Apparatuses and methods for automatedly saddling beheaded and eviscerated fish on holding apparatuses for automated further processing and for automatedly obtaining meat from beheaded and eviscerated fish

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12414573-B2
Application number	US-202018258032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2020
Priority date	Dec 18, 2020
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

An apparatus for saddling fish on holding apparatuses for further processing comprises: a frame structure; a transport device on the frame structure, for transporting fish tail first and abdominal cavity downwards in a direction T along a transport path, wherein the transport device comprises: a transport unit that is driven rotatingly, and a holding apparatus on the transport unit comprising a fastening element and a holding plate for holding the fish during processing; a feed device for feeding the fish into a region of the transport device; a catching and centring device to catch and centre the fish parallel to the transport direction T; and a take-over device for taking the fish from the catching and centring device, holding the fish, and releasing the fish as soon as a holding apparatus transported through the fish captures the fish and pulls them from the take-over device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus configured and adapted for automatedly saddling beheaded and eviscerated fish on holding apparatuses for automated further processing of the beheaded and eviscerated fish at a downstream processing station, the apparatus comprising:
a frame structure;
a transport device arranged on the frame structure, configured and adapted for transporting beheaded and eviscerated fish tail first and abdominal cavity downwards in a transport direction T along a transport path, wherein the transport device comprises:
a transport unit that is driven rotatingly, and
at least one holding apparatus fitted on the transport unit, the at least one holding apparatus comprising at least one fastening element and a holding plate which is configured and adapted for holding the beheaded and eviscerated fish during processing;
a feed device configured and adapted for the automated feed of the beheaded and eviscerated fish into a region of the transport device;
a catching and centring device configured and adapted to catch the beheaded and eviscerated fish released by the feed device, with the abdominal cavity facing downwards, and centring the same parallel to the transport direction T; and
a take-over device configured and adapted for taking over the beheaded and eviscerated fish from the catching and centring device, for holding the beheaded and eviscerated fish in a transfer position, and for releasing the beheaded and eviscerated fish as soon as the at least one holding apparatus transported through the beheaded and eviscerated fish in a region of the abdominal cavity captures the beheaded and eviscerated fish and pulls them in the transfer position from the take-over device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the feed device comprises a cascade-like receptacle for receiving at least two beheaded and eviscerated fish, wherein receptacle sections of the receptacle configured for individually receiving the beheaded and eviscerated fish are separated from each other by actuating flap elements to be opened and closed by an actuating means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the flap elements are controllably configured and adapted for an individual and clocked output of the beheaded and eviscerated fish substantially transverse to a longitudinal expansion of the beheaded and eviscerated fish from a first receptacle section to a following receptacle section up to a region of an output position on the catching and centring device.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the feed device comprises detection means at least for detecting a ventral/dorsal position and/or a tail/head position and/or a height or a thickness of the beheaded and eviscerated fish.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the catching and centring device is arranged below the feed device in a region of an output position of the feed device in such a way that the beheaded and eviscerated fish can be moved from the feed device, with the abdominal cavity first and the tail in transport direction T of the transport device, into the catching and centring device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein at least one release flap is arranged in the region of the output position in a transition from the feed device to the catching and centring device and is allocated to the feed device and/or the catching and centring device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the catching and centring device comprises a support body arranged on the frame structure, and wherein a holding and centring means and a tail clamp means are allocated to the catching and centring device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the holding and centring means comprises at least two centring rails arranged at a distance from each other and aligned substantially parallel to the transport direction T, forming a centring shaft, wherein the centring rails are configured and adapted for changing the distance of at least some sections of the centring rails that can be moved towards and away from each other.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the centring rails are moveably configured optionally separately or together by pneumatic cylinders or servo drives as actuating means.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the centring rails are mounted on the support body to pivot around pivot axes SZ 1 and SZ 2 , which are aligned parallel to the transport direction T of the transport device.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the tail clamp means comprises at least two clamp jowls that can be moved towards and away from each other, wherein the at least two clamp jowls are arranged in the transport direction T at the output side end of the catching and centring device to be able to clamp the tail of the first incoming fish.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the clamp jowls are optionally configured separately or together by pneumatic cylinders or servo drives or suchlike as actuating means.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the clamp jowls are mounted on the support body to pivot around a pivot axis SK aligned parallel to the transport direction T.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the take-over device comprises a saddling aid and a pressing element, wherein a unit is formed from the saddling aid and the pressing element and is moveably configured.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the unit formed from the saddling aid and the pressing element comprises a moveable sliding carriage to which the saddling aid and the pressing element are allocated, wherein the sliding carriage is moveably configured and adapted relative to the transport device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the take-over device further comprises a linear guide and a drive means as actuating means by which the sliding carriage bearing the saddling aid and the pressing element is configured to move back and forth in the transport direction T of the transport device and against the transport direction T of the transport device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the drive means is a slider-crank mechanism comprising a crank arm which is in operative connection with the sliding carriage bearing the saddling aid and the pressing element via a thrust rod.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the saddling aid comprises two bearing rails aligned substantially parallel to the transport direction T of the transport device which are arranged at a distance from each other for forming a gap, wherein the distance of the bearing rails is at least as great as a width of the holding plate of the holding apparatus submersed in the gap during transport of the holding apparatus.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the saddling aid is mounted and moveably configured relative to the sliding carriage by pneumatic cylinders or servo drives as actuating means.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the saddling aid is mounted on the sliding carriage to pivot around a pivot axis SA 1 , wherein the saddling aid is mounted transverse to the transport direction T of the transport device.

21. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the pressing element comprises a holding arm and a pressing shoe arranged at a free end of the holding arm.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the pressing shoe is hinged to and spring-loaded on the holding arm ( 58 ).

23. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the holding arm is moveably configured at least in some sections in the transport direction T of the transport device and against the transport direction T of the

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Paulsohn Carsten
• Pein Roland
• Pfuhl Arne
• Reincke Simon
• Russ Thomas
• Strangmann Felix

Classifications

• A22C25/12

  Arranging fish, e.g. according to the position of head and tail {(orientating articles during conveying B65G47/24)} · CPC title

• A22C25/14

  Beheading, eviscerating, or cleaning fish {(combined with removing fish-bone, skinning and filleting A22C25/14; hand tools A22C25/006)} · CPC title

• Y02A40/81

  Aquaculture, e.g. of fish · CPC title

• A22C25/16

  Removing fish-bones; Filleting fish {(combined with beheading, eviscerating A22C25/14; hand tools A22C25/006)} · CPC title

• A22C25/08 Primary

  Holding, guiding, or conveying fish before, during or after its preparation (A22C25/06 takes precedence){; Devices for sizing fish; Automatically adapting conveyors or processing machines to the measured size (transport in general B65G)} · CPC title