Methods and systems for processing fish, such as salmon, are provided which enable filleting of the fish in a particular efficient manner. An example method includes exposing a backbone of a fish from a belly side of the fish, positioning the backbone of the fish on a conveyor device, and conveying the fish with the backbone in contact with the conveyor device. The conveyor may be a spiked chain, and positioning the backbone of the fish on the conveyor device may include engaging the backbone of the fish with the spiked chain such that the fish straddles the spiked chain as the fish is transported. The method may further include cutting the fish from the dorsal side on each of opposing sides of a central plane of the fish to a location adjacent a connection of the pinbones of the fish with the vertebrae of the fish while the fish is conveyed with the backbone in contact with the conveyor device, and subsequently peeling the ribs and ventral spines from fillets of the fish.

Methods and systems for processing fish, such as salmon, are provided which enable filleting of the fish in a particular efficient manner. An example method includes exposing a backbone of a fish from a belly side of the fish, positioning the backbone of the fish on a conveyor device, and conveying the fish with the backbone in contact with the conveyor device. The conveyor may be a spiked chain, and positioning the backbone of the fish on the conveyor device may include engaging the backbone of the fish with the spiked chain such that the fish straddles the spiked chain as the fish is transported. The method may further include cutting the fish from the dorsal side on each of opposing sides of a central plane of the fish to a location adjacent a connection of the pinbones of the fish with the vertebrae of the fish while the fish is conveyed with the backbone in contact with the conveyor device, and subsequently peeling the ribs and ventral spines from fillets of the fish.

The present invention relates to a conveying and distributing apparatus for delivering fish slaughtered by means of a plurality of slaughtering machines to at least one distributing device, comprising longitudinal conveyors downstream of each of the slaughtering machines, which are configured to receive the slaughtered fish longitudinally in a head to tail orientation, wherein each of the longitudinal conveyors comprises a weighing device for detecting the weight of the slaughtered fish, at least one first transfer device is arranged on each of the longitudinal conveyors, which are designed and configured to transfer the slaughtered fish to at least one transverse conveyor, wherein the at least one transverse conveyor is adapted to receive the slaughtered fish transversely with respect to the head to tail orientation, a feed device arranged on the end of the transverse conveyor, which is designed and configured to remove the slaughtered fish from the transverse conveyor and to feed the same to a distributing device, and a control device, wherein the control device comprises a position tracking means for tracking the respective positions of slaughtered fish and an allocation means for allocating the detected weights to the respective tracked positions of the slaughtered fish, and wherein the control device is designed and configured to control the distributing device on the basis of the detected weights when the slaughtered fish enter the distributing device according to a predefined distribution rule. The invention further relates to a corresponding arrangement and a corresponding method.

The present invention relates to a conveying and distributing apparatus for delivering fish slaughtered by means of a plurality of slaughtering machines to at least one distributing device, comprising longitudinal conveyors downstream of each of the slaughtering machines, which are configured to receive the slaughtered fish longitudinally in a head to tail orientation, wherein each of the longitudinal conveyors comprises a weighing device for detecting the weight of the slaughtered fish, at least one first transfer device is arranged on each of the longitudinal conveyors, which are designed and configured to transfer the slaughtered fish to at least one transverse conveyor, wherein the at least one transverse conveyor is adapted to receive the slaughtered fish transversely with respect to the head to tail orientation, a feed device arranged on the end of the transverse conveyor, which is designed and configured to remove the slaughtered fish from the transverse conveyor and to feed the same to a distributing device, and a control device, wherein the control device comprises a position tracking means for tracking the respective positions of slaughtered fish and an allocation means for allocating the detected weights to the respective tracked positions of the slaughtered fish, and wherein the control device is designed and configured to control the distributing device on the basis of the detected weights when the slaughtered fish enter the distributing device according to a predefined distribution rule. The invention further relates to a corresponding arrangement and a corresponding method.

