Skinning Device Tooth Roll Arc Support Fat Accumulation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing skinning devices for animal carcasses face issues such as blockages due to fat and skin accumulation, leading to reduced efficiency and increased risk of operator injury, and struggle with effective fat removal, resulting in lower throughput and potential damage to the device.

Innovation Solution

A skinning device with a motor-driven tooth roll and arc-shaped support structure that minimizes fat and skin accumulation between tooth wheels, featuring strippers and an internal gearing system, allowing for efficient skin removal with reduced fat content and enhanced operator safety, and the ability to remove fat efficiently by using a single tooth roll and elongated cutting blade.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a hand-held skinner with tooth roll assembly is used for removing skin from animal carcasses, then skin removal capability is achieved, but fat and skin accumulate in the recesses and space between tooth roll members causing blocking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveskin removal capabilityVSAvoidblocking during processing
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the harmful accumulation zones by designing the tooth roll members without recesses and with minimized spaces between them. The cutting blade is positioned to closely follow the tooth roll members, eliminating the gaps where fat and skin would otherwise accumulate and cause blocking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The tooth roll members are segmented with teeth arranged in circumferentially extending and axially spaced apart rows, creating a structured surface that prevents continuous accumulation zones while maintaining skin gripping capability. This segmentation allows skin to be grasped and pulled without creating large recesses for fat accumulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If a more powerful motor is implemented to solve the blocking problem, then blocking is reduced, but the motor becomes heavier and more costly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveblocking preventionVSAvoidmotor weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the root cause of blocking by eliminating recesses and accumulation zones through redesigned tooth roll members, rather than adding more power to combat the blocking. This extraction of the problem source allows continuation with the original motor specification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The skinning device design allows skin and fat to be naturally guided away from accumulation zones by the geometry of the tooth roll members and cutting blade arrangement, eliminating the need for additional motor power to prevent blocking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If the internal arrangement between cutting blade and tooth roll assembly is maintained, then skin removal is achieved, but too much fat is removed with the skin reducing throughput

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveskin removal processVSAvoidfat removal with skin
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by having the cutting blade closely follow the contour of each tooth roll member individually, creating a precise cutting path that separates skin from fat at the local level. This ensures skin is removed cleanly without excessive fat being pulled along with it.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting blade is positioned to dynamically adapt to the shape and rotation of the tooth roll members, maintaining optimal contact and cutting angle throughout the rotation. This dynamic arrangement ensures consistent skin-fat separation efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Ease of repair

If the drive system is exposed for easy access, then maintenance is easier, but the drive becomes contaminated with tendons and sinews lowering motor power

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrive system accessibilityVSAvoidmotor contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent nests the drive system within the housing structure, placing the air motor and tooth roll assembly in a contained configuration. This nesting protects the drive components from external contamination while maintaining accessibility through designated access points for maintenance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

5Ease of manufacture

If the tooth roll has teeth only at the ends, then manufacturing is simpler, but the tooth roll has less grip in the middle and the knife may become damaged

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetooth roll constructionVSAvoidgrip and support in middle
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The tooth roll members are constructed with teeth distributed in circumferentially extending and axially spaced apart rows, segmenting the gripping function along the entire length of the tooth roll. This segmentation provides continuous grip and support throughout, preventing knife damage while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3827668A1A skinning device and method for removing skin from an animal carcass
Publication Date: 2021.06.02 MAREL RED MEAT BV
  • EP3827668A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3827668A1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP3827668A1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

This invention relates to a skinning device for removing skin from an animal carcass, where the skinning device has a housing, a manipulation arm extending from the housing, an cutting blade, a motor driven tooth roll mounted on the housing having plurality of tooth wheels arranged in axially spaced apart arrangement such that the space between adjacent tooth wheels has a pre-set distance. The tooth wheels have circumferentially arranged teeth projecting outwardly therefrom adapted to grab the skin with the circumferentially arranged teeth and pull it towards the cutting blade. The hand-held meat skinning device further includes a support structure mounted on the housing arranged in proximity to the tooth roll. The support structure is shaped such that at least a portion of the side of the support structure facing the tooth roll has arc-shaped contour essentially following the tooth roll. The support structure is rigidly fixed in relation to the tooth roll and is adapted to engage the skin while the skin is simultaneously being pulled off the carcass. The strippers are arranged in the space of pre-set distance and circumferentially surround at least a space portion where the arc-shaped contour essentially follows the tooth roll.