Gutting fish based on electrical parameters of motor

Abstract

There is presented a gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b), comprising one or more gutting tools (104a-b), conveying means (106) for conveying the fish, a motor (108) arranged for moving the one or more gutting tools into and out of an opened abdominal cavity of the fish, wherein the motor is an electrical motor, and wherein the motor is configured to output one or more electrical parameters of the motor, and a controller (120) arranged for controlling the motor, and wherein the controller is arranged for receiving the one or more electrical parameters, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters. There is furthermore presented a corresponding gutting machine (700), method and use.

Description

[0001] GUTTING FISH BASED ON ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS OF MOTOR

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a fish processing device, and more particularly to a gutting device for gutting fish and a corresponding method and use.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Gutting of fish may be carried out manually or in an automated manner using a gutting device for gutting fish. Manual gutting may be laborious, time consuming, involve a risk of work-related injuries and / or a risk of the gutting process being carried out in an inconsistent manner. When gutting fish in an automated manner using such gutting device, the gutting process may (still) not be carried out in an optimal manner, such as in relation to time efficiency and / or quality of gutting . Furthermore, such gutting devices may be costly and / or take up a large amount of space, such as take up a large volume and / or footprint. Still further, such gutting devices may entail challenges with respect to satisfying hygienic requirements, e.g ., due to elements of the gutting device becoming contaminated during use, which in turn necessitates cleaning.

[0006] Hence, an improved gutting device for gutting fish, and a corresponding method and use, would be advantageous, and in particular, an improved gutting device, method and use, which enables increasing, such as optimizing, one or more of consistency, quality and / or time efficiency, and / or enables reducing, such as minimizing, an amount of cleaning required to satisfy hygienic requirements, costs, and / or space requirements.

[0007] WO 2016 / 138945 Al describes a gutting device and method for gutting fish.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It may be seen as an object of the present invention to provide a gutting device for gutting fish, and a corresponding method and use, which overcomes the problems mentioned above.

[0010] It may be a further object of the present invention to provide an alternative to the prior art. Thus, the above-described object and several other objects are intended to be obtained in a first aspect of the invention by providing a gutting device for gutting fish, the gutting device for gutting fish comprising : a. one or more gutting tools, b. conveying means for conveying the fish, c. a motor arranged for moving the one or more gutting tools into and out of an opened abdominal cavity of the fish, wherein the motor is an electrical motor, and wherein the motor is configured to output one or more electrical parameters of the motor, and d. a controller arranged for controlling the motor, wherein the controller is arranged for receiving the one or more electrical parameters, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters.

[0011] A possible advantage of the present invention is that it enables automating the gutting of fish, which may in turn enable reducing labour requirements and / or a risk of work-related injuries and / or may in turn enable optimizing time efficiency and / or consistency. For example, the gutting device may be arranged for carrying out gutting of fish, e.g., by means of a digital processor and actuators, which enables carrying out the gutting in a fast and consistent manner with reduced, minimal or no involvement of manual labour.

[0012] Another possible advantage of the invention is that by having the controller being 'arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters (of the motor)', it is possible to adjust (e.g., from fish to fish and / or from one section of the process of gutting a single fish to another section of the process of gutting the same single fish) how the motor is controlled based on the one or more electrical parameters of the motor. For example, an estimate of a force applied by a gutting tool on a fish may be determined from the electrical parameters, which estimate may be used (such as a feedback signal) to the controller for controlling the motor, e.g., comparing the estimated force with a force threshold, where the force threshold may be varied (such as optimized) during the gutting process. This may in turn be advantageous for enabling taking into account differences from fish to fish and / or differences in requirements for different sections of the gutting process for a single fish. As a result, it may be possible to increase time efficiency, consistency and / or quality of gutting because the gutting process may be optimized for each fish and / or for each section of the gutting process for a single fish.

[0013] Another possible advantage of the invention is that having the controller being 'arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters (of the motor)' enables dispensing with mechanical components, such as spring-based force sensors, for taking an applied force into account during gutting. For example, mechanical components may be associated with disadvantages, e.g., in case of one or more springs, where a spring constant may change over time, which may in turn negatively affect precision and / or accuracy in gutting. One or more advantages of dispensing with mechanical components may in turn be increased time efficiency, consistency and / or quality (e.g., due to the possibility of adjusting how the motor is controlled based on the one or more electrical parameters of the motor as discussed above), reduced costs and / or space requirements (due to the costs and / or space for the mechanical elements, and optionally their peripherals, being unnecessary), and / or reduced challenges with respect to satisfying hygienic requirements (because an issue with contamination of mechanical elements is immediately resolved with their absence, e.g., due to themselves being absent and hence not subject to contamination, and / or due to shielding structures rendered superfluous, which in turn may eliminate unhygienic crevices, etc., and / or may facilitate or enable cleaning with, e.g., water spray, because the superfluous shielding element can be removed and thus will no longer be in the way).

