Device and method for discharging shellfish from aquaculture cages

Abstract

To provide a shellfish discharge unit capable of easily and effortlessly discharging scallops from aquaculture cages which are heavy and in which the netting and scallops firmly adhere together by a large amount of attached matter.SOLUTION: The shellfish discharge unit comprises a vibration generation unit. As an aquaculture cage is lifted upward with at least a portion held vertically such that pocket openings are oriented downward, the vibration generation unit applies vibration to the at least a portion by generating protrusions and depressions in a belt-like body in contact with the cage at a position opposite a pocket surface having the pockets.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for discharging shellfish from aquaculture cages, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method for easily discharging scallops from aquaculture cages with little effort by applying vibrations to the aquaculture cages used for shellfish cultivation. [Background technology]

[0002] The culturing cages used for scallop farming include Zabuton cages, round cages, and pocket cages. Pocket cages are used for culturing scallops with shell lengths of about 5 cm that have been cultivated in Zabuton cages, which are transferred to them around May and cultivated from September to November. The scallops cultivated in the pocket cages are then removed from the pocket cages, washed, and cultivated in round cages or ear-hanging culture.

[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pocket cage 1 used for cultivating scallops S. The pocket cage 1 is a cultivating cage in which a rectangular pocket net 12, approximately 20 cm long and with a width roughly the same as that of the lower netting 11, is sewn to a rectangular lower netting 11 with a width of about 50 cm and a length of about 2 to 3 m, thereby forming a plurality of pockets 13 arranged in the length direction. Of the four sides of the pocket net 12, the left and right sides and the bottom side are sewn to the lower netting 11, and the top side forms an opening 14. If the length of the lower netting 11 is 2 m, the pocket cage 1 has 10 rows of pockets 13, and if the length is 3 m, it has 15 rows of pockets 13. In order to spread the lower netting 11 in the width direction so that the pockets 13 are flat in the sea, coated steel wires 15 extending in the width direction are provided at various points in the length direction.

[0004] The scallops S are put into the pocket 13 through the opening 14. However, if the opening 14 is completely open, the scallops S inside will fall out into the sea during cultivation, so the opening 14 is roughly closed with fishing line (not shown) except for a part of it. The scallops S can be put in through the gap 14a that is not closed with fishing line. The pocket cage 1, in which about five scallops S are stored in one pocket 13, is suspended in the sea by a hanging rope 16 with the opening 14 of the pocket 13 facing upward. When the scallops S are taken out of the pocket cage 1, an operator removes the fishing line closing the opening 14, and lifts and shakes the pocket cage 1 so that the opening 14 faces downward, causing the scallops S to fall out of the pocket 13. Currently, there is no device commercially available for discharging scallops from the pocket cage, and there is no prior art document to be described in this specification. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] During the period when pocket cages are used (from around May to around November), activity in the ocean is particularly high, and large amounts of fouling material adhere to the pocket nets and scallops. This is the breeding season for marine debris in the ocean, so the pocket net and scallops are strongly attached by the large amount of fouling material, making them difficult to remove. Therefore, simply shaking the pocket cage will not make the scallops fall out of the pocket easily. Furthermore, the pocket cages containing scallops and large amounts of fouling material are very heavy, and lifting and shaking them is extremely hard work.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a shellfish discharge device and a shellfish discharge method that can easily discharge scallops with little effort from heavy culture cages in which the scallops are stuck to the netting with a large amount of attached material and are difficult to separate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides an apparatus and method for discharging scallops from pockets in a culture cage by applying vibration to the cage while holding the cage with the opening facing downward. The apparatus is configured such that a number of abutment members arranged around a rotating shaft rotate with the rotation of the rotating shaft and come into contact with a band-shaped body arranged to cover the abutment members, generating recesses (portions of the band-shaped body recessed in the direction away from the culture cage) and protrusions (portions of the band-shaped body protruding toward the culture cage) in the band, thereby applying vibration to the culture cage in contact with the band-shaped body and discharging the scallops from the pockets of the culture cage.

