A shellfish shucking machine

Abstract

The application discloses a shell removing machine for shellfish, which comprises a sorting device, a feeding device, a steam shell opening device, a drum stripping device and a vibrating separation device; wherein the vibrating separation device has the same structure as the sorting device; the steam shell opening device is provided with a steam treatment area and a cooling spraying area, and sensors are arranged in the corresponding areas; the drum stripping device comprises a main support frame, a drum is rotatably installed on the main support frame in a horizontal posture, a central shaft penetrates through the drum inside in a coaxial manner, and both ends of the central shaft are rotatably installed on the main support frame; the central shaft is provided with stripping blades extending along the axial direction and distributed in the circumferential direction, and flexible axial stripping teeth are uniformly distributed on the inner wall of the drum; in the relative rotation process of the drum and the central shaft, the shellfish is rubbed, stirred and slightly impacted by the flexible axial stripping teeth and the stripping blades; the shell removing machine can efficiently remove shells, avoid thermal denaturation of the shellfish, reduce shell pollution, and ensure that the shellfish is complete, compact and non-adhesive.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aquatic product processing technology, specifically to a shellfish shelling machine. Background Technology

[0002] Shellfish meat is delicious and nutritious, rich in protein, amino acids, and various trace elements, making it a popular choice among consumers and one of the largest aquatic products produced in my country. Separating the shell from the meat is an essential step in shellfish processing, and its effectiveness directly impacts the quality of the final product. However, due to the very strong adductor muscles of shellfish, removing the meat from the shell is not easy. Furthermore, the wide variety of shellfish species, their diverse shapes and sizes, and the limited mechanical versatility make shellfish processing a persistent technical challenge for the industry.

[0003] Currently, shellfish are mainly shelled using two methods: manual shelling and thermal shelling.

[0004] Manual shelling refers to the method of using knives or special tools to cut along the seam of the shell, pry it open, and remove the shellfish meat. The advantage of this method is that it preserves the freshness of the shellfish meat and minimizes nutrient loss, but it has several drawbacks: First, manual shelling is extremely inefficient and cannot meet the needs of large-scale production. For example, in processing adductor muscles, each skilled worker can only process about 1.5 kg of adductor muscles per hour. Second, the adductor muscles are easily damaged during manual cutting, resulting in a decrease in the integrity of the shellfish meat and affecting the yield. Furthermore, manual shell opening is labor-intensive, and the tools and shell edges are sharp, easily causing cuts to workers and posing certain safety hazards. With my country's aging population becoming increasingly serious and labor costs for processing enterprises constantly rising, manual shell opening can no longer meet the requirements of the large-scale development of the shellfish processing industry.

[0005] Heat shelling (also known as steam shelling) is a method of removing shellfish meat by heating to deactivate the adductor muscle and open the shell. This method is relatively efficient, and the high temperature treatment provides some sterilization. However, heat shelling also has significant drawbacks: the shellfish meat undergoes protein denaturation and muscle shrinkage during high-temperature steaming, leading to a decline in quality and texture. Furthermore, some nutrients and flavor compounds are lost, affecting its subsequent processing value. In addition, steamed shellfish are fully cooked and can only be processed into a limited variety of products, such as dried shellfish, which cannot meet the processing needs of fresh shellfish meat products.