[0014] Another possible advantage may be that it enables gathering data about the fish and / or the gutting process, such as for the purpose of training of algorithms or neural networks, such as machine learning algorithms).

[0015] 'Gutting' is understood as is common in the art, such as synonymous with disembowelment and / or evisceration. Gutting may be understood to be the removal (optionally at least partially by suction) of some or all of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (bowels or viscera), optionally through an incision made across the abdominal area.

[0016] 'Fish' are understood as is common in the art. It may furthermore be understood that there may be substantial differences in anatomy, including size, between fish and other animals, such as pork, cattle, poultry etc. For instance, mammals have a diaphragm and a thick skirt that have to be cut in addition to the bung (anal vent) and the connections to the head. A gutting tool for gutting other animals may hence not be suitable for gutting fish. In embodiments, the fish originate from fish within the orders of salmoniformes, scombriformes (such as from the tribe thunnini) or gadiformes, such as are items of any group of trout, salmon, cod, haddock, and tuna, such as preferably salmon.

[0017] The weight of individual fish may be within (i.e., with both endpoints excluded) 1-15 kg, such as preferably within 2-11 kg, such as more preferably within 3-8 kg.

[0018] By 'device for gutting' may be understood any element or combination of elements arranged for gutting of fish in a partially or fully automated manner. The gutting device may comprise a processor for controlling the gutting device, sensors for obtaining information of, e.g., the fish (such as position, orientation, size and / or anatomy), and / or actuators, e.g., for operating the gutting tools.

[0019] By 'gutting tool' may be understood any tool for gutting, such as, e.g., an abdominal opening device, a scraper, a rasper, a knife, or a suction nozzle. A 'gutting tool' may be understood as a tool for interacting physically with the fish and optionally changing the fish, such as cutting the fish and / or removing parts of the fish.

[0020] The gutting tools may comprise gutting tools as described in WO2016 / 138945A1, which is hereby included by reference in its entirety. Especially FIGS. 1-3 and the accompanying description of WO2016 / 138945A1 are of particular relevance and are hereby included by reference.

[0021] By 'conveying means for conveying the fish' may be understood any means for conveying the fish, such as a belt conveyor. Alternatively, or additionally, the conveying means may comprise or be a chain conveyor, a screw conveyor, or a vibrating conveyor.

[0022] By 'motor' is understood to be an element for imparting translational and / or rotational motion to another element, such as a gutting tool. The motor is forming electrical energy into mechanical energy. Although the singular form 'motor' is employed for simplicity, the 'motor' may be understood as one or more motors (alternatively, the motor may be understood to comprise one or more sub-motors) for moving the one or more gutting tools, such as each of a plurality of (sub-)motors being assigned, respectively, to each of a corresponding plurality of gutting tools, or wherein several (sub-)motors are assigned to a single gutting tool, e.g., for imparting, respectively, translational movement, rotational movement and / or a suction force. The motor is understood to be 'configured to output one or more electrical parameters of the motor', such as to devices external to the electrical motor (e.g., the controller), such as having an output port, optionally a digital output port, for outputting the one or more electrical parameters. By 'controller arranged for controlling the motor' may be understood any means, such as a (optionally digital) processor, for controlling the motor. The controller is 'arranged for receiving (the) one or more electrical parameters' (and optionally further information, such as information about the fish) and providing output in the form of one or more signals for controlling the motor, where the output is based at least partially on the input. Thus, the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters (received by the controller), such as wherein the controlling of the motor depends on the electrical parameters (received by the controller) of the motor. By 'arranged for receiving the one or more electrical parameters' is to be understood that the controller is operationally connected to the motor so as to receive the one or more electrical parameters, such as at least during use (such as wherein the controller is not merely capable of receiving the electrical parameters, it actually does receive them, at least during use),

[0023] By 'electrical parameters (of the motor)' is understood electrical parameters relating to, such as being electrical parameters of, the circuit(s), such as the internal circuit(s), of the motor, such as the electrical parameters being one or more of current, voltage, resistance, impedance, inductance, capacitance, electromotive force and / or power.

[0024] It may be understood that a closed controlling loop may be formed by feeding back the one or more electrical parameters to the controller. This may be advantageous for controlling (such as precisely controlling) the one or more electrical parameters. This is particularly advantageous because parameters of the gutting process (such as an amount of force applied by a gutting tool on the fish or a section of the fish) may be estimated or determined from the electrical parameters.

[0025] By 'the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters' may be understood that the one or more electrical parameters are fed back, such as fed directly back, to the controller, such as in a closed (feedback-)loop.

