GB1599268A

GB1599268A - Fish processing machine

Info

Publication number: GB1599268A
Application number: GB1452378A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud Baader GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud Baader GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1978-04-13
Filing date: 1978-04-13
Publication date: 1981-09-30

Description

(54) A FISH PROCESSING MACHINE (71) We, NORDISCHER MASCHINEN BAU RUD. BAADER GmbH & Co., Kg, of Geniner Strasse 249, 2400 Lübeck 1, Federal Republic of Germany, a Kommanditgesellschaft organised under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a fish processing machine.

An apparatus for the transport of fish through a fish processing machine is known; see, for example German (Fed. Rep.) patent specification No. 11 54 913. This known apparatus has, in the course of many years, proved its suitability for the conveying of herring. It enables a slip-free conveying of fish of different sizes and shapes and also leaves the region of the flanks and belly flaps free so that, for example, the rib cuts can be performed with greater precision and with the least loss of fish flesh. However, this apparatus has the disadvantage that it is impossible to arrange tools and guides, for example back filleting knives and separating knives, acting from the rear side of the fish, Furthermore, for wider and round-backed fish, it is necessary to exchange the conveyor for another provided with grippers suitable for this purpose.

According to the invention there is provided a fish processing machine including a conveyor system which comprises two endless V-belts arranged to run alongside each other in the same direction and provided with a plurality of spaced fish entraining means each consisting of two adjacently positioned gripping members defining a substantially V-shaped recess, each of the Vbelts carrying a respective one of the gripping members of each entraining means, two first guide rails laterally supporting the two gripping members, respectively, of each entraining means along at least a portion of a fish processing path, and a second guide rail arranged to be disposed between the gripping members of each entraining means during travel along at least said portion of the path.

Preferably, the machine comprises first and second pulley members each provided with two adjacently positioned V-shaped grooves each receiving a respective one of the V-belts, and means to drive one of the two pulley members.

This arrangement ensures synchronous motion of the associated gripping members of each entraining means. Advantageously, each of the gripping members is provided at a surface thereof facing away from the associated gripping member with a shoulder for support by the upper surface of the respective first guide rail. Accordingly, run ning of the conveyor system with a small spacing of the associated gripping members above the fish processing path is possible.

The associated gripping members may, at least in the region of tools arranged along the processing path, be acted on by presser members for their bearing on the first guide rails and the presser members may be constructed to be upwardly yieldable against a resilient force. The pressure members can comprise freely running presser rollers engaging the V-belts. As a result, a yieldability of the conveyor can be present for each tool, and the gripping means of each entraining means can be deflected by equal amounts on the passage of a fish. A change of their spacing may also be allowed for. Advantageously, the gap between the first guide rails in the region of one or more presser members may be enlarged and the second guide rail correspondingly widened. Thereby, a machine embodying the invention is adaptable to particular kinds of processing or to particular kinds of fish.In such a machine, guides or tools may be arranged in a simple manner for action on the fish from its back side, the second guide rail preferably being provided with at least one passage for the reception of such tools or guides.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I is a schematic perspective view of a conveyor system in a fish processing machine embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-section of part of the conveyor system in the region of a presser roller; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section corresponding to that of Fig. 2 but with splayed gripper halves.

Referring now to the drawings, in the fish processing machine of Fig. 1, a working path 19 is arranged in a vertical plane and fish are conveyed along this path in the direction of the arrow belly down and head end forward.

Tools (not shown) for processing of the fish are arranged underneath the path 19 and a conveyor 1 for seizing the fish by their back sides is arranged above the path 19.

The conveyor 1 possesses two endless Vbelts 11 and 12, which run beside each other and which are driven by a drive pulley 13 on a horizontal driving axle 131 and deflected by a deflecting pulley 14 on a horizontal deflecting axle 141. The pulley 13 is provided at its circumference with two V-section grooves 132 and 133 disposed beside each other and the pulley 14 is correspondingly provided with two V-section grooves 142 and 143. The grooves are arranged so that the Vbelt 11 circulates in the grooves 132 and 142 and the V-belt 12 in the grooves 133 and 143.

