Device and method for conveying bone-in meat and deboning system of bone-in meat including the device
First Claim
1. A device for conveying bone-in meat which raises the bone-in meat from an arm part or a thigh part of a livestock carcass from a horizontally placed state and moves the bone-in meat to a clamp capable of suspending the bone-in meat and going around an endless track, comprising:
- a guide member which defines a groove configured to convey the suspended bone-in meat;
a robot arm; and
a hooking unit which is attached to the robot arm, and cooperates with the robot arm to raise the bone-in meat from the horizontally placed state and carry the bone-in meat to the guide member, whereinthe hooking unit includes;
two hooking members each having a belt-like main body part, a blade-like pointed end provided at one end of the main body part, and a barb provided on a first side of the main body part to be continuous with the pointed end;
a support mechanism which supports the hooking members such that the hooking members are in parallel with each other with an elastically changeable interval therebetween, and are rotatable about rotation axes along longitudinal axes of the main body parts; and
a rotation drive mechanism which rotates the hooking members about the rotation axes, andthe robot arm is configured to stick the pointed ends of the hooking members into a tip part of the bone-in meat in the horizontally placed state such that a bone in the tip part is pinched.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Two hooking members of a hooking unit used in a device for conveying bone-in meat respectively have belt-like main body parts, blade-like pointed ends provided at ends on one side of the main body parts, and barbs provided on first sides of the main body parts to be continuous with the points. The hooking members are supported so as to be in parallel with each other with an elastically changeable interval therebetween and to be rotatable about rotation axes along longitudinal axes of the main body parts. Further, the hooking unit has an actuator which rotates the hooking members about the rotation axes.
15 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A device for conveying bone-in meat which raises the bone-in meat from an arm part or a thigh part of a livestock carcass from a horizontally placed state and moves the bone-in meat to a clamp capable of suspending the bone-in meat and going around an endless track, comprising:
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a guide member which defines a groove configured to convey the suspended bone-in meat; a robot arm; and a hooking unit which is attached to the robot arm, and cooperates with the robot arm to raise the bone-in meat from the horizontally placed state and carry the bone-in meat to the guide member, wherein the hooking unit includes; two hooking members each having a belt-like main body part, a blade-like pointed end provided at one end of the main body part, and a barb provided on a first side of the main body part to be continuous with the pointed end; a support mechanism which supports the hooking members such that the hooking members are in parallel with each other with an elastically changeable interval therebetween, and are rotatable about rotation axes along longitudinal axes of the main body parts; and a rotation drive mechanism which rotates the hooking members about the rotation axes, and the robot arm is configured to stick the pointed ends of the hooking members into a tip part of the bone-in meat in the horizontally placed state such that a bone in the tip part is pinched. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for conveying bone-in meat which raises the bone-in meat from an arm part or a thigh part of a livestock carcass from a horizontally placed state and moves the bone-in meat to a clamp capable of suspending the bone-in meat and going around an endless track, the method comprising:
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attaching, to a robot arm, a hooking unit including;
two hooking members each having a belt-like main body part, a blade-like pointed end provided at one end of the main body part, and a barb provided on a first side of the main body part to be continuous with the pointed end;
a support mechanism which supports the hooking members such that the hooking members are in parallel with each other with an elastically changeable interval therebetween, and are rotatable about rotation axes along longitudinal axes of the main body parts; and
a rotation drive mechanism which rotates the hooking members about the rotation axes;operating the robot arm to stick the pointed ends of the hooking members into a tip part of the bone-in meat in the horizontally placed state such that a bone in the tip part is pinched; and operating the robot arm to carry the bone-in meat into which the hooking members are stuck, to a guide member which defines a groove for conveying the suspended bone-in meat.
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Specification