WO1992017058A2 - Machine for picking up poultry from the ground - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for picking up poultry from the ground comprises a frame (1) on which are mounted at least two parallel rotating rolls positioned substantially horizontally and rotating upwards at their line of contact, in the direction shown by arrows A and B. The rolls comprise a thick layer of extremely supple material for picking up the animals from the ground and placing them on a conveyor designed to take them to crates or containers.

Description

 POULTRY PICKING MACHINE ON THE GROUND

The present invention relates to a method of collecting poultry from the ground. To carry out these operations, to date there are no or few machines having given excellent results, because it is necessary to take and move the animals with delicacy, the least shock involves a total seizure of the animal.

 Machines using rotors with a vertical axis may break the legs of the animals.

This is why this laborious work is done by human hand, and most of the time at night to supply the slaughterhouses early in the morning.

 To this end, an important characteristic of the invention consists in that the animals on the ground are lifted vertically between at least two rotary elements having parallel axes in a substantially horizontal plane and rotating upward along their line of contact, the outer face of said elements intended to come into contact with volatiles being of flexible material in the form of a layer

thick or pneumatic, in order to place the animals on a suitable conveyor to put them in crates or containers. The thick layer is preferably made of foam or a slightly swollen pneumatic structure.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description below, of a non-limiting embodiment of the invention with reference to the appended drawings in which: Figure 1 schematically shows a side view of a pickup element according to the invention:

 FIG. 2 represents a view from the left front of a collection element according to the invention:

 FIG. 3 schematically represents a side view of a machine equipped with a collection device and with a method of placing animals in containers or crates according to the invention:

 FIG. 4 schematically represents a side view of a machine equipped with another collection method and with a different method of placing in containers or in crates according to the invention:

As shown in Figure 1 the collection device according to the invention comprises a frame (1) made by means of beams. This frame (1) is provided with a coupling device (2) in the rear part, for driving by a vehicle not shown. Said frame comprises rollers (3 and 4) which are

move on the floor during work. These rollers (3 and 4) are fixed on columns (5 and 6) adjustable in height, integral with the frame (1) and can be

stopped at a height in different positions by means of locking screws or by cylinders controlled from the cockpit. The frame (1) also includes the axes

 (7 and 8) in which the beams pivot (9 and 10) having at the other end one of the cylinders (11) constituted by a thick layer of very flexible material rotating in the axis (12) of which is fixed at one end a pulley (13) receiving its movement by the belt (14) set in motion by a motive force mounted on the machine.

This cylinder (11) is higher relative to the ground than the cylinder (15) in order to pass over the animals.

The cylinder (15) also provided with a thick layer of very flexible material, rotates by means of the shaft (16) in a bearing fixed on the beam (1) of the frame

Tl receives its movement by the pulley (17) and the belt (18 ⁾ . The set of two rotary cylinders (11 and 15) have parallel axes in a substantially horizontal plane, rotate upward along their contact line in the direction of the arrows A and B, their rotation is obtained by an appropriate motive force, mounted on the machine or on the vehicle used for move.

An animal on the ground is shown (19), a second animal (20) is shown raised between the two cylinders (11 and 15). A box or container (21) placed on the frame (1) receives the animals.

The beams (9 and 10) supporting the

cylinder (11) pivot on the axis (7 and 8) allowing a spacing of the latter relative to the cylinder (15) in the case of larger animals. We see in Figure 3 a schematic set of cylinders following the cylinders (11 and 15) for directing animals, the lower cylinders (22, 23, 24) also furnished with a thick layer of flexible material in the direction of arrow B and the upper cylinders constituted in the same way as the upper cylinder (11) in the direction of arrow A. Their support beams

(25, 26, 27) are mounted in the same way as the cylinder (11) described previously in Figure 2 to allow the passage of larger animals.

In Figure 1 and 2, the frame (1) is mounted on casters in the present Figure it is supported by a set of tracks (28) to ensure good stability of the machine in uneven terrain. The rod (29) pivots on an axis (30) integral with a beam of the frame (1). It is connected to a digital counter to count animals leaving All the cylinders before they enter the container. Several similar rods are arranged over the entire width of the machine at variable intervals established according to the size of the animals.

Figure 4 shows a side view of another embodiment of a machine according to the invention:

 In this collection process the cylinders (11 and 15) are replaced by conveyor belts (31 and 47) in a substantially vertical position. They are lined with very flexible material. The self-propelled assembly consists of a frame (1) It moves on the ground on tracks (28) by an appropriate driving force also operating the pick-up device, the belt (31) rotates in the direction of arrow D whose axes (32 and 33) integral with the beam (34) articulated in the axis (35) fixed on the frame (1) This set of beams is held above the ground by the roller (36) at constant height .

To modify the height of the collection assembly fixed to the beam (34), the length of the beam (37) inserted between the axis of the beam (36) and the beam (34) is acted on. On the beam (34) are fixed two axes (38 and 39) which pivot the arms (40 and 44) receiving at the other end the axes (42 and 43) wedged on the beam. (44) where are mounted the rotation bearings (45 and 46) of the treadmill (47) rotating in the direction of arrow E, the set of arms (40 and 41) with the axes (38,

39, 42, 43) form a deformable parallelogram with the beams (34 and 44) to allow the carpet (47) to move away from the carpet (31) in the case of larger animals. Between the belt (31) and the container (21) there is mounted in this process a conveyor belt (48) to ensure the transfer between the collection assembly and the container (21). The arrow C gives the direction of advance of the machine. It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the embodiments as described above and represented by the accompanying drawings. Modifications remain possible, in particular as regards the construction of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents without departing from the field of protection defined in the claims.

To release the waste deposited by poultry during the collection and obtain permanent cleaning of the rotary elements (11) and (15), Figure 5 schematically shows a side view of two cleaning methods. On the rotary element (11) a rotor (49) is equipped with brushes or flexible blades, while on the element (50) is mounted a blade process.

Claims

 1) Machine for picking up ie poultry on the ground, type  comprising a frame (1) supporting at least two rotary elements before parallel axes in a substantially horizontal plane and rotating upwards along their contact line in the directions of the arrows A and 3.,  characterized in that the external face at least of the said elements intended to come into contact with the volatiles consists of a flexible material in the form of a  thick or pneumatic layer.  2) Machine according to claim 1 ccractérisée in that the flexible material is a foam or a pneumatically inflated pneumatic structure.  3) Machine according to claim 1 characterized in that  the rotary elements are cylinders (11,15).  4) Machine according to claim 1 characterized in that  the rotating elements are conveyor belts (31,47). 5) Machine according to claim 1 characterized in that  one of the rotary elements placed at the front of the machine is positioned higher than the other in order to pass over the animals and can move away from the latter by its attachment to a mobile beam for the passage of animals larger between the two rotating elements. 6) Machine according to claim 4 characterized in that the conveyor belt (47) is mounted on a deformable parallelogram to facilitate the passage of larger animals between the two belts. 7) Machine according to either of Claims 2 and 3 characterized in that additional rotary cylinders or conveyor belts are arranged to convey the birds to the collection container. 8) Machine according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the machine can be self-propelled or towed, mounted on tracks or on wheels.  9) Machine according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collection assembly is kept at constant height by a roller moving on the ground. The collection height can be varied by acting on the length of the beam (37) inserted between the axis of the roller (36) and the beam (34). 10) Machine according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotary elements are equipped with permanent cleaning methods with a blade or a rotor provided with brushes or flexible blades.