Patent GB-454495-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to methods of and machines for dressing fish
IPC: A22C25/14
Filed: 1935-03-29
Abstract: 454,495. Dressing fish. BAADER, R., 33, Wakenitzmauer, Lubeck, Germany. March 29, 1935, No. 9817. [Class 28 (ii)] In a machine for dressing fishes, the fishes are conveyed past a tool or tools with the backbones substantially straight, or when the path is circular, with the backbones arched or curved in the plane of symmetry of the fish, and, immediately in front of the tool or tools, are completely supported by guides which adjust themselves in accordance with the size of the fish and straighten the backbone. In the machine shown diagrammatically in plan in Fig. 1, the fishes are laid with their backs in pockets 3 on the rotary plate 1, the projecting tails being seized by the swivelling clamp means described in Specification 454,496, which conveY them around the path A, B, C, D, E, the length A-B being occupied by the fin-removing apparatus described in Specification 454,500, and the length B-C by the guides and filleting tools described below. While the fish is on the support 30 it is measured by a lever 145 which initiates the actions of mechanisms which adjust the tools and certain of the guides according to the size of the fish. As the tail of the fish is gripped by the clamp 100, the lever 145 cannot measure the whole of the fish, but is timed to descend on to the fish when a predetermined length has passed beneath it. The lever 145 is pivoted horizontally at 146, Figs. 16, 19, and vertically at 147, and is lifted over the clamp 100 by a ramp 148 on the arm 6 engaging a roller 149 on the lever 145. If, for example, the machine is to deal with fishes of from 300 millimetres to 1000 millimetres in length, the lever 145 is timed to descend when the clamp 100 is 300 millimetres beyond the lever 145, i.e. with the smallest fishes, the lever 145 will descend on to the support 30. In the case of a larger fish, the lever will descend, as in Fig. 19, on to the fish. At the moment of descent, the lever 145 is in the left-hand dotted position in Fig. 16, and it is immediately moved to the right, against spring action, by a cam 150 engaging a roller-ended arm 152 rigid with the lever 145. When the lever reaches the end of the fish, it falls on to the support 30, and, in doing so, sets mechanisms described below, in motion. First, a set screw 154 hits a plate 156 rigid with a sleeve 157 rockable on a shaft 158, an arm 159 on the sleeve being moved against spring action, to the dotted line position in Fig. 19. In the full line position, the arm 159 engages a projection 161 on a bell-crank 162, pivoted at 163, Fig. 20, and carrying a roller 165 which runs on a cam 166, the roller being out of contact with the cam surface when the lever 145 is moving over the fish. When the arm 159 moves away from the projection 161, the bell-crank 162 falls under its own weight and the roller 165 contacts with the cam surface. The spring 160 and cam 16 subsequently restore the parts to their initial positions. The tail 167 of the bell-crank 162 is moved out of contact with a latch lever 168 which is then rocked by a spring 170 to engage a crown wheel 171, thus acting as an intermittent clutch as described below, and an arm 172, Figs. 16, 20, on the other end of the bell-crank 162 strikes up an arm 173 of a two armed lever pivoted at 174, this lever being connected as described below, with mechanism for setting the tools and guides. After leaving the lever 145, the fish is received, from the support 30, by tweezer-like guides on arms 175 interconnected by a spring 176, the arms 175 being rigid with rocking sleeves 178 having short arms connected by pin and slot means so that the movements of the arms 175 towards and away from the centre line of the fish are symmetrical. In order to permit the passage of the tail clamps, the whole tweezer guide is swung outwardly on the axis 181 by a roller 183 engaging a cam plate 79, Figs. 19, 20, on the clamp 100, and is immediately returned by spring means. From this,'the first tweezer guide, the fish is delivered to a pair of guides, one of which, 185, Fig. 20, is bobbin-shaped and engages the back of the fish, and the other, 186, is W-shaped, both guides 185, 186 being pivotably mounted to be swung against spring action to allow the tail clamp to pass. The guide 186 is swung by the cam plate 79 engaging a roller 189, Fig. 20, and the guide 185 is carried by a sleeve 191 resiliently connected by a spring 192 to a spindle 193 having a roller ended arm 194 which co-operates with a cam 196 under the control of the lever 145. The resilient connection prevents undesirable compression of wide fishes. The cam 196 is driven by the crown wheel 171, the wheel 171 being continuously rotated through gearing and connected to a spindle 225 by a friction clutch 229 which slips when the latch 168 is held by the tail 167, the spindle and the cam 196 carried thereby being at rest in Fig. 20. When the tail 167 is raised, the