[0026] It may be seen as advantageous, that by using the electrical parameters of the motor for controlling, it is exploited that information that may be available without further components (such as for example force transducers) can be utilized for gaining information about the gutting process, such as an amount of force applied by the motor on the fish or a section of the fish. Furthermore, this information can be utilized for controlling certain parameters of the gutting process, such as for ensuring that the one or more electrical parameters have certain (desirable) values and / or is above or below a certain limit, such as within a certain (desirable) range. According to an embodiment, there is presented a gutting device which does not comprise any force or torque transducers external to the motor.

[0027] According to an embodiment, there is presented a gutting device wherein any force or torque exerted by the motor is measured exclusively using the electrical parameters of the motor. A possible advantage may be that it avoids a risk that a faulty external sensor and / or faulty communication channel from an external sensor corrupts a force or torque measurement.

[0028] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the conveying means are for conveying the fish along a processing line (such as a processing line of the gutting device, optionally towards and / or away the one or more gutting tools) in a longitudinal orientation (such as with respect to a conveying direction, optionally oriented with an inferior direction being parallel with a conveying direction and a superior position being arranged antiparallel with a conveying direction, such as being conveying with the tail - if present - pointing in the conveying direction), and preferably in a supine position. A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it simplifies moving the gutting tools along the longitudinal axis of both fish and along a conveying direction. Additionally, if the fish are in a supine position, the gutting tools can be moved into and out of the fish from above (such as in anterior and / or posterior directions, optionally in a sagittal plane) and perform the gutting process in a controlled manner without gravity uncontrollably pulling out organs and body fluids.

[0029] By 'conveying the fish along a processing line in a longitudinal orientation' may be understood that a smallest angle between a conveying direction and a longitudinal orientation is less than 45°, such as less than 30°, such as less than 20°, such as less than 10°, such as less than 5°, such as less than 2°.

[0030] The longitudinal orientation may be understood to be a direction parallel with a longest dimension of the fish and / or an anteroposterior axis.

[0031] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish further comprising a position sensor, wherein the position sensor is arranged for determining a position of at least one gutting tool within the one or more gutting tools, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on output from the position sensor.

[0032] By 'position of the cutting tool' may be understood position in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction and A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that by controlling the motor based also on the position of the gutting tool, such as via a feedback loop, the position of the gutting tool can be controlled with high accuracy and precision. This may in turn precisely and accurately following a predetermined path, such as a depth profile, such as for the gutting tool to move to the fish and enter into, e.g., an abdominal cavity of, the fish. The position sensor may, for example, be given in the form of a position encoder or position resolver.

[0033] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters, preferably based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on the output from the position sensor.

[0034] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables optimizing according to certain criteria expressed inter alia via the metric, such as wherein the metric is a function of one or more electrical parameters. For example, it may be preferred that a gutting tool follows a predetermined path unless a maximum force threshold applied by the gutting tool on the fish is exceeded (which may be interpreted as the gutting tool having reached an abdominal roof of the fish, which should not be penetrated, yet which could be penetrated if the maximum force was exceeded). The force exerted by the gutting tool may be expressed via a torque exerted by the motor on the gutting tool and the torque may be determined as a function of electrical parameters, such as wherein the torque is proportional with current, such as torque r being expressed as r = c2*I, where c2 is a coefficient and I is the electrical parameter 'current' of the motor. In that case, the metric may be expressed via the expression for torque, and (optionally via a calibration) the controller receiving or determining the metric can then control, and optionally reduce, the torque - and hence the force - so as to avoid that the cutting tool is exceeding the maximum force.

[0035] By 'abdominal roof' is understood in general to refer to a structure, such as an abdominal wall, being at the boundary of an abdominal cavity, including in particular (such as consisting of) a posterior boundary of an abdominal cavity (which is referred to as 'roof' even if it is met, e.g., by a gutting tool when moving through the abdominal cavity in a posterior direction of a fish in a supine orientation, i.e., in a downwards direction parallel with gravity, and meeting the abdominal roof on the posterior end / bottom of the abdominal cavity). The 'abdominal roof' may alternatively or additionally be understood to refer to the structure being at the boundary of an abdominal cavity and separating the viscera from the flesh. According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish, wherein the metric is representative of a force or a torque exerted by the motor, such as exerted on a or via the one or more gutting tools.

[0036] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables controlling, such as limiting, a force or torque exerted by the motor, such as during movement outside of the fish or inside of the fish within exerting a force on the fish or when exerting a force on the fish, such as on an abdominal roof of the fish. This may in turn be advantageous avoiding that a cutting tool exerts too much force on a fish, such as on an abdominal roof of the fish (where too much force may lead to undesirable penetration of the abdominal roof). This may in effect yield a gentler processing and / or an increased quality of gutting (e.g., because it enables following an abdominal wall closely and / or reduces a risk of penetration of the abdominal wall).

