US 5,702,295 AGranted

Device for positioning fish

AssigneeNordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH + Co. KG

InventorDieter Ketels

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Abstract

An apparatus for automatically positioning fish with respect to their plane of symmetry and for the periodic transfer of the fish to a fish processing machine is proposed. The apparatus comprises a supply conveyor in the form of a trough conveyor and a feed conveyor arranged below and essentially perpendicular to the supply conveyor for feeding the fish into the processing machine. The feed conveyor includes a support conveyor equipped with support elements onto which each fish is placed with the support elements protruding into the belly cavity. This is achieved by a holding element which is arranged between the supply conveyor and the feed conveyor and is controlled by a signal to open and release the temporarily held fish. The generation of the signal is varied according to a measurement value representing the size of the fish being positioned so that each fish is released to land exactly positioned with its belly cavity on a support element irrespective of its size.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An apparatus for automatically positioning decapitated fish and for the periodic transfer of said fish to a fish processing machine, in which the fish are processed in an upright position with the decapitation face leading, the apparatus comprising first conveying means with which the fish are advanced with their decapitation faces in alignment, second conveying means, arranged below said first conveying means for receiving fish delivered by said first conveying means and having an endless support conveyor with support elements arranged in spaced relationship thereon, and means for holding down fish engaged by said support conveyor, wherein

a) the apparatus includes means associated with said first conveying means for determining at least one fish measurement value;
b) said apparatus further comprises fish holding means arranged between said first conveying means and said second conveying means and directly above the latter for temporarily holding fish released from said first conveying means;
and
c) said holding means is associated with actuation means, which are arranged and controlled to activate said holding means so as to release fish in accordance with said determined fish measurement value.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.