Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02720956 2010-11-12
FISH RODDING APPARATUS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of commercial fish processing
operations, and more
particularly to a method and apparatus for rodding fish.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Smoking of fish such as, for example, herring for preservation and/or
flavouring is a common
practice and generally performed in medium to large scale commercial fish
processing
operations. The smoking is typically performed by "rodding" the fish, i.e.
mounting a plurality of
fish to a long rod, and disposing the rod with the fish in a smoke house, for
example, by placing
the rods on respective brackets inside the smoke house.
The rodding of the fish - especially larger fish such as herring - is still a
manual process where
the rod is inserted into the head of the fish through the gill and exited
through the mouth of the
fish. This manual process of rodding causes no or only minor damage to the
flesh and ensures an
appealing appearance of the fish after smoking. Unfortunately, this process is
very time
consuming and labour intensive. Furthermore, this process requires a high
level of concentration
to ensure that the rod is properly guided through the head of the fish for the
rod to exit through
the mouth. Improper guidance causes substantial damage to the head of the
fish.
State of the art automatic rodding machines use rigid steel rods or spears
which are thrust
through the head of the fish. Unfortunately, this type of rodding technique is
only applicable for
rodding small fish such as, for example, sprats and kilka, and causes
substantial damage to the
head of the fish resulting in an undesirable appearance of the final product.
It is desirable to provide an automatic fish rodding apparatus and method for
rodding larger fish
such as, for example, herring.
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It is also desirable to provide an automatic fish rodding apparatus and method
that causes no or
only minor damage to the head of the fish.
It is also desirable to provide an automatic fish rodding apparatus and method
that is capable of
rodding fish at a high rate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
fish rodding
apparatus and method for rodding larger fish such as, for example, herring.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic fish
rodding apparatus and
method that causes no or only minor damage to the head of the fish.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic fish
rodding apparatus and
method that is capable of rodding fish at a high rate.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fish
rodding apparatus. A
rod holding mechanism for holding a rod oriented along a first direction is
mounted to a support
frame. A feeding device mounted to the support frame holds a fish such that a
gill on one side of
the fish is facing the rod and such that the fish is oriented along a second
direction with the
second direction being at a predetermined acute angle to the first direction.
A gill opening device
mounted to the support frame opens the gill of the fish. An actuating
mechanism is interposed
between the support frame and at least one of the rod holding mechanism and
the feeding device.
The actuating mechanism provides relative movement between the feeding device
and the rod
such that the rod enters the fish through the opened gill and exits the fish
through its mouth.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is further
provided a method for
rodding a fish. A rod oriented along a first direction is provided. A feeding
device holds a fish
such that a gill on one side of the fish is facing the rod and such that the
fish is oriented along a
second direction with the second direction being at a predetermined acute
angle to the first
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direction. A gill opening device opens the gill of the fish. Relative movement
between the
feeding device and the rod is provided such that the rod enters the fish
through the opened gill
and exits the fish through its mouth.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides an automatic fish
rodding apparatus and
method for rodding larger fish such as, for example, herring.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an automatic
fish rodding
apparatus and method that causes no or only minor damage to the head of the
fish.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an automatic
fish rodding
apparatus and method that is capable of rodding fish at a high rate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 a is a simplified block diagram illustrating a perspective view of a
fish rodding
apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure lb is a simplified block diagram illustrating a perspective view of an
actuating
mechanism and a fish loading mechanism of the fish rodding apparatus according
to a
preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure lc is a simplified block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of
the actuating
mechanism according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figures 2a and 2b are simplified block diagrams illustrating perspective views
of a
feeding device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
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Figures 3a and 3b are simplified block diagrams illustrating perspective views
of a gill
opening device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figures 4a to 4d are simplified block diagrams illustrating perspective views
of a section
of the fish rodding apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the
invention for
illustrating various stages of the fish rodding process; and,
Figures 5a and 5b are simplified block diagrams illustrating perspective views
of a
positioning mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention
belongs.
Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described
herein can be used
in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and
materials are now
described.
While embodiments of the invention will be described for rodding herring for
the sake of
simplicity, it will become evident to those skilled in the art that the
embodiments of the invention
are not limited thereto, but are also applicable for rodding various other
species of fish of similar
size such as, for example, mackerel and alewives, as well as species of fish
of different size such
as, for example, sprats and kilka. Furthermore, the embodiments of the
invention are employable
for rodding whole fish as well as split fish. Yet further, the embodiments of
the invention are
adaptable to accommodate wooden rods as well as metal rods of various cross
sections - size and
shape - and lengths.
