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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 ~' ~ ~3058 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 ~.~
i`l 'i _ ~. ~
~2~30S~3 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.
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-~3~)5~
~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.
3~
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
3~)S8 ?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.