Poultry Wishbone Separator with Segmented Cutter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for separating the wishbone from a poultry carcass often result in parts of the hypocledium remaining in the breast meat, due to inefficiencies in cutting techniques that cause the wishbone to shift during processing, leading to inaccurate cutting positions and bone splinters in the meat.
Innovation Solution
A wishbone separator device with a primary wishbone cutter featuring a triangular front cutter portion and a wishbone limb cutter portion, where the cutting of the limbs is delayed until after the separation of the hypocledium from the meat, ensuring the wishbone remains anatomically positioned, and secondary wishbone knives with adjustable cutting paths to minimize bone splinters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the limbs of the wishbone are cut through before separating the hypocledium from the meat, then the cutting process is simplified, but the wishbone shifts during processing causing inaccurate cutting positions and bone splinters in the meat
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by first separating the hypocledium from the adjacent meat using the front cutter portion before cutting the limbs. This preliminary separation stabilizes the wishbone structure, preventing shifting during subsequent limb cutting operations, thereby maintaining cutting position accuracy while preserving processing efficiency
2Productivity
If the primary wishbone knife cuts through the limbs early in the process, then the cutting sequence is optimized, but friction between the knife and poultry carcass causes the wishbone to move to a more forward position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the hypocledium separation as a preliminary action before limb cutting, which stabilizes the wishbone in its anatomical position. This prevents the wishbone from moving forward during the cutting process due to friction, while still maintaining an optimized cutting sequence for productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The primary wishbone cutter is segmented into distinct functional portions: a front cutter portion for hypocledium separation and limb cutter portions for limb cutting. This segmentation allows the different cutting actions to be performed in the optimal sequence, first stabilizing the wishbone then cutting the limbs, resolving the contradiction between productivity and stability
3Reliability
If secondary wishbone knives are used to separate the wishbone from meat on the outside of the limbs, then complete separation is achieved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple cutting actions into a single primary wishbone cutter assembly with coordinated front and limb cutter portions. This integration achieves complete separation reliability while reducing device complexity compared to using separate secondary knives, as the unified cutter operates in a coordinated sequence to accomplish all separation tasks
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention pertains to a wishbone separator device for separating a wishbone (1) from a poultry carcass. A secondary wishbone knives actuator assembly (120) is adapted to prescribe a secondary cutting path for each of the secondary wishbone knives (111) relative to the poultry carcass. The secondary cutting paths extend between a first position outside the poultry carcass and a second position inside the poultry carcass, adjacent to the wishbone and outside of the limb of the wishbone. The secondary wishbone knives actuator assembly has a small carcass mode and a large carcass mode, and the secondary cutting path that is prescribed when the secondary wishbone knives actuator assembly is in the small carcass mode differs from the secondary cutting path that is prescribed when the secondary wishbone knives actuator assembly is in the large carcass mode.