[0037] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged so that the one or more gutting tools follow a predetermined path, such as a predetermined path suitable for gutting the fish, unless the metric exceeds a predetermined threshold, in which case the metric is reduced until said threshold is no longer exceeded.

[0038] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables following a structure of the fish, such as an abdominal roof, yet without exceeding the metric, which may express force or torque. This enables precisely and accurately following the abdominal roof with a view to ensuring high quality gutting and at the same time reduces a risk of, e.g., penetrating the abdominal roof.

[0039] The metric may be expressing force or torque. The threshold may be a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may be variable, such as depend on the position of the gutting tool relative to the fish and / or depend on the specific details of the (optionally individual) fish (such as type and / or anatomy of the fish).

[0040] By 'a predetermined path' may be understood a path, such as a line in space, determined in advance of gutting, such as determined in general for all fish (e.g., based on general assumptions) or fish specific data (such as received from an external unit and / or based on output from a profile measuring tool (such as a mechanical, contact-based tool, such as a contact profilometer, or a non-contact-tool, e.g., based on optics, ultrasound or X-rays) and / or a fish measuring device (which may optionally be a non-contact device, e.g., based on ultrasound or electromagnetic radiation), such as a 2D scanner, a 3D-scanner, photocells, or an X-ray instrument). The predetermined path may be an estimate of the position of the abdominal roof of the fish (where position may in this context be understood as a spatially resolved entity, such as a profile and position of the profile, such a set of corresponding x- and y-coordinates - and optionally also z-coordinates - representing horizontal and vertical position of points of the abdominal roof from one point, such as one end of the abdominal roof, to another point, such as another end, of the abdominal roof).

[0041] The metric may be reduced in a number of ways. For example, in case the gutting tool is about to exceed a threshold for the metric (which may, e.g., be given as a directly linear function of only the current) during movement towards to predetermined path, the metric may be controlled via a feedback loop mechanism, such as a PID controller to ensure that the gutting tool is as close to the predetermined path as possible without exceeding the threshold for the metric.

[0042] By 'predetermined path suitable for gutting the fish' may be understood a path of a suitable length, e.g., at least 2 cm, such as at least 5 cm, such as a least 10 cm.

[0043] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged so that one or more parts determine how the controller controls the motor based on the electrical parameters, and wherein said one or more parts are different for different fish, such as constant during gutting of each single fish.

[0044] This may be advantageous for enabling gutting individual groups of fish or individual fish in an optimal manner, which may ultimately increase gutting quality.

[0045] It may be seen as an advantage of the invention, that the parts, such as a value of the Thr constant, may be changed in software (e.g., as opposed to changing springs in a setup relying on mechanical force transducers, such as mechanical force transducers based on springs).

[0046] By part or 'parts' may be understood any constant or variable number, which defines a relation between input (such as the electrical parameters, and optionally other input parameters) and output (such as a value of a control signal from the controller). For example, in case the controlling is based on an expression, such as an algebraic expression, the parts may be parts of an expression linking input (argument) with output (result), such as, including exponents, coefficients and constants. In another example, in the case of a neural network, the parts may include weights of the connections. The 'parts' may for example reflect PID settings, thresholds and / or setpoints.

[0047] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged so that one or more parts determine how the controller controls the motor based on the electrical parameters, and wherein said one or more parts are nonconstant during gutting of a single fish.

[0048] This may be advantageous for enabling optimizing individual sections of the process of gutting a single fish. This may in turn be advantageous for increasing quality of gutting, e.g., by increasing quality of gutting individual sections of a single fish, and / or increasing a speed of the gutting process, such as increasing a speed with which gutting tools can approach the fish and / or be retracted from the fish. Ultimately, this may thus increase speed and / or quality of gutting.

[0049] By 'during gutting of a single fish' may be understood specifically the actual step of gutting and furthermore the steps of approaching and / or retracting from the fish the one or more gutting tools.

[0050] As in the example above, the controller is arranged to control movement of the gutting tool under the boundary condition that torque r expressed as r = c2*I < Thr.

[0051] In an embodiment, the constant Thr may change during the process of approaching, gutting and retracting, e.g., with a relatively high torque threshold hr during approaching and / or retracting, and a relatively low threshold hr during the actual gutting.

[0052] Thus, the parts may change during a gutting process, where the gutting process is understood to include approach to and / or retraction from the fish of the one or more gutting tools, even if the parts are constant within the fish. For example, a torque threshold may be relatively high during approach and / or retraction, so as to enable rapid movement of the one or more cutting tools, which still having sufficient torque available (e.g., for acceleration, deceleration and / or for keeping the tool stable, so as to avoid oscillations). However, during the gutting process where the one or more gutting tools are actually inside the fish doing the gutting, a relatively low (constant or non-constant) threshold is applied, so as to ensure that an abdominal roof is not penetrated. In that way, it may be possible to achieve a fast processing and / or simultaneously ensure a high gutting quality.

