Method and apparatus for a breast pull system and a coracoid stabilizer for automated cutting of meat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11540525-B1
Application number	US-202117542455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 5, 2021
Priority date	Jan 5, 2018
Publication date	Jan 3, 2023
Grant date	Jan 3, 2023

Abstract

The technology as disclosed herein includes a method and apparatus for deboning a meat item, and more particular for deboning a poultry item including performing an initial shoulder cut for removing boneless breast meat from the poultry carcass or frame. The method and apparatus disclosed and claimed herein is a combination of a robotic arm including an ultrasonic knife implement and a vision system for varying the cut path based on the shape and size of the poultry item. The combination as claimed including the ultrasonic knife can perform a meat cut while penetrating the meat with less force than the typical penetration that occurs when using a traditional knife. The technology includes breast removal station, which includes a controller system, which controls a robotic arm, which positions the grasping talon implements, which grasp the poultry item along the wing bone and pulls the breast portion away from the carcass along cut lines created by the ultrasonic knife that cut the poultry item along the cut path performed by the automated robotic arm having an ultrasonic knife implement. Prior pulling the breast portion away from the carcass, a stabilizing system captures the carcass behind by engaging the carcass behind the shoulder joint on either side of the cervical vertebrae.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item comprising:
a breast removal station positioned along a conveyance line at a carriage stop position and said breast removal station including a stabilizer assembly and a robotic arm assembly having a robotic arm;
a grasping talon assembly is attached as an implement of the robotic arm, where the grasping talon assembly includes a left actuator actuated left grasping talon and a right actuator actuated right grasping talon, where the left actuator actuated left grasping talon has an upper left talon hingedly related to a lower left talon and configured to rotate between on outward distal position to an inward clamping position, and where the robotic arm is communicably coupled to and controlled by a controller programmed to control the robotic arm to position the grasping talon assembly for grasping and to control the robotic arm to pull the grasping talon assembly downward when the upper left talon is rotated to an inward clamping position; and
said stabilizer assembly including, a left actuator actuated stabilizer arm and a right actuator actuated stabilizer arm, where said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm and said right actuator actuated stabilizer arm are controllably actuatable from an upward retracted positions to downward clamping positions adjacent a determined coracoid bone structure position.

2. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 1 , where said clamping positions include a left position for said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm determined to be to the left of a determined left coracoid position and a right position for said right actuator actuated stabilizer arm determined to be to the right of the determined right coracoid position.

3. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 2 , where the left actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a left clamp appendage having a right inward bend toward the determined left coracoid position and the right actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a right clamp appendage having a left inward bend toward the determined right coracoid position, to thereby clamp inward engaging toward the determined coracoid bone structure position.

4. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 1 , where said clamping positions include a left position for said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm determined to be to the right of a determined left coracoid position and a right position for said right actuator actuated stabilizer arm determined to be to the left of the determined right coracoid position.

5. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 4 , where the left actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a left clamp appendage having a left outward bend toward the determined left coracoid position and the right actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a right clamp appendage having a right outward bend toward the determined right coracoid position, to thereby clamp outward engaging toward the determined coracoid bone structure position.

6. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 2 , where the left actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a left hook appendage having a right inward hook bend toward the determined left coracoid position and the right actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a right hook appendage having a left inward hook bend toward the determined right coracoid position, to thereby hook inward engaging toward the determined coracoid bone structure position.

7. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 6 , where said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm and said right actuator stabilizer arm are controllably actuatable and rotatable from an outwardly rotated position to an inwardly rotated position, thereby hooking inward toward the determined coracoid bone structure position.

8. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 4 , where the left actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a left hook appendage having a left outward hook bend toward the determined left coracoid position and the right actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a right hook appendage having a right outward hook bend toward the determined right coracoid position, to thereby hook outward engaging toward the determined coracoid bone structure position.

9. The system for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 8 , where said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm and said right actuator stabilizer arm are controllably actuatable and rotatable from an inwardly rotated position to an outwardly rotated position, thereby hooking outward toward the determined coracoid bone structure position.

10. A method for removing a meat portion from a poultry item comprising:
conveying a poultry item mounted on a carriage assembly to a breast removal station positioned along a conveyance line at a carriage stop position, where said breast removal station includes a selectively controllable stabilizer assembly and a robotic arm assembly having a robotic arm;
grasping the poultry item with a grasping talon assembly attached as an implement of the robotic arm, where grasping the poultry item with the grasping talon assembly includes grasping the poultry item with a left actuator actuated left grasping talon and a right actuator actuated right grasping talon, where the left actuator actuated left grasping talon has an upper left talon hingedly related to a lower left talon thereby rotating between on outward distal position to an inward clamping position thereby grasping the poultry item, and where the robotic arm is communicably coupled to and controlled by a controller programmed thereby controlling the robotic arm thereby positioning the grasping talon assembly for grasping and controlling the robotic arm and thereby pulling the grasping talon assembly downward when the upper left talon is rotated to an inward clamping position; and
said stabilizer assembly including, a left actuator actuated stabilizer arm and a right actuator actuated stabilizer arm, and thereby controllably actuating said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm and said right actuator actuated stabilizer arm from an upward retracted positions to downward clamping positions adjacent a determined coracoid bone structure position.

11. The method for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 10 , where controllably actuating to said downward clamping positions include controllably actuating to a left position for said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm determined to be to the left of a determined left coracoid position and controllable actuating to a right position for said right actuator actuated stabilizer arm determined to be to the right of the determined right coracoid position.

12. The method for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 11 , where the left actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a left clamp appendage having a right inward bend toward the determined left coracoid position and the right actuator actuated stabilizer arm has a right clamp appendage having a left inward bend toward the determined right coracoid position, thereby clamping inward and engaging toward the determined coracoid bone structure position.

13. The method for removing a meat portion from a poultry item as recited in claim 12 , where said clamping positions include a left position for said left actuator actuated stabilizer arm determined to be to the right of a determined left coracoid position and a right position for said right actuator actua

Assignees

• Tyson Foods Inc

Inventors

• Foreman Doug
• Linn Douglas Martin

Classifications

• B26D7/08 Primary

  Means for treating work or cutting member to facilitate cutting (tensioning band cutters B26D1/48) · CPC title

• B26D5/007

  Control means comprising cameras, vision or image processing systems · CPC title

• A22C21/0053

  Transferring or conveying devices for poultry · CPC title

• A22C21/0046

  Support devices · CPC title

• B26D7/086

  by vibrating, e.g. ultrasonically · CPC title