[0008] In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a shellfish discharge unit for discharging shellfish contained in pockets of a band-shaped culture cage having a number of pockets arranged with their openings facing the same direction. The shellfish discharge unit is equipped with a vibration generating unit that applies vibrations to at least a portion of a culture cage that is pulled upwards while being held vertically with at least a portion of the cage held vertically with the pocket openings facing downwards, by generating irregularities in a band-shaped body that contacts the pocket at a position opposite the pocket surface. It is preferable that the vibration generating unit applies force to the band-shaped body at regular time intervals to continuously generate irregularities in the band-shaped body. The invention also provides a shellfish discharge device in which a number of such shellfish discharge units are arranged side by side.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the strip is disposed between the vibration generating unit and the culture cage. The vibration generating unit has a rotating shaft and a plurality of abutment members. The rotating shaft is disposed so as to extend in the width direction of the strip and rotates about an axis in the length direction. The rotating shaft preferably rotates in a direction opposite to the direction in which at least a portion of the culture cage is pulled up. The plurality of abutment members are connected to the rotating shaft and configured to abut against the strip in sequence as the rotating shaft rotates. The plurality of abutment members preferably include two rod-shaped bodies disposed so as to extend parallel to the surface of the strip, and are preferably fixed so as not to rotate together even when the plurality of abutment members abut against each other.

[0010] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for discharging shellfish contained in a band-shaped culture cage having a number of pockets arranged with their openings facing the same direction. This shellfish discharging method involves holding the culture cage in a position in which the pocket openings face downwards and at least a portion of it is vertical, and lifting at least a portion of it upwards, generating irregularities in the band-shaped body that contacts the pocket surface at a position opposite the pocket surface, thereby vibrating at least a portion of it, thereby discharging shellfish from the culture cage. In this method, it is preferable to apply a force to the band-shaped body at regular time intervals to continuously generate irregularities in the band-shaped body.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the method can generate continuous unevenness in the strip by a plurality of abutment members arranged to abut against the strip in sequence. The abutment members preferably move in a direction opposite to the direction in which at least a portion of the culture cage is pulled up, and preferably include two rod-shaped members arranged to extend parallel to the surface of the strip. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the culture cage containing the scallops is vibrated up and down and back and forth so that the scallops sandwiched between two nettings push the nettings apart due to the difference in mass between the scallops and the nettings, and are able to escape through the openings of the pockets, making it easy to remove the scallops from the culture cages with little effort. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a culture cage with a pocket net used in scallop culture. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shellfish ejection device having two units for ejecting scallops from a culture cage having pockets according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a front view of a vibration generating unit of a shellfish discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the vibration generating unit and a belt. FIG. [Figure 4]5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the shellfish discharge unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (Configuration of shellfish ejection device) Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a shellfish discharge device 2 (hereinafter referred to as device 2) according to one embodiment of the present invention. Device 2 has two shellfish discharge units 20 for discharging scallop shells S from a pocket basket 1 having pockets 13. Fig. 3(a) is a front view of a vibration generating section 21 of unit 20, and Figs. 3(b) and 3(c) are schematic diagrams of device 2 viewed from the side, showing the positional relationship between vibration generating section 21 and belt 22.

[0016] The device 2 comprises two shellfish discharge units 20 (hereinafter referred to as units 20) and a drive unit 30 that operates the two units 20. By providing two units 20, the device 2 can discharge shells from the two pocket baskets 1 simultaneously, making the work more efficient. In the device 2, the two units 20 are configured to be operated by one drive unit 30, but this is not limited to this. For example, the two units may each be operated by a separate drive unit. The device 2 may also be configured to have one unit 20 and one drive unit. Details of the unit 20 will be described later.

[0017] The driving unit 30 is housed in a case 40. The driving unit 30 has a motor 31, a gear 32 connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 31, a gear 34 connected to the gear 32 via a chain 33, and a shaft 35 passing through the rotation center of the gear 34. With this configuration, the rotation of the motor 31 is transmitted to the shaft 35, and the shaft 35 rotates about an axis extending in the length direction. Two units 20 are arranged on either side of the driving unit 30.

[0018] Each of the units 20 has a vibration generating unit 21 and a cylindrical belt 22 in which the vibration generating unit 21 is disposed (in other words, disposed so as to cover the vibration generating unit 21). In the device 2, by providing the belt 22 on the unit 20, the vibration generating unit 21 does not directly contact the pocket basket 1, so that the pocket basket 1 is not damaged or entangled in the vibration generating unit 21.

[0019] 3(a) shows the details of the vibration generating unit 21. The vibration generating unit 21 has a rotating shaft 211 that rotates around an axis in the longitudinal direction and a plurality of abutment members 213a, 213b. The rotating shafts 211 of the two units 20 are each connected to both ends of a shaft 35 coaxially with the shaft 35. The rotating shafts 211 are disposed so as to extend along the inner surface of the belt 22 in the width direction of the belt 22.

