GB1341588A - Method of heading spindleshaped fishes and a device for implementation of this method - Google Patents

Abstract

1341588 Beheading fish MORSKI INSTYTUT RYBACKI 22 June 1971 [13 July 1970] 29241/71 Heading A2U The position at which a cut is made for beheading a fish is determined by contactless measurement of the length of the fish. A fish to be beheaded is placed on a V-shaped trough defined by fixed and movable plates 1, 2, the head of the fish engaging a transverse plate 14 across the end of the trough. A cam 6 on a rotary camshaft 7 then operates a lever 4 which, through a spring-loaded tie 3, swings the lower edge of the plate 2 away from the plate 1 to allow the fish to drop into a second trough composed of plates 9, 10 hinged at their upper edges. The length of the fish is sensed by a photoelectric device comprising an arm 21 carrying a lamp 20 and photoelectric element 19 aligned with slots 11 in the plates 9, 10, the arm 21 being movable in a horizontal plane about a pivotal mounting and having a connection 22, 23 with an axially movable sleeve 24 connected with a rotary disc knife 26 so that deflections of the photoelectric device and of the knife bear a definite, adjustable relationship to each other. A cam (not shown) on the shaft 7 operates a microswitch (not shown) to energize either of a pair of couplings 30 which transmit rotary motion in opposite directions so that the sleeve 24 is displaced axially in one direction or the other through a rack 27 and pinion 28 on a shaft 29. The condition sensed by the photoelectric device determines which of the two couplings is energized, and the coupling is de-energized and a brake 31 applied when the photoelectric device senses the tail end of the fish. A cam 18 on the shaft 7 then causes a lever 15 carrying an adjustable thrust plate 16 to push the fish downwardly, a member 8 at the same time releasing the plates 9, 10 so that they can be pushed apart against spring loading by the descending fish, which is steadied by a plate 13 during the beheading operation. As the lever 15 retracts to its upper position in readiness for the next cycle it closes the plates 9, 10 through a member 17. The plates 9, 10 may be made of transparent material, thereby avoiding the necessity for the slots 11.