Method and apparatus for ventral/dorsal alignment of fish. The apparatus includes a first fish conveying device, a guide roller configured for transversely positioning the fish in a feed-in channel, the guide roller extending across the width of the feed-in channel and having at least one section with reduced cross-sectional diameter, a channel floor in the center of the channel comprising a transfer recess, widening in the conveying direction, which is designed to transfer the fish by the effect of gravity to a guiding channel arranged below the first conveying plane by aligning in a predetermined ventral/dorsal position. The guiding channel includes lateral guide surfaces each arranged inclined with respect to the first conveying plane. A second conveying device, forming a second conveying plane and configured to convey the fish on their side, is provided. The second conveying device is arranged downstream of the guiding channel for taking over the fish at the end of said guiding channel.

Method and apparatus for ventral/dorsal alignment of fish. The apparatus includes a first fish conveying device, a guide roller configured for transversely positioning the fish in a feed-in channel, the guide roller extending across the width of the feed-in channel and having at least one section with reduced cross-sectional diameter, a channel floor in the center of the channel comprising a transfer recess, widening in the conveying direction, which is designed to transfer the fish by the effect of gravity to a guiding channel arranged below the first conveying plane by aligning in a predetermined ventral/dorsal position. The guiding channel includes lateral guide surfaces each arranged inclined with respect to the first conveying plane. A second conveying device, forming a second conveying plane and configured to convey the fish on their side, is provided. The second conveying device is arranged downstream of the guiding channel for taking over the fish at the end of said guiding channel.

Method for detecting a prone/supine position of fish conveyed by a conveying device. The method includes conveying the fish with the conveying device in a longitudinal direction, optically scanning a ventral side and a dorsal side of the fish in order to determine a first brightness value profile of a first side and a second brightness value profile of a second side, determining a first ordered data series and a second ordered data series by ordering brightness values of the first brightness value profile and of the second brightness value profile according to a predefined ordering criterion, determining a first median from the first ordered data series and a second median from the second ordered data series, determining at least one differential value from the first median and the second median, and determining the prone/supine position by comparing the at least one differential value with at least one predetermined reference value.

Method for detecting a prone/supine position of fish conveyed by a conveying device. The method includes conveying the fish with the conveying device in a longitudinal direction, optically scanning a ventral side and a dorsal side of the fish in order to determine a first brightness value profile of a first side and a second brightness value profile of a second side, determining a first ordered data series and a second ordered data series by ordering brightness values of the first brightness value profile and of the second brightness value profile according to a predefined ordering criterion, determining a first median from the first ordered data series and a second median from the second ordered data series, determining at least one differential value from the first median and the second median, and determining the prone/supine position by comparing the at least one differential value with at least one predetermined reference value.

The invention relates to a transporting station (10), designed and configured for transporting fish transverse to their longitudinal extent in a transport direction T, comprising a conveying device (11) for transporting individual, separated fish in a lying position along a transport path T.sub.L from an entry region E of the conveying device (11) to an exit region A of the conveying device (11), wherein the conveying device (11) comprises a rotationally driven transport element (12) which is characterised in that the conveying device (11) is assigned a change-over device (13) which is designed and configured and is in operative connection with the conveying device (11), in such a manner that the fish can be transferred automatically from the lying position on the transport path T.sub.L of the conveying device (11) into a suspended position on a transport path T.sub.H of the change-over device (13). The invention is also concerned with a fish processing machine (47) having such a transporting station (10), and with a corresponding method.

The invention relates to a transporting station (10), designed and configured for transporting fish transverse to their longitudinal extent in a transport direction T, comprising a conveying device (11) for transporting individual, separated fish in a lying position along a transport path T.sub.L from an entry region E of the conveying device (11) to an exit region A of the conveying device (11), wherein the conveying device (11) comprises a rotationally driven transport element (12) which is characterised in that the conveying device (11) is assigned a change-over device (13) which is designed and configured and is in operative connection with the conveying device (11), in such a manner that the fish can be transferred automatically from the lying position on the transport path T.sub.L of the conveying device (11) into a suspended position on a transport path T.sub.H of the change-over device (13). The invention is also concerned with a fish processing machine (47) having such a transporting station (10), and with a corresponding method.