[0053] Additionally, or alternatively, the constant Thr may change within a single fish (alternatively, the expression may change to another, similar expression where the constant Thr has another value), e.g., so as to take into account that some sections of the fish (e.g., sections of the fish being assessed to have stronger abdominal roof, e.g., based on fish specific data obtained from an external device and / or from a fish measuring device) may optimally be gutted using a larger constant Thr, whereas other sections of the fish may advantageously be processed using a lower Thr constant (e.g., to take into account that already a smaller torque T is assessed to be associated with an unacceptably high risk of penetrating the abdominal roof of that section of the fish).

[0054] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the one or more parts are arranged to depend on, such as vary with a positional relation between the gutting device or a section thereof and the fish, such as the fish subjected to gutting, or a section thereof.

[0055] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables the controller to control the one or more gutting tools based on the positional relation, such as to control with a relatively high torque threshold when the one or more gutting tools are outside the fish (so as to enable control of the gutting tool and / or enable moving the one more gutting tools with high speed, e.g., from an idle position to a position of gutting of the fish inside the fish and / or in the opposite direction) and with a relatively low torque threshold when the one or more gutting tools are inside the fish (so as to ensure that an abdominal roof is not penetrated).

[0056] By 'positional relation' may be understood the spatial position and / or orientation of one element (such as a gutting tool) relative to another element (such as a fish).

[0057] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the one or more parts are arranged to depend on, such as vary with a direction of movement of the gutting device with respect to the fish, such as the fish subjected to gutting, or a section thereof.

[0058] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables the controller to control the one or more gutting tools based on the direction of movement of the gutting device, such as to control with a relatively high torque threshold when the one or more gutting tools are moved away from the abdominal roof, such as wherein there is little or no risk of penetration of the abdominal roof.

[0059] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged for reducing a torque or force applied by the motor based on the one or more electrical parameters, for instance in case a metric determined based at least partially one the one or more electrical parameters exceeds a threshold, and subsequently continue gutting, for instance by increasing the torque or force applied by the motor based on the one or more electrical parameters.

[0060] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables continuous gutting. For example, even if the controller is arranged for reducing a torque or force applied by the motor, it is also arranged for continuing gutting, e.g., (subsequently) increasing the torque or force again. This may be in contrast with aborting the process, such as the gutting process in case the (metric) threshold being exceeded.

[0061] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the motor is a servomotor.

[0062] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that the readily available closed loop control system of a servo motor may be utilized for realizing the controlling of the motor based on the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, e.g., by feeding back the one or more electrical parameters in the closed loop control system.

[0063] A 'servomotor' is to be understood as is common in the art, such as a motor that produces motion (such as rotation) in response to an input using a closed loop control system, e.g., with a view to ensure that the correct (amount of) motion is produced.

[0064] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is a closed loop controller arranged to control the motor via a closed loop based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, and optionally based on the output from the position sensor.

[0065] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables optimizing controlling, such as optimizing controlling even without predetermined data. For example (even without having estimated the position of an abdominal roof), it may be possible to follow an abdominal roof by following a path wherein a torque applied by the motor on a gutting tool is sufficient for moving it to the abdominal roof, but insufficient for the gutting tool to penetrate the abdominal roof.

[0066] The controlling may be carried out based on both of the one or more electrical parameters and the output from the position sensor. However, the controlling may in that case be based on the electrical parameters (only) at one point of the controlling (e.g., during gutting with a gutting tool inside the fish and in contact with an abdominal roof of the fish) and on the output of the position sensor (only) at another point of controlling (e.g., during outer sections of the gutting process, where the gutting tools are not in contact with the abdominal roof, such as being entirely outside of the fish).

[0067] 'Closed loop controller' is to be understood as is common in the art, such as a feedback loop. According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish furthermore comprising : o a fish measuring device for obtaining fish specific data.

[0068] This may be advantageous for obtaining fish specific data, which may be advantageous for optimizing a gutting process, such as increasing speed and / or quality of the gutting process. For example, the fish measuring device may be arranged for providing input, such as an estimate of the position of the abdominal roof of the fish, for determining a predetermined path (which may be representative of said estimate of the position of the abdominal roof of the fish). Another possible advantage may be that it enables collecting data, which may be useful for the purpose of training of algorithms or neural networks, such as machine learning algorithms.

