A METHOD FOR REMOVING THE SKIN FROM DOUBLE FILLETS AND A DEVICE FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD

Abstract: A method for removing the skin of double fillets, in that the skin along the dorsal fin between the fillet sides is clamped in a conveyor device with the fillet sides turned inside out, thus that its skin sides are facing each other, and the fillet sides thus turned inside out being moved against deskinning knives, which separate the fillets from the skin. The purpose is to provide a method and a device for removing also very frail and thin skin. Another purpose is to effect the deskinning thus that the silvery membrane below the skin is maintained intact and the black membrane is removed. This has been achieved therein that the fillet sides are spaced slightly from the conveyor device by means of spacing means situated immediately adjacent the deskinning knives, and that the sides portions of the fillet sides, at the upper part of the spacing means are subjected to a successively increasing deflection movement thus that the fillets are stripped from the skin, whereby the skin and any dorsal fins freely can pass a space between the deskinning knives and the conveyor device.

Description: A METHOD FOR REMOVING THE SKIN FROM DOUBLE FILLETS ANO A ΠFVTCE FΠR PERFORMING THE METHOD The present invention refers to a method for removing the skin of double fillets, particularly of fish having thin, frail skin, in that the skin between the fillet sides along the dorsal fin is clamped in a conveyor device with the fillet sides turned inside out, thus that its skin sides are facing each other, and the fillet sides thus turned inside out being moved against deskinning knives, which separate the fillets from the skin. Skinning fish is a very nuanced problem as fish of different species have different types of skin. The skin may be more or less thin and of different types, e.g. leathery, but also the treatment of the fish, such as subjecting it to marinade, salting, seasoning etcetera, is of big significance for the strength of the skin when it is stripped off the illet. From SE-C 202778 and SE-C 395343 are earlier known fish processing machines wherein so called double fillets are freed from the skin interconnecting the fillets. The machine in the older one of these two patent publications is primarily designed for filletting and skinning sprats, whereas that of the later publication also shall be usable for bigger fish. None of these known machines or other such machines, if it comes to that, in practice has been able to become successful on the market. as the fillets either are not freed satis actorily from the skin or the loss of flesh is too big. An important reason for that ought to be that all hitherto known skinning machines are based on the principle that the flesh shall be cut loose from the skin as close to the skin as possible. As one fish is not like the other it is not possible even with the uttermost precision to guarantee a satisfactory result, which has resulted in very high loss percentage, which can not be accepted in view of the high raw material price. In several cases it can be sufficient that the double fillet is not adeqately located on the conveyor device, whereby the dorsal fin will be situated between the conveyor device and the circular knives, resulting in that the passage of the βkin is prevented and the skin will burst. > It has also been tried to skin fillets after they have been 05 parted, but then remains the problem that the fillets can not be feed automatically into the deskinning machine without requiring a manual and rather exact and therefore time wasting and expensive feeding operation. 130 Purpose and most essential features of the invention The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for removing also very frail and thin skin, e.g. from herring, whereby the device shall be able with the same 15 advantages to skin raw fish as well as treated fish, i.e fillets that have been treated with marinade or salted, pickled or treated otherwise. Another purpose is to effect the deskinning on one hand in such a manner that the silvery membrane below the skin is maintained intact as far as 20 possible and onthe other hand thus that the aesthetically less attractive black membrane is removed. It furthermore shall be possible to effect the deskinning pocedure at such a speed that it without difficulties can be synchronized with conventional degutting and filleting machines. Another 2.5 important requirement is that the rate of wastage may not exceed one or a few percents. This has been achieved in that the fillet sides are spaced slightly from the conveyor device by means of spacing means situated immediately adjacent the deskinning knives, that the dorsal portion of the double 30 fillet is moved from the spacing means to the inner side of the deskinning knives facing the conveyor device, mainly without direction change. and that the side portions of the fillet sides, at the upper part of the spacing means and at least nearest to the deskinning knives, are subjected to a 5 successively increasing direction change in a direction away from the upper edge of the spacing means, between the rear edge of the spacing means and the bevelled edge of the deskinning knives, thus that the fillets are stripped from the skin, whereby the skin and any dorsal fins freely can pass a space between the deskinning knives and the conveyor device. According to the invention there is also proposed a device for performing the above mentioned method and