Abstract:
An apparatus for reorienting fish fillets includes a pair of oppositely rotating turntables positioned at the end of a conveyor belt and tilted in the longitudinal direction of travel of the fillets. A divider directs fillets on the right-hand side of the conveyor to the right-hand turntable, and fillets on the left-hand side of the conveyor to the left-hand side of the turntable. A discharge guide directs the fillets carried by the turntable such that they are discharged onto the inspection table when their orientation has changed 90 degrees such that they are positioned on the inspection table transverse to the movement of the table and stomach side forward. The discharge guides extend to a location near the forward edge of the turntables and are oriented to form an opening that allows the tails of the fillets to pass under the discharge.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to commercial fish processing apparatus which is particularly suited for being installed on processing vessels at sea, but can also be used on land, and, more particularly, to an improved device for reorienting a fish fillet received from a conveyor from a first orientation to a second orientation substantially perpendicular to said first orientation. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Fish fillets are commonly produced at sea from recently caught fish on vessels which include a processing line wherein fish are cleaned, headed, filleted, skinned, inspected, and packed at very high rates of speed, i.e., in the range of 150 fish per minute. Once the fish are placed on an infeed conveyor and oriented in a preferred direction, the processing is carried out by mechanical equipment until the fish reach the inspection and packing stage. In the past, fillets have been deposited on a so-called “candling” or backlit moving inspection table, oriented in a manner which requires their being manually reoriented and aligned for packing at the same time they are being inspected. This is both difficult and costly work. In particular, an important element of inspection of fillets is to determine if pin bones remain along the stomach side of the fillet. The present invention orients the fillets on the inspection table transverse to their paths of travel such that the fillets move stomach side forward so that the first thing an inspector sees when the fillet is moving toward him is the area where pin bones may remain. 
   SUMMARY 
   This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
   The present disclosure provides an apparatus sized and configured to receive fish filets from a conveyor, reorient them approximately 90° while they travel around the inside of the center posts of two laterally spaced turntables, and then deposit them on an inspection table. More particularly, a pair of turntables, tilted in the direction of travel of the fillets, receives the fillets from a conveyor, turns them 90°, and deposits them directly on a moving inspection table with their stomach sides forward. The reoriented fillets travel directly from the turntable to the inspection table without need of an exit chute. As the fillets move on the spinning turntable, they pass between an inner support guide and a discharge guide. The inner support guide limits the degree of travel of the fillets on the turntable. The discharge guide, which extends generally along the periphery of the turntable to a position substantially aligned with the path of travel of the fillet, extends outwardly gradually and diverges from the tilting turntable to form a triangular shaped opening between the guide and the turntable. The triangular opening allows the relatively thin trailing tail portion of a fillet to slide beneath the discharge guide when the fillet has reached a position substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal path of travel of the fillet and is deposited onto the inspection table. This design eliminates the tendency of fillets to become stuck upon the discharge chute of prior devices, does not require water to reduce friction between the fillet and the discharge chute or turntable surface, and allows the path of the fillet to be along a relatively straight line as it moves from the conveyor to the turntable where it is rotated 90°, and then deposited on to the inspection table. The fillets are deposited stomach side forward on the inspection table which makes it easier for inspectors to quickly determine if all pin bones have been removed and reduces the amount of manipulation of the fillets which the inspectors must do. Other features of the present invention will be disclosed in greater detail hereinbelow. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a portion of a fish processing line, including a delivery conveyor, fillet reorienting turntables, and an inspection table, made according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a section view taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the conveyor, turntables, and inspection table showing a fillet sliding off of the turntable and beneath the discharge guide directly onto the inspection table in a reoriented position; 
       FIG. 4  is a rear elevation view of the turntables and discharge guide of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the turntables of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of the present invention with one of the turntable motors removed to show how a fillet travels when it is reoriented on the turntables. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Fillet reorienting apparatus is disclosed, adapted to receive fillets moving on a conveyor which have exited a skinning machine, such as the Baader Model No. 52 in a fish processing line, and deposit them on a moving inspection table. The processing equipment positions the skinned fillets on the conveyor in a generally laterally spaced orientation with their head-ends forward and their stomach sides inward. In operation, as many as 150 fish per minute may be processed and, thus, any improvement in the ease of inspecting the fillets as they move with the inspection table is important, since the inspectors have little time to spend reorienting and examining each fillet. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a portion of a fish processing line  10  is disclosed to include a fillet feed conveyor  11  carrying the skinned fillets  14  which have exited a skinning machine with their stomach sides  16  facing toward each other. A principal purpose of inspection of the fillets on inspection table  12  is to determine whether all of the pin bones which the fish processing equipment is designed to remove from the stomach side of the fillet have, in fact, been removed. To facilitate this inspection, it is desirable that the fillets travel on the inspection table toward the inspectors with their stomach sides  16  facing the inspectors so that they may readily determine whether pin bones have been missed, thus allowing them to reject a fillet still containing pin bones prior to its being packed. 
