Apparatus for splitting carcasses of slaughtered animals

Claim 2

Apparatus for splitting carcasses of slaughtered animals comprising: a guiding frame (38); means (35) for suspending a carcass (36) adjacent to said guiding frame for splitting; a carrier (15) supported by said frame (38) and movably mounted thereon for movement including movement in at least two nonvertical directions (B,C,D); cutting means (16) supported on said carrier and actuatably mounted thereon; a downwardly projecting pointed guide pin (23) for said cutting means suitable for introduction into the central opening of the spinal column of said carcass; powered actuating means (18, 19, 40) for said cutting means supported on said carrier (15); hand-operable means (9,10) for manipulating the position of said carrier (15) and thereby said cutting means and said guide pin into and in alignment with the central opening of the spinal column of said carcass, and powered displacing means (14) for relative vertical movement of said carrier and said carcass.

Claim 3

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said guide pin (23) is provided, at least in its upper portion, with a longitudinal slot (24) and in which said cutting means (16) is movably insertable in said slot (24)

Claim 4

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said cutting means (16) are constituted of at least one knife blade pivotally mounted at one end about a normally horizontal axis (20) on said carrier (15) and in which said actuating means (18,29,40) are means for controllably swinging said cutting means with a striking motion about said pivotal mounting relative to both said guide pin and said carcass.

Claim 5

Apparatus as defined in claim 3 in which said carrier (15) is movable (C) for deviating said normally horizontal axis from the horizontal while similarly deviating said guide pin from vertical alignment.

Claim 6

Apparatus as defined in claim 3 in which said carrier (15) is movable in at least two mutually perpendicular directions and is additionally pivoted about a second horizontal axis (9).

Claim 7

Apparatus as defined in claim 3 in which said powered displacing means (14) for relative vertical movement includes a pneumatic or hydraulic means (14) for lifting and lowering said carrier.

Claim 8

Apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which said guide pin (23) is of oval cross section, has a length less than 16 cm. and is fixedly mounted on a sheet metal guide structure (21) disposed on both sides of said cutting means (16).

Claim 9

Apparatus as defined in claim 3 in which said cutting means (16) include a knife blade having an oblique edge portion (26) located in the end portion of the lower cutting edge of said knife in the region of said slot (24) of said guide pin (23) and is so disposed that the portion of said cutting edge farthest from the pivot (20) of said cutting means is upwardly offset with respect to the portion of said cutting edge closer to said pivot (20).

Claim 10

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said means (35) for suspending said carcass is movable for conveying said carcass and in which the remainder of the apparatus, including said guiding frame (38), said cutting means (16) and mechanism therewith, is likewise movable, and means are provided, including overhead and floor rails, for producing synchronous movement of said suspension means and of said cutting means at least during the splitting operation.

Claim 11

Apparatus as defined in claim 9 in which said cutting means and mechanism associated therewith are turret mounted for movement in a circular path and said suspension means (35) for carcasses to be split are movable on a conveyor track in an arc of about a half circle about said turret mount.

Claim 12

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said powered displacing means (14) and said powered actuating means (18,19,40) are each provided with hand-operable controls (28,29) in the immediate vicinity of said hand-operable means (9,10).

Claim 13

Apparatus for splitting carcasses of slaughtered animals comprising: a guiding frame (38); means (35) for susupending a carcass (36) adjacent to said guiding frame for splitting said carcass; a shaft (9) displaceably and rotatably mounted on said guiding frame for both longitudinal and transverse displacement and for rotation about a horizontal axis; a carrier (15) on the end of said shaft nearer said carcass; cutting means (16) supported on said carrier and actuatably mounted thereon; a downwardly projecting pointed guide pin (23) for said cutting means fixably mounted on said carrier and of a size suitable for introduction into the central opening of the spinal column of said caRcass; powered actuating means (18,19,40) for said cutting means supported on said carrier (15); powered displacing means (14) for relative vertical movement of said carrier and said carcass, and manual steering means (10) on the opposite end of said shaft (9) from said carrier (15) for movement of said shaft pivotally about its longitudinal axis and for displacement thereof longitudinally and, at least in the horizontal plane, transversely.

Claim 14

Apparatus for splitting carcasses of slaughtered animals comprising: a guiding frame (38); means (35) for susupending a carcass (36) adjacent to said guiding frame for splitting said carcass; a shaft (9) displaceably and rotatably mounted on said guiding frame for both longitudinal and transverse displacement and for rotation about a horizontal axis; a carrier (15) on the end of said shaft nearer said carcass; cutting means (16) supported on said carrier and actuatably mounted thereon; a downwardly projecting pointed guide pin (23) for said cutting means fixably mounted on said carrier and of a size suitable for introduction into the central opening of the spinal column of said caRcass; powered actuating means (18,19,40) for said cutting means supported on said carrier (15); powered displacing means (14) for relative vertical movement of said carrier and said carcass, and manual steering means (10) on the opposite end of said shaft (9) from said carrier (15) for movement of said shaft pivotally about its longitudinal axis and for displacement thereof longitudinally and, at least in the horizontal plane, transversely.

Claim 15

Apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said powered displacing means (14) for relative vertical movement of said carrier and said carcass is in the form of means for displacing said shaft (9) vertically on said guide frame (38).

Claim 16

Apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said powered displacing means (14) and said powered actuating means (18,19,40) are each provided with hand-operable controls (28,29) mounted on said steering means (10).