APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY RECOVERING FLESH FROM BEHEADED AND EVISCERATED FISH

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically recovering meat from headed and gutted fish comprises: a transport device for transporting the fish along a transport path in a transport direction; a measuring device for detecting an anatomy of the fish; and a detaching device for detaching the meat from a bone structure of the fish, wherein the detaching device comprises at least two circular knives which are spaced apart from each other on mutually opposing sides of the transport path to form a gap S; wherein: the detaching device comprises a control device to adjust a width of the gap S depending on the anatomy of the fish, the control device is configured to pre-adjust the width of the gap S before the meat is detached from the bone structure and wherein the control device is configured to vary the width of the gap S while the meat is being detached.

Claims

1-27. (canceled)

28. An apparatus for automatically recovering meat from headed and gutted fish, the apparatus comprising: a transport device for transporting the fish along a transport path in a transport direction T; a measuring device for detecting an anatomy of the fish; and a detaching device for detaching the meat from a bone structure of the fish, wherein the detaching device comprises at least two rotatingly driven and controllably moveable circular knives which are spaced apart from each other on mutually opposing sides of the transport path to form a gap S; wherein: the detaching device comprises a control device set up to adjust a width of the gap S depending on the anatomy of the fish detected by the measuring device, in particular a height, length and/or width of the fish; and the control device is configured to pre-adjust the width of the gap S before the meat is detached from the bone structure and wherein the control device is configured to vary the width of the gap S while the meat is being detached from the bone structure.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the circular knives are set up to be adjustable synchronously with each other and/or substantially orthogonal to the transport path by the control device.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the circular knives are arranged relative to each other and/or are configured to be adjustable relative to each other in such a manner that the gap S is v-shaped.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the circular knives are configured and adapted as dorsal knives to perform a dorsal cut for detaching dorsal meat of the fish.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the transport device is configured and adapted to transport the fish tail-first along the transport path in transport direction T.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the control device comprises a cam control, wherein the cam control comprises a cam disc driven by a control drive unit for changing the position of the circular knives.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein: a defined gap S is preset by the cam disc; a variable gap S is formed automatically as a function of the anatomy of the fish detected, while the meat is being detached from the bone structure of the fish, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish; or a combination thereof.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein: the cam disc is driven by the control drive unit and comprises at least one circumferential cam which is set up to control the gap S; a static formation of the gap S is adjusted before the meat is detached from the bone structure of the fish; a dynamic formation of the gap S is adjusted while the meat is being detached from the bone structure of the fish, in that in each case; and the least one circular knife is operatively connected to the cam disc via a movably arranged circular knife receiving element.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, characterised in that the control drive unit comprises an adjusting drive.

37. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the at least two circular knives are set up to be drivable by a single circular knife drive unit.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the circular knife drive unit is configured and adapted to drive the circular knives synchronously, wherein each of the circular knives is drivable by a separate drive means which is operatively connected to the circular knife drive unit.

39. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising a control unit electrically connected to the measuring device and the control device, wherein the control unit is configured and adapted to detect and/or process the anatomy of the fish detected by the measuring device, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish, and to actuate the control drive unit for adjusting the gap S according to the respective anatomy of the fish, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish, in that the control unit actuates the control drive unit in such a manner as to adjust the circulation of the cam disc in a predetermined angular velocity profile.

40. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising at least one input unit, configured to adjust a distance of at least one of the at least two circular knives to the transport path in order to adjust the width of the gap S before the meat is detached from the bone structure and/or to adjust the width of the gap S while the meat is being detached from the bone structure, and at least one output unit to output the adjustment of the distance entered by the input unit.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, characterised in that the input unit is configured and adapted to variably set the adjustment of the distance of the at least one of the at least two circular knives to the transport path, wherein the width of the gap S is adjustable by each of the at least two circular knives by a maximum of ±10 mm.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the input unit is configured to set cutting profiles depending on the fish species in order to adjust the width of the gap S according to the fish species before and/or during detachment of the meat from the bone structure of the fish, wherein variable adjustment of the gap S is set.