[0069] The 'fish specific data' may be any data relating to the specific fish, such as data relating to a position, orientation, type and / or anatomy, such as position and / or size of structures within the fish (e.g., abdominal roof and / or anal vent), of the fish, such as an estimate of the position of the abdominal roof of the fish.

[0070] The 'fish measuring device' may be any device(s) capable of yielding those data, such as x- ray imaging devices, photocells, 2D scanners and 3D scanners.

[0071] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the gutting device is arranged for storing and / or outputting data obtained during gutting, and optionally furthermore storing fish specific data.

[0072] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables collecting data for the purpose of training of algorithms or neural networks, such as machine learning algorithms.

[0073] The storing (optionally of outputted data) should be done in manner enabling subsequently coupling data (fish specific data and data obtained during gutting) obtained for the same fish.

[0074] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the one or more gutting devices are arranged to move along a conveying direction of the conveyor during gutting.

[0075] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables higher conveying speed and hence higher throughput. According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish comprising a profile measuring tool, such as a tool for, such as specifically for, determining or estimating the predetermined path and / or a profile of an abdominal roof of a fish to be gutted.

[0076] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish comprising both a fish measuring device and a profile measuring tool, wherein the fish measuring device determines the presence and position, and optionally size and / or orientation, of the fish, and the profile measuring tool determines the profile of an abdominal roof of the fish to be gutted, from which the predetermined path is determined.

[0077] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the one or more gutting tools comprising one or more tools selected from the group comprising :

[0078] • an abdominal opening device,

[0079] • a scraper,

[0080] • a rasper,

[0081] • a knife, and

[0082] • a suction nozzle.

[0083] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that by selecting one or more gutting tools accordingly a fast, efficient, and / or high-quality gutting of fish may be achieved.

[0084] On or more of the gutting tools (besides the suction nozzle) may furthermore comprise a suction nozzle, e.g., the one or more gutting tools may comprise a suction nozzle with a scraper and / or a suction nozzle with a knife.

[0085] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the length (such as the length being a dimension parallel with a conveying direction) is within 2- 10 meters, such as within 4-6 meters, such as 5 meters, and / or wherein a width (such as a dimension orthogonal to a conveying direction and in a horizontal plane) of the gutting device being 1-3 meters, such as 2 meters.

[0086] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that the gutting device is suitably sized and capable of gutting fish.

[0087] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish , further comprising a position sensor, wherein the position sensor is arranged for determining a position of at least one gutting tool within the one or more gutting tools, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on output from the position sensor.

[0088] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables improved control during gutting, e.g., because it enables taking more information into account and / or because it enables operating according to different modalities (such as according to a modality where controlling is based on position and another modality wherein controlling is based on electrical parameters, such as a metric representative of force or torque), e.g., depending on whether a metric based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters is exceeded.

[0089] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the plurality of electrical parameters.

[0090] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that controlling based on a more advanced metric, i.e., based on a plurality of electrical parameters of the motor (e.g., as opposed to controlling based on a single electrical parameter of the motor).

[0091] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish which does not comprise any one or more force or torque transducers external to the motor.

[0092] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables an electronically simpler, mechanically simpler, cheaper, lighter, smaller and / or more hygienic (e.g., due to easier cleaning and / or fewer places for contamination to attach to) device.

[0093] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein any force or torque exerted by the motor is measured exclusively using the electrical parameters of the motor.

[0094] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables dispensing with one or more force or torque transducers external to the motor, which may in turn enable an electronically simpler, mechanically simpler, cheaper, lighter, smaller and / or more hygienic (e.g., due to easier cleaning and / or fewer places for contamination to attach to) device.

[0095] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged for controlling the electrical motor by adjusting the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, such as a current, to a non-zero value and subsequently continue gutting. A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it renders the device more efficient, e.g., because it dispenses with a need for aborting and / or stopping a gutting operation if the motor is to be controlled.

[0096] By 'continue gutting' may by understood continue an existing gutting process, such as without stopping / aborting and re-starting.

[0097] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is a closed loop controller arranged to control the motor via a closed loop based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, wherein the controller is arranged for tracking a set point, such as wherein the set point corresponds to a non-zero value of the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, such as the current, or a metric determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters, preferably with said metric being based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on the output from the position sensor.

[0098] 'Tracking' is understood as is common in the art, such as a process wherein a device is controlled so that a value of certain parameter, e.g., an electrical parameter, a position or a metric, is as close as possible to a desired value of said parameter, typically referred to as 'set-point', wherein the set-point may be subject to change with respect to space and / or time (e.g., if different values of torque or force is to be applied at different sections of a fish, in which case the set-point may be on the position relative to the fish).

[0099] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables utilizing the electrical parameters for gutting, which may in turn lead to improved gutting (e.g., because further information obtained during gutting can be relied on) and / or a simpler device (e.g., because it enables dispensing with one or more force or torque transducers external to the motor).