[0006] In recent years, some mechanically assisted shelling equipment and new shelling technologies have emerged in the industry. Examples include shelling machines using a four-bar linkage extrusion mechanism, shell-meat separation equipment using steam, and shelling equipment based on ultra-high pressure (HPP) technology. However, existing mechanical shelling equipment still has many shortcomings: some equipment does not completely remove shells, leaving a large amount of shell residue that requires subsequent manual processing; the shelling process easily damages the shell meat, reducing its quality and yield; some equipment relies on high-temperature processing, which still cannot prevent the decline in shell meat quality; and while ultra-high pressure equipment is effective, its high investment cost makes it difficult to promote and apply in small and medium-sized processing enterprises. Overall, primary shellfish processing in my country still relies mainly on manual shelling, with low automation, low efficiency, and poor stability remaining prominent problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a shellfish shelling machine that can efficiently remove shells while avoiding heat denaturation of the shellfish meat, reducing shell fragment contamination, and ensuring that the shellfish meat is intact, firm, and free of sticking.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A shellfish shelling machine includes a sorting device, a feeding device, and a vertical multi-stage processing unit arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction. The vertical multi-stage processing unit is equipped with a steam shell-opening device, a roller peeling device, and a vibrating separation device arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The vibrating separation device has the same structure as the sorting device. The steam shell-opening device includes a support frame on which a steam treatment chamber shell is fixedly mounted. A conveyor chain penetrates the interior of the steam treatment chamber shell along the material conveying direction. A shell-opening discharge port is provided on the support frame below the unloading section of the conveyor chain. The upper opening of the shell-opening discharge port receives the shellfish that have been opened from the conveyor chain, and the lower outlet is connected to the inlet of the roller peeling device. A steam treatment zone and a cooling spray zone are provided inside the steam treatment chamber shell. A first position sensor is installed near the inlet of the steam treatment zone to detect whether shellfish have entered the steam treatment zone; a second position sensor is installed near the inlet of the cooling spray zone to detect whether shellfish have entered the cooling spray zone; both the first and second position sensors are electrically connected to the control system; the drum peeling device includes a main support frame, with a drum rotatably mounted on the main support frame in a horizontal posture, and a central shaft coaxially penetrating the inside of the drum, with its two ends rotatably mounted on the main support frame; the central shaft is provided with peeling blades extending along its axial direction and distributed circumferentially, and flexible axial peeling teeth are evenly distributed circumferentially on the inner wall of the drum; during the relative rotation of the drum and the central shaft, the flexible axial peeling teeth and peeling blades rub, pry, and gently impact the shellfish, causing the shellfish meat to separate from the shell.

[0009] Furthermore, a water pump and a steam generator are installed on the support frame. The purified water tank is connected to the inlet of the water pump and the inlet of the steam generator via a water supply pipeline. The steam outlet of the steam generator is connected to a high-temperature resistant four-way connector on the inner wall of the steam treatment chamber via a steam pipe. The high-temperature resistant four-way connector is connected to three steam nozzles via three branch pipes. The outlet of the water pump is connected to a cold water four-way connector on the inner wall of the steam treatment chamber via a cold water pipe. The cold water four-way connector is connected to three cold water nozzles via three branch pipes. The three steam nozzles and cold water nozzles are arranged along the width of the conveyor belt, with the spray direction perpendicular to the surface of the belt, covering its entire working width. A water tank is provided at the bottom of the support frame for collecting steam condensate and cooling spray wastewater. An outlet is provided on the side wall of the water tank, and the outlet is connected to a wastewater tank via a drain pipe.

[0010] Furthermore, a gap of a set height is provided between the bottom wall of the steam treatment chamber shell and the upper surface of the conveyor belt. This gap forms a shellfish inlet channel to limit the stacking of incoming shellfish and ensure that they enter the processing area in a single layer. The conveyor belt passes through the interior of the steam treatment chamber shell along the material conveying direction, and its two ends are respectively wound around the drive wheel and the driven wheel. Both the drive wheel and the driven wheel are rotatably mounted on the support frame and are engaged with the conveyor belt. The DC motor is fixed to the support frame, and its output shaft is coaxially connected to the drive wheel to drive the drive wheel to rotate.

[0011] Furthermore, the outer circumference of the roller is provided with a rolling gear ring and a roller limiting ring near its two axial ends, and a gear transmission assembly and a limiting mechanism are provided below the roller respectively. The gear transmission assembly meshes with the rolling gear ring, and the limiting mechanism abuts against the roller limiting ring to constrain the axial displacement of the roller.

[0012] Furthermore, the gear transmission assembly includes a second stepper motor, a coupling, a driving gear, a first driven gear, and a second driven gear. The output shaft of the second stepper motor is coaxially fixed to the driving gear via the coupling. The driving gear meshes with the first driven gear, both of which are located on the same side of the roller and mesh with the rolling gear ring of the roller. The second driven gear is located on the other side of the roller and does not mesh with the driving gear or the first driven gear, but only with the rolling gear ring.

[0013] Furthermore, the limiting mechanism includes two limiting rollers, which are arranged on both sides of the roller limiting ring along the roller axis and can rotate freely and abut against the end face of the roller limiting ring.

[0014] Furthermore, a baffle is provided at the tail end of the roller to prevent material from axially exiting from the tail end of the roller. A discharge notch is provided at the bottom of the baffle. The height of the discharge notch is less than the minimum external dimensions of the shellfish to be processed and greater than the maximum mixed size of the shell fragments and shell meat after peeling.

