SHRIMP PEELING MACHINE

Abstract

Shrimp peeling machine (1) including a closed chain (3) including cylindrical rolls (4,5,6), (7) and includes first rolls (4), second rolls (5) and third rolls (6) and where at least the first (4) and second (5) rolls in a limited areathe peeling area (8)are designed to turn by an activation element (9). The shrimp peeling machine (1) includes a first motor device (10), which drives the activation element (9) and another motor device (11), which drives the chain (3) forwards in the shrimp peeling process direction (7). The activation element (9) includes at least one toothed belt (12) with a first action surface (13) and another action surface (14). The first action surface (13) is with first items (15) in mesh with the first roll (4) and the second action surface (14) is with second items (16) in mesh with the second roll (5).

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A shrimp peeling machine, comprising: a closed chain having one or more cylindrical rolls, wherein the longitudinal axis of each cylindrical roll is orientated 90 degrees in relation to a shrimp peeling process direction, and wherein the one or more cylindrical rolls comprises one or more first rolls with a diameter D1, one or more second rolls with a diameter D2 and one or more third rolls with a diameter D3, wherein D3 is smaller than both D1 and D2; a first motor device configured to operate a activation element, wherein the first rolls and the second rolls are configured to be turned by the activation element in a peeling area, and wherein the activation element comprises at least one toothed belt including a first action surface and a second action surface, wherein the first action surface with first items is in mesh with the first roll, and wherein the second action surface with second items is in mesh with the second roll; and a second motor device configured to drive the closed chain in the shrimp peeling direction; wherein the third rolls are positioned between the first rolls and the second rolls and urged by a spring against the first rolls and the second rolls.

12. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the activation element comprises a first toothed belt and a second toothed belt, and wherein the first toothed belt and the second toothed belt are driven by the first motor device and that the first toothed belt drives the first rolls and that the second toothed belt drives the second rolls.

13. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the first items comprise a first toothed wheel having a number of teeth t1 and connected to the first rolls, and wherein the second items comprise a second toothed wheel having a number of teeth t2 connected to the second rolls, wherein the number of teeth t1 and t2 and the diameters D1 and D2 are designed such that the peripheral rotational speed for the first rolls and the second rolls are the same when the first toothed wheel and second toothed wheel are in mesh with the first toothed belt and the second toothed belt respectively.

14. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 13, wherein the diameter D1 is smaller than the diameter D2 and that the number of teeth t1 is smaller than the number of teeth t2.

15. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 13, wherein the first toothed wheel is in mesh with the firth toothed belt in the peeling area, the second toothed wheel is in mesh with the second toothed belt in the peeling area, and wherein the first toothed wheel and second toothed wheel are configured to not touch each other.

16. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the first motor device is a servo gear, which can be programmed to a random propulsion of the activation element, by which the first rolls and the second rolls rotate opposite each other in the interval 10 degrees to infinite in one direction and in the interval 10 degrees to infinite in the opposite direction, and by which rotations the third rolls turn around in the shrimp peeling area.

17. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the first rolls and the second rolls have a polymeric surface, and wherein the third rolls have a metallic surface.

18. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the closed chain is designed to run continuously forwards and that the first rolls and second rolls in the peeling area are designed to rotate in changing directions and opposite each other, by which rotation the third rolls turn around.

19. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the first rolls form a first plane and the second rolls form a second plane, and wherein the first plane in the peeling area in vertical direction is placed above the second plane.

20. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the shrimp peeling machine further comprises a cleaning station, which cleaning station is placed under the peeling area.

21. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the first motor device is a servo gear, which can be programmed to a random propulsion of the activation element, by which the first rolls and the second rolls rotate opposite each other in the interval 20 degrees to 30,000 degrees in one direction and in the interval 20 degrees to 30,000 degrees in the opposite direction, and by which rotations the third rolls turn around in the shrimp peeling area.

22. The shrimp peeling machine according to claim 11, wherein the first motor device is a servo gear, which can be programmed to a random propulsion of the activation element, by which the first rolls and the second rolls rotate opposite each other in the interval 180 degrees to 20,000 degrees in one direction and in the interval 180 degrees to 20,000 degrees in the opposite direction, and by which rotations the third rolls turns around in the shrimp peeling area.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] The invention will now be explained more fully with reference to the drawing, where

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a section of a preferred embodiment of a shrimp peeling machine according to the invention.

[0048] FIG. 2 shows a section of the chain shown in FIG. 1, which is used for shelling or peeling shrimps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a section of a preferred embodiment of a shrimp peeling machine 1 according to the invention. It includes a closed chain 3 consisting of a number of parts, which include cylindrical rolls 4,5,6. The cylindrical rolls' 4,5,6 longitudinal axis is placed 90 degrees in relation to a shrimp peeling process direction 7. The rolls include first rolls 4 with a diameter D1 and second rolls 5 with a diameter D2 and third rolls 6 with a diameter D3. The rolls have a metallic or a polymeric surface, where the first 4 and second 5 rolls have a polymeric surface and the third rolls 6 have a metallic surface.

