A METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A HALF PIG CARCASS PART HANGING FROM A CARRIER

Abstract

A system and a method for separating a middle portion of a half pig carcass, hanging from an overhead conveyor in a carrier, by cutting between the hip bone and the chine bone (backbone) and optionally between the tail bone and the hip bone, the cut causing a middle portion of the half pig carcass part to be partly separated from the remaining half pig carcass part via gravity. Further cutting the connection between the middle part of the half pig carcass part along a curve along the muscle defining the ham cut to separate the middle portion from the rest of the half pig carcass part causing the ham part of the half pig carcass part to remain hanging in the carrier.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A method of processing a half pig carcass part that is at least partly freely hanging from a carrier, which carrier engages the hind leg part of the half pig carcass part, comprising: detecting positions of bones in a rear portion of the half pig carcass part, identifying positions of the tail bone, the chine bone, and the hip bone, and based on the identified positions, cutting by a cutting device through a half pig carcass part portion between the hip bone and the chine bone, the cut causing a middle portion of the half pig carcass part to be partly separated from the remaining half pig carcass part via gravity.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cutting is through a joint.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cutting is between the hip bone and the sacral vertebrae and/or wherein the cutting is between the sacral vertebrae and the chine bone.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cutting is through the sacral iliac joint.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: performing a further cut through the spine.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: identifying the position between the tail bone and the hip bone, and performing a further cut between the tail bone and the hip bone.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the further cut is through a joint.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the step of: separating by the cutting device the half pig carcass portion connection between the middle part of the half pig carcass part along a curve along the muscle defining the ham cut to separate as much meat onto the middle portion as opposed to on the ham part, causing the ham part of the half pig carcass part to remain hanging in the carrier.

24. The method according to claim 16, wherein detecting positions of the bones in the rear portion of the half pig carcass part is performed by a detection apparatus.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the detection apparatus includes one or more of the following: a laser scanner for scanning and generating a three-dimensional image data of one and/or both sides of the half pig carcass part, a digital imaging device for capturing three-dimensional image data of one and/or both sides of the half pig carcass part, and an X-ray apparatus for capturing X-ray data indicating inner bone structure of the half pig carcass part including the positions of the ribs of the half pig carcass part.

26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising processing detected data using a control and processing unit connected to the detection apparatus to determine the positions of the tail bone, the chine bone, and the hip bone.

27. An apparatus for processing a half pig carcass part that is at least partly freely hanging from a carrier, which carrier engages the hind leg part of the half pig carcass part, comprising: a detection device for detecting positions of bones in a rear portion of the half pig carcass part, an identification device for identifying positions of the tail bone, the chine bone, and the hip bone, and based on the identified positions, a cutting device for cutting through a half pig carcass part portion between the hip bone and the chine bone, the cut causing a middle portion of the half pig carcass part to be partly separated from the remaining half pig carcass part via gravity.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the cutting device is arranged for cutting through a joint.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, the apparatus further comprising: the identification device being adapted to identify the position between the tail bone and the hip bone, and using this position information, the cutting device is adapted to perform a further cut between the tail bone and the hip bone.

30. Use of an apparatus according to claim 27, for processing a half pig carcass part that is at least partly freely hanging from a carrier.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a half carcass hanging from an overhead transfer system according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0042] FIG. 2a is a schematic side view showing the half carcass after the first cut has been made between the tail bone and the hip bone;

[0043] FIG. 2b is a schematic side view showing the half carcass after the first cut has been made between the tail bone and the hip bone and between the hip bone and the chine bone;

[0044] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the half carcass after the first cut and after a first part of the second cut;

[0045] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the half carcass after a second part of the second cut has been made and the middle portion is being separated from the rest of the carcass.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of skeletal bone parts from below the pig.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1, a pig half carcass 10, that advantageously has been eviscerated and cleaned, is hanging from a carrier 15 of an overhead transport system 20. The transport system is depicted as a simple single hook conveyor system, but may be any type of overhead transport system suitable of carrying and transporting a pig half carcass, utilizing any type of suitable carrier. There are several suitable known transport systems that may be used and that are well known to a person skilled in the art.

[0048] The half carcass 10 is hanging from the carrier 15 via a hole or opening 18 in a hind leg 25 of the carcass. The half carcass has a spine portion 35, which is visible after the splitting of the whole carcass along the spine in an earlier operation (not shown). Further, a number of bones are visible in the rear portion of the carcass: the tail bone 40 (caudal vertebrae 1 to 4), the chine bone 55 (lumbar vertebrae 7, where the depicted pig has 7 lumbar vertebrae), and the hip bone 45 (ilium).