the most important features thereof are defined in claim 3. Description of the drawings Figure 1 shows in side view the most important parts constituting the deskinning device according to the invention. Figure 2 is a section along line 11-11 in figure 1. Figure 3 shows parts of the deskinning device in section and the conveyor device with the spacing means in a view from above . Figures 4 and 5 are sections along lines IV-IV and V-V resp. in figure 1. Figure 6 shows schematically a side view of the entire deskinning device according to the invention. Description o t e embodiments The invention hereinafter will be further described as an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. The deskinning device according to the invention is a developement of the skin stripping device described in SE-A 8406159-7. Like this the deskinning device according to the present invention comprises a conveyor device 11 , incorporating a carrier plate 12 driven by a not further shown motor and at its circumference being equipped with a groove 13, in which is arranged an endless wire 14 or the like. The wire forms a igure-of-eight and is arranged over a sheeve 15, such as shown in figure 6. From a transfer mechanism 16, which is only schematically intimated, the so called double fillets 17 are transferred onto the wire thus that the fillets with their dorsal skin will be hanging on the wire and with the flesh sides of the fillets facing each other. During the transport along the circumference of the carrier plate 12 towards its upper part the double fillets will become turned inside out thus that its skin sides will be facing the carrier plate 12. As shown more in detail in figure 1, spacing means 18 are arranged at the upper portion of the carrier plate 12 at both sides of the carrier plate 12 and one circular deskinning knife 19 is arranged behind the spacing means as seen in the transport direction of the carrier plate on each side of the carrier plate, which knives are driven by a not further shown electric motor at a considerably higher speed than the carrier plate 12. The spacing means 18, which are fixed relative to the rotatable carrier plate. are arranged very near the carrier plate 12 and with its upper edge in level with, or lower than the circumference of the carrier plate. The rear end edge of the spacing means, which are facing the deskinning knives are designed with a complementary shape mainly corresponding to the contour o-f the circular knives, whereas the spacing means in their upper portion is designed with a chamfer 20 facing the outer edge of the carrier plate 12. The chamfer 20 in the embodiment shown has been given an extension over the entire lenght of the spacing means, which is appropriate when fillets having no sharp changes are guided in towards the deskinning knives 19. The only part of the chamfer 20, which is of vital inmportance to the very skinning operation, is however that situated nearest to the deskinning knives. A portion 21 of constant wall thickness adjoins the chamfer 20 of the spacing means 18, thus that it is obtained a steep change at the • rear edge of the spacing means in a direction towards the rounded, blunt edge 23 of the deskinning knives. The circular deskinning knives 19, which compared to earlier known knives of this type has a bigger diameter, are arranged at a distance A from the carrier plate 12, which is so big that also thick skin with appended dorsal fins can pass between them. If the deskinning machine according to the invention shall be used for different species of fish and/or fish of varying size it is appropriate that the spacing means 18 and/or the deskinning knives 19 are adjustable laterally relative to the carrier plate 12! The spacing means 18 should also be adjustable longitudinally thus that the slot between its rear edge 22 and the edge 23 of the deskinning knives can be adjusted. As shown in figure 2 of the drawings the chamfer 20 terminates at the upper edge of the spacing means in a slightly rounded point 2 , which at one hand lies in level with the circumferential end edge 25 of the carrier plate 12 and on the other hand is situated inside the inner side 26 of the deskinning knives 19. such as shown in figure 3. The distance B from the point 25 of the chamfer 20 up to the inner side 26 of the circular knives is chosen in view of the skin thickness of the fish and allows the dorsal portion 27 of the double fillet to pass from the spacing means 18 to the slot A between the inner side 26 of the deskinning knives and the flat side of the carrier plate 12, mainly without direction change. It is thereby ascertained that the skin portions around the dorsal portion of the fish without disturbance can be led past the deskinning knives without any ruptures, even if the dorsal fin or fin bone of the fish should lie wrong and be pulled into this passage. At conventional deskinning machines it is tried to achieve that the skin is sucked against the carrier plate thus that the fillets will become firmly held when the flesh is cut loose from the skin. According to the present invention there s supplied at both sides of the deskinning knives 19, via nozzles 28, so much water at the same time as the deskinning knives are driven at such a high speed, that a considerable friction reduction is obtained particularly between the deskinning knives and the skin, which friction reduction can be compared to aquaplaning. The skin will be stripped from the fillets, due to the fact that the deskinning knives have no cutting function and the