43. A method for automatically recovering meat from headed and gutted fish, the method comprising: transporting the fish along a transport path in a transport direction T by me a transport device; detecting a fish anatomy, in particular a height, length and/or width of the fish, by a measuring device; adjusting a width of the gap S depending on the fish anatomy detected by the measuring device, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish, by a control device; and detaching the meat from a bone structure of the fish by a detaching device, wherein the detaching device comprises at least two rotatingly driven and controllably moveable circular knives which are spaced apart from each other on mutually opposing sides of the transport path to form a gap S; wherein the width of the gap S is pre-adjustable by the control device before the meat is detached from the bone structure and wherein the width of the gap S is changeable by the control device while the meat is being detached from the bone structure.

44. The method according of claim 43, the method further comprising adjusting the circular knives synchronously with each other and/or substantially orthogonal to the transport path by the control device.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein transporting the fish comprises transporting the fish tail-first along the transport path in transport direction T by the transport device.

46. The method of claim 43, further comprising changing the position of the circular knives by driving a cam disc which comprises the control device by a control drive unit.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising either: pre-setting a defined gap S by the cam disc; automatically forming a variable gap S by the cam disc while detaching the meat from the bone structure of the fish depending on the fish anatomy, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish; or a combination thereof.

48. The method of claim 46, further comprising the driving of the cam disc by the control drive unit and either: statically adjusting the gap S before detaching the meat from the bone structure of the fish; dynamically adjusting the gap S while the meat is being detached from the bone structure of the fish by at least one circumferential cam of the cam disc by moving the at least one circular knife via in each case a movably arranged circular knife receiving element; or a combination thereof.

49. The method of claim of 43, further comprising driving the at least two rotatingly driven circular knives by a single circular knife drive unit.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising synchronously driving each of the circular knives by a separate drive means of the circular knife drive unit.

51. The method of claim 43, further comprising: detecting and/or processing the fish anatomy measured by the measuring device, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish, by a control drive unit electrically connected to the measuring device and the control device; and actuating the control drive unit by the control unit to adjust the gap S according to the respective fish anatomy, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish, by adjusting the circulation of the cam disc in a predetermined angular velocity profile.

52. The method of claim 43, further comprising further comprising adjusting a distance of at least one of the at least two circular knives to the transport path by at least one input unit by adjusting the width of the gap S before the meat is detached from the bone structure and/or by adjusting the width of the gap S while the meat is being detached from the bone structure, and outputting the adjustment of the distance entered by the input unit by at least one output unit.

53. The method according to claim 52, further comprising variably setting the adjustment of the distance of the at least one of the at least two circular knives to the transport path, wherein the width of the gap S is adjusted by each of the at least two circular knives by a maximum of ±10 mm.

54. The method of claim 52, further comprising variably adjusting the width of the gap S by cutting profiles depending on a fish species of the input unit before and/or during detachment of the meat from the bone structure of the fish.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Further expedient and/or advantageous features, configurations and developments of the invention emerge from the description. Particularly preferred embodiments of the apparatus and the method are explained in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings. The drawings show:

[0049] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of an apparatus according to the invention with a measuring device in a perspective view obliquely from above;

[0050] FIG. 2 a lateral view of a headed and gutted fish arranged on a holding apparatus and with stylised circular knives in the tail region of the fish;

[0051] FIG. 3 a part of the detaching device with two circular knives forming a gap S in a view from the front;

[0052] FIG. 4 the detaching device according to FIG. 3 in a view from above in a starting position;

[0053] FIG. 5 a control device of the apparatus according to the invention in a perspective view obliquely from above;

[0054] FIG. 6 the control device according to FIG. 5 with the detaching device in a view from the front;

and

[0055] FIG. 7 the control device according to FIG. 5 in a lateral view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0056] The apparatus shown in the drawings is used for automatically recovering meat from headed and gutted fish. In this case, the fish need not necessarily be headed or completely gutted for simplified processing, however the fish should be headed and partially or largely gutted. The invention is explained in greater detail based on cutting free dorsal spokes in salmon, in particular by means of dorsal knives configured as circular knives. The apparatus can also be used, however, in the same manner for other species of fish, in particular for recovering meat from white fish such as cod. The principle according to the invention can also be applied in principle to other detaching devices with circular knives, the circular knives being spaced apart parallel or in a V-shaped position to each other to form a gap. In this way, the principle is equally applicable, for example, to cutting free ventral spokes or other bones or bone structure portions associated with the bone structure.

