Processing apparatus for poultry that may include one or more transfer units placed intermediate and conveying poultry from a first line to a subsequent second line. The transfer means may include at least one magnet for inducing eddy currents in a circulating support that counteracts relative motion between the transfer means and the circulating support. The at least one magnet may be embodied with a series of alternating north-poles (+) and south-poles () facing the circulating support.

A clamping device for a bone-in limb meat according to an embodiment includes a pair of clamp pieces including a first clamp piece and a second clamp piece, and being openable/closable so as to hold a bone-in limb meat, and rotation suppressing portions for suppressing a rotation of the bone-in limb meat, the rotation suppressing portions being disposed at positions deviated with respect to the pair of clamp pieces in a direction perpendicular to a plane including an opening/closing direction of the pair of clamp pieces. The rotation suppressing portions include a projection portion disposed so as to protrude from the first clamp piece into a space between the pair of clamp pieces and configured to contact the bone-in limb meat when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the plane.

A loading system for bone-in limb meat according to an embodiment is a loading system for loading a bone-in limb meat to a processing portion, the loading system includes: an image capturing portion for capturing an image of the bone-in limb meat before being loaded to the processing portion; an image processing portion capable of acquiring orientation information of the bone-in thigh meat from the image of the bone-in limb meat captured by the image capturing portion; an openable/closable pair of clamp pieces for holding the bone-in limb meat; an arm supporting the pair of clamp pieces, and capable of controlling a position and orientation of the pair of clamp pieces; and a control portion controlling, based on the orientation information acquired by the image processing portion, an operation of the arm and thereby holding the bone-in limb meat, and loading the bone-in limb meat to the processing portion.

The invention relates to a transporting station (10), designed and configured for transporting fish transverse to their longitudinal extent in a transport direction T, comprising a conveying device (11) for transporting individual, separated fish in a lying position along a transport path T.sub.L from an entry region E of the conveying device (11) to an exit region A of the conveying device (11), wherein the conveying device (11) comprises a rotationally driven transport element (12) which is characterised in that the conveying device (11) is assigned a change-over device (13) which is designed and configured and is in operative connection with the conveying device (11), in such a manner that the fish can be transferred automatically from the lying position on the transport path T.sub.L of the conveying device (11) into a suspended position on a transport path T.sub.H of the change-over device (13). The invention is also concerned with a fish processing machine (47) having such a transporting station (10), and with a corresponding method.

A loading system for bone-in limb meat according to an embodiment is a loading system for loading a bone-in limb meat to a processing portion, the loading system includes: an image capturing portion for capturing an image of the bone-in limb meat before being loaded to the processing portion; an image processing portion capable of acquiring orientation information of the bone-in thigh meat from the image of the bone-in limb meat captured by the image capturing portion; an openable/closable pair of clamp pieces for holding the bone-in limb meat; an arm supporting the pair of clamp pieces, and capable of controlling a position and orientation of the pair of clamp pieces; and a control portion controlling, based on the orientation information acquired by the image processing portion, an operation of the arm and thereby holding the bone-in limb meat, and loading the bone-in limb meat to the processing portion.

A clamping device for a bone-in limb meat according to an embodiment includes a pair of clamp pieces including a first clamp piece and a second clamp piece, and being openable/closable so as to hold a bone-in limb meat, and rotation suppressing portions for suppressing a rotation of the bone-in limb meat, the rotation suppressing portions being disposed at positions deviated with respect to the pair of clamp pieces in a direction perpendicular to a plane including an opening/closing direction of the pair of clamp pieces. The rotation suppressing portions include a projection portion disposed so as to protrude from the first clamp piece into a space between the pair of clamp pieces and configured to contact the bone-in limb meat when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the plane.

A system and a method for automatic transfer of a carcass or carcass parts suspended from a first carrier to being suspended from a second carrier where at least one of the carriers is tilted at least during a part of the transfer. The carcass parts may be a half carcass that may have been eviscerated and cleaned. The first carrier may be an industry standard gambrel or a single carrier, for example a Euro Hook or a modified Euro Hook. The second carrier may be a single carrier, for example a Euro Hook, or a modified Euro Hook carrier.

A system and method are provided for processing poultry slaughter products, the system comprising a first transport line, running at a first speed, and comprising successive first product carriers spaced apart at a first distance, each configured to carry a respective one of the products, a second transport line, running at a second speed, and comprising successive second product carriers spaced apart at a second distance, each configured to carry a respective one of the products, and a product transfer device for successively transferring products from first to second product carriers. The product transfer device is configured such that it each time successively transfers a predefined plurality of products, wherein a location of transfer of a subsequent product of the plurality of products is each time more upstream or more downstream along the first transport line than the location of transfer of a previous product of the plurality of products.

A system and a method for automatic transfer of a carcass or carcass parts suspended from a first carrier to being suspended from a second carrier where at least one of the carriers is tilted at least during a part of the transfer. The carcass parts may be a half carcass that may have been eviscerated and cleaned. The first carrier may be an industry standard gambrel or a single carrier, for example a Euro Hook or a modified Euro Hook. The second carrier may be a single carrier, for example a Euro Hook, or a modified Euro Hook carrier.

Processing apparatus for poultry that may include one or more transfer units placed intermediate and conveying poultry from a first line to a subsequent second line. The transfer means may include at least one magnet for inducing eddy currents in a circulating support that counteracts relative motion between the transfer means and the circulating support. The at least one magnet may be embodied with a series of alternating north-poles (+) and south-poles () facing the circulating support.