Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a methcd for align m g flatfish
independent of their size, for taking over the flatfish and f~ther
guiding the same retaining the alignment, and to apparatus for carrying
out such method.
S A method of the kind concerned is dlsclosed in British
Patent Specification No. 92 87 33, according to which the flat
f ish is aligned by orientation to its outer contour. To this
end the device has a centrelng mechanl~m which comprises four
centreing pins controllable coordinà~ed to each other as well
as a head guide. The controlling is perfoxmed such that within
the proposed processing scope of the device an engag~ment o
the mentioned feeling elements with the outer contour of each
fish to be proc~ssed is achieved independent of the size of
the fish under the condition that the fish are of the same
species. The separating of the head as well as of the belly
cavity i5 carried out in the position ashieved by engag~ment
of the feeling ~lements.
A great variety of species o~ flatfish occurs in general and
also in relatively small territorial areas, especially in the
nothern hemisphere. In connection with the great throughput rate
of modern fish processing machines there is, with regard to
economy of processing, a demand for universal fish processing
machines wh1ch are able to process this plurality of specie_ of
fish. Such a universalisation cannot be achieved with the known
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centreing method, or at least it can only be achieved with
costly reconstruction and modifications since the coordinated
controlling of the centreing elements is performed via a
gearing which must be adapted to the specific condi'cions of
the contour of one species of flatfish.
There is therefore a need for a method and a device
whose application enables an alignment and further guiding
of flatfish substantially independent of their species and
size.
According to the present invention there is
provided a method for aligning flatfish independent of their
size! for taking over said Elatfish and further guiding the
same while retaining their alignment, the method comprising
the steps of catching each flatfish under defined alignment
with respect to its iongitudinal axis behind the edge of at
least one of its gill covers resp. its shoulder girdle arcs
and then bringing it into its processing position by
transversal movement.
According to the present invention, there is also
provided an apparatus for aligning flatfish independent of
their size, for taking over said flatfish and further guiding
the same while retaining their alignment, the apparatus
comprising a feeding station, a support surface for the flat-
fish, driven means for conveying the flatfish into its proces-
sing position, a catch rail reaching up to the processingposition for catching from behind the edge of at least one
of the gill cover resp~ shoulder girdle arcs of the flatfish
and a holding down element positioned above the support
surface in the region of ~he feeding station, displaceable
against the force of a spring and having a holding down
edge which is adapted to the cross-section contour of the
head region of a medium size flatfish to be processed and
runs transverse to the longitudinal axis of the flatfish, the
means for conveying the flatfish comprising an entraining
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element moveable transverse to the longitudinal axis of the
flatfish and having an entraining edge formed to correspond
essentially to the holding down ed~e of the holding down
~lement and placeable on the flatfish immediately next to
the holding down edge.
Essential advantages thus obtained lie especially
in that due to making use of anatomic features common to all
flatfish species an exact alignment and positioning is achieved
without any kind of readjustment or substitution of machine
elements being necessary. This use has the further advantage
that the alignment occurs based on characteristics which are
found directly adjacent to the operating range of tools which
are used for the exact processing of the bellly cavity, e.g.
for the gutting and the opening of the kidney for bloodletting.
In an embodiment especially preferable for the
feeding ability the catch rail i5 arranged in the support
surface and provided with a catching edge which extends
upwardly beyond the aupport surfece.
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The same o~ject can be achieved in ano~her preferred embo~i
ment in which ~h.e holding down edge o~ the holding down element
is formed as a catch~ng edge Eor catchin~ the gill cover resp~
the shoulder glrdle arc o:~ the flat:ish from behind. In this
case, a guide rail lying ~lush with t~le catching edge, being
displaceable by the flatfish against the force of a spring and
reaching as far as the processing position of the fish may be
provided.
In order to counter the danger o~ a ~wis~ing of the flat-
fish during the conveying transverse to its lonyitudinal axisoccurring by engayemen~ outside its centre of gravity the ent.rain-
ing element may advantageously comprise a support plate which
bears against the trailing flank of the fish when the latter is
conveyed. Thereb~ a ~urther supporting of the rump of the flat-
fish occurs besides a line contact along the gill cover resp.the edge of the should~r girdle arc by the holding do~n edge o~
the holding down element so that any torque which may occur
in the conveying is absorbed.
According to yet a further expedient embodiment the entrain-
ing eI~nent may comprise two entraining stxaps, each placeableon the 1atfish simultaneously against the force of a spring
and having holding down edges adap~ed to the cross-sectional
contour of a medium size ~latfish coming to be processed and
running transverse to its lonyitudinal axis. Thus, it is
possible to stabilise the position of the flatfish advantageously
in its transverse conveying.
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Embodiments of ~he pr~ tion wil1 now be descr_bed
.nore particularly by way of example with ref2rence to the ac:com-
panying drawings in whlch
Fiy. 1 shows a schematic axonometrical view of a feeding
5 station of a first embodiment of a ~latæish process.iny apparatus;
Fig. 2 shows a side view of a corresponding second variation
with a holding do~m element provided with a catching edge; and
Fig. 3 shows a side view of the appara~us of ~ig. 1.
