POULTRY PROCESSING MACHINE HAVING CARCASS LOCATING APPARATUS

摘要

The carousel-type machine has a series of holding fixtures that revolve about axis of the machine at the same speed as the conveyor line that brings carcasses suspended by their hocks to the machine. As a carcass is intercepted by one of the fixtures, the carcass becomes gripped by its thighs and lifted up against a stop until the tail bone is firmly seated against the stop to establish a point of reference along a longitudinal axis extending through the tail and head ends of the carcass. A back stop associated with each fixture projects outwardly from the face of the fixture by a certain amount so as to engage the back of the pelvic bone structure of the carcass and position the pelvic area along a transverse axis extending through the back and breast of the carcass. The magnitude of extension of the back stop can be adjusted to accomodate different sized carcasses, and in a preferred embodiment such adjustment is a function of adjustment of the limits of travel of lifting mechanism that forces the carcass up against the tail bone stop.