[0015] Furthermore, a first stepper motor is fixedly installed on one side of the main support frame. The output shaft of the first stepper motor extends horizontally and is fixedly fitted with a drive pulley. A driven pulley is fixedly fitted at the extended end of the central shaft. The conveyor belt is tensioned and wound between the drive pulley and the driven pulley to form a belt drive mechanism. A material detection sensor is installed near the feed inlet of the drum. When the sensor detects that shellfish have entered the drum, the control system starts the first stepper motor, causing the central shaft to start rotating.

[0016] Furthermore, the sorting device includes a frame, on which a sorting frame is provided, and a feeding hopper is provided on one side of the sorting frame; the sorting frame has a bottom plate that slopes downward along the material conveying direction, and a replaceable screen is installed in the area near the feeding end via a mesh holder, with a first discharge port for discharging shellfish to be shelled at the corresponding position of the bottom plate below the screen; a second discharge port for discharging shellfish that failed to pass through the screen is provided in the area of ​​the bottom plate without a screen, near the end of the sorting frame; the sorting frame is elastically suspended at the four corners of the frame by four sets of springs, with the upper end of each spring fixedly connected to the bottom of the sorting frame and the lower end fixedly connected to the frame.

[0017] Furthermore, the feeding device includes a feeding frame, a conveyor support frame that is inclined and fixedly installed on the feeding frame, and a conveyor belt that is tensioned and installed on the conveyor support frame in a ring manner to form an inclined conveying surface; a reduction motor is installed on the conveyor support frame, and its output shaft drives the conveyor belt to circulate along the inclined direction through a transmission mechanism; multiple material partitions are evenly spaced on the outer surface of the conveyor belt along its running direction, and the material partitions are perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor belt.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention utilizes a sorting device and a feeding device arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction to grade raw shellfish before they enter the processing flow, ensuring orderly feeding. Simultaneously, by integrating a steam shell-opening device, a roller peeling device, and a vibrating separation device from top to bottom into a vertical multi-stage processing unit, gravity is used to achieve automatic material flow between processes. This not only saves floor space and reduces energy consumption but also avoids efficiency losses caused by intermediate transfers. The steam shell-opening device includes a steam treatment zone and a cooling spray zone. The steam treatment zone employs optimal temperature parameters determined through experiments, utilizing the instantaneous high temperature characteristics of steam to efficiently induce shellfish opening in a short time, avoiding the protein denaturation of shellfish meat caused by traditional long-term high-temperature cooking. The shellfish undergoes a process of separation and quality deterioration. They then enter a cooling spray zone where cold water spray rapidly cools the opened shellfish. This utilizes the thermal expansion and contraction effect to moderately tighten the shellfish meat, maintaining its integrity and elasticity. Simultaneously, it provides initial cleaning of the shellfish meat surface. The drum and central shaft of the drum peeling device can operate at different speeds and rotate in opposite directions. This causes the shellfish to be subjected to multiple actions within the drum, including kneading by flexible teeth, agitation by flexible blades, tumbling, and gentle impacts. This efficiently separates the shellfish meat from the shell, while the cushioning properties of the flexible material effectively prevent excessive shell breakage and damage to the shellfish meat. Furthermore, the combined differential and reverse rotation propels the shellfish meat continuously along the drum axis, achieving continuous shell-meat separation and stable discharge.

[0019] Furthermore, the roller peeling device of the present invention, by setting a gear transmission assembly and a limiting mechanism, achieves stable differential speed and reverse rotation between the roller and the central shaft, effectively ensuring the safety and reliability of equipment operation. The gear transmission assembly transmits power to the roller and the central shaft respectively through precisely meshing gear pairs, causing them to rotate at a set speed ratio and in opposite directions. This drives the flexible teeth and flexible blades to apply a complex mechanical action such as kneading, stirring, tumbling, and slight impact to the shellfish material, promoting efficient and complete separation of the shellfish meat from the shell. The limiting mechanism is used to constrain the rotation angle or axial displacement of the roller, preventing structural overload, reverse rotation, or interference under abnormal operating conditions such as start-up, shutdown, load fluctuation, or foreign object obstruction, thus avoiding equipment damage. The two work together to not only improve the efficiency and quality of shell and meat peeling, but also enhance the stability and durability of the device operation, which is conducive to achieving continuous and automated operation.

