The disclosed invention relates to equipment for cutting apart poultry carcasses as the carcasses are moved in series while mounted on a carrier, and more particularly the invention relates to guide means and support means for properly positioning and stabilizing poultry carcasses as they are moved by a conveyor and are cut by cutting disks positioned in the path of the carcasses.
In the processing of poultry, birds are defeathered, eviscerated, and sometimes cut into parts as by removing the wings and legs, and cutting the carcass to separate the breast from the back, etc. Various cutting devices have been developed and utilized for performing these cutting functions. The cutting devices utilized to cut the wings and legs from the carcass are relatively simple in construction and reliable in operation because these poultry parts protrude from the carcass and can be guided and otherwise handled by automated equipment so as to position these parts in the proper attitude for cutting by a rotary knife or other cutting means.
When cutting the carcass or body of a bird, it is more difficult to form an accurate cut with automated equipment. Typically, the differences in size and shape of poultry carcasses cause the carcasses to be difficult to orient in the cutting equipment. One procedure for orienting a poultry carcass is to mount the cavity of the carcass on a carrier and move the carrier along a predetermined path through various cutting stations where rotary cutting blades or other cutting means cut into the carcass. Even with this type of carrier the poultry carcass tends to move on its carrier, thus requiring various external guide elements to maintain the poultry carcass in a proper position for cutting by the various cutting elements.