat from the first bone while moving the meat lengthwise of the first bone in a direction toward the joint, and moving the meat just short of the joint. The method further includes severing the second bone from the first bone adjacent the joint, collecting the severed second bone with the meat attached thereto, holding the thus collected second bone at a distal end thereof and removing the meat from the second bone longitudinally thereof.