[0020] Furthermore, the sorting device of this invention achieves automatic and continuous grading and sorting of shellfish based on their physical size, ensuring that shellfish of different sizes enter their corresponding subsequent processing paths. Since shellfish of different sizes differ in shell thickness, meat density, and thermal conductivity, this sorting device allows for pre-separation, enabling the independent setting of optimal steam temperature and processing time for each grade of shellfish. For example, smaller shellfish can be effectively opened using lower temperatures and shorter processing times, avoiding excessive heating that could lead to meat shrinkage or protein denaturation; while larger shellfish can be subjected to higher temperatures or longer processing times to ensure thorough opening. Thus, while ensuring a high shell-opening rate, the integrity, tenderness, and nutritional value of the shellfish meat are maintained to the maximum extent. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the shellfish shelling machine of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a side view of the shell-removing machine of the present invention after removing part of the shell. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the sorting device structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the steam shell opening device of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a rear view schematic diagram of the transparent outer shell of the steam shell opening device of the present invention; Figure 6 for Figure 5 Sectional view along the middle AA direction; Figure 7 This is a front view of the roller peeling device of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the roller peeling device of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the gear transmission assembly and limiting mechanism of the roller peeling device of the present invention.

[0022] In the diagram: 1-Sorting device; 11-Frame; 12-Feed hopper; 13-Sorting frame; 14-Mesh holder; 15-Screen; 16-First discharge port; 17-Second discharge port; 18-Vibrating motor; 19-Spring; 2-Feeding device; 21-Feeding frame; 22-Conveyor support frame; 23-Conveyor belt; 24-Material partition; 25-Gear motor; 3-Steam shell opening device; 31-Steam treatment chamber shell; 32-Conveyor chain; 33-DC motor; 34-Support frame; 35-Steam generator; 36-Cold water pipe; 37-Steam pipe; 38-Water pump; 39-Water tank; 310-Water outlet; 311-First position sensor; 312-Steam nozzle; 313-High temperature resistant four-way connector; 314-Cold water four-way connector; 315- 316-Cold water nozzle; 317-Second position sensor; 318-Driven wheel; 319-Shellfish inlet channel; 320-Shell opening and feeding port; 321-Clean water tank; 322-Sewage tank; 4-Roller peeling device; 40-Main support frame; 41-Rolling gear ring; 42-Roller; 43-Roller limit ring; 44-Baffle; 45-Central shaft; 46-Peeling blade; 47-Flexible axial peeling tooth; 48-First stepper motor; 49-Master and slave pulleys; 410-Driven pulley; 411-Conveyor belt; 412-Material detection sensor; 413-Second stepper motor; 414-Coupling; 415-Master and slave gears; 416-First driven gear; 417-Second driven gear; 418-Limiting roller; 5-Vibrating separation device. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the shellfish shelling machine described in this embodiment includes a sorting device 1, a feeding device 2, and a vertical multi-stage processing unit located downstream of the sorting device 1 arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction; the vertical multi-stage processing unit is provided with a steam shell opening device 3, a roller peeling device 4, and a vibration separation device 5 arranged sequentially from top to bottom; wherein, the vibration separation device 5 has the same structure as the sorting device 1.

