Poultry Suspending Apparatus with Movable Positions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Suspending poultry for slaughter is a physically and mentally demanding task that can lead to load-related injuries, and existing methods do not adequately alleviate the heavy lifting work or ensure secure and gentle handling.
Innovation Solution
The method involves moving individual positions on a rotating or horizontal distribution surface upwards to align with overhead conveyor brackets, allowing for a downward movement that reduces the need for manual lifting, with fixing means adjusting to facilitate leg placement in the brackets, thereby reducing the risk of injury and improving handling security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual suspending methods are used, then poultry can be suspended in conveyor brackets, but the work is heavy and monotonous causing load injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the suspending operation into distinct phases: positioning poultry on the distribution surface, moving individual positions upward to align with brackets, and transferring to conveyor. This segmentation allows automated control of each phase, reducing manual lifting while maintaining suspension capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The distribution surface with movable individual positions acts as an intermediary between the incoming poultry stream and the overhead conveyor brackets. It temporarily holds poultry and facilitates transfer without requiring direct manual lifting to the brackets, thus reducing worker strain.
2Productivity
If poultry are manually lifted to brackets, then suspending is achieved, but the lifting work is heavy and stressful
Solution Approach 1:
The individual positions on the distribution surface are made vertically movable, allowing dynamic adjustment of height to match the overhead conveyor brackets. This enables automated lifting of poultry to bracket level, eliminating the need for workers to manually lift heavy poultry while maintaining high throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical lifting action is replaced by an automated vertical movement mechanism that raises the individual positions with poultry to the bracket level. This substitution eliminates the physical stress on workers while preserving the suspending function.
3Reliability
If fixed positions are used on distribution surface, then structure is simple, but gentle handling and secure suspending cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The distribution surface transitions from fixed to dynamically adjustable individual positions that can move vertically. This allows the system to adapt to different poultry sizes and bracket positions, ensuring secure and gentle handling while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus for suspending poultry to be slaughtered, in particular living or stunned chickens (16), in conveyor support holders, e.g. slaughter support holders (22) of an overhead conveyor, where the chickens e.g. by means of a belt conveyor (34) are delivered on a distribution surface (20), where the chickens (16) are successively guided or pushed outwards against the edge of the distribution surface (20) to individual positions (2) which are adapted to receive a chicken (16), which is e.g. disposed with the breast side downwards such that the legs (14) project from the edge of the said positions (2), where the legs (14) are fixed in fixing means (12) at the said positions (2), where the individual positions (2) are then successively moved upwards relative to the distribution surface (20) with the object of suspending the chickens (16) by a subsequent downward movement of the positions (2), e.g. at slaughtering brackets (22) of the overhead conveyor which runs above and spaced apart from the distribution surface (20) predominantly horizontally along a part length extending close past the distribution surface (20), and where the said positions (2) are subsequently moved downwardly again to the level of the distribution surface (20). By means of simple technical measures it hereby becomes possible to achieve a substantial alleviation of the heavy and monotonous lifting work such that the risk of load-associated injuries can be reduced correspondingly.