WO1992022199A1

WO1992022199A1 - Baiting system for longline

Info

Publication number: WO1992022199A1
Application number: PCT/NO1992/000105
Authority: WO
Inventors: Asbjørn HØGSETH
Original assignee: Hoegseth Asbjoern
Priority date: 1991-06-12
Filing date: 1992-06-12
Publication date: 1992-12-23
Also published as: NO912250D0; NO912250L; NO174451C; NO174451B; IS3876A

Abstract

A baiting machine for the controlled baiting of longlines immediately prior to throwing the line to sea, or for storage in tubs. A guide rail (1) guides the hooks (2) and leaders to the baiting station. The pieces of bait are placed onto laterally spring-loaded forks (3) situated around the periphery of a feed wheel (4). The hooks (2) actuate each in turn a release lever (5) which by means of a control bar (10) and wheel lock (9) enables an engine-driven drive shaft (7) to effect one rotation per hook so that a piece of bait is cut and slid onto a fork (3), and the feed wheel (4) is rotated to present a new fork (3) in position at the baiting station. The bait is slid onto the hooks (2) in the same manner as with manual baiting.

Description

BAITING SYSTEM FOR ONG INE

This invention relates to a machine for baiting fishing longlines. The machine operates on the principle of controlled baiting, and can either bait immediately prior to throwing the line to sea or for storage in tubs. Various types of baiting machines for longlines are now in use. One usually makes a distinction between random baiting machines and controlled baiting machines. An example of how the first type of machine operates is for instance when the main line is drawn with leader and hook through a mixture of pieces of fish and water. Some hooks will then catch on to the bait. Such a principle can give a baiting percentage nearing 80%, but in many cases the bait will hang so loosely on the hooks that it will fall off when the line is thrown to sea. Baiting machines operating on the principle of controlled baiting have a higher baiting percentage and the bait is well hooked on. The fundamental principle for this type of machine is that each hook is individually drawn through a channel with its point in a determined direction to be hooked onto the bait. The bait can be cut to size prior to baiting or may be cut in the machine itself, either just before or after fastening to the hook.

In EP 0298,629 a system of controlled baiting is described where the bait is prepared and cut to size in advance. The bait consists of flat rectangular pieces stacked vertically in a feed unit. A slide next to the feed unit pushes a piece of bait sideways to the baiting station where hooks and leaders hook onto the bait as they slide past. This system is costly as it requires time-consuming preparation of the bait.

British Patent No. 2,069,801 shows a system where whole fish is transported to the baiting station between two conveyor belts, and is cut into pieces just prior to being fastened onto the hook. When a hook slides by the baiting station and catches hold of the bait, a lever where the bait was placed is released, which actuates the cutting operation for the next piece of bait. This solution shows some improvement on the above- described system, but involves an unnecessarily large number of mobile parts which require maintenance and will eventually wear out, with the resulting danger of machine break down after a certain time. A similar solution is shown in EP Patent 199,561.

Norwegian Patent No.118,016 also describes a system where the bait is cut as required and is drawn on the hooks as they slide by.

Norwegian Patent 150,981 describes a system where a whole piece of bait is transported to the baiting station and cut to bait size as needed. The cutting action is initiated by a lever actuated by the hook which is closest to the baiting station at the time. This solution presents the disadvantage of jerking the piece of bait through the hook. Experience has shown however that the bait is more solidly hooked on if it is slid onto the hook with a movement similar to that effected when baiting manually.

In accordance with an aspect of this invention, a system is provided which involves as few mobile parts as possible, resulting in improved reliability of operation and reducing the production costs. Another aspect of the invention is to provide a machine which can handle both prepared and unprepared bait which is cut to size in the machine as required for baiting. A further aspect of the invention is to provide a baiting machine operating with a bait-hooking movement which closely resembles that of manual baiting.

This is achieved with a system where a hook, which is in position to be baited, actuates a release lever which cuts a piece of bait, the latter being placed on a spring-loaded fork situated on a wheel comprising several such forks. When a hook arrives at the baiting station. a fork is waiting in place so that the hook catches on to the piece of bait, and draws with it the spring-loaded fork, allowing the bait to be hooked in place in a manner very similar to manual baiting. Details of the invention will appear from the description below and the figures showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a baiting machine with release lever and cutting device, and a plate with, on its periphery, forks holding bait ready to be slid onto hooks.

Figure 2 shows a view perpendicular to figure 1, in the area immediately following the guide rail for the hooks.

Figure 3 shows the plate which holds a set of forks for bait pieces.

Figure 1 shows the baiting machine with a straight horizontal guide rail 1 where the hooks 2 and leaders are stored before baiting. To the left of the drawing, can be seen several forks 3 regularly positioned around the periphery of a feed wheel 4, the rotation axis of which is horizontal in the plane of the sheet of paper, and the main plane of which is perpendicular to the plane of the sheet of paper. The forks 3 are positioned laterally relative to the main plane of the feed wheel 4, and fixed to said feed wheel 4 with a spring-loaded system. Details of this system are shown in fig. 3.