Referring now to the drawings a feeding station is installed
in a fish processing machine not represented in detail. This
feeding statlon 1 comprises a support suxface 2 for ~he ~lat-
fish 3 with catch rail S arranged therein and extending in the
direction of the longitudinal axis ~f the machine up to a not-
shown processing station. The catch rail 5 has a catching e~ge
6 which extends upwardly beyond the support surface ~ and is
formed by slight upwardly bending of a par~ of the support
surface 2. A holding down element 7 held down by the force of
a spring 9 is provided above the support surface 2 and is
pivotal about an axis 8 fixed to the not-shown frame. The holding
down element 7 has a holding down edge 10 which comes into
contac~ with the flatfish 3 and which extends parallel to the
catch rail S and can he moved in a plane extending essen~ially
perpendicular to the support surface 2 and meeting the latter
immediately behlnd the ca~ching edge 6. The holding down ed~e
10 is formed adapted to the cross-section of a flatfish of
medium siæe to be processed.
The device also has means 11 for conveying the flat~ish 3.
These means 11 co~prise an entraining element 12 with an entrain-
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~g edge 13 which comes in contact with the flatfish and alsoextends essentia.~ly para~lel to the catch rai~. 5 and is formed
co.rrespo~diny essentially to the holdiny down edge 10 of the
holdin~ down elernent 7. The entrainlng el~ment 1~ is yuided
in a path of mov~ent 14 by a suitable mechanism cixcumscrib~y
a rectangle essentially perpendicul æ to the support surface 2
and in a plane extending i.mmediately in frorlt of the holding
down edge 10 of the holding down element 7. The upper side e~
the rectangular path of movement 14 represents the vector of
movement of the turning entraining elernent 12 in a rais~d
position, the adjacent side represents the vector of movement
of the se~tling (downward) movement of the entraining element
12 onto the flatfish and the adjacent lower si~e represents
the vector of movemen~.of the conveying movemen~ of the entrain-
ing element 12, which vector of movement veryes into the vectorof movement o the releasing movement of the entraining element
12 in the not-shown ~nd position in the processing station.
support plate l5 running essentially parallel to ~he support
surface 2 is arxanged on the trailing park of the ent~aining
edge 13.
In the embodiment according to Fig. 2 the catching edge 6
is remo~ed from the support surface 2 into the holding down
edge 10 of the holding down el~ment 7 and shown here by way o~
reference numeral 160 In this embodiment a no-t-shown guiding
rail follows which lies flush with the catching edge 16, can
be displaced by the flat~ish 3 against the force of a spring
and reaches into the processing station.
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The method of operation of th~ de~ice is ~he following:
A flat~ish 3 to be ~rocessed is placed on the support surface
2 in front of the catching edge 6 in a sui~able manner, e.g.
manually and moved accordiny to the vector chain 17 shown in Fig.
1 so that initially ~he catching edge 6 of the catching rail 5
grips behind the edge of ~he gill cover 4 resp. o~ ~he shoulder
girdle arc. The flatfish 3 then arrives under the holding down
element 7. Due to the shape of the holding down edye 10 and by
support o~ -the edge of the shoulder girdle arc on the catching
so edge 6 the flatfish 3 is held in a po~ition deined with refer-
ence to the position and direction o-f its longitudinal axis.
The flatfish 3 is taken over in this position by an entraining
element 12 lowering down onto it and conveyed ou-t ~f the region
of the holding down element 7. A stabilisation of the position
of the flatish 3 and a positive entrainment by a support plate
15 positioned on the entraining elemen~ 12 is achieved, which
plate supports the flatish 3 on its trailing flank. The release
of the flatish 3 occurs in the processing position in that the
entraining elemen~ is controlled 50 as to raise and thus release
the fish.
For a feeding of th~ ~econd emhodiment of the device accord-
ing to Fig. 2 the flatfish 3 is pushed in the direction of its
lon~itudinal axis nose first under the holding clown element 7
which is thereby raised against the force of a not-shown sprlng.
This procedure is continued until the upper gill cover resp~
shoulder glrdle arc has passed the catching edge 1G. By su~-
sequent withdrawal the catching edge 16 catches these body
edges and thereby positions the flat~ish 3 with regard to the
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?osi~ion of its bod~ edges. ~rhe position o~ its lonyitudinal
axis is ixed as well due to the catching edge 16 adapted to
the ~ross-sec~ional shape o~ the ~latEish 3. The conveying
then occurs in the same manner as described with respect to
F~g. 1.
The entraining element 12 can have different formsO Thus,
a second entrai.ning strap being in worklng connection with the
described and represented entraining element 12 may be provided
which grips and centres the fla~fish 3 approximately where it
is widest or also in the tail region. ~he entraining edge 13
may also be provided with spikes.