[0025] like Figure 2 , 3As shown, the sorting device 1 includes a frame 11, on which a sorting frame 13 is mounted. The sorting frame 13 is elastically suspended from the four corners of the frame 11 by four sets of springs 19. The upper end of each spring 19 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sorting frame 13, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the frame 11. A feed hopper 12 is provided on one side of the sorting frame 13 for introducing shellfish material to be sorted. The sorting frame 13 has a bottom plate that slopes downward along the material conveying direction. In the area near the feed end, a replaceable screen 15 is installed through a mesh holder 14. The screen 15 is configured with different aperture specifications and can be flexibly replaced according to the size requirements of the shellfish to be processed, so as to achieve grading and sorting of shellfish of different sizes. The screen 15 covers only a portion of the bottom plate, and a first discharge port 16 is provided at the corresponding position on the bottom plate below it. A second discharge port 17 is provided in the solid bottom plate area where the screen 15 is not located, near the end of the sorting frame 13, to discharge shellfish material that cannot pass through. A vibration motor 18 is installed at the lower part of the frame 11. When the vibration motor 18 is working, the directional excitation force it generates acts directly on the frame 11, causing the frame 11 to vibrate under forced vibration. This vibration is transmitted to the sorting frame 13 through four sets of springs 19. Since the springs 19 have the function of elastic energy storage and displacement amplification, the sorting frame 13 forms a periodic vibration with a certain amplitude and frequency under the drive of the excitation force, thereby driving the screen 15 to vibrate synchronously, achieving efficient screening of shellfish material. After being fed into the hopper 12, the material falls onto the screen 15. Under the vibration of the entire machine, shellfish material with a particle size smaller than the mesh size of the screen 15 passes through the screen 15, falls onto the inclined bottom plate of the sorting frame 13, and slides along the inclined surface to the lower end. It is then discharged through the first discharge port 16 and falls into the feeding device 2 for transfer to the subsequent shelling process. Shellfish material with a particle size larger than the mesh size of the screen 15 cannot pass through the screen 15. Under the action of vibration, it slides along the surface of the screen 15 to the second discharge port 17 and is discharged, and can be returned to the front-end process for re-grading. In the vibrating separation device 5, under the action of vibration, smaller shellfish meat passes through the screen 15 and is discharged through the first discharge port 16, while larger shells slide along the screen surface to the second discharge port 17 and are discharged, thereby achieving effective separation of shells and shellfish meat.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the feeding device 2 includes a feeding frame 21, a conveyor support frame 22 that is inclined and fixedly installed on the feeding frame 21, and a conveyor belt 23 that is tensioned and installed on the conveyor support frame 22 in a ring manner to form an inclined conveying surface. A geared motor 25 is installed on the conveyor support frame 22, and its output shaft drives the conveyor belt 23 to circulate in the inclined direction through a transmission mechanism. Multiple material partitions 24 are evenly spaced on the outer surface of the conveyor belt 23 along its running direction, and the material partitions 24 are perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor belt 23. When shellfish are placed on the conveyor belt 23, under the combined action of gravity and the material partitions 24, the shellfish are separated and arranged in columns along the width of the conveyor belt to prevent stacking and ensure stable feeding for subsequent processes.

[0027] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the steam shell opening device 3 includes a support frame 34, on which a steam treatment chamber shell 31 is fixedly mounted. A conveyor belt 32 passes through the interior of the steam treatment chamber shell 31 along the material conveying direction, and its two ends are respectively wound around a drive wheel 317 and a driven wheel 318. Both the drive wheel 317 and the driven wheel 318 are rotatably mounted on the support frame 34 and are engaged with the conveyor belt 32. A DC motor 33 is fixed to the support frame 34, and its output shaft is coaxially connected to the drive wheel 317, driving the drive wheel 317 to rotate. The drive wheel 317 engages with the conveyor belt 32, driving the conveyor belt 32 to run in a cycle. The driven wheel 318 moves synchronously under the drive of the conveyor belt 32, thereby realizing the continuous cyclic transmission of the conveyor belt 32. A shell-opening discharge port 320 is provided on the support frame 34 below the unloading section of the conveyor belt 32. The upper opening of the shell-opening discharge port 320 receives the shelled shellfish unloaded from the conveyor belt 32, and the lower outlet is connected to the inlet of the roller peeling device 4, forming a material transfer channel between the steam shell-opening station and the peeling station.

[0028] A gap of a predetermined height is provided between the bottom wall of the steam treatment chamber shell 31 and the upper surface of the conveyor belt 32. This gap forms a shellfish inlet channel 319, which restricts the stacking of incoming shellfish and ensures that they enter the processing area in a single layer. A steam treatment zone and a cooling spray zone are provided inside the steam treatment chamber shell 31. A first position sensor 311 is installed near the inlet end of the shellfish inlet channel 319 to detect whether shellfish have entered the steam treatment zone; a second position sensor 316 is installed near the inlet of the cooling spray zone to detect whether shellfish have entered the cooling spray zone. Both the first position sensor 311 and the second position sensor 316 are electrically connected to the control system. A water pump 38 and a steam generator 35 are mounted on the support frame 34. The purified water tank 321 is connected to the inlet of the water pump 38 and the inlet of the steam generator 35 through water supply pipelines, providing water for the cooling system and the steam system. The steam outlet of the steam generator 35 is connected to the high-temperature resistant four-way connector 313 on the inner wall of the steam treatment chamber shell 31 through the steam pipe 37. The high-temperature resistant four-way connector 313 is connected to the three steam nozzles 312 through three branch pipes. The outlet of the water pump 38 is connected to the cold water four-way connector 314 on the inner wall of the steam treatment chamber shell 31 through the cold water pipe 36. The cold water four-way connector 314 is connected to the three cold water nozzles 315 through three branch pipes. The three steam nozzles 312 and the cold water nozzles 315 are arranged along the width of the conveyor belt 32, and the spray direction is perpendicular to the surface of the belt, covering its entire working width. The bottom of the support frame 34 is provided with a water tank 39 for collecting steam condensate and cooling spray wastewater. The side wall of the water tank 39 is provided with a water outlet 310, which is connected to the sewage tank 322 through a drain pipe.