Referring to Figures 1 a to 1 c, a fish rodding apparatus 100 according to a
preferred embodiment
of the invention is provided. The fish rodding apparatus 100 according to a
preferred
embodiment of the invention comprises a support frame 102 for supporting
various components
of rodding section 104. Attached to the rodding section 104 are: fish conveyor
106 for conveying
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fish such as herrings from previous processing steps such as, for example,
salting and splitting to
the rodding section 104; and rod conveyor 108 for providing rods to the
rodding section 104. The
fish conveyor 106 is, for example, a standard fish conveyor used in fish
processing plants and
adapted for providing the fish at a predetermined speed suitable for the
rodding process and
having a predetermined orientation. The rod conveyor 108 is, for example, a
conventional
conveying mechanism adapted to provide rods in a fashion suitable for being
picked up by
respective gripping tools disposed in the rodding section 104. The filled rods
are removed for
further processing using rod removal mechanism 105 comprising, for example,
standard gripping
and transport tools. Preferably, the various components of the fish rodding
apparatus 100 are
controlled using controller 103 communicating with the various components
using one or a
combination of electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic communication lines.
Disposed in the rodding section 104 and preferably mounted to the support
structure 102 is fish
loading mechanism 114 for loading the fish 10 from the fish conveyor 106 onto
feeding device
112 of actuating mechanism 110, as illustrated in Figure lb. Preferably, the
fish 10 are provided
disposed on one side and oriented in a same fashion in transport trays of the
fish conveyor 106
for accurate provision of the fish 10 to the fish loading mechanism 114.
Further preferably, the
loading mechanism 114 comprises a gripping arm for engaging the upper side of
the fish 10
when the fish is at a predetermined location - i.e. aligned with the feeding
device 112 - and for
sliding the fish to a predetermined position on the feeding device 112 of the
actuating mechanism
110.
Preferably, the actuating mechanism 110 comprises 4 feeding devices 112 which
are movable
between a bottom level for receiving the fish 10 and a top level for providing
the fish 10 for
rodding. The feeding devices 112 are connected to respective chain drives 116A
and 116B
disposed on a left hand side and a right hand side of the feeding devices 112.
The chain drives
11 6A, 116B form a carousel and are moved - as indicated by the arrows - with
the chain drive
116A, 116B being directed using sprocket wheels 118 rotatable mounted to the
support frame
102. The chain drives 11 6A, 11 6B are actuated using an electric drive
mechanism driving one or
more of the sprocket wheels 118. Alternatively, a pneumatic or hydraulic drive
mechanism is
employed. Further alternatively, belt drives such as V-belt drives or toothed
belt drives are
employed. The feeding devices 112 are guided using respective feeding device
guiding
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mechanisms 120A, 120B disposed on the left hand side and the right hand side
of the feeding
devices 112, as illustrated in Figures 1 b and 1 c.
Referring to Figures 2a and 2b, a preferred embodiment of the feeding device
112 is provided.
The feeding device 112 comprises an L-shaped feeding device body structure 122
having on each
side 3 feeding device guiding rollers 124A, 124B, and 124C rotatable mounted
thereto for
engaging respective surfaces of the feeding device guiding mechanisms 120A,
120B. For
example, for guiding the feeding device 112 during vertical movement the
feeding device
guiding rollers 124A and 124B are engaged with respective surfaces of the
feeding device
guiding mechanisms 120A, 120B while for guiding the feeding device during
horizontal
movement all three guiding rollers 124A, 124B, and 124C are engaged - with the
guiding rollers
124B and 124C engaging a respective upper surface of the feeding device
guiding mechanisms
120A, 120B while the guiding rollers 124A engage a respective lower surface of
the feeding
device guiding mechanisms 120A, 120B. Preferably, the feeding device body
structure 122 is
made of a suitable metal such as, for example, aluminum or stainless steel.
The guiding rollers
are mounted to the feeding device body structure 122 using, for example, screw
threaded bolts
for fastening the same to respective screw threaded bores disposed in the
feeding device body
structure 122 and having a cylindrical portion for being accommodated in
respective bores of the
guiding rollers. The guiding rollers are made of a non-corroding metal such
as, for example,
aluminum or stainless steel or a suitable plastic material such as for
example, Polypropylene,
Polyvinyl Chloride, or Nylon. The feeding device 112 has mounted thereto drive
connectors
123A, 123B for being mounted to the respective chain drives 116A, 116B. The
drive connectors
123A, 123B comprise, for example, screw threaded portions for being fastened
to respective
screw threaded bores disposed in the feeding device body structure 122.