[0057] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 10 for automatically recovering meat 20 from headed and gutted fish 11, comprising a transport device 12 for transporting the fish 11 along a transport path 13 in transport direction T, a measuring device 14 for detecting the anatomy of the fish 11, and a detaching device 15 for detaching the meat 20 from the bone structure 18, the detaching device 15 comprising at least two rotatingly driven and controllably moveable circular knives 16, 17 which are spaced apart from each other on mutually opposing sides of the transport path 13 to form a gap S.

[0058] This apparatus 10 is characterised according to the invention in that the detaching device 15 comprises a control device 19, which is set up to adjust the width of the gap S depending on the fish anatomy detected by the measuring device 14, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish 11, the control device 19 being configured to pre-adjust the width of the gap S before the meat 20 is detached from the bone structure 18 and the control device 19 being configured to vary the width of the gap S while the meat 20 is being detached from the bone structure 18.

[0059] When taken on their own or in combination with each other, the features and developments described below illustrate preferred embodiments. It is expressly pointed out that features which are summarised in the description or are described in a common embodiment can also further develop the apparatus 10 described above in a functionally independent manner.

[0060] In the apparatus 10 according to the invention, each fish 11 is manually or automatically positioned on a holding apparatus 21, as shown in FIG. 2, with the open and gutted abdominal cavity facing downwards. By way of example, FIG. 2 shows the structure of a fish 11 with the bone structure 18 during engagement of the circular knives 16, 17 in the region of the tail 25 of the fish 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the fish 11 to be preferably processed regularly have dorsal spokes 23 and ventral spokes 38 which, with the backbone 39 of the fish 11 among other things, form the bone structure 18. The meat 20 adhering to the bone structure 18 is recovered by the apparatus 10 according to the invention; or at least cutting free of the dorsal spokes 23 with the dorsal meat 22 is performed in order to subsequently perform recovery of all the meat 20 as completely as possible. The fish 11 can preferably be positioned in the longitudinal orientation on the holding apparatus 21 in order to transport them thereon by means of the transport device 12.

[0061] The transport device 12 is preferably configured and adapted to transport the fish 11 tail-first along the transport path 13 in transport direction T. The fish 11 with the holding apparatus 21 is transported in transport direction T by means of the transport device 12 to the detaching device 15. Before starting the detaching cut at the tail 25, the circular knives 16, 17 are arranged specifically relative to each other by means of the control device 19, as a result of which the width of the gap S is pre-adjusted before detaching the meat 20 from the bone structure 18. The specific pre-adjustment of the gap S takes place in each case depending on the fish anatomy of the fish 11 to be processed which is detected by the measuring device 14. The circular knives 16, 17, also known as dorsal knives, are preferably configured and adapted to perform a dorsal cut to detach the dorsal meat 22 of the fish 11. To do this, the circular knives 16, 17 cut free the dorsal spokes 23 of the bone structure 18 of the fish 11 to be processed by guiding the fish 11 through the gap S in such a manner that the circular knives 16, 17 detach the meat 20 or the dorsal meat 22 as closely as possible to the bone structure 18 of the dorsal spokes 23.

