Carcass conveyor for chilling chamber
AssigneeKnud Simonsen Industries Limited
InventorLyle W. Norrie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A product conveyor for a processing chamber in use in a meat processing facility, where meat products are carried through the facility on carriers, and the conveyor for the processing chamber having trolleys with hooks, which engage the carriers carrying the products and lift the carriers off the carrier rail from the other facilities in the plant, and carry them through the processing chamber and then lower then down onto a further carrier rail for movement through the remainder of the facility, the hooks disengaging from the carriers which are then free to move.
Claims9
A product conveyor for use in a processing chamber, said chamber having an entrance from and an exit to, other facilities, and comprising:
- a continuous loop processing conveyor running through said chamber, and defining a pick-up point at said entrance and a drop-off point at said exit, said pick-up and drop-off points defining a predetermined height;
- a delivery carrier rail at said pick-up point, located a predetermined distance below said processing conveyor;
- a receiving carrier rail at said drop-off point, located a predetermined distance below said processing conveyor;
- a plurality of trolleys on said processing conveyor with roller means on said processing trolleys adapted for use in said processing chamber;
- linkage means interconnecting said trolleys;
- power-operated means for moving said trolleys in unison along said processing conveyor;
- a plurality of product carriers on said delivery carrier rail having carrier wheels riding on said rail;
- engagement means on an upper portion of said product carriers;
- hook means on said trolleys interengageable with said engagement means of said product carriers whereby to remove said product carriers out of engagement with said carrier rail;
- control means at said pick-up point, for controlling the movement of said product carriers on said delivery carrier rail, whereby to synchronize with movement of said trolleys on said processing, conveyor, and
- release means at said drop-off point engagable with respective said hooks, and operable to disengage a said hook from a respective said product carrier engagement means, whereby to place said carriers onto said receiving carrier rail.
A method of processing products leaving a first facility, and prior to entry into a second facility, said products being carried on wheeled carriers riding on a carrier rail in said first facility at plant ambient conditions and comprising the steps of:
- delivering said products on said carriers riding on said first facility carrier rail to a chiller room pick-up point at a predetermined first height;
- moving a plurality of processing trolleys along a processing conveyor rail at a predetermined second height, said trolleys having wheel means adapted for operation in conditions different from plant ambient condition whereby to move said processing trolleys in sequence over said pick-up point, at an elevation above said carriers on said first facility carrier rail;
- causing suspension means on said trolleys to move downwardly at an angle and to engage respective said carriers, and moving the same off said first facility carrier rail, and moving same upwardly at an angle;
- continuously moving said processig trolleys along said processing conveyor rail with respective carriers suspended therefrom, whereby to procure a predetermined dwell time of said products in said processing condition, and thereafter delivering same to a drop-off point;
- transporting said carriers, on said processing trolleys downwardly into engagement with carrier rail means for said second facility at said drop-off point;
- disengaging said suspension means from said carriers, thereby releasing said carriers for movement along said second facility carrier rail means independent of said processing trolleys;
- and,
- moving said trolleys upwardly away from said drop off point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.