System for transferring birds from one conveyor system to another with

Abstract

A system for transferring birds (77) from a weigh line (11) to a cut-up line (12) through an intermediate accumulator. The system comprises a continuously rotating buffer wheel (15) having a plurality of bird carriers (17) slidably mounted on its periphery and being carried on buffer wheel (15) toward either an inlet gate (106) or a delivery gate (114). When a bird carrier (17) arrives at either inlet gate (106) or delivery gate (114), it is stopped by a gate arm (108)or (115), respectively, and remains stationary with respect to the continuously moving buffer wheel (15). When a bird (77) moves along weigh line (11) toward buffer wheel (15), gate arm (108) opens and a first pressure wheel assembly (128) is activated to carry a bird carrier (17) on the periphery of buffer wheel (15) toward a shackle (22) having bird (77) suspended therefrom, to the inlet area (18) whereupon the bird (77) will be transferred from shackle (22) to bird carrier (17), and then be carried on the buffer wheel toward delivery gate (114). Thereafter, when an empty shackle (124) on cut-up line (12) approaches delivery area (20), gate arm (115) is opened and a second pressure wheel assembly (128) is activated to carry a bird carrier (17) having a bird (77) suspended therefrom moves into delivery area (20) so that the bird (77) carried on the bird carrier plate will be transferred to shackle (124) of the cut-up line. Bird carrier plates (17) accumulate and form a queue at both inlet gate (106), and delivery gate (114), respectively.