A method of separating a poultry leg into its constituent thigh and drumstick includes bending the leg at the knee to impart stress to the tissue surrounding the knee knuckle and urge the end of the drumstick bone away from the end of the thigh bone. Further stress is imparted and the bones are further urged apart by pushing the top of the drumstick in a direction opposite the knee. The tissue above the knee is then pushed up and the tissue below the knee is pushed down to maximize tension in the tissue and move the ends of the bones apart as far as possible without tearing the tissue. The tissue at the knee is then progressively sliced by a rotary cutter. The initial slice relieves tension in the tissue causing it to pull apart and move the ends of the bones further apart. The slice is then completed between the now spaced apart ends of the bones to separate the thigh from the drumstick without producing bone shards and splinters that can contaminate the meat of the thigh and the drumstick. An apparatus for performing the method is disclosed.

A method of separating a poultry leg into its constituent thigh and drumstick includes bending the leg at the knee to impart stress to the tissue surrounding the knee knuckle and urge the end of the drumstick bone away from the end of the thigh bone. Further stress is imparted and the bones are further urged apart by pushing the top of the drumstick in a direction opposite the knee. The tissue above the knee is then pushed up and the tissue below the knee is pushed down to maximize tension in the tissue and move the ends of the bones apart as far as possible without tearing the tissue. The tissue at the knee is then progressively sliced by a rotary cutter. The initial slice relieves tension in the tissue causing it to pull apart and move the ends of the bones further apart. The slice is then completed between the now spaced apart ends of the bones to separate the thigh from the drumstick without producing bone shards and splinters that can contaminate the meat of the thigh and the drumstick. An apparatus for performing the method is disclosed.

A poultry breast deboning apparatus and method for guiding a plurality of poultry combinations that have a breast and attached wings, the apparatus including a transport assembly with carts mounted to a drive system. Each of the carts has an opening to receive one of the wings of each combination. Moveable cutters are disposed adjacent the transport assembly for seating against the carts for severing tissue connecting the wings and the breast. Moveable bars are biased to urge the wings into the cart openings.

A system for measuring physical properties of a workpiece in motion which includes a conveyance assembly for conveying the workpiece, a scanning assembly for scanning the workpiece, and a measurement assembly for measuring at least one physical property of the workpiece while the workpiece is in motion.

A carcass separation assembly may include a first blade assembly configured to separate a first breast muscle from at least one of wish bone, a rib bone, and a fan bone on a first side of a poultry carcass as the poultry carcass moves downstream passed the first blade assembly. The carcass separation assembly may further include a first tensioning assembly configured to support a first wing of the poultry carcass in a spaced apart relationship relative to the first breast muscle as the poultry carcass moves downstream passed the first blade assembly.

A poultry leg meat slit-forming device includes: an ankle holding part configured to hold an ankle of bone-in poultry leg meat cut from a femur of a poultry carcass; a blade unit having a slit-forming blade; an inserting driving part configured to drive the blade unit such that an blade tip of the slit-forming blade is inserted into the poultry leg meat along an opposite side with respect to a kneecap in a tibia among the poultry leg meat held on the ankle holding part; and a leg meat pressing part configured to elastically press a surface of the poultry leg meat from a side of the kneecap.

The invention relates to a method for cutting open a slaughtered animal, in particular fowl, which is suspended with its legs from a suspension hook of a conveyor, in particular, but not limited to, making an incision in the belly of a slaughtered bird, wherein the method comprises the step of making a first incision in the skin of the slaughtered animal, which first incision extends substantially in a first direction of the slaughtered animal.

A system and method for measuring a shoulder joint position of a carcass part of slaughtered poultry are disclosed. The system includes a position measurement device, having a mechanical contact member which is adapted to engage at least one shoulder joint during a measurement of the shoulder joint position, and a product carrier which is adapted to support the carcass part during movement of the product carrier along the conveying path past the position measurement device. The position of the product carrier during the measurement of the shoulder joint position is such that the carcass part is arranged relative to the position measurement device with the left shoulder joint and right shoulder joint one behind the other as seen in the transport direction so as to allow the mechanical contact member to engage a shoulder joint bone structure of a shoulder joint.

A system and method for separating breast meat from at least a part of a keel bone of a carcass part of slaughtered poultry includes a product carrier and a pair of breast meat cutter blades adapted to make an incision along the keel bone in the longitudinal direction of the keel bone. The breast meat cutter blades are moveable relative to each other between and open position and a closed position. The system further includes a blade actuator, which comprises a closing assembly to apply a biasing force to the breast meat cutter blades to bias the breast meat cutter blades towards the closed position, and an opening assembly to apply an opening force to the breast meat cutter blades to hold the breast meat cutter blades in the open position.

Method and apparatus (1, 11) for longitudinally cutting poultry legs along a contour defined by an inwardly extending bone structure. The method comprises the steps of, and the apparatus (1, 11) having means (25) for, suspending at least one poultry leg at its ankle joint, and conveying the thus suspended poultry leg along a predefined path of conveyance (21). At least one cutting unit (1) with a directionable knife (73) is provided in the predefined path of conveyance (21). The at least one poultry leg is positioning such that it is lined-up for a longitudinal cutting engagement by the directionable knife (73), and the directionable knife (73) is brought into cutting engagement with the thus positioned poultry leg. During cutting engagement, position and cutting direction of the directionable knife are continuously adjusted to follow the contour defined by the bone structure of the poultry leg, while the positioned poultry leg is conveyed past the directionable knife (73).