[0062] As a result of continuously transporting the fish 11 in transport direction T, the cut begins as soon as the fish 11 or the dorsal meat 22 to be detached arrives in the operating area of the circular knives 16, 17. Preferably, the circular knives 16, 17 are set up by means of the control device 19 to be adjustable synchronously with each other and/or substantially orthogonal to the transport path 13, i.e. in a transport plane defined by the y axis and the transport direction T of the fish. The circular knives 16, 17 are configured to be adjustable orthogonal to the transport plane of the transport direction T, i.e. the circular knives 16, 17 can assume variable positions horizontally in the transport plane orthogonal to the transport path 13. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment the circular knives 16, 17 are arranged in such a manner relative to each other and/or are configured to be adjustable in such a manner relative to each other that the gap S is v-shaped. Alternatively, to each other by different positions of the circular knives 16, 17 to each other, the gap S can also be configured parallel or correspond to an inverted v. With the v-shaped configuration of the gap S, the angle of the circular knives 16, 17 is basically freely selectable and dependent on the fish 11 to be processed. In preferred embodiments, the angle can be varied during the cutting process. In FIG. 3, the two arrows schematically show the adjustability of the circular knives 16, 17 at the axis of rotation 24 of the circular knives 16, 17 which varies the width of the gap S which is indicated by the schematic arrows at the gap S.

[0063] In FIG. 1, the embodiment of the apparatus 10 comprises the measuring device 14 for detecting and/or determining the fish anatomy of the fish 11 or fish-size-relevant data of the fish 11. By means of the control device 19, the two circular knives 16, 17 can be controlled depending on the measured data detected and/or determined, namely in such a manner that the width of the gap S is variable. The variability of the gap S is substantially achieved by longitudinal displacement of the circular knives 16, 17 relative to each other in the horizontal. The detailed configuration of the measuring device 14 is not relevant to the invention and can therefore, in a known manner, comprise mechanical, electronic, optical or other known elements or element combinations which are suitable for detecting and/or determining fish-size-relevant data. To be able to control the circular knives 16, 17 individually during the detaching or dorsal cut, the fish anatomy or the fish-size-relevant data of each fish 11 can be detected/determined by means of the measuring device 14 and stored for further use. In detail, for example, the tail region 25 or tail root position and the position of the dorsal fin 40 can be detected with a photoelectric sensor. The fish 11 or the bone structure 18 can be measured completely before detaching/cutting. The individual measuring steps can be performed additionally during detaching/cutting. The measuring device 14 comprises in particular such elements by means of which the height, length and/or width of each fish 11 and/or the position of the tail 25 and/or the position of the dorsal fin 40 can be determined, thus in particular can be directly detected and/or can be determined via corresponding calculation models. The fish anatomy data thus determined are made available to the control device 19 by means of suitable processing and/or transmission methods, e.g. with the aid of a computer unit, not shown in detail in the figures, as a result of which the required adjustability and the required variability of the circular knives 16, 17 is calculated and carried out, e.g. also with the aid of a computer unit, not shown in detail in the figures.

[0064] FIG. 4 shows the detaching device 15 in a view from above. The variable width of the gap S is indicated by the schematic arrows on the axis of rotation 24 of the circular knives 16, 17. The width of the gap S is automatically variable during transport of the fish 11 through the controllably movable circular knives 16, 17 which are arranged opposite each other. For this purpose, the circular knives 16, 17 can be moved towards and away from each other, as a result of which the gap S increases or reduces in each case. When processing the fish 11 tail-first, the pre-adjusted width of the gap S generally corresponds substantially to the width of the tail 25 or the tail fin; when guiding the fish 11 through the pre-adjusted gap S, the gap width varies as required, as a result of which the gap S is regularly increased due to the bone structure 18 becoming wider.

[0065] The control device 19 preferably comprises a cam control 26, the cam control 26 comprising a cam disc 28 driven by means of a control drive unit 27 for changing the position of the circular knives 16, 17. FIGS. 5 to 7 show the detaching device 15 with the control device 19 in detail. Preferably, on the one hand, a defined gap S can be preset by means of the cam disc 28 and, on the other hand, a variable gap S can be formed automatically as a function of the fish anatomy detected, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish 11, while the meat 20 is being detached from the bone structure 18 of the fish 11. In this case, the two circular knives 16, 17 are configured and adapted for cutting free the dorsal spokes 23. The cam disc 28 is configured to be movable in both directions along an axis of rotation of the cam disc 28 by the control drive unit 27. When the cam disc 28 is moved, a variation in the width of the gap S can be established by varying the distance between the circular knives 16, 17.

