Segmented Round Blade for Poultry Knee-Joint Slicing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing meat part separating devices face challenges in accurately cutting tendons and fascia near knee joints of poultry leg meat, leading to reduced yield and quality issues due to blade deviation and potential blade chipping or residual bones in the meat.
Innovation Solution
A round blade design with alternating blade and non-blade surfaces on its outer periphery, allowing for controlled slicing without cutting into the core part of the workpiece, combined with a slicing device that moves in a direction intersecting the slicing direction to manage complex bone structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a round blade with uniform blade surface is used to cut tendons and fascia, then the cutting function is simple, but the cutting position control precision deteriorates leading to reduced meat yield and quality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The round blade is divided into multiple blade surfaces (first, second, third blade surfaces) with different orientations and functions around the rotation axis. Each blade surface is responsible for cutting in specific directions, allowing precise control of the cutting path around the knee joint without requiring high positioning accuracy of a single uniform blade.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the round blade are designed with different blade surface orientations and properties. The first blade surface cuts in the rotation axis direction, the second blade surface cuts in the radial direction, and the third blade surface provides additional cutting capability. This local differentiation allows each part of the blade to perform its specific cutting function optimally.
2Productivity
If the round blade is lightly pressed against the bone part to continuously slice meat, then slicing continuity is improved, but the blade edge may cut into cartilage or hard bones causing chipping and residual bones in meat
Solution Approach 1:
The round blade rotates continuously during the slicing process, dynamically engaging different blade surfaces with the meat and bone at different positions. This rotational dynamics allows the blade to continuously slice meat while the alternating contact between blade edges and bone surfaces prevents any single edge from cutting into hard cartilage or bone, thereby maintaining blade edge integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating round blade periodically brings different blade surfaces into contact with the workpiece. As the blade rotates, each blade surface alternately engages and disengages from the meat and bone, creating a periodic cutting action that continuously slices meat while preventing the blade edge from consistently cutting into hard cartilage or bone structures.
3Productivity
If the cutting position deviates from the appropriate position, then extra meat remains on the bone reducing yield, but adjusting position control increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting task is segmented into multiple blade surfaces with different orientations, each handling cutting in different directions. This segmentation distributes the cutting function across multiple surfaces, reducing the need for precise positioning control of a single blade edge and simplifying the overall position control system while maintaining high meat yield.
Data Source
AI summary
In a round blade for slicing, a plurality of blade surfaces each having an arc shape and centered on a rotation center of a round blade main body are disposed to be spaced apart from each other on an outer peripheral portion of the round blade main body. A non-blade surface portion is disposed between the adjacent blade surfaces on an outer peripheral portion of the round blade main body. An outer end portion of the non-blade surface portion in a radial direction is located radially inward with respect to an outer end portion of the blade surface in the radial direction.