Device and arrangement for optically inspecting articles in the fish and meat processing industry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11930829-B2
Application number	US-201916963807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2019
Priority date	Jan 26, 2018
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

An apparatus, designed and configured for optically inspecting articles of the fish and meat processing industry, includes at least one imaging system which is arranged so as to be encapsulated on all sides in a housing and is configured for optically scanning the articles. The housing has a transparent viewing window and a protective element, forming a light-transmissive channel, and is releasably arranged on the outside of the housing to protect the viewing window from contamination. In addition, an arrangement for processing and inspecting the opened abdominal cavity of gutted fish, includes a conveying device configured for conveying the fish along a processing line in the longitudinal direction, which is characterised in that the arrangement comprises at least one apparatus configured for optically inspecting the abdominal cavity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus designed and configured for optically inspecting articles in the fish and meat processing industry, comprising:
at least one imaging system which is arranged so as to be encapsulated on all sides in a housing and is configured for optically scanning the articles;
the housing having a transparent viewing window; and
a protective element, forming a light-transmissive channel releasably arranged on an outside of the housing to protect the viewing window from contamination, wherein:
the protective element is arranged on the viewing window and encloses at least one detection zone of the imaging system while maintaining an unobstructed view of the articles,
the protective element comprises a protective element base with a central light transmittance recess and holding means, which are configured in each case to arrange the protective element base releasably on the viewing window, are present on the housing side, and
the holding means are arranged on an inside of the housing and are designed as holding magnets and the protective element base comprises at least in part a magnetic and/or magnetisable material.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the protective element base is configured to merge gap-free into a channel wall forming the light-transmissive channel.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the channel wall and the protective element base are formed integrally.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the channel wall of the protective element is shaped as a hollow cylinder with a circular, elliptical, rectangular or polygonal cross-sectional area.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the channel wall of the protective element is designed as a hollow truncated cone or hollow truncated pyramid.

6. An arrangement for processing and inspecting an opened abdominal cavity of gutted fish, comprising:
a conveying device configured for conveying the fish along a processing line in the longitudinal direction,
at least one apparatus configured for optically inspecting the abdominal cavity according to claim 1 .

7. The arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the conveying device is configured to convey the fish lying with the opened abdominal cavity pointing upwards, wherein the at least one apparatus is arranged above the processing line with the viewing window pointing towards said processing line.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the protective element is arranged in such a manner that the light-transmissive channel is oriented at least substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

9. The arrangement according to claim 6 , further comprising at least one illumination device configured for illuminating the abdominal cavity of the fish, wherein the at least one illumination device is arranged on the viewing window on an inside of the housing spaced apart laterally from the at least one imaging system.

10. The arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one illumination device is designed as a surface-emitting diode, a radiating surface of which is arranged sloping with respect to the viewing window.

11. The arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the radiating surface is inclined such that in each case a main light emission direction is oriented sloping towards a viewing line between the imaging system and the abdominal cavity.

12. The arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one illumination device is arranged on the viewing window, forming an air gap.

Assignees

• Nordischer Maschinenbau
• Nordischer Maschb Rud Baader Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Pein Roland

Classifications

• A22B5/007 Primary

  Non-invasive scanning of carcasses, e.g. using image recognition, tomography, X-rays, ultrasound (analysing meat, e.g. search for foreign embedded objects G01N33/12; image analysis G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G01N21/15

  Preventing contamination of the components of the optical system or obstruction of the light path · CPC title

• G01N33/12

  Meat; Fish · CPC title

• G01N2021/157

  Monitoring by optical means · CPC title

• A22C17/0073

  using visual recognition, X-rays, ultrasounds, or other contactless means to determine quality or size of portioned meat · CPC title