[0020] One connecting plate 212 is attached to each end of the rotating shaft 211 in a positional relationship in which the main surface is perpendicular to the length direction of the rotating shaft 211. The connecting plate 212 has a substantially rhombus shape with one orthogonal diagonal longer than the other, and two rod-shaped arms 213a, 213b are attached to each end of the longer diagonal as abutment members. Since the connecting plates 212 are attached to each end of the rotating shaft 211, the two arms 213a, 213b are disposed between the two connecting plates 212 so as to extend parallel to the rotating shaft 211 in a positional relationship symmetrical to each other with respect to the rotating shaft 211. Therefore, the arms 213a, 213b are also disposed so as to extend parallel to the inner surface of the belt 22. The length of the arms 213a, 213b is preferably, but not limited to, a length corresponding to the width of the belt 22.

[0021] The two arms 213a, 213b are preferably rotatably attached to the connecting plate 212 at both ends. When the shaft 35 rotates, the rotating shaft 211 connected thereto rotates, and accordingly, the two arms 213a, 213b parallel to the rotating shaft 211 rotate around the rotating shaft 211. The two arms 213a, 213b may be non-rotatably attached to the connecting plate 212. In this case, the two arms 213a, 213b are preferably made of a smooth material so as to reduce friction with the belt 22 that they come into contact with.

[0022] The arms 213a and 213b can be formed of round bars 213a1 and 213b1 and pipes 213a2 and 213b2 that are placed on the round bars. In this case, the round bars 213a1 and 213b1 may be attached to the connecting plate 212 so as not to rotate. When the two arms 213a and 213b thus configured rotate around the rotating shaft 211 and hit the belt 22, the pipes 213a2 and 213b2 rotate, reducing friction with the belt 22. The pipes 213a2 and 213b2 can be the same length as the round bars 213a1 and 213b1, or shorter than the round bars 213a1 and 213b1. The pipes 213a2 and 213b2 may be formed of a plurality of short pipes.

[0023] The connecting plate 212 is not limited to a substantially diamond shape as shown in the figure, and may be, for example, an ellipse, an oval, a square, or a rectangle. The number of arms is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more as long as the arms come into contact with the inner surface of the belt 22 in order, preferably at regular time intervals, to continuously generate recesses and protrusions on the belt 22. The arms that come into contact with the inner surface of the belt 22 are not limited to being linear as shown in the figure, and may be, for example, wavy, or may be a straight bar with disks or the like provided at intervals.

[0024] The belt 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape that covers the vibration generating unit 21. The width of the belt 22 is not limited, but is preferably about 10 cm wider than the width of the pocket basket 1. The length (i.e., the outer circumferential length of the cylinder) and thickness of the belt 22 are preferably set so that the arms 213a, 213b of the vibration generating unit 21 come into contact with the inner surface of the belt 22, thereby continuously generating a plurality of concave and convex portions on the belt 22, and preferably the concave and convex portions are propagated downward as waves.

[0025] The material of the belt 22 is not particularly limited as long as it can generate recesses and protrusions when the arms 213a and 213b come into contact with the inner surface, and is preferably made of a material with high abrasion resistance. The belt 22 can be made by connecting the longitudinal ends of a flat belt of cloth, tent material, rubber, or the like. Alternatively, the belt 22 may be made as a seamless cylindrical belt. It is more preferable that the belt 22 is made of a material that has low friction between the outer surface of the belt 22 and the pocket basket 1, and low friction between the inner surface of the belt 22 and the arms 213a and 213b.

[0026] The vibration generating unit 21 is disposed inside the cylinder of the belt 22, and the belt 22 is supported by the vibration generating unit 21 at its upper part. When the device is not in operation, the belt 22 is supported by the vibration generating unit 21 and held in a hanging state as shown in FIG. 3(b) or FIG. 3(c). When the arms 213a and 213b of the vibration generating unit 21 are in upper and lower positions as viewed from the side of the device 2 (FIG. 3(b)), the belt 22 is supported by either the upper arm 213a or 213b, so the upper part of the belt 22 has a large curvature. On the other hand, when the arms 213a and 213b of the vibration generating unit 21 are located on the left and right as viewed from the side of the device 2 (FIG. 3(c)), the belt 22 is supported by both the arms 213a and 213b, so the upper part of the belt 22 has a small curvature. Therefore, when the vibration generating unit 21 rotates, the upper part of the belt 22 repeatedly alternates between a state in which the curvature is small and a state in which the curvature is large at regular time intervals, and recesses and protrusions are continuously generated on the upper part of the belt 22. It is more preferable that the continuously generated recesses and protrusions are transmitted downwards on the belt 22 to generate waves in the belt 22.