The V-belts 11 and 12 carry on their external sides complementary gripper halves 21 and 22 (only two of which are shown in Fig. 1) which are arranged in a close sequence and which together form entraining members. Each gripper half 21 is fastened to the V-belt 11 and each gripper half 22 to the V-belt 12. The backs of the fish are centred in V-shaped or prismatic recesses 24 of the entraining members. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each of the two gripper halves 21 and 22 has an internal surface 211, an external surface 212 parallel thereto, a shoulder 214 protruding outwardly from the latter, and an entraining surface 213 running at an angle from the external surface 212 to the internal surface 211 and forming part of the recess 24.

The entraining surfaces 213 are interrupted by slots 215 extending as far as the external surfaces 212 to facilitate the gripping of the fish.

A stationary guide rail 17 is arranged in a vertical plane for the guidance of the gripper halves 21 and 22 and associated with a righthand guide rail 15 and a lefthand guide rail 16, which support the gripper halves 21 and 22 from the outside and at the same time support the shoulders 214. To enable adaptation to different back heights of the fish to be processed, the gripper halves 21 and 22 in the conveyor run just above the path 19 and can yield upwardly. In order that they yield synchronously, a spring-loaded presser member 18 is arranged above each processing tool and comprises a presser lever 181 pivotable about a fixed pivot axle 182 and carrying an axle 188 at its free end.Arranged on each axle 188 is either a single presser roller 184 provided with two belt-receiving V-shaped grooves 186 and 187 disposed beside each other or two presser rollers 185 lying beside each other and each formed with a beltreceiving V-shaped groove 189. The two rollers 185 are mounted on the axle 188 with fredom for lateral movement and this makes it possible for the gap 23 shown in Fig. 2 between the guide rails 15 and 16 to enlarge to the size of the gap 25 shown in Fig. 3 and to accommodate an increase in the width of the rail 17 from the width 171 shown in Fig. 2 to the width 172 shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the recess 24 is enlarged and the reception of the back of a larger fish is possible.

Advantageously, a fish processing machine embodying the invention is adaptable without significant changes to larger and wider fish and makes possible the arrangement of tools or guides effective from the back of the fish.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A fish processing machine including a conveyor system which comprises two endless V-belts arranged to run alongside each other in the same direction and provided with a plurality of spaced fish entraining means each consisting of two adjacently positioned gripping members defining a substantially V-shaped recess, each of the Vbelts carrying a respective one of the gripping members of each entraining means, two first guide rails laterally supporting the two gripping members, respectively, of each entraining means along at least a portion of a fish processing path, and a second guide rail arranged to be disposed between the gripping members of each entraining means during travel along at least said portion of the path.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising first and second pulley members each provided with two adjacently positioned V-shaped grooves each receiving a respective one of the V-belts, and means to drive one of the two pully members.

3. A machine as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the gripping members is provided at a surface thereof facing away from the associated gripping member with a shoulder for support by the upper surface of the respective first guide rail.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3,

