Poultry processing apparatus having one or more transfer units
AssigneeMeyn Food Processing Technology B.V.
InventorsLeendert Aandewiel, Aloysius Christianus Maria Van Steijn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A processing apparatus for poultry is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes one or more transfer units placed intermediate of, conveying poultry from, a first line to a subsequent second line, wherein both the first line and the second line are selected from the group including a slaughtering line, an evisceration line, a chilling line, a sorting line and a cutup line. Each transfer unit is embodied with a circulating support that includes material that is magnetically conductive and transfer devices are provided with at least one magnet so as to induce eddy currents in the circulating support that counteracts relative motion between the transfer devices and the circulating support.
Claims15
A transfer means for mounting on a circulating plate of a processing line, the circulating plate constructed from a magnetically conductive material, the circulating plate defining a conveying direction for the transfer means, the transfer means comprising:
- opposing sides oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction;
- at least one magnet located on the transfer means between the opposing sides and positioned for inducing eddy currents into the circulating plate that counteract motion between the circulating plate and the transfer means;
- and
- at least two magnets, one each located on the opposing sides of the transfer means, the at least two magnets on the opposing sides oriented with poles of the same polarity facing outwardly from the transfer means.
A processing apparatus for poultry, the processing apparatus including at least two processing lines along which poultry is conveyed, the processing apparatus comprising:
- a circulating support positioned between the processing lines and configured for conveying poultry between the two processing lines along a conveying direction;
- a plurality of transfer means removably received onto the circulating support, each transfer means configured for receipt of poultry, each transfer means comprising:
- opposing sides oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction;
- at least one magnet located on the transfer means between the opposing sides and positioned for inducing eddy currents into the circulating plate that counteract motion between the circulating plate and the transfer means;
- and
- at least two magnets located on the opposing sides of the transfer means, the at least two magnets oriented with poles of the same polarity facing outwardly from the transfer means towards adjacent transfer means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.