[0100] It may be understood that tracking a set-point may comprise repeatedly varying one or more electrical parameters of the motor (such as varying input to the electrical motor, e.g., with a view to control the output of the motor in pursuit of tracking the set-point).

[0101] According to an embodiment there is presented a gutting device for gutting fish wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters, preferably based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on the output from the position sensor, wherein the controller is arranged so that a. In a first mode of operation, the one or more gutting tools follow a predetermined path (110), such as a predetermined path suitable for gutting the fish, unless the metric exceeds a predetermined threshold, b. If the metric exceeds the predetermined threshold, a second mode of operation is entered, wherein the metric is reduced until said threshold is no longer exceeded, and gutting is continued along a path wherein the predetermined threshold is being tracked, and c. If the predetermined path can be reached, such as reached again, while the predetermined threshold is being tracked, the first mode of operation is entered, such as re-entered.

[0102] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that it enables carrying out gutting according to a predetermined path as long as the metric is not exceeded, and deviate from that strategy only if the metric is exceeded and only for as long as the metric is exceed. Thus, it may be possible to prioritize following the predetermined path with the boundary condition that the metric must not be exceeded.

[0103] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is presented a gutting machine comprising a plurality of gutting devices according to the first aspect, wherein the plurality of gutting devices are arranged in parallel, such as two gutting devices being arranged in parallel lanes.

[0104] A possible advantage of this embodiment may be that a capacity of the gutting machine is increased, such as potentially multiplied, with respect to a single gutting device. Such increase in capacity may be provided without correspondingly increasing a footprint, e.g., due to the plurality of gutting devices sharing a frame and / or a cabinet, which may enable arranging them close together and possibly additionally save on materials.

[0105] Another possible advantage may be that an increase in the quality of gutting can be provided without compromising capacity or even with increasing capacity. For example, multiplying a gutting speed - and hence capacity - of a single gutting device may decrease gutting quality. Similarly, decreasing gutting speed - and hence capacity - of a single gutting device may increase gutting quality. There thus appears to be a trade-off between speed - and hence capacity - and quality for a single gutting device. By providing a gutting machine comprising a plurality of gutting devices it may possible to both increase quality and capacity, e.g., by maintaining the gutting speed of the individual gutting machines (i.e., maintaining quality while multiplying capacity) or even reducing speed to a speed with respect to an original speed within the interval ]l / n;l [ multiplied with the original speed, with n being the number of gutting devices (i.e., to a speed within 100 / n-100 % of the original speed with both endpoints excluded), so as to both increase capacity and decrease gutting speed of the individual gutting devices (and hence possibly increase gutting quality).

[0106] A capacity of the gutting machine may be measured in fish / minute (wherein the fish is 2 - 11 kg, and preferably a salmon of 2-11 kg), such as more than 25 fish / minute, such at least 30 fish / minute, such as at least 40 fish / minute, such as 50 fish / minute or more.

[0107] The two gutting devices may be arranged adjacent to each other and / or within a single cabinet and / or on a single frame (such as for the purpose of reducing the materials and / or space required relative to two independent gutting devices).

[0108] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is presented a method for gutting fish comprising : o providing one or more gutting tools, such as providing the gutting device according to the first aspect or such as providing the gutting machine according to the second aspect, o conveying the fish towards the one or more gutting tools, o controlling a motor moving the one or more gutting tools into and out of an opened abdominal cavity of the fish, based at least partially on one or more electrical parameters of the motor, wherein the motor is an electrical motor.

[0109] In an embodiment, the method is carried out using a gutting device according to the first aspect of the invention and / or a gutting machine according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0110] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is presented a use of a gutting device according to the first aspect of the invention and / or a gutting machine according to the second aspect of the invention for gutting of fish.

[0111] The first, second, third and fourth aspect of the present invention may each be combined with any of the other aspects. These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0112] The device, machine, method and use according to the invention will now be described in more detail with regard to the accompanying figures. The figures show one way of implementing the present invention and is not to be construed as being limiting to other possible embodiments falling within the scope of the attached claim set.

[0113] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a gutting device,

[0114] FIG. 2 shows a flow-chart illustrating a method for gutting fish,

[0115] FIG. 3 shows a gutting process in a diagram, and

[0116] FIGs. 4-7 show working drawings of a gutting device and / or elements thereof.