[0050] The rolls are placed in relation to each other such that the third rolls 6 are placed between the first 4 rolls and the second 5 rolls. By a spring, the third 6 rolls are pressed towards the first 4 and second 5 rolls. By rotation of the first and second 5 rolls, the third roll 6 thus spins around. The first rolls 4 and the second rolls 5 are thus not in direct touch with each other, and they are thereby also movable in the same or each own rotational direction. By the third rolls' 6 touch of both a first roll 4 to the one side and another roll 5 to the other side, there occurs an indirect connection between the first and second rolls, such that a first roll's rotational direction is transferred to a third roll, which thereby gets to have an opposite rotational direction, which is then additionally transferred from here to an adjacent second roll, which has consequently got opposite rotational direction in relation to the third roll, but thereby has the same rotational direction as the first roll. The first rolls 4 form a first plane and that the second rolls 5 form another plane and the first plane in a peeling area 8, meaning the area of the machine where the shrimps are peeled, is in vertical direction placed above the second plane.

[0051] The first 4 and second 5 rolls rotate in the peeling area 8 by use of an activation element 9, which is driven by a first motor device 10 consisting of a servomotor, which can be programmed. Another motor device 11 drives the closed chain 3 forwards in the shrimp peeling process direction 7.

[0052] The activation element 9 includes a toothed belt 12 and in the shown example two toothed belts: a first toothed belt 17 and a second toothed belt 18. The first toothed belt 17 has a first action surface 13 and the second toothed belt 18 has a second action surface 14, The first action surface 13 is with first items 15 consisting of a first toothed wheel 19 in mesh with the first roll 4, since the first action surface 13 is grooved and drives the toothed wheels around by friction. The toothed wheels are thus connected, not rotatably, to the rolls, wherefore the toothed wheels' rotation is transferred directly to the roll. The second action surface 14 is with second items 16 consisting of a second toothed wheel 20 in mesh with the second roll 5. The power transmission is the same as for the first rolls.

[0053] The toothed wheels are mounted on the same axis as the rolls rotate around, but a toothed wheel and the roll, which it is connected to, are fixed connected to each other.

[0054] The first toothed wheel 19 has a number of teeth t1 and the second toothed wheel 20 has a number of teeth t2. The second toothed wheels 20 are each connected to another roll 5. The number of teeth and diameters of the rolls are designed such that the periphery rotational speed for the rolls 4,5 is the same when the toothed wheels 19,20 are in mesh with the toothed belt/the toothed belts 12,17,18.

[0055] The shown first motor device 10 is a servo drive, which can be programmed to a random propulsion of the toothed belt/the toothed belts 12,17,18, by which the first and second rolls 4,5 are rotated. The toothed belts are each stretched out between two driving rolls 27 placed in each own end of the shrimp peeling area. The rotation of the rolls can be everything in the interval 10 degrees to infinite in one direction and in the interval 10 degrees to infinite in opposite direction. The rotation is preferably in the interval 20 degrees to 10 000 degrees. By the rotations, the third roll 6 turns around in the shrimp peeling area 8. The changing rotational direction is indicated by the arrow I.

[0056] The chain 3 is designed to run continuously forwards and the first 4 and second 5 rolls in the peeling area 8 are designed to rotate in changing directions. By the rotations, the third rolls 6 are as mentioned made to spin around or rotate.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a section of the chain, which is used for shelling or peeling shrimps. It shows the first rolls 4, which are placed in a plane, and the second rolls, which are placed in a, in relation to the first rolls, vertically displaced plane. In between, the third roll is placed, since it by friction against the first and second rolls spins around by their rotation. The third roll/cylinder runs up against the large cylinders, the first cylinder, such that surface speed is the same. Since the three cylinders/rolls have different diameter (preferably: 76.5, 63.5, 12), the rotation number is not the same. The small 12 cylinder with 12 thus runs 76.5/12=6.37 times more rotations than the first roll.

[0058] The described combination of varying diameters and surfaces of the included rolls 4,5,6 have shown to be optimal with respect to shelling or peeling shrimp efficiently. A shrimp-peeling process is carried out by the chain 3 being driven in a rotational direction, as indicated by the arrow 7, where shrimps, which are to be peeled, are added to the chain 3 in the top at the start to the horizontal course.

[0059] The shrimps are subsequently shelled by friction through contact to the rolls 4,5,6, which are driven by the activation element 9.

[0060] The released shrimp shell parts are collected under the chain 3 and the shelled shrimps can be collected at the end of the chain 3 by the horizontal outlet.

[0061] By installation of the shrimp peeling machine in shrimp trawlers, the shrimp peeling process can be optimized by speed adjustment of the second motor device 11, which drives the chain 3 forwards and around, and by speed adjustment of the first motor device 10 (and thereby the toothed belt/the toothed belts), which drive the cylindrical rolls 4,5,6.

[0062] It is a part of the invention that the shrimp peeling machine 1 is mounted and driven in maritime vessels such as shrimp trawlers.

[0063] With the invention is achieved that shrimps, in a continuous process, can be landed in a shrimp trawler and subsequently boiled, peeled and packaged on the vessel and thus be ready for sale to the consumers as soon as the trawler is in harbor.

[0064] The quality of the sales ready peeled shrimps will thereby be significantly higher than it has hitherto been possible and the production process is optimized and is thereby made inexpensive, among others since the whole shrimp manufacturing process is gathered on the fishing vessel, which lands the shrimps.

[0065] The shrimp peeling machine can obviously also be used on land and installed in buildings.