Abstract:
An automatic skinning mechanism having an inlet conveyor, a take away conveyor, a skinning mechanism and a hold down mechanism that removes pressure form a food product as the skinning mechanism begins skinning food product.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/150,572 filed Apr. 21, 2015, incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed toward a device for removing skin from food products and more particularly to a device for removing skin from delicate food products such as fish. 
     In the meat processing industry it is desirable to remove the skin from meat parts such as fish fillets. Today this is done by using a knife or one of several conveyor fed skinning machines. Removing skin with a knife may cause lacerations or repetitive motion injuries. Also, skinning with a knife typically results in poor yields. Alternatively skinning machines often require feeding fish fillets tail first for good results. This requires turning fish either manually or automatically to accommodate tail first skinning which can result in damage to fish fillets. It is desirable that the fillets be fed head first in some cases to match the rest of the production line. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a machine that can easily or automatically be adjusted to accommodate demands for different skin thicknesses and/or product appearances. 
     Skinning machines fed with a conveying system normally require some type of opening bite at the skinning mechanism to start the meat product. To do this, most manufacturers take a thicker cut at the start of the skinning action by moving the skinning mechanism out and/or in and/or up and down. The other method used is to rotate the skinning mechanism around the product pulling roller and pinch the leading edge of the product. In all cases a hold-down mechanism is used to keep the product in place, during the skinning. Typical hold-down devices include individual rubber (nitrile) rollers, conveyor belts over the infeed conveyor and skinning mechanism or delrin rollers only over the skinning mechanism. Each of these methods can be disadvantageous. First, they may not provide even pressure over products that have varying shapes front to back or side to side. Second, these devices may cause damage and yield loss due to their aggressive nature. Particularly with fish such as salmon, constant pressure causes gapping or separation of the meat fibers. In fact, once the skinning has begun, holding down on the product is not necessary or desirable in some cases. 
     Therefore, an objective of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that can skin meat products such as fish fillets either head first or tail first with minimal skin patches. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a hold-down system that provides sufficient pressure over the varying thicknesses of a single piece of product. 
     A still further objective of the present invention is to provide linking the skinning mechanism with the hold-down device to reduce adjustments. 
     A further objective of the present invention is to provide a skinning mechanism and a hold-down device where the hold-down device follows the position of the skinning mechanism as it moves in and out of its opening bite and/or height adjustments. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to remove all hold down pressure on the food product to ensure that damage to the product via hold down force is eliminated. 
     Yet another objective of the present invention is to adapt this method to either a dual lane or single lane skinning device. 
     Also, an objective other the present invention is to be easily and/or automatically adjusted for different skinning thicknesses or product requirements. 
     Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to use this method to eliminate skinning with a knife and the undesirable impact that knife skinning has on workers. 
     These and other objectives will be apparent to one of ordinary skill based upon the following written description, drawings and claims. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An automatic skinning device having an inlet conveyor, a hold down mechanism, a skinning mechanism, and a take away conveyor. The hold down mechanism is linked to the skinning mechanism such that the hold down mechanism follows the movement of the skinning mechanism during the opening bite and/or height adjustments and then removes pressure from a food product once the skinning of the food product begins. 
     The hold down mechanism includes at least one disc having a plurality of deformable curved spokes that extend from a central opening to an outer perimeter. The hold down mechanism provides a consistent pressure to a food product without the presence of a gap between the hold down mechanism and the food product. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side sectional view of an automatic skinning device; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an automatic skinning device; 
         FIG. 3  is a side sectional view of an automatic skinning device; and 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of an automatic skinning device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the Figures, an automatic skinning device  10  includes an infeed conveyor  12 , a hold down mechanism  14 , a skinning mechanism  16 , and an exit or take-away conveyor  18 . The infeed conveyor  12  has a continuous belt  20  mounted about rollers/pulleys  22   
     The skinning mechanism  16  has a shoe  28  with an arcuate surface that receives a tooth roll  30 . A blade holder  32  is connected to the top of the shoe  28  and the blade holder  32  with an edge adjacent the outer circumference of the tooth roll  30 . 
     Moveably positioned above a portion of the skinning mechanism is the hold down mechanism  14 . The hold down mechanism  14  includes one, and preferably a plurality of discs  36 , mounted to a rotatable shaft  38 . The number of discs  36  used is determined by the width of a food product  40 . The discs  36  preferably are made of a polymer material that has a durometer that varies based upon the type of food product  40 . Each disc  36  has a continuous outer perimeter  42  and a plurality of arcuate spokes  44  that extend between the outer perimeter  42  and a central opening  46  of the disc  36 . The discs  36  are closely spaced and/or engage one another such that when engaged by a food product  40  the discs deform to provide a consistent pressure to the food product  40  of varying thickness without gaps. 
     The rotatable shaft  38  is mounted to a support arm  48  that preferably extends upwardly and rearwardly of the discs  36  and then curves downwardly toward a connecting end  50 . The connecting end  50  is pivotally connected to a plate  52  that is attached to the skinning mechanism  16 . A pneumatic piston  54  is connected to and extends between the support arm  48  and plate  52 . 
     Positioned adjacent the infeed conveyor  12 , upstream of the hold down mechanism  14  and the skinning mechanism  16  is a sensor  56  that detects the presence of a food product  40 . The sensor  56  is connected to a computer  58  that is also connected to a source of pressurized air  60  that extends or contracts piston  54 . 
     Downstream of the skinning mechanism  16  and positioned to receive a skinned food product  40  is the exit or take-away conveyor  18 . The take-away conveyor  18  has a continuous belt  62  mounted about rollers or pulleys  64 . 
     In operation, the food product  40  is placed on the infeed conveyor  12  with the head portion ahead of the tail portion. As the infeed conveyor  12  transports the food product  40  toward the skinning mechanism  16 , the food product  40  engages the hold down mechanism  14  which exerts a consistent pressure against the food product  40  without the presence of a gap between the hold down mechanism  14  and the food product  40 . The hold down mechanism  14  and the skinning mechanism  16  are linked by a support arm  48  and a plate  52 . As a result, the hold down mechanism  14  follows the position of the skinning mechanism  16  as the skinning mechanism  16  moves in and out of its opening bite. 
     Once the skinning mechanism  16  begins skinning the food product  40 , the open bite moves from open to skinning position and the hold down mechanism  14  is raised removing all hold-down pressure from the food product  40  to ensure that damage to the food product is eliminated. To move the skinning mechanism and the hold down mechanism  14 , a signal is sent from sensor  56  to computer  58 . The computer  58  calculates when skinning begins based upon the speed of conveyor  12  and the distance of the sensor  56  from the skinning mechanism  16 . The timing of the movement and opening bite can be altered to maximize yield based on a variable profile of a leading edge of the food product. This can be done either manually by an operator or electronically using electronic means of measurements. The computer  58  sends a signal actuating pressurized air to activate piston  54 . The piston  54  retracts which causes support arm  48  to rotate upwardly in relation to plate  52  at connection end  50 . 
     The food product  40  is engaged by the tooth roll  30  and the blade  34  separates the skin from the meat or lean portion. The skin falls below the skinning device to a hopper or conveyor while the lean portion is transported to the take away conveyor  18  for further processing. Once the food product  40  passes sensor  56  the computer activates cylinder  54  lowering the hold down mechanism  16 . While a single lane device has been shown, two or more lanes are contemplated as well. 
     Thus, a skinning device has been disclosed that at the very least meets all the stated objectives.