The feeding device 112 further comprises a fish support plane 132, preferably
having a
predetermined size and orientation for supporting the fish 10 having a
predetermined orientation
during the rodding process as will be described herein below. Fish holding
mechanism 126 is
pivotally movable mounted to the feeding device body structure 122 and movable
between a
holding position and a loading/release position. Preferably, the fish holding
mechanism 126 is
spring loaded holding the fish holding mechanism 126 in the holding position
for engaging the
upper side of the fish while the opposite lower side of the fish is engaged by
the fish support
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plane 132. The spring loading is designed such that it is sufficient for
holding the fish during
transport in the actuating mechanism 110 and during a first portion of the
rodding process while
enabling release of the fish at a later stage of the rodding process as will
be described herein
below. The fish holding mechanism 126 further comprises a fish holding
mechanism lever 128
for opening and holding the fish holding mechanism 126 in the loading/release
position when the
feeding device 112 is in the bottom position for receiving the fish 10. When
the feeding device
112 is in the bottom position the fish holding mechanism lever 128 engages a
respective opening
structure mounted to the support frame to open the fish holding mechanism 126
and disengages
the same after loading of the fish, i.e. after moving the feeding device
horizontally a
predetermined distance.
The feeding device 112 further comprises a head lifting device 130 having a
fish head abutting
portion 130A for abutting a portion of the head of the fish in a predetermined
position.
Preferably, the head abutting portion 130A comprises a flat surface disposed
at a predetermined
angle /3 to a longitudinal direction of the feeding device 112, as indicated
by the dashed lines in
Figure 2a. The angle is determined in dependence upon the species and the
typical size of the fish
to be processed. For example, for herring an angle between 20 and 25 is
suitable. The head
lifting device 130 further comprises a fish head lifting portion 130B which is
preferably a flat
surface disposed at a predetermined angle to the fish support plane 132. The
angle is determined
in dependence upon the species and the typical size of the fish to be
processed. For example, for
herring an angle between 12 and 18 is suitable. Lifting the head of the fish
facilitates breaking
the seal around the gill of the fish as will be described herein below.
Preferably, the head lifting
device 130 is made of a suitable plastic material such as, for example, Mylar,
and removable
mounted to the feeding device body structure 122 using, for example, a holding
pin mounted to
the feeding device body structure and a respective bore 131 disposed in the
head lifting device
130. Removable mounting of the head lifting device 130 enables simple
adjustment of the
feeding device 112 for different species of fish.
For opening the gill 14 of the fish 10 a gill opening device is provided.
Preferably, the gill
opening device comprises gill opening hammer 134 for repeatedly striking the
head 12 of the fish
10 in order to break the seal around the gill 14 of the fish 10. The gill
opening hammer 134
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comprises, for example, a hammer head 134A made of a suitable metal such as,
for example,
aluminum or stainless steel, or a suitable plastic material such as, for
example, Mylar for
engaging the head 12 of the fish. The hammer head is mounted to a first end
portion of a hammer
arm 134B which is pivotally movable mounted to the support frame 102 and
connected to a
hammer actuator 134C at a second opposite end portion, as illustrated in
Figures 3a and 3b. The
hammer actuator comprises, for example, a pneumatic, a hydraulic, or an
electric drive
mechanism. Preferably, the opening hammer 134 is placed such that the head 12
of the fish 10 is
engaged as soon as the feeding device 112 reaches the upper level, as
illustrated in Figure 1 c.
Preferably, the gill opening hammer 134 is operated in a continuous fashion.
Alternatively, the
gill opening hammer 134 is operated only when the head 12 of the fish 10 is in
proximity to the
hammer head 134A controlled, for example, by a switching mechanism for
switching the
operation ON and OFF in dependence upon the position of the feeding device
112. As described
herein above, the breaking of the seal and the opening of the gill is
facilitated by lifting the head
12 of the fish using the head lifting device 130.
Preferably, the gill opening device further comprises fluid supply mechanism
136 mounted to the
support frame 102 such that a fluid flow is directed towards the gill 14 of
the fish at the time the
head 12 of the fish is engaged by the opening hammer 134 and prior to the
insertion of the tip
139 of the rod 138 into the gill 14 as will be described herein below. The
fluid flow facilitates
opening of the gill 14 and maintains the gill 14 in an opened position. The
fluid supply
mechanism 136 comprises, for example, a pipe or tube mounted to the support
structure and
connected to a fluid supply providing a fluid such as, for example, compressed
air, water, or a
water solution. Optionally, a nozzle is disposed at the end of the pipe for
directing the fluid flow.
Further optionally, the fluid supply mechanism 136 is disposed such that its
end is aligned with
the rod 138, as illustrated in Figure 4a. Preferably, the fluid supply
mechanism 136 is operated in
a continuous fashion. Alternatively, the fluid supply mechanism 136 is
operated only when the
head 12 of the fish 10 is in proximity to the fluid supply mechanism 136
controlled, for example,
by a switching mechanism for switching the operation ON and OFF in dependence
upon the
position of the feeding device 112.