[0049] To begin processing the half pig carcass part, at least one characteristic property of the half pig carcass 10 is detected using a detection apparatus 50, including positions of the tail bone 40, the chine bone 55, and the hip bone 45 of the half pig carcass part. The detection apparatus 50 may include one or more of the following:

a laser scanner for scanning and generating a three-dimensional image data of one and/or both sides of the half pig carcass 10,
a digital imaging device for capturing three-dimensional image data of one and/or both sides of the half pig carcass 10, and
an X-ray apparatus for capturing X-ray data indicating inner bone structure of the half pig carcass 10 including the positions of the bones of the half pig carcass.

[0050] The resulting data, e.g. X-ray data, is processed using the control and processing unit 60 connected to the detection apparatus 50 to determine the positions of the bones. Based on the determined positions, the reference points A (joint between tail bone and hip bone) and B (joint between hip bone and chine bone) may be determined. All this data, in particular the reference points A and B, may then be stored in a memory of a control and processing apparatus 60. The positions may be marked directly on the pig carcass. Marking may be done using a visible light beam (not shown) or edible dye (or any other form of indication) to e.g. inform an operator, or automatic cutting device, of where to begin the first cut. It may be understood that the ‘first cut’ may be referring to a process comprising several (first) cuts, such as a first part of the first cut and a second part of the first cut.

[0051] Before the first cut on the bones is made, at least the head (top) of the tenderloin (not shown) has to be cut free, optionally the entire tenderloin may be removed in this step.

[0052] In an embodiment, the first cut is made by a cutting device 70 having a cutting blade 75, where the cut is through the joints marked by reference points A and B, such as the first part of the first cut being the cut through the joint marked by reference point A (such as between the tail bone and the hip bone, such as between the hip bone (ilium) and the sacral vertebrae) and the second part of the first cut being the cut through the joint marked by reference point B (such as between the hip bone and the chine bone, such as between the sacral vertebrae and the chine bone). Note that the joint marked by reference point B is marked with a dashed line indicating that the joint is behind the ilium (relative to the observer in the present side view). The cut, such as the first cut, such as the first part of the first cut, causes a middle portion 80 of the half carcass part 10 to be partly separated from the remaining ham of the half pig carcass 10 via gravity. The first cut may be made automatically, for instance using a robot arm carrying the cutting blade, or manually where an operator makes the cut using the cutting blade. FIG. 2a shows the situation after the first cut, such as (only) the first part of the first cut (which in FIG. 2a is through the joint between the hip bone (ilium) and the sacral vertebrae), has been made, where via gravity, a natural separation occurs between the tail bone 40 and the hip bone 45 (such as the entire hip bone). FIG. 2a also shows the sacrum 90 (the sacral vertebrae), which was in FIG. 1 hidden beneath the hip bone 45. The tail bone is thus cut free of the ham part and is attached to the spine 35 to still being a part of the middle part. In a further embodiment, FIG. 2b shows the situation after the first cut, such as the first part of the first cut and the second part of the first cut, has been made, where via gravity, a natural separation occurs between the tail bone 40 and the hip bone 45, and the hip bone 45 and the chine bone 55. The tail bone is then separated from the chine bone by the cutting device. Thus, here the tail bone has been cut free of both the ham part as well as the middle part.

[0053] It is noted that according to an alternative embodiment, the sequence of the first part of the first cut and the second part of the first cut could have been reversed.

[0054] According to another alternative embodiment, the first cut comprises cutting by a cutting device through a half pig carcass part portion between the hip bone and the chine bone, the cut causing a middle portion of the half pig carcass part to be partly separated from the remaining half pig carcass part via gravity. This first cut could correspond to any one or both of the first part of the first cut and the second part of the first cut as described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2B. According to a further embodiment (with respect to this other embodiment), the method is further comprising performing a further cut between the tail bone and the hip bone.

[0055] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, a first part 65 of a second cut may be made by the cutting blade 75 to separate the carcass connection between the ham part of the half pig carcass part and to a back of the half pig carcass part. The cut is routed such that a maximum yield of meat remains with the middle portion.

