A system and a method for automatically loosening or removing shoulder blades from shoulders of animal carcasses includes a holding means operably connected to transport means, and is provided for securing a shoulder selected from the shoulders at the leg portion and transporting the shoulder in a transport direction. A separator means is provided including an elongated separation section arranged to abut the shoulder blade as the shoulder blade is transported past the elongated separation section. The elongated separation section is positioned at an angle relative to the transport direction of the shoulder such that an increasing pulling force is obtained onto the shoulder blade until the shoulder blade is either loosened or separated from the shoulder.

A bone removal device for a chicken bonjiri includes a rotating conveyor mechanism that moves a plurality of receivers which are arrayed in a circumferential direction about a center of a disc taken as a support shaft, intermittently at a constant speed in a horizontal direction and rotates; a holder of a stamping punch mechanism that stamps and removes a coccyx in each of the bonjiris, which are mounted on the receivers, from the bonjiri in a state where this rotating conveyor mechanism is stopped; and an arm of a processed meat delivery mechanism that carries the bonjiri, from which such a bone is removed, out to the device by reversing each of the receivers.

Scapula harvester for operating on a poultry carcass including instruments for breaking tissue connections and for harvesting scapula bones that connect to the poultry carcass. The instruments may include back knives and release hooks arranged to operate concertedly such that the back knives cut along and eventually assume a stationary position adjacent to the poultry spine for fixing the poultry carcass in position with the scapula bones directed upwards. The release hooks may execute a down and up movement while the back knives are stationary, wherein during the up movement the release hooks detach the scapula bones from the poultry carcass so as to harvest the scapula.

A bone-meat separator includes a chassis, a driving mechanism, a transmission shaft, a spiral shaft, a feed hopper, a pressurization portion and a bone-meat separation portion. In this design, a separation spiral shaft portion is a conical spiral shaft; the bone-meat separation portion is a conical component coaxially sheathed on the periphery of the separation spiral shaft portion, and an inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion is in clearance fit with an outer wall of the separation spiral shaft portion. With regard to the bone-meat separator, since the inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion and the outer wall of the spiral shaft are always in a stable clearance fit state, the service life is improved.

A bone-meat separator includes a chassis, a driving mechanism, a transmission shaft, a spiral shaft, a feed hopper, a pressurization portion and a bone-meat separation portion. In this design, a separation spiral shaft portion is a conical spiral shaft; the bone-meat separation portion is a conical component coaxially sheathed on the periphery of the separation spiral shaft portion, and an inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion is in clearance fit with an outer wall of the separation spiral shaft portion. With regard to the bone-meat separator, since the inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion and the outer wall of the spiral shaft are always in a stable clearance fit state, the service life is improved.

A method and system for adjusting operation of a meat processing machine on the floor of a meat processing plant which is controlled by a PLC away from the machine. An operator at the meat processing machine is provided a digital display of pre-selected operating parameters related to the meat processing machine. The operator can adjust one or more of the pre-selected operation parameters on the display. The adjustments are communicated to the PLC, allowing real-time control of a remotely positioned PLC to minimize need of operator to have to physically walk between machine and the PLC in a remote room. In one form, the communications are via IP protocol between a web-server at the PLC and the portable digital display on a web-enabled tablet computer.

A method is disclosed of mechanically deboning animal thighs for separating and collecting meat there from and an apparatus and an alternative apparatus for performing the method, including automated individual processing steps. The processing steps include: grasping a thigh bone of an animal thigh at a hip knuckle with a bone holder; cutting tissue near the hip knuckle; and engaging the thigh bone adjacent the bone holder with a meat stripper. The processing steps further include: moving the bone holder and meat stripper away from one another in a direction substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extend of the thigh bone; allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle; and collecting the meat separated from the bone. In particular the method includes and each of the apparatuses perform the process step of cutting tissue adjacent a knee knuckle of the thigh bone, prior to allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle. The apparatuses include a plurality of processing stations for carrying out the individual steps, and the processing stations are arranged along a path of conveyance defined by a conveyor chain moving through a predefined path.

A method is disclosed of mechanically deboning animal thighs for separating and collecting meat there from and an apparatus and an alternative apparatus for performing the method, including automated individual processing steps. The processing steps include: grasping a thigh bone of an animal thigh at a hip knuckle with a bone holder; cutting tissue near the hip knuckle; and engaging the thigh bone adjacent the bone holder with a meat stripper. The processing steps further include: moving the bone holder and meat stripper away from one another in a direction substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extend of the thigh bone; allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle; and collecting the meat separated from the bone. In particular the method includes and each of the apparatuses perform the process step of cutting tissue adjacent a knee knuckle of the thigh bone, prior to allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle. The apparatuses include a plurality of processing stations for carrying out the individual steps, and the processing stations are arranged along a path of conveyance defined by a conveyor chain moving through a predefined path.

A method, arrangement and apparatus are provided for training at least one neural network for locating bony parts present in a poultry leg. The method includes the steps: conveying the poultry legs in a conveying direction by a conveying device; acquiring digital images of the front side or back side of each of the poultry legs conveyed past the imaging system by a first optical imaging system; sequentially providing the digital images as input data to a first neural network configured for locating the bony parts, wherein the first neural network for locating the bony parts has been trained by a described method; and determining position data of the bony parts by the first neural network; and providing the position data, for display and/or transmission, to a downstream machine for processing the poultry legs on the basis of the determined position data.

A meat stripper is disclosed for stripping meat from the bone of an animal part. The meat stripper includes a slide block and a first stripper plate assembly including an arm pivotally mounted to the slide block and having a first stripper plate at an opposite end. A second stripper plate assembly including an arm is pivotally mounted to the slide block and has a second stripper plate at an opposite end with the second stripper plate opposing the first stripper plate. The first and second stripper plates move away from each other to open the meat stripper when the arms are pivoted apart and move toward each other to surround the bone when the arms are pivoted together. A mechanism is disclosed for moving the stripper plates along the length of the bone to strip meat from the bone. A mechanism also is disclosed for articulating at least one of the stripper plates after meat has been stripped from the bone in such a way that meat lodged in or on the stripper is dislodged and falls to a collection location below. In one example, the pivot plate pivots to dislodge the meat and is magnetically biased to a stripping position.