A release lever 5 is, at one end, formed like a rod which extends beyond the edge of the guide rail 1, so that, when the leader and hook 2 are sliding from their storage place to the right of the figure towards the baiting station on the left, the hook 2 will catch onto the release lever 5 and draw the lever with it towards the left on the figure. This movement actuates in turn a mechanism which cuts a piece of bait and slides it onto one of the forks 3.

The bait-cutting mechanism is illustrated here with a flywheel 6 mounted on a drive shaft 7. The flywheel 6 has on the outer edge of its upper horizontal side a boss

8 which projects from the plane of the wheel. This boss

8 operates with a boss-shaped wheel lock 9 which projects downwards from the end of a horizontal control bar 10.

The control bar 10 is connected to the extremity of the release lever 5 which is not affected by the hook 2 and leader, at the point where the lever 5 is mounted on a release axle 11 on which it rotates. On the vertical drive shaft 7, and vertically above the flywheel 6, a horizontal pinion is mounted, namely the pull pinion 12. This pinion 12 engages in a second pinion, the drive pinion 13, the main plane of which is perpendicular to that of the pull pinion 12. A rotating knife 14 is mounted horizontally at the free upper end of the drive shaft 7.

The machinery operates as follows. When a hook 2 with leader is drawn from its storage place at the right of the figure towards the release lever 5, a fork 3 with bait will be waiting in the prolongation of the guide rail 1 at the opposite end from the hook storage place.

The drive shaft 7 is constantly under torque through a friction coupling 6' by means of an engine which is not illustrated. When the release lever 5 is not being pulled by a hook 2, the control bar 10 and the wheel lock 9 are as far left as they can go, and the latter is locked against the boss 8 so as to prevent the flywheel 6 from rotating in spite of the torque action from the engine.

When the release lever 5 is pulled by a hook 2 as the latter slides towards the baiting station, the control bar 10 and the wheel lock 9 will effect a displacement to the right on the drawing, and the wheel lock will disengage from the boss 8, so that the flywheel 6 will effect one rotation before being stopped once more when the boss 8 and the wheel lock 9 engage again into locking position. The knife 14 also effects one rotation, cuts a piece of bait which is slid onto an empty fork 3. The mechanism which slides the pieces of bait onto the forks 3 is not illustrated.

This single rotation of the drive shaft 7 results in the pull pinion 12 displacing the drive pinion 13 along a certain angle of rotation which has a direct effect on the feed wheel 4.

After pulling the release lever 5, the hook 2 will slide directly to the baiting station where it will come in contact with the fork 3 holding the bait. The fork 3 being laterally spring-loaded in relation to the main plane of the feed wheel 4, the fork 3 will be pulled along laterally so that the bait hooks on to the hook 2 and is pulled off the prongs. The movement obtained is therefore very similar to that effected with manual baiting.

If required, it is possible to install a device to keep the leaders taut vertically below the guide rail 1, between the storage place and the release lever 5, to ensure that the hook 2 effects a smooth and jerk-free displacement when sliding between the storage place and the baiting station. A jerky displacement might result in the release lever 5 triggering the cut-and-pull mechanism before the hook which actuates this operation has been baited.

Claims

1. A baiting system for longline which operates on the principle of controlled baiting, with a guide rail (1) which guides the hooks (2) into place for baiting, and with a release lever (5) actuated by the hooks (2) to bring the bait into position, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the release lever (5) actuates a control bar (10) comprising a projecting wheel lock (9), said wheel lock disengaging for a short instant from a boss (8) projecting from a horizontal drive wheel (6) in such a manner that said boss (8) effects one rotation and actuates a drive shaft (7) and thereby a knife (14) which in turn will cut a piece of bait which slides onto one of a series of laterally spring-loaded forks (3) mounted on a feed wheel (4), and with a pull pinion (12) which, by means of a drive pinion (13) connected to the feed wheel (4), displaces said feed wheel over a certain angle of rotation.

2. A baiting system for longline of claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a friction coupling (6' ) situated between the drive shaft (7) and the flywheel (6) to exert a constant torque on the flywheel (6) so that said flywheel effects one rotation when the wheel lock (9) disengages from the boss (8) when actuated by the release lever (5).

3. A baiting system for longline of claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a large number of forks (3) extending in a regular pattern from the periphery of the feed wheel (4), and which, at rest, lie in the same plane as the feed wheel's (4) main plane, said forks (3) being drawn outwards from their rest position when hooks (2) catch onto the bait.

4. A baiting system for longline of claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a device to keep the leaders taut, said device being installed below the guide rail (1) in the vicinity of the storage place.