Poultry Viscera Separation Guide Assembly with Engagement Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current poultry slaughtering systems face challenges in precisely separating the gallbladder from the liver at high processing speeds without contaminating edible parts, often resulting in either gallbladder remnants on the liver or liver tissue being cut off with non-edible parts.
Innovation Solution
A method and system involving a guide assembly with a movable guide member and engagement member that keeps the gizzard on one side of the elongated opening until it rests on a separation support surface, ensuring proper orientation and separation of viscera sets, combined with a gripping member to aid in the positioning and separation of intestines and gallbladder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If processing speed is increased to improve productivity, then throughput increases, but separation precision deteriorates resulting in gallbladder contamination or liver waste
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement member performs preliminary action by engaging the gizzard before the guide member moves to its second position, ensuring the gizzard is positioned correctly in advance. This preliminary positioning prevents misalignment during high-speed operation and ensures accurate separation without contamination or waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement member acts as an intermediary between the viscera set and the guide member, temporarily holding and positioning the gizzard. This intermediary component facilitates smooth transfer and precise positioning, maintaining separation precision even at increased processing speeds.
2Device complexity
If the guide member is stationary to simplify the structure, then device complexity decreases, but separation precision deteriorates as viscera sets cannot be properly oriented
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member is made dynamic by enabling it to move between a first position (where the elongated opening is accessible) and a second position (where separation occurs). This dynamic positioning allows the system to achieve precise viscera orientation and separation while maintaining relatively simple overall device structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If the engagement member projects into the elongated opening to improve gizzard positioning, then separation precision improves, but the risk of pinching viscera sets increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement member projects partially into the elongated opening rather than fully blocking it. This partial projection provides sufficient engagement with the gizzard for precise positioning while leaving enough space to avoid pinching the viscera sets during the separation process.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method, a guide assembly and a system for separating poultry viscera sets suspended from a viscera holder. In the method a guide member is moved so that said viscera set is arranged in an elongated opening of the guide member with the intestines and the gallbladder suspended below said guide member and the liver and gizzard positioned above it. The intestines and the gallbladder are then separated from the remaining viscera set while said liver rests on a first part of a separation support surface and said gizzard on a second part on the opposite side of an elongated opening. Before the separtion, the viscera set is brought into contact with an engagement member so that the gizzard is kept on the one side of the elongated opening at least until coming into contact with the separation support surface.