[0029] During operation, when the first position sensor 311 detects shellfish entering the steam treatment zone, the control system controls the DC motor 33 to decelerate and stop, while simultaneously starting the steam generator 35. Steam sequentially passes through the steam pipe 37, the high-temperature resistant four-way connector 313, and three steam nozzles 312 to steam and open the shellfish from their stationary state. After opening, the DC motor 33 resumes operation, and the conveyor belt 32 continues to transport the shellfish. When the second position sensor 316 detects shellfish entering the cooling zone, the control system starts the water pump 38. Cooling water sequentially passes through the cold water pipe 36, the cold water four-way connector 314, and three cold water nozzles 315 to spray the shellfish, achieving meat tightening and surface cleaning. After steam opening and cooling, the shellfish, carried by the conveyor belt 32, travels to the end of the outer shell 31 of the steam treatment chamber and is discharged through the opening and discharge port 320, entering the next process.

[0030] like Figure 7 , 8As shown in Figure 9, the roller stripping device 4 includes a main support frame 40, which is assembled from aluminum profile components to form an integral rigid frame. The roller 42 is rotatably mounted on the main support frame 40 in a horizontal position. The outer periphery of the roller 42 is provided with a rolling gear ring 41 and a roller limiting ring 43 near its two axial ends, respectively. A gear transmission assembly and a limiting mechanism are provided below the roller 42, respectively. The gear transmission assembly meshes with the rolling gear ring 41, and the limiting mechanism abuts against the roller limiting ring 43 to constrain the axial displacement of the roller 42. A central shaft 45 coaxially penetrates the interior of the drum 42, with its two ends rotatably mounted on the main support frame 40. The central shaft 45 is equipped with peeling blades 46 extending axially and distributed circumferentially. Flexible axial peeling teeth 47 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the inner wall of the drum 42. During relative rotation of the drum 42 and the central shaft 45, the flexible axial peeling teeth 47 and the peeling blades 46 rub, agitate, and gently impact the shellfish, separating the meat from the shell. Simultaneously, the flexible material cushions the shells, preventing excessive breakage and damage to the meat. A first stepper motor 48 is fixedly mounted on one side of the main support frame 40. The output shaft of the first stepper motor 48 extends horizontally, and a drive pulley 49 is fixedly fitted onto the output shaft. A driven pulley 410 is fixedly fitted onto the extended end of the central shaft 45. A conveyor belt 411 is tensioned and wound between the drive pulley 49 and the driven pulley 410, forming a belt drive mechanism. The first stepper motor 48 drives the central shaft 45 to rotate through this belt drive mechanism. A material detection sensor 412 is installed near the feed inlet of the drum 42. When the sensor detects that shellfish have entered the drum, the control system starts the first stepper motor 48, which causes the central shaft 45 to start rotating.

[0031] The gear transmission assembly includes a second stepper motor 413, a coupling 414, a driving gear 415, a first driven gear 416, and a second driven gear 417. The output shaft of the second stepper motor 413 is coaxially fixed to the driving gear 415 through the coupling 414. The driving gear 415 meshes with the first driven gear 416, both of which are located on the same side of the roller 42 and mesh with the rolling gear ring 41 of the roller 42. The second driven gear 417 is located on the other side of the roller 42 and does not mesh with the driving gear 415 or the first driven gear 416, but only with the rolling gear ring 41. The driving gear 415, the first driven gear 416, and the second driven gear 417 work together to drive the roller 42 to rotate.