[0066] To vary the gap width, the cam disc 28 driven by the control drive unit 27 preferably comprises at least one circumferential cam 29 which is set up to control the gap S, it being possible, on the one hand, to adjust a static formation of the gap S before the meat 20 is detached from the bone structure 18 of the fish 11 and it being possible to adjust a dynamic formation of the gap S while the meat 20 is being detached from the bone structure 18 of the fish 11, in that in each case the at least one circular knife 16, 17 is operatively connected to the cam disc 28 via a movably arranged circular knife receiving element 30, 31. To establish the operative connection between the cam disc 28 and the circular knives 16, 17 or the circular knife receiving elements 30, 31, further means or elements are preferably provided which cooperate with the cam disc 28 and the circumferential cam 29. In the embodiment according to the invention of FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the circumferential cam 29 has at least one groove 32 into which at least one scanner 33, also known as a pin element, is arranged to engage. Preferably, in each case a groove 32 with a respective scanner 33 is provided to control each of the circular knives 16, 17. The scanner 33 preferably has a guide roller 34, providing for low-friction movement in the groove 32. By means of the scanner 33, a displacement of the circular knife receiving elements 30, 31 or the circular knives 16, 17 is set up, which is initially brought about by the cam control 26. To transmit the forces occurring, force transmission elements, such as gears, not shown in detail in the figures, can be provided which are configured and adapted to transmit prevailing forces between different components and/or to undertake the control of forces occurring. Furthermore, the control drive unit 27 can comprise an adjusting drive 33 to provide a wider range of adjustment options for the width of the gap S. With the adjusting drive 33 it is possible to set up customised control of the cam control 26 which, on the one hand, allows the gap S to be adjusted quickly and more delicately and, on the other hand, allows the gap S to be varied to adapt to the fish anatomy. In this way, there is a greater range when varying the gap width, since the cam disc 28 can be approached more quickly, more slowly or with an adjusted application of force. The adjusting drive 33 is preferably configured as a servomotor, not shown in detail in the figures. For example, the servomotor can be used to vary the gap S over the entire cutting pattern when recovering the meat 20.

[0067] To actuate and drive the at least two circular knives 16, 17, they are preferably set up to be drivable by a single circular knife drive unit 36. The circular knife drive unit 36 is configured in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 as a motor. The circular knife drive unit 36 is configured and adapted to drive the circular knives 16, 17 synchronously, each of the circular knives 16, 17 being drivable by a separate drive means 37 which is operatively connected to the circular knife drive unit 36.

[0068] In a further embodiment which is not explicitly shown, the apparatus 10 can further comprise a control unit, electrically connected to the measuring device 14 and the control device 19, which is configured and adapted to detect and/or process the fish anatomy data detected by the measuring device 14, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish 11, and to actuate the control drive unit 27 for adjusting the gap S according to the respective fish anatomy, in particular the height, length and/or width of the fish 11, in that the control unit actuates the control drive unit 27 in such a manner as to adjust the circulation of the cam disc 28 in a predetermined angular velocity profile.

[0069] In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus 10 comprises an input unit, not shown in the figures, configured to adjust the distance of at least one of the at least two circular knives 16, 17 to the transport path 13 in order to adjust the width of the gap S before the meat 20 is detached from the bone structure 18 and/or to adjust the width of the gap S while the meat 20 is being detached from the bone structure 18, and at least one output unit, also not shown in the figures, to output the adjustment of the distance entered by the input unit.

[0070] All embodiments which have been described in connection with the circular knives 16, 17, also apply correspondingly to ventral knives, not shown in the figures, which are preferably configured and adapted as circular knives for cutting free the ventral spokes 38 or other bones or bone structure portions associated with the bone structure 18. This also applies to the method, not described in detail, for automatically recovering meat 20 from headed and gutted fish 11, in particular for cutting free the dorsal spokes 23.