[0027] The belt 22 is preferably fixed to a belt fixing part 221 attached to the case 40 so that the belt 22 does not rotate together with the arms 213a, 213b of the vibration generating unit 21 even if they hit the belt 22 while rotating around the rotation shaft 211. The position where the belt 22 is fixed by the belt fixing part 221 is preferably a position where the pocket basket 1 does not come into contact, for example, below the belt 22. If damage such as wear occurs in the part of the belt 22 that the vibration generating unit 21 hits, a different position of the belt 22 can be fixed by the belt fixing part 221 so that the vibration generating unit 21 hits an undamaged part.

[0028] (Method of discharging shellfish using a shellfish discharge device) 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the unit 20 of the device 2. Using this diagram, a method for discharging shellfish from the pocket basket 1 shown in FIG. 1 using the device 2 will be explained.

[0029] First, the power of the device 2 is turned on to operate the driving unit 30 and the vibration generating unit 21. The rotation axis 211 of the vibration generating unit 21 rotates with the rotation of the shaft 35 of the driving unit 30. When the rotation axis 211 rotates, the arms 213a and 213b, which are arranged parallel to the rotation axis 211 and at equal distances from the rotation axis 211, rotate around the rotation axis 211.

[0030] The arms 213a and 213b rotating around the rotation axis 211 apply a force to the inner surface of the cylindrical belt 22 with which the arms 213a and 213b are in contact, in order, preferably at regular time intervals, to the belt 22, thereby continuously generating recesses and protrusions in the belt 22. That is, as shown in Fig. 4(a), when the arm 213a is located at the upper position and the arm 213b is located at the lower position, the upper portion of the belt 22 with which the arm 213a is in contact has a large curvature. Next, when the vibration generating unit 21 rotates in the direction of the arrow A in the figure and the arms 213a and 213b are located on the left and right as shown in Fig. 4(b), both the arms 213a and 213b come into contact with the belt 22, and the upper portion of the belt 22 has a small curvature. When vibration generating unit 21 further rotates in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and arm 213b is positioned upward and arm 213a is positioned downward as shown in FIG. 4(c), the upper part of belt 22 against which arm 213b is in contact again has a large curvature.

[0031] 4 and repeatedly hits belt 22, the upper part of belt 22 alternates between a state in which the curvature is small and a state in which the curvature is large, preferably at regular time intervals, thereby continuously generating recesses and protrusions in the upper part of belt 22. The recesses and protrusions generated in the upper part are preferably transmitted downward to belt 22, and generate waves below belt 22 in the direction in which vibration generating unit 21 rotates (the direction in which arms 213a and 213b move).

[0032] By contacting at least a part of the pocket basket 1 with the belt 22, which has continuous concave and convex parts and preferably has waves, the pocket basket 1 is vibrated, and the scallop shells S inside the pocket 13 are discharged from the pocket 13 as described below. As already mentioned, the opening 14 of the pocket 13 is roughly closed with a fishing line or the like (not shown) except for a part, so that the fishing line is removed from the opening 14 before the scallop shells S are discharged. Next, the pocket basket 1 is brought into contact with the belt 22 with the opening 14 of the pocket 13 facing downward and at least a part of it held vertically. The surface of the pocket basket 1 that is brought into contact with the belt 22 is preferably the pocket surface having the pocket 13 so that the pocket basket 1 does not prevent the discharged scallop shells S from entering the shell receiver 50 arranged below the unit 20. However, this is not limited to this, and the surface opposite to the pocket surface may be brought into contact with the belt 22. The pocket basket 1 is pulled up in the direction of arrow C, i.e., the opposite direction to the direction in which the rotating shaft 211 rotates (the opposite direction to the movement direction of the arms 213a, 213b), so that at least a part of it is in contact with the belt 22, preferably in the range from the center in the height direction to a position beyond the top. The pocket basket 1 that has exceeded the top of the belt 22 is preferably pulled diagonally downward.

[0033] At least a part of the pocket basket 1, i.e., the part in contact with the belt 22, is vibrated by the concave and convex parts that are continuously generated on the belt 22. That is, when the arms 213a, 213b and the belt 22 change from the state of Fig. 4(a) to the state of Fig. 4(b), the pocket basket 1 in contact with the belt 22 is subjected to a force in a direction away from the belt 22 by the belt 22 moving toward the pocket basket 1 (forming a convex part). The force applied at this time moves the relatively heavy scallop shells S, which are strongly attached to the pocket basket 1 with a large amount of attachment and are difficult to peel off, more strongly in the direction away from the belt 22 and are pulled off from the attachment and netting that are relatively lighter than the scallop shells. The greater the distance between the rotating shaft 211 and the arms 213a, 213b, the longer the distance (the larger the amplitude) that the scallop shells S move away from the belt 22 when changing from Figure 4(a) to Figure 4(b), and the more reliably the scallop shells S can be pulled away from attachments and nets.

