Switchable Elastic Blade for Selective Cartilage Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated deboning systems for bone-in thigh meats do not efficiently switch between cutting cartilage from the bone part and leaving it with the bone part without manual intervention, as they lack a mechanism to selectively control the cutting of cartilage during the dismantling process.
Innovation Solution
A cartilage cutting device with a cutting blade on a conveying path, elastically supported by a switchable elastic support portion that can adjust between two forces, allowing the blade to either cut or not cut cartilage, and a pair of adjustable cutting blades that can position to sandwich the meat for extended cutting areas, enabling selective removal of cartilage without manual operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed cutting blade is used, then the cartilage can be cut reliably, but the device cannot switch between cutting and leaving cartilage attached
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting blade is made dynamically adjustable through an elastic support mechanism that allows the blade position and cutting force to be varied. The elastic support portion enables the blade to move between different positions and apply different cutting forces, allowing the system to switch between cutting the cartilage completely and leaving it attached, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic support portion changes the physical parameters of the cutting blade by providing variable elastic force. By adjusting the elastic support force between a first level (capable of cutting cartilage) and a second level (incapable of cutting cartilage), the system can switch between different processing modes while maintaining reliable operation in each mode
2Productivity
If manual operation is used to switch cartilage cutting, then flexibility is achieved, but labor efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic support mechanism is designed to automatically adjust the cutting blade's force and position based on the processing requirements. The system serves itself by using the elastic support portion to automatically switch between cutting and non-cutting modes without requiring manual intervention, thereby improving productivity while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting blade with elastic support serves multiple functions: it can completely cut the cartilage when needed, leave the cartilage attached when not needed, and automatically adapt to different processing requirements. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate manual operations while maintaining ease of use
3Reliability
If cutting force is increased to ensure cartilage cutting, then cutting reliability improves, but the ability to leave cartilage attached is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic support portion provides dynamic control over the cutting force applied by the blade. The system can adjust the cutting force from a high level (first elastic supporting force) that reliably cuts cartilage to a low level (second elastic supporting force) that leaves cartilage attached, allowing reliable operation in both modes depending on the required outcome
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
Enables efficient switching between leaving cartilage with the bone part and cutting it from the meat part automatically, improving the efficiency of the deboning process by allowing the cartilage cutting device to convey bone-in meat along a path and adjust the cutting force and position of the blades to achieve the desired outcome without manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic support portion (16) for elastically supporting the cutting blade (14)
Implementation Method 2
the elastic support portion (16) includes an air cylinder (30) elastically supporting the cutting blade (14), a pressurized-air supply channel (32) for supplying pressurized-air to the air cylinder (30)
Data Source
AI summary
A cartilage cutting device for a bone-in meat according to an embodiment includes a cutting blade disposed on a conveying path for a bone-in meat and an elastic support portion for elastically supporting the cutting blade so that the cutting blade can recede by a reaction force applied to the cutting blade when cutting the bone-in meat. The elastic support portion is configured such that an elastic supporting force of the elastic support portion is switchable between a first elastic supporting force and a second elastic supporting force. The first elastic supporting force is capable of cutting a cartilage adhering to a bone part of the bone-in meat. The second elastic supporting force is smaller than the first elastic supporting force and is incapable of cutting the cartilage.