Scapula Harvester with Spring-Loaded Back Knives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for harvesting scapula bones from poultry carcasses are either fully manual, inefficient, or result in scapula bones being harvested with excessive, high-value meat that is not optimally attached, leading to suboptimal yield and quality.
Innovation Solution
A scapula harvester equipped with back knives and release hooks that work concertedly, where back knives fix the carcass in position and release hooks detach the scapula bones with an upwardly directed edge for self-adjustment to different carcass sizes, combined with scraping plates to remove excess meat, ensuring accurate and reliable harvesting with a high yield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual harvesting method is used, then labor flexibility is maintained, but productivity is low and harvesting accuracy is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The harvesting device is divided into distinct functional modules: back knives for cutting, scraping plates for meat removal, and release hooks for detachment. Each module performs a specific operation in sequence, enabling automated high-speed harvesting while maintaining operational clarity and ease of maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The back knives are spring-loaded to dynamically adjust and maintain contact with the poultry spine during operation. This dynamic positioning ensures consistent cutting accuracy across varying carcass sizes and movements, improving both productivity and precision without requiring complex active control systems.
2Productivity
If automated harvesting is implemented, then productivity increases, but manufacturing precision of harvest quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The scraping plates perform preliminary meat removal from the spine area before the release hooks detach the scapula bones. This preliminary action prevents excessive meat from being harvested with the bones, ensuring that high-value meat remains attached to the breast fillets while the scapula bones retain an appreciable amount of meat, achieving consistent harvest quality at high speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the harvesting device have specialized functions optimized for local requirements: back knives for precise cutting along the spine, scraping plates for selective meat removal in specific zones, and release hooks for targeted bone detachment. This local optimization ensures high-quality harvest results while maintaining automated productivity.
3Manufacturing precision
If fixed-position cutting is used, then harvesting accuracy improves, but adaptability to different carcass sizes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded back knives provide dynamic positioning that automatically adapts to different carcass sizes and shapes. The spring mechanism allows the knives to maintain optimal contact pressure and position along the spine regardless of variations in poultry anatomy, achieving both cutting accuracy and size adaptability in a single fixed-position configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The upwardly directed edge on the release hooks provides a self-seeking property that automatically guides the hooks to the correct release position on the scapula bones. This self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for complex positioning systems while maintaining consistent harvest accuracy across different carcass sizes.
4Quantity of substance
If excessive meat is harvested with scapula bones, then yield increases, but product value deteriorates due to loss of high-value breast meat
Solution Approach 1:
The scraping plates remove excess meat from the spine and surrounding areas before the scapula bones are detached. This preliminary removal ensures that only an appreciable, appropriate amount of meat remains on the scapula bones, preventing the loss of high-value breast meat while maintaining acceptable yield quantities.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraping plates are positioned and configured to selectively remove meat from specific zones around the spine and scapula attachment areas, while leaving sufficient meat on the scapula bones themselves. This localized meat management optimizes the distribution of meat value across different product components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables precise and efficient harvesting of scapula bones with an appreciable amount of meat attached, maintaining high yield and quality across various poultry carcass sizes, while automatically adjusting to different sizes and optimizing meat retention.
Implementation Method 1
the back knives are spring-loaded so as to at all times closely locate the back knives near to the spine of the poultry carcass
Data Source
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AI summary
Scapula harvester (10) for operating on a poultry carcass (1), comprising instruments (2, 4, 5) for breaking tissue connections and for harvesting scapula bones (6) that connect to the poultry carcass, wherein the instruments comprise back knives (2) and release hooks (5) that are arranged to operate concertedly such that the back knives (2) cut along and eventually assume a stationary position adjacent to the poultry spine for fixing the poultry carcass in position with the scapula bones (6) directed upwards, and that the release hooks (5) execute a down and up movement while the back knives (2) are stationary, wherein during the up movement the release hooks (5) detach the scapula bones (6) from the poultry carcass so as to harvest the scapula.