[0032] The limiting mechanism includes two limiting rollers 418, which are arranged on both sides of the roller limiting ring 43 along the axial direction of the roller 42. They can rotate freely and abut against the end face of the roller limiting ring 43, thereby limiting the axial movement of the roller.

[0033] The drum 42 and the central shaft 45 are driven by a first stepper motor 48 and a second stepper motor 413, respectively. They can operate at different speeds and rotate in opposite directions, allowing the shellfish to be kneaded by the flexible teeth and propelled, tumbled, and gently impacted by the flexible blades within the drum 42. This ensures the shellfish meat is fully separated from the shell while utilizing the cushioning properties of the flexible material to prevent excessive damage to the shell and meat. Simultaneously, the combined differential and forward / reverse motion helps propel the shellfish meat along the drum's axial direction, achieving continuous separation and discharge, thus significantly improving the integrity and efficiency of shell-meat separation, thereby completing the shell-meat separation process. A baffle 44 is installed at the tail end of the drum 42 to prevent material from axially escaping from the tail end. A discharge notch is provided at the bottom of the baffle 44. The height of this discharge notch is less than the minimum external dimensions of the shellfish to be processed but greater than the maximum size of the mixture of shell fragments and shellfish meat after separation. Therefore, intact shellfish that have not been completely separated are blocked by baffle 44 due to their excessive size and continue to be processed in drum 42; while the separated shell fragments and shell meat can fall into the vibration separation device below through the discharge opening.

Claims

1. A shellfish shelling machine, characterized in that, It includes a sorting device (1) and a feeding device (2) arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction, and a vertical multi-stage processing unit located downstream of it; the vertical multi-stage processing unit is arranged sequentially from top to bottom as a steam shell opening device (3), a roller stripping device (4) and a vibration separation device (5); wherein, the vibration separation device (5) has the same structure as the sorting device (1); The steam shell-opening device (3) includes a support frame (34), on which a steam treatment chamber shell (31) is fixedly installed. A conveyor belt (32) passes through the interior of the steam treatment chamber shell (31) along the material conveying direction. A shell-opening discharge port (320) is provided on the support frame (34) at the lower position corresponding to the unloading section of the conveyor belt (32). The upper opening of the shell-opening discharge port (320) receives the shelled shellfish unloaded from the conveyor belt (32), and the lower outlet is connected to the inlet of the roller peeling device (4). A steam treatment area and a cooling spray area are provided inside the steam treatment chamber shell (31). A first position sensor (311) is installed near the inlet of the steam treatment area to detect whether the shellfish has entered the steam treatment area. A second position sensor (316) is installed near the inlet of the cooling spray area to detect whether the shellfish has entered the cooling spray area. Both the first position sensor (311) and the second position sensor (316) are electrically connected to the control system. The roller peeling device (4) includes a main support frame (40), a roller (42) is rotatably mounted on the main support frame (40) in a horizontal position, a central shaft (45) coaxially passes through the inside of the roller (42), and its two ends are rotatably mounted on the main support frame (40); the central shaft (45) is provided with peeling blades (46) extending along its axial direction and distributed in the circumferential direction, and the inner wall of the roller (42) is evenly distributed with flexible axial peeling teeth (47) in the circumferential direction. During the relative rotation of the roller (42) and the central shaft (45), the flexible axial peeling teeth (47) and the peeling blades (46) rub, pry and lightly impact the shellfish, so that the shellfish meat is separated from the shell.

2. The shellfish shelling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, A water pump (38) and a steam generator (35) are installed on the support frame (34). The purified water tank (321) is connected to the inlet of the water pump (38) and the inlet of the steam generator (35) through a water supply pipeline. The steam outlet of the steam generator (35) is connected to the high-temperature resistant four-way connector (313) on the inner wall of the steam treatment chamber shell (31) through a steam pipe (37). The high-temperature resistant four-way connector (313) is connected to three steam nozzles (312) through three branch pipes. The outlet of the water pump (38) is connected to the steam treatment chamber shell (31) through a cold water pipe (36). The inner wall of the support frame (34) has a cold water four-way connector (314), which is connected to three cold water nozzles (315) via three branch pipes; the three steam nozzles (312) and the cold water nozzles (315) are arranged along the width of the conveyor belt (32), and the spray direction is perpendicular to the surface of the belt, covering its entire working width; the bottom of the support frame (34) is provided with a water tank (39) for collecting steam condensate and cooling spray wastewater, and the side wall of the water tank (39) is provided with a water outlet (310), which is connected to the sewage tank (322) through a drain pipe.

3. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, A gap of a set height is provided between the bottom wall of the outer shell (31) of the steam treatment chamber and the upper surface of the conveyor belt (32). The gap forms a shellfish introduction channel (319) to restrict the stacking of incoming shellfish and ensure that they enter the processing area in a single layer. The conveyor belt (32) passes through the interior of the steam treatment chamber shell (31) along the material conveying direction, and its two ends are respectively wound around the drive wheel (317) and the driven wheel (318); the drive wheel (317) and the driven wheel (318) are rotatably mounted on the support frame (34) and are both engaged with the conveyor belt (32); the DC motor (33) is fixed to the support frame (34), and its output shaft is coaxially connected to the drive wheel (317) to drive the drive wheel (317) to rotate.

4. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer periphery of the roller (42) is provided with a rolling gear ring (41) and a roller limiting ring (43) near its two axial ends. A gear transmission assembly and a limiting mechanism are provided below the roller (42) respectively. The gear transmission assembly meshes with the rolling gear ring (41), and the limiting mechanism abuts against the roller limiting ring (43) to constrain the axial displacement of the roller (42).

5. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The gear transmission assembly includes a second stepper motor (413), a coupling (414), a drive gear (415), a first driven gear (416), and a second driven gear (417). The output shaft of the second stepper motor (413) is coaxially fixed to the drive gear (415) through the coupling (414). The drive gear (415) meshes with the first driven gear (416), both of which are located on the same side of the roller (42) and mesh with the rolling gear ring (41) of the roller (42). The second driven gear (417) is located on the other side of the roller (42), does not mesh with the drive gear (415) or the first driven gear (416), and only meshes with the rolling gear ring (41).

6. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The limiting mechanism includes two limiting rollers (418), which are arranged on both sides of the roller limiting ring (43) along the axial direction of the roller (42), and can rotate freely and abut against the end face of the roller limiting ring (43).

7. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, A baffle (44) is provided at the tail end of the roller (42) to prevent material from axially exiting from the tail end of the roller (42). A discharge gap is provided at the bottom of the baffle (44). The height of the discharge gap is less than the minimum external dimensions of the shellfish to be processed and greater than the maximum mixed size of the shell fragments and shellfish meat after peeling.

8. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first stepper motor (48) is fixedly installed on one side of the main support frame (40). The output shaft of the first stepper motor (48) extends horizontally and is fixedly fitted with a drive pulley (49). A driven pulley (410) is fixedly fitted at the outer end of the central shaft (45). A conveyor belt (411) is tensioned and wound between the drive pulley (49) and the driven pulley (410) to form a belt drive mechanism. A material detection sensor (412) is provided near the feed inlet of the drum (42). When the sensor detects that shellfish have entered the drum, the control system starts the first stepper motor (48) to make the central shaft (45) start to run.

9. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sorting device (1) includes a frame (11), on which a sorting frame (13) is provided, and a feed hopper (12) is provided on one side of the sorting frame (13); the sorting frame (13) is provided with a bottom plate that is inclined downward along the material conveying direction, and a replaceable screen (15) is installed in the area near the feed end through a mesh holder (14), and a first discharge port (16) for discharging shellfish to be shelled is opened at the bottom plate position corresponding to the screen (15); a second discharge port (17) for discharging shellfish that failed to pass through the screen (15) is opened in the bottom plate area without the screen (15) and at the end of the sorting frame (13). The sorting frame (13) is elastically suspended at the four corners of the frame (11) by four sets of springs (19). The upper end of each spring (19) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sorting frame (13), and the lower end is fixedly connected to the frame (11).

10. A shellfish shelling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding device (2) includes a feeding frame (21), a conveying support frame (22) which is inclined and fixedly installed on the feeding frame (21), and a conveyor belt (23) which is tensioned and installed on the conveying support frame (22) in a ring manner to form an inclined conveying surface; a reduction motor (25) is installed on the conveying support frame (22), and its output shaft drives the conveyor belt (23) to run in a circular manner along the inclined direction through a transmission mechanism; multiple material partitions (24) are evenly spaced on the outer surface of the conveyor belt (23) along its running direction, and the material partitions (24) are perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor belt (23).

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