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. for action on the fish from its back side, the second guide rail preferably being provided with at least one passage for the reception of such tools or guides. Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I is a schematic perspective view of a conveyor system in a fish processing machine embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-section of part of the conveyor system in the region of a presser roller; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section corresponding to that of Fig. 2 but with splayed gripper halves. Referring now to the drawings, in the fish processing machine of Fig. 1, a working path 19 is arranged in a vertical plane and fish are conveyed along this path in the direction of the arrow belly down and head end forward. Tools (not shown) for processing of the fish are arranged underneath the path 19 and a conveyor 1 for seizing the fish by their back sides is arranged above the path 19. The conveyor 1 possesses two endless Vbelts 11 and 12, which run beside each other and which are driven by a drive pulley 13 on a horizontal driving axle 131 and deflected by a deflecting pulley 14 on a horizontal deflecting axle 141. The pulley 13 is provided at its circumference with two V-section grooves 132 and 133 disposed beside each other and the pulley 14 is correspondingly provided with two V-section grooves 142 and 143. The grooves are arranged so that the Vbelt 11 circulates in the grooves 132 and 142 and the V-belt 12 in the grooves 133 and 143. The V-belts 11 and 12 carry on their external sides complementary gripper halves 21 and 22 (only two of which are shown in Fig. 1) which are arranged in a close sequence and which together form entraining members. Each gripper half 21 is fastened to the V-belt 11 and each gripper half 22 to the V-belt 12. The backs of the fish are centred in V-shaped or prismatic recesses 24 of the entraining members. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each of the two gripper halves 21 and 22 has an internal surface 211, an external surface 212 parallel thereto, a shoulder 214 protruding outwardly from the latter, and an entraining surface 213 running at an angle from the external surface 212 to the internal surface 211 and forming part of the recess 24. The entraining surfaces 213 are interrupted by slots 215 extending as far as the external surfaces 212 to facilitate the gripping of the fish. A stationary guide rail 17 is arranged in a vertical plane for the guidance of the gripper halves 21 and 22 and associated with a righthand guide rail 15 and a lefthand guide rail 16, which support the gripper halves 21 and 22 from the outside and at the same time support the shoulders 214. To enable adaptation to different back heights of the fish to be processed, the gripper halves 21 and 22 in the conveyor run just above the path 19 and can yield upwardly. In order that they yield synchronously, a spring-loaded presser member 18 is arranged above each processing tool and comprises a presser lever 181 pivotable about a fixed pivot axle 182 and carrying an axle 188 at its free end.Arranged on each axle 188 is either a single presser roller 184 provided with two belt-receiving V-shaped grooves 186 and 187 disposed beside each other or two presser rollers 185 lying beside each other and each formed with a beltreceiving V-shaped groove 189. The two rollers 185 are mounted on the axle 188 with fredom for lateral movement and this makes it possible for the gap 23 shown in Fig. 2 between the guide rails 15 and 16 to enlarge to the size of the gap 25 shown in Fig. 3 and to accommodate an increase in the width of the rail 17 from the width 171 shown in Fig. 2 to the width 172 shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the recess 24 is enlarged and the reception of the back of a larger fish is possible. Advantageously, a fish processing machine embodying the invention is adaptable without significant changes to larger and wider fish and makes possible the arrangement of tools or guides effective from the back of the fish. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A fish processing machine including a conveyor system which comprises two endless V-belts arranged to run alongside each other in the same direction and provided with a plurality of spaced fish entraining means each consisting of two adjacently positioned gripping members defining a substantially V-shaped recess, each of the Vbelts carrying a respective one of the gripping members of each entraining means, two first guide rails laterally supporting the two gripping members, respectively, of each entraining means along at least a portion of a fish processing path, and a second guide rail arranged to be disposed between the gripping members of each entraining means during travel along at least said portion of the path.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3,

comprising pressing means pressing the gripping members of the entraining means towards the upper surfaces of the first guide rails at least along said portion of the path, processing tool means being disposed along said portion of the path, and the pressing means being resiliently yieldable in a direction away from the upper surfaces of the first guide rails.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pressing means comprises a plurality of presser members each provided with presser roller means having two adjacent V-section grooves receiving the V-belts.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the roller means of at least one of the presser members comprises two presser rollers positioned adjacent each other on a common axle and each formed with a respective V-section groove.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the presser rollers are so mounted on the axle as to be movable apart to allow for widening of the second guide rail and of the spacing between the two first guide rails thereby to enable the entraining means to engage a fish of a larger dimension.

8. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second guide rail is provided with at least one passage to receive processing tool means and/or guide means.

9. A fish processing machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.