separation of the skin from the fillets is effected in that the skin is subjected to an abrupt direction change over the rear edge 22 of the spacing means 18. This stripping is effected so cautious that the silvery membrane below the skin will remain on the fillets mainly in uninterrupted extension. Some ish, e.g. herring have a black membrane which is unaesthetical and shall be removed, which according to the invention is effected by the distance 8 being adapted to the size of the fish. An increase of the distance B means also an increase of the size of the slice of flesh "cut" away at the passage of the double fillet past the deskinning knives 19. Function description A gutted double fillet 17, where head and tail have been cut off and the backbone with attached ventral bones have been cut away and where the fillet sides are interconnected via the dorsal skin of the fish only, is via the transfer device 16 transferred to the movable-wire 14 of the deskinning device, such as shown in figure 6. The dorsal portion 27 of the double fillet will be clamped between the wire 14 and the groove 13 of the carrier plate 12, whereby the double fillet is firmly held in longitudinal direction. At the rotation of the carrier plate the double fillet will be conveyed along the circumference of the plate, whereby the double fillet is turned inside out, thus that the skin side of the fillet sides will be facing the flat sides of the carrier plate 12. The fillet sides will be spaced from the carrier plate at the upper portion thereof by means of spacing means 18, for being subjected to an abrupt direction change at the rear edge of the spacing means, said direction change being in the form of a Z-movement against the rounded edge o f the deskinning knives, whereby the fillets are slit away from the skin. The fillets are collected in gutters 29 on both sides of the carrier plate, whereas the skin is removed from the wire by aid of an appropriate tool 30.

Claims: ^ CLAIMS 1. A method for removing the skin of double fillets (171 , particularly of fish having thin, frail skin, in that the skin along the dorsal fin between the fillet sides is clamped in a conveyor device (11) with the fillet sides turned inside out, thus that its skin sides are facing each other, and the fillet sides thus turned inside out being moved against deskinning knives (19) , which separate the fillets from the skin, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the fillet sides are spaced slightly from the conveyor device by means of spacing means (18) situated immediately adjacent the deskinning knives (19) , that the dorsal portion of the double fillet is led from the spacing means (18) to the inner side (26) of the deskinning knives facing the conveyor device, mainly without direction change, and that the side portions of the fillet sides, at the upper part of the spacing means (18) and at least nea-rest to the deskinning knives (19) , are subjected to a successively increasing deflection movement in a direction from the upper edge of the spacing means (18) in a plane transversely to the direction of movement of the fillets, between the rear edge of the spacing means and the rounded edge (23) of the deskinning knives, thus that the fillets are stripped from the skin, whereby the skin and any dorsal fins freely can pass a space (A) between the deskinning knives and the conveyor device. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that water is poured over the circular deskinning knives (19) , which are driven at such a high speed that a considerable friction reduction - aquaplaning - is obtained between the knives and the skin. 3. A device for performing the method claimed in claim 1 , and incorporating a conveyor (11 ) shaped as a circular carrier plate ( 12) equipped with means (14) for clamping the double fillets against the circumference of the plate, and circular deskinning knives ( 19) situated on each side of the carrier 7/0000 - plate (12) just opposite each other and in a manner slightly overlapping said carrier plate, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n. that in front of each deskinning knife (19), as seen in the transport direction of the carrier plate (12), there is provided a spacing means (18) arranged to space each fillet side resp. from the flat side of the deskinning knife, that the deskinning knives (19) are designed with chamfered, blunt edges (23) , that at least a portion (20) of the flat side of the spacing means facing away from the carrier plate and situated nearest to the deskinning knives is bevelled in a direction towards the end edge (25) of the carrier plate, that the spacing means (18) with its rear edge (22) turned towards the deskinning knife (19) is designed with a shape mainly being complementary to the contour of the knife, that the rear edge (22) of the spacing means adjacent its upper bevelled portion (20) is designed with a mainly constant distance to the carrier plate, and that the deskinning knives (19) are arranged at some distance from the carrier plate (12) , thus that skin and dorsal fin freely can pass between them. 4. A device as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the spacing means and/or the deskinning knives are laterally displaceable relative to the carrier plate and that the spacing means also are adjustable in their longitudinal direction .

Inventors: LINDH PER-OLOF, MARBERG CHRISTER, LINDH, PER-OLOF, MARBERG, CHRISTER
Applicants: SWEDEFISH MACHINERY AB
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A22C25
IPC codes: A22C25