[0034] Next, when the arms 213a, 213b and belt 22 change from the state shown in Fig. 4(b) to the state shown in Fig. 4(c), the belt 22 moves away from the pocket basket 1 (a recess is formed), and the pocket surface of the pocket basket 1 moves toward the belt 22 accordingly. At the same time, the pocket basket 1 in contact with the belt 22 jumps upwards due to the belt 22 having its top moved upward by the arm 213b hitting it from the inside. These actions cause the scallop shells S, which have been torn away from the attached matter and net, to fall out of the opening 14 of the pocket 13. The greater the distance between the rotation shaft 211 and the arms 213a, 213b, the greater the jump of the pocket basket 1 when changing from Fig. 4(b) to Fig. 4(c), and the more reliably the scallop shells S can be discharged from the pocket 13.

[0035] Thereafter, arms 213a, 213b change from the state shown in Fig. 4(c) to a state similar to that shown in Fig. 4(b) (at this time, the positional relationship between arms 213a and 213b is reversed from that shown in Fig. 4(b)), and then return to the state shown in Fig. 4(a). In this way, by repeating the states shown in Fig. 4(a) to 4(c), pocket basket 1 vibrates up and down and back and forth with a large amplitude, and scallop shells S are discharged from pocket basket 1. The discharged scallop shells S enter shell receiver 50, preferably located below unit 20, and are transported to the shell washing machine in the subsequent process, preferably by a transport conveyor (not shown) located further below that. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Pocket Basket 11 Undercoat 12 Pocket Net 13 Pocket 14 Aperture 14a Gap 15 Coated steel wire 16 Suspension rope 2 Shellfish discharge device 20 Shellfish Ejection Unit 21 Vibration generator 211 Rotational axis 212 Connecting plate 213a, 213b Arm 213a1, 213b1 round bar 213a2, 213b2 pipes 22 Belt 221 Belt fixing part 30 Drive unit 31 Motor 32, 34 Gears 33 Chain 35 Shaft 40 cases 50 Shell Receiver

Claims

1. A shellfish discharge unit for discharging shellfish contained in pockets of a belt-shaped culture cage having a plurality of pockets arranged so that openings face the same direction, The culture cage is pulled upward with at least a portion of the cage held vertically with the opening of the pocket facing downward, and a vibration generating unit is provided for generating recesses and protrusions in a band-shaped body that contacts the pocket surface at a position opposite the pocket surface to generate vibrations at least in the portion of the cage. Shellfish ejection unit.

2. The vibration generating unit applies a force to the strip at regular time intervals to continuously generate recesses and protrusions on the strip.

2. The shellfish ejection unit according to claim 1.

3. The belt-shaped body is disposed between the vibration generating unit and the culture cage, The vibration generating unit is a rotating shaft arranged to extend in the width direction of the band and rotate around an axis in the length direction; a plurality of abutment members connected to the rotating shaft and configured to abut against the band-shaped body in sequence as the rotating shaft rotates; The shellfish ejection unit of claim 1 , comprising:

4. The plurality of contact members are two rod-shaped bodies arranged to extend parallel to the surface of the band-shaped body. A shellfish ejection unit according to claim 3.

5. The rotating shaft rotates in a direction opposite to the direction in which at least a portion of the culture cage is pulled up. A shellfish ejection unit according to claim 3.

6. The belt-shaped body is fixed so as not to rotate together even when the plurality of contact members come into contact with each other. A shellfish ejection unit according to claim 3.

7. A shellfish discharge device comprising a plurality of shellfish discharge units according to any one of claims 1 to 6 arranged side by side.

8. A method for discharging shellfish contained in a belt-shaped culture cage having a plurality of pockets arranged so that the openings face the same direction, comprising the steps of: The opening of the pocket faces downward and holds the culture cage in a vertical position at least partially; Pulling the at least a portion upward; a concave portion and a convex portion are generated in a band-shaped body that is in contact with the pocket surface having the pocket at a position facing the pocket surface, thereby applying vibration to the at least one portion. Method of discharging shellfish.

9. applying a force to the band-like body at regular time intervals to continuously generate recesses and protrusions on the band-like body; The shellfish ejection method according to claim 8.

10. a plurality of contact members configured to contact the strip in sequence to continuously generate recesses and protrusions on the strip; The shellfish ejection method according to claim 8.

11. The plurality of contact members are two rod-shaped bodies arranged to extend parallel to the surface of the band-shaped body. The shellfish ejection method according to claim 10.

12. The plurality of abutment members move in a direction opposite to a direction in which at least a portion of the culture cage is pulled up. The shellfish ejection method according to claim 10.

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