   As discussed above, the fillets leave the skinning machine with their head ends  18  forward. Oppositely rotating turntables  20  and  22  are provided to reorient the fillets approximately 90° such that their head ends  18  are pointed outwardly, and the fillets travel on the moving inspection table with their stomach sides  16  forward. Inspection table  12  comprises a transparent conveyor which is backlit by electric bulbs  26  to make it easier for the inspectors to quickly identify flaws in the fillets prior to their being placed in containers  28  at the end of the inspection table. Trays  30  are provided on each side of the conveyor slightly below the level of the conveyor to allow the inspectors to easily slide fillets to be rejected into the trays while allowing approved fillets to move toward the containers  28 . 
   Since the fish processing equipment is designed to operate at a high rate of speed, it will be understood that the inspectors have little time to both reorient fillets or otherwise manually manipulate them while also inspecting them. Thus, it is important that the fillets be reoriented automatically and consistently without becoming clogged on the turntables or dumped in clumps on the conveyor. 
   Turning to  FIG. 2 , a section view of the processing apparatus  10  is disclosed. Infeed conveyor  11  can be a simple longitudinally extending conveyor which picks up the fillets as they leave the skinning machine and carries them upwardly to a position above the inspection table and then deposits them onto the downwardly extending turntables  20  and  22  where they are reoriented and deposited on inspection table  12 . Turntables  20  and  22  are sloped forwardly from a higher position to a lower position in line with the longitudinal path of travel of the fillets from the infeed conveyor to the inspection table. In this way, gravity assists in the movement of the fillets across the turntable and onto the inspection table. 
   Inspection table  12  comprises a conveyor having a transparent belt  24  running around a pair of conventional pulleys disposed at opposite ends of the inspection table. Light sources  26  are provided to backlight the fillets as they travel on the inspection table, thus making it easier for the inspectors to identify pin bones left in the fillets or other imperfections which will cause a fillet to be rejected. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , processed and skinned fillets  14  are shown traveling with their head ends  18  forward on conveyor  11  toward the inspection table  12 . The stomach sides of the fillets  16  are facing each other which is the position in which they are left when they leave the fillet skinning machine. As the fillets leave the conveyor  11 , they move onto an infeed chute  32  on which is mounted a dividing piece  34  which separates the fillets and directs them onto one of two paths, either to turntable  20  or to turntable  22 . In the disclosed embodiment, turntable  20  is shown to rotate in a counterclockwise direction on center shaft  36 , while turntable  22  rotates in a clockwise direction on center shaft  38 . 
   The fillets  14  are directed by dividing piece  34  onto portions of turntables  20  and  22  which are laterally inward with respect to the center shafts  36  and  38  of the turntables. The movement of the fillets is generally in line with the longitudinal direction of travel of the fillets toward the inspection table. 
