| 摘要 |
A positioning apparatus for positioning poultry legs which are conveyed suspended in a row has a bending device for bending and positioning the poultry legs, as well as a stationary holding and guiding device. The bending device forms a threading device for suspending the poultry leg in the region of the knee joint in a holding and guiding gap of the holding and guiding device. Co-running positioning elements are formed by driven pressing elements which grip the poultry leg from beneath on an axial side of the leg for bending and lifting. Each co-running positioning element forms with a stationary positioning element a functional pair of positioning elements. One of the two positioning elements engages in the hollow of the knee of the poultry leg, while the other positioning element is configured to rest against the thigh on the front side of the leg. Processing stations can be arranged along the holding and guiding gap. In a method for removing the thigh meat from the poultry legs conveyed in a row while they are being conveyed, the poultry legs are guided transversely in a first mentioned positioning apparatus with the lateral side of the leg leading and axially in a second mentioned positioning apparatus with the axial patella side of the leg leading. Along the first stationary holding and guiding gap, cuts are applied on the front side of the leg and on the rear side of the leg. Along the second stationary holding and guiding gap, cuts are applied on the lateral sides of the poultry leg and the thigh meat is pushed to the proximal end of the thigh bone. |
| 主权项 |
1. A positioning apparatus configured for positioning poultry legs conveyed in a row in a direction of conveyance along a conveying way in a processing position which represents a reference position for processing the poultry legs, wherein the drumstick and thigh of the poultry legs are connected to one another by the knee joint and wherein one axial side of the leg, on which the patella is located, determines the front side of the leg and the other axial side of the leg, on which the hollow of the knee is located, determines the rear side of the leg, comprising
a conveyor device having carriers which are movable along the conveying way in the direction of conveyance and which convey and hold the poultry legs, each with an ankle joint ball held in an associated mentioned carrier, along the entire conveying way of the positioning apparatus, wherein the carriers hold the poultry legs in a suspended position while they are fed into the positioning device, a bending device having a stationary positioning element extending in a bending conveying section of the conveying way, and a series of co-running positioning elements which each co-run in the direction of conveyance in association with an associated mentioned carrier, wherein a co-running positioning element forms with the stationary positioning element a pair of positioning elements, of which a first positioning element is configured to engage in the hollow of the knee of the poultry leg and a second positioning element is configured to rest against the thigh on the front side of the leg, and wherein in the bending conveying section of the conveying way the first positioning element and the second positioning element in the pair produce and determine between them a bending angle which corresponds to the angle of the hollow of the knee and which becomes smaller while lifting the poultry leg from the initial suspended position until the mentioned reference position is reached, and results in corresponding bent positions of the poultry leg, wherein the carriers of the conveyor device are so configured that the ankle joint ball in the carrier is able to move in a manner corresponding to the lifting of the poultry leg, and a reference holding edge extending in the conveying way, on which the poultry leg is held in a defined lifting position, namely in the reference position, in the region of the knee joint, characterized in that the positioning apparatus has a stationary holding and guiding device downstream of the bending conveying section in the direction of conveyance, which holding and guiding device holds each poultry leg in the reference position ready for processing as it is conveyed along a processing conveying section of the conveying way, wherein the holding and guiding device is equipped over the length of the processing conveying section with a stationary holding and guiding gap extending in the conveying way and having stationary gap edges which receive the poultry leg in the region of the knee joint for holding and guiding in the reference position, and wherein the mentioned reference holding edge forms at least in part a mentioned stationary gap edge, the bending conveying section along the conveying way and the processing conveying section along the conveying way are linear, and the mentioned bending device forms a threading device for threading the poultry leg in the region of the knee joint into the holding and guiding gap, wherein the co-running positioning elements are formed by driven pressing elements, and a drive and control device is provided which moves each driven pressing element in the direction of conveyance and, for bending, in two dimensions in the lifting direction and transversely thereto in a direction in which the driven pressing element grips the poultry leg from beneath on one of the mentioned axial sides of the leg for lifting and bending. |