latch 168 drops into the teeth of the wheel 171 and positively connects it to the spindle 225, so that the cam 196 starts to rotate at a time depending on the length of the fish. When the cam 196 has completed one revolution, the cam 166 operates to position the tail 167 in the stop position. The middle depression of the W-guide 186 supports the trunk part of the fish, whilst the wings of the guide support the belly flaps. The fish is then passed between a second pair of tweezer guides 198 on arms 197 and from thence between a pair of pivoted and pin-andslot connected guide fingers 204, Fig. 26, carried by a lever 206 which carries a V-shaped guide 210 opposed to a complementary guide 211 on a lever 212, which is swung to allow the tail clamp to pass by a member 213 carried by the second tweezer guides; the lever 206 being moved towards the centre of the machine by an arm 214 engaging a roller 215. The levers 206, 212 are connected by a spring 227 so that they close on the fish after the tail clamp has past. When the belly cavity is reached, the guide 211 is moved rapidly inward, to press. against the backbone; by a cam 217 on the spindle 225 engaged by a roller on an arm 219 connected by links 221, 223 to the arm 214. The guides 210, 211 pass the fish to two pairs of horizontal disc knives 125, 126, 127, 128, one pair being driven in the same manner as the other. The knife 125 is rigid on a sleeve 230, Fig. 22, in which the spindle 231 carrying the knife 126 is slidably feathered to permit the spacing of the knives 125, 126 to be altered according to the size of the fish, this being effected by a rocking- lever 240 pivoted at 242 and pulled down by a spring 241 when permitted by a cam 243. The lever 240 bears on a lever 245, pivoted at 246, having arms 247, 248 which bear on the tops of the spindles 231, 239 the downward motions of the spindles being limited by a pivoted latch 249 which engages a ratchet arm 251 on the lever 240. The latch 249 is moved towards the ratchet against a spring 252 by an arm 253 which constitutes the other arm of the lever 173 which is under the control of the measuring arm 145 as described above. The knives 126, 128 are moved upwards by spring actuated levers 256, 257. The horizontal distance between the two pairs of knives must also be adjusted in accordance with the size of the fish, and the knives must be swung apart to allow the tail clamps to pass, the latter being effected by a cam 270 connected by links with arms 265, 266, Fig. 16, which are carried on pivotal sleeves 263, 264 and themselves carry the knives 125.. 128. The knives return after the passage of the tail clamp and are then separated to an extent determined by the measuring lever 145, this being effected by moving only the inner knives 127, 128. A cone 275 on a rod 276 pivoted at 277 to the lever 240, is positioned vertically by the lever 240 and varies the effective shape of a lever in the linkage connecting the cam 270 and the arm 266. The guides 186, 210, 211, 198, 204 are adjusted bodily during the vertical adjustment of the knives 125 .. 128, by a lever 290 integral with the lever 245 and connected, through a forked rocking lever, to the sleeves carrying the guides. From the knives 125 .. 128 the fish passes to two guides which enter the cuts made by the knives. The guide 300 for the belly side is in two flared parts which spread the belly flaps, the lower part being pivoted to the lever 256 so that it is adjusted as the knife 126 is adjusted. The guide 305 for the back side is also made in two parts, the lower part being pivoted to the lever 25 so that it is adjusted with the adjacent knife. The two guides are also mounted to be swung away from each other for the passage of the clamp 100 and are re-positioned by spring means. The fish is now engaged by disc knives 129, 130 which are inclined to one another to cut along the walls of the belly cavity, and, since these knives must not cut the trunk part of the fish, means are provided for pressing that part of the fish away from the knives and for releasing the flesh only when the belly cavity arrives at the knives. The means comprise two flaps 314, 315, Figs. 16, 24, hinged to plates 316, 317 secured to a bracket 318, the flaps being pivoted to a lever 319 carried by a rocking rod 320, Fig. 16. When the rod rocks, the flaps 314, 315 are moved from the position in which they engage the fish, to the dotted line position in Fig. 24, in which the flesh is released for the operation of the knives. The rocking of the rod 320 is under the control of two cams 324, 325, the cam 324 serving to release the flaps 314, 315 at the correct time for the smallest fish, whilst the cam 325, which is driven by the crown wheel 171 under the control of the measuring lever 145, serves to hold the flaps until the correct moment of release for the fish being treated. If the fish is of the smallest size, both releases are simultaneous. The cam 324 is engaged by a roller 326 on an arm 327 rigid with a sleeve 329 carrying an arm 330 the end of which