   Referring particularly to fillet  14  directed onto turntable  20 , the fillet is shown to be rotated by the turntable approximately 90° until it is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the inspection belt  24  and its stomach portion faces forward. The fillet may be guided by both support guide  40  located adjacent the inner portion of turntable  20  and discharge guide  44 , which as shown extends from the rear portion of dividing piece  34  substantially along the periphery of a portion of turntable  20 . Discharge guide  44  is not tilted downwardly at the same angle as turntable  20  and, thus, an expanding triangular shaped opening is formed between the edge of the turntable and the bottom of discharge guide  44 . This opening allows the tail end of fillet  14  to slide under the discharge guide  44  when the fillet has been turned approximately 90° from its position on conveyor  11  and is exiting the turntable and being deposited upon the belt  24  of inspection table  12 . 
   Simultaneously, support guide  40 , the bottom edge of which runs directly adjacent the top surface of turntable  20 , blocks the further rotational movement of the head end of fillet  14  on the turntable. This forces the fillet to move forwardly off of the turntable and onto the inspection table. The joint action of the support guide  40  and the discharge guide  44  causes the fillets to be deposited directly from the turntable onto the inspection table in the preferred stomach-side-forward orientation so that they can be more easily and quickly inspected by the inspectors standing along the sides of the inspection table. It will be understood that a mirror image fillet reorientation movement occurs on clockwise rotating turntable  22  with the aid of the support guide  42  and discharge guide  46 . 
     FIG. 4  shows hydraulic motors  48  and  50  positioned on support frame  52 . The hydraulic motors rotate turntable shafts  36  and  38  in a conventional manner. It will be understood that other types of motors, including electric controlable motors, may be satisfactorily substituted for the hydraulic motors depending upon installation conditions. In addition, the location of the motors over the products may also be modified such as by moving the motors outwardly on a laterally extended support frame and then driving the turntables through a conventional belt and hub or chain and sprocket arrangement. Support arm  54  extends from the table  52  to the discharge guides  44  and  46  mounted there below. Triangular shaped openings  45  and  47 , discussed above, through which the tail portions of the fillets pass during their movement from turntables  20  and  22 , may be best seen in  FIG. 4 . 
   Referring additionally to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the path of travel of fillets  14  and their reorientation by turntables  20  and  22  is disclosed. Referring to the movement of fillet  14  on turntable  22 , the head end of the fillet is first shown to contact dividing piece  34  which directs it toward the opening between the dividing piece  34  and the support guide  42 . Turntable  22  carries the fish fillet forwardly toward inspection table  12  while at the same time causing the fillet to rotate in a clockwise direction. As the fillet is carried on turntable  22  it comes in contact with discharge guide  46  which continues the guiding and turning of the fillet to an orientation approximately 90° from that which it had when it entered the turntable. As shown in  FIG. 6 , when the fillet has reached an approximately 90° orientation to its longitudinal path of travel, it is substantially at the point of leaving the turntable and support guide  42  prevents its continued travel on the turntable. Simultaneously, the rear end of the fillet passes through triangular opening  47  ( FIG. 4 ) beneath the end of discharge guide  46 . It will be understood that the triangular shaped opening  47  is formed between the edge of turntable  22  and the bottom edge of discharge guide  46  as they diverge from each other. In this way, the relatively thin tail end of a fillet can slide through opening  47  beneath discharge guide  46  at the point the fillet is discharged from turntable  22 . The action of the two guides and the turntable allows the fillet to be deposited directly onto the inspection conveyor  24  oriented with its stomach side  16  forward as the fillet travels toward the inspectors standing beside the inspection table. 
   The disclosed embodiment presents an improved method and apparatus for reorienting fish fillets traveling at high speed on a fish processing line. The apparatus not only eases the job of the inspectors who are inspecting the finished fillets, but may even allow for a reduction in the number of inspectors needed, since the amount of manipulation and manual reorientation of the fillets is significantly reduced as compared to the prior art. 
   While illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.