[0056] Similarly, as is shown in FIG. 4, a second part 66 of the second cut may be made along a curve along the muscle defining the ham to fully separate the middle portion 80 from the rest of the half pig carcass part 10 causing the ham part of the half pig carcass part to remain hanging in the carrier. The cut is routed such that a maximum yield of meat remains with the middle portion. This portion cut off the ham part and left on the middle part is generally referred to as the flank. The middle portion 80 falls to a collection device (not shown) for further processing.

[0057] It should be noted that the sequence of the steps in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be reversed. Furthermore, the flank cut described above may be performed before the cutting of the tail bone.

[0058] FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of skeletal bone parts from below the pig (where both sides are included for clarity) including a part of the hip bone (ilium) 45 (where the lower part—in the figure—is left out so as not to cover the caudal part of the sacrum and caudal vertebrae), the last (in a caudal direction) four lumbar vertebrae 92 and the chine bone 55, the sacrum 90 (sacral vertebrae) and caudal vertebrae 1-4. The figure furthermore shows the joints marked by reference points A and B (as in FIG. 1), such as joint A between the hip bone (ilium) 45 and the sacral vertebrae 90 and joint B between the sacral vertebrae 90 and the chine bone 55.

[0059] The above description of possible embodiments of the present invention should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention. Factors such as cost, mechanical stability and weight of components will dictate what solution is chosen for each case.

CLAUSES

[0060] There is furthermore presented a method of processing a half pig carcass part that is at least partly freely hanging from a carrier, and an apparatus for processing a half pig carcass part that is at least partly freely hanging from a carrier according to the clauses below, which clauses may be combined with any of the preceding claims and/or any of the appended claims:

[0061] 1. A method of processing a half pig carcass part that is at least partly freely hanging from a carrier, which carrier engages the hind leg part of the half pig carcass part, comprising:

detecting at least one characteristic property of the half pig carcass part including positions of the bones in a rear portion of the half pig carcass part,
identifying positions of the tail bone (caudal vertebrae 1 to 4), the chine bone (lumbar vertebrae 7), and the hip bone (ilium), and based on the identified positions,
cutting by a cutting device through a half pig carcass part portion between the hip bone and the chine bone (backbone), the cut causing a middle portion of the half pig carcass part to be partly separated from the remaining half pig carcass part via gravity.

[0062] 2. The method according to clause 1, further comprising:

identifying the position between the tail bone and the hip bone, and
performing a further cut between the tail bone and the hip bone.

[0063] 3. The method according to clause 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

separating by the cutting device the half pig carcass portion connection between the middle part of the half pig carcass part along a curve along the muscle defining the ham cut to separate as much meat onto the middle portion as opposed to on the ham part, causing the ham part of the half pig carcass part to remain hanging in the carrier.

[0064] 4. The method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein detecting the at least one characteristic property of a half pig carcass part including positions of the bones in the rear portion of the half pig carcass part is performed by a detection apparatus.

[0065] 5. The method according to clause 4, wherein the detection apparatus includes one or more of the following:

a laser scanner for scanning and generating a three-dimensional image data of one and/or both sides of the half pig carcass part,
a digital imaging device for capturing three-dimensional image data of one and/or both sides of the half pig carcass part, and
an X-ray apparatus for capturing X-ray data indicating inner bone structure of the half pig carcass part including the positions of the ribs of the half pig carcass part.

[0066] 6. The method according to clauses 4 or 5, further comprising processing detected data using a control and processing unit connected to the detection apparatus to determine the positions of the tail bone (caudal vertebrae 1 to 4), the chine bone (lumbar vertebrae 7), and the hip bone (ilium).

[0067] 7. An apparatus for processing a half pig carcass part that is at least partly freely hanging from a carrier, which carrier engages the hind leg part of the half pig carcass part, comprising:

a detection device for detecting at least one characteristic property of the half pig carcass part including positions of the bones in a rear portion of the half pig carcass part,
an identification device for identifying positions of the tail bone (caudal vertebrae 1 to 4), the chine bone (lumbar vertebrae 7), and the hip bone (ilium), and based on the identified positions,
a cutting device for cutting through a half pig carcass part portion between the hip bone and the chine bone (backbone), the cut causing a middle portion of the half pig carcass part to be partly separated from the remaining half pig carcass part via gravity.

[0068] 8. The apparatus of clause 7, the apparatus further comprising:

the identification device being adapted to identify the position between the tail bone and the hip bone, and using this position information, the cutting device is adapted to perform a further cut between the tail bone and the hip bone.