When in the upper level, the feeding device 112 is moved substantially
horizontally along
direction 142, as indicated by the dashed line and block arrow in Figure 4a.
The rod 138 is
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disposed along direction 140 forming an acute angle a to the direction 142
such that the tip 139
of the rod 138 is disposed in proximity to the upper surface of the fish 10
absent engaging the
same and such that the tip 139 is inserted into the opened gill 14 when the
same reaches the tip
139, as illustrated in Figures 4a and 4b. Suitable angles a for various sizes
and species of fish as
well as different types of rods are easily determined in an empirical fashion.
Further movement
of the feeding device 112 in the direction 142 results in the rod 138
penetrating the fish's head 12
towards the fish's mouth 16 where the rod exits the fish's head 12, as
illustrated in Figures 4b
and 4c. Further movement of the feeding device 112 along the direction 142
moves the fish's
head along the rod 138, i.e. pulls the fish's head 12 upwards along the
direction 140, until the
feeding device 112 reaches the end of the upper level of feeding device
guiding mechanism
120A, 120B and is moved downward in a vertical direction to the loading
position, as indicated
by the block arrow in Figure 4d. At this point the pulling force acting on the
fish 10 is sufficient
to overcome the spring loading of the fish holding mechanism 126 for releasing
the fish 10.
During this process the front portion of the rod 138 is clamped by rod holding
mechanism 144B
disposed in proximity to the end of the upper level of feeding device guiding
mechanism while a
similar holding mechanism is employed for clamping the rod 138 in proximity to
a rear end
portion thereof.
After the fish 10 is released the front portion of the rod 138 is clamped
closer to the tip 139 using
rod holding mechanism 144A in order to enable moving the fish 10 further along
the rod 138.
Preferably, the fish is moved along the rod 138 to a predetermined position
using positioning
mechanism 146, as illustrated in Figures 5a and 5b. The positioning mechanism
146 is linearly
movable along positioning rail 148 which is oriented substantially parallel to
the rod 138 and
mounted to the support frame 102. The positioning mechanism 146 comprises a
positioning rod
150 movable mounted thereto between a retracted position and an extended
position. In
operation, the positing rod 150 is extended using, for example, a pneumatic,
hydraulic, or electric
drive mechanism and moved along the underside of the rod 138 by moving the
positioning
mechanism 146 along the positioning rail 148. During the movement the
positioning rod 150
engages a predetermined portion of the fish's head 12 in proximity to the
mouth 16. The
movement of the positioning mechanism 146 is stopped when the positioning
mechanism 146
has reached a predetermined position along the positioning rail 148 which
corresponds to the
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predetermined position of the fish 10 along the rod 138. The positioning
mechanism 146 is
moved along the positioning rail 148 using, for example, a pneumatic,
hydraulic, or electric drive
mechanism.
Preferably, the rod holding mechanisms 144A and 144E each comprise a pair of
clamping arms
152 having a first end portion for clamping the rod 138 and being rotatable
mounted at pivot 154
to rod holding support 153. An opposite second end portion of each clamping
arm 152 is
accommodated in a V-shaped guide 156 of actuating mechanism 158. Vertical
movement of the
actuating mechanism 158 between a lower position and an upper position moves
the clamping
arms 152 between an open position and a clamping position, respectively. The
actuating
mechanism 158 is moved using, for example, a pneumatic, a hydraulic, or an
electric drive
mechanism.
Empty rods are provided to the rod holding mechanisms from the rod conveyor
and filled rods
are removed using automated gripping and transport tools known to one skilled
in the art.
Alternatively, the empty and filled rods are handled manually.
Preferably, the fish rodding apparatus 100 is operated in a continuous
fashion, i.e. the various
operations of: loading the fish 10 onto the feeding device 112; transporting
the fish from the
lower level to the upper level of the feeding device guiding mechanism 120;
opening the gill 14
of the fish and inserting the rod; and moving the empty feeding device 112 to
the lower level of
the feeding device guiding mechanism 120, are performed simultaneously. The
simultaneous
execution of the various steps of the rodding process enables rodding at a
rate of approximately 1
fish per second. Typically, 15 to 20 fish are disposed on one rod, but as is
evident the fish
rodding apparatus 100 is adaptable to dispose various other numbers of fish on
a rod depending
on the size of the fish and the size of the rod.
Alternatively, relative movement between the fish 10 and the rod 138 is
realized by holding the
fish 10 in a stationary position oriented along the direction 142 and moving
the rod 138 along the
direction 140.
The present invention has been described herein with regard to preferred
embodiments. However,
it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations
and modifications can
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be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
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