[0117] DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0118] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a gutting device 100 for gutting fish 102a-b, which in the presently depicted embodiment are salmon of 2-11 kg, the gutting device comprising :

[0119] • Conveying means 106 for conveying the fish, wherein the conveying means are arranged for conveying the fish along a conveying direction 114, with the fish being conveying in an inferior and / or caudal direction (such as oriented in a longitudinal direction anti-parallel with the conveying direction and so as to move in a head-to-tail direction) and in a supine orientation (such as lying on their back),

[0120] • a plurality of gutting tools 104a-b, including an abdominal opening device and a suction nozzle, wherein the one or more gutting tools are arranged for moving along the conveying direction 114 of the conveyor during gutting and processing the fish in a direction from tail toward the head, such as in an inferior and / or caudal direction (such as the direction of the one or more gutting tools relative to the fish during gutting is in an inferior and / or caudal direction, such as even if a movement of the gutting tools in the same period is in a conveying direction albeit slower than a conveying speed of the fish),

[0121] • a motor 108 arranged for moving the one or more gutting tools into and out of an opened abdominal cavity of the fish, wherein the motor is an electrical servomotor, and wherein the motor is configured to output one or more electrical parameters of the motor, and

[0122] • a controller 120 arranged for controlling the motor, wherein the controller is arranged for receiving the one or more electrical parameters, and wherein the controller is a digital processor, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters, which in the present case comprises current.

[0123] The gutting device 100 has a length of 5 meters, a width of 2 meters, and a capacity of 20- 30 fish / minute (with fish being salmon of 2-11 kg).

[0124] FIG. 1 furthermore shows a position sensor 118, wherein the position sensor is arranged for determining a position of at least one gutting tool within the one or more gutting tools, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on output from the position sensor. The position sensor in the present embodiment is a position encoder.

[0125] FIG. 1 furthermore shows a fish measuring device 112 for obtaining fish specific data, including data relating to a position and size of the fish.

[0126] As indicated with the dashed arrows, fish specific data is provided as an output from the fish measuring device 112 and as an input to the controller 120, a position is provided from the position sensor 118 to the controller 120, a control signal is provided from the controller 120 to the motor 108, and one or more electrical parameters are provided from the motor 108 to the controller 120. As also indicated with dashed arrow, the gutting device is arranged for outputting data obtained during gutting and fish specific data, so that said data can be stored in a database 122.

[0127] FIG. 2 shows a flow-chart illustrating a method 230 for gutting fish 102a-b comprising : o Providing 232 one or more gutting tools 104a-b, o conveying 234 the fish towards the one or more gutting tools, o controlling 236 a motor 108 moving the one or more gutting tools into and out of an opened abdominal cavity of the fish, based at least partially on one or more electrical parameters of the motor, wherein the motor is an electrical motor.

[0128] In embodiments, the controller 120 is arranged to control the motor 108 partially based on a metric based on the electrical parameter current, wherein the metric is representative of a torque exerted by the motor, and partially on the output from the position sensor 118, More particularly, the controller is arranged so that the one or more gutting tools 104a-b follow a predetermined path 110 unless the metric exceeds a predetermined threshold, in which case the metric is reduced until said threshold is no longer exceeded. The predetermined path is - at least along some of its extent - representative of an estimate of an abdominal roof of the fish. The controller is arranged so that parts of an expression, including a constant and a coefficient, determine how the controller controls the motor based on the electrical parameter current I. The constant is different for different fish in that the constant depends on an assessed strength of an abdominal roof. The constant is also non-constant (i.e., the constant in the expression may take on different values at different times, such as changing the expression) during gutting of a single fish, at least due to the constant being arranged to depend on a positional relation between the gutting device and the abdominal roof. Finally, the controller is arranged for reducing a torque or force applied by the motor based on the one or more electrical parameters, for instance in case a metric determined based at least partially one the one or more electrical parameters exceeds a threshold, and subsequently continue gutting, for instance by increasing the torque or force applied by the motor based on the one or more electrical parameters.

[0129] In an embodiment, the torque is proportional with current, such as torque being expressed as = c2*I, where c2 is a coefficient and I is the electrical parameter 'current' of the motor.

[0130] In an embodiment, the controller is arranged to control movement of the gutting tool under the boundary condition that torque expressed as = c2*I < Thr, and c2 and Thr are 'parts', with c2 being a coefficient and Thr being a constant (torque threshold).

[0131] The controller 120 is arranged to control the motor as follows:

[0132] 1. Initially, in a first phase wherein the one or more gutting tools are assessed to be sufficiently far away from the abdominal roof, the controller is arranged to control the motor to follow the predetermined path, and approach the abdominal roof, with a relatively high, such as infinitely high (or absent), torque threshold Thr_I. In this phase the motor is controlled to follow the predetermined path, e.g., using a control algorithm, such as a closed-loop (feedback) control algorithm using the input from the position sensor to follow the predetermined path. In a second phase, wherein the one or more gutting tools are assessed to be at risk of penetrating the abdominal roof, the controller is arranged to control the motor to follow the predetermined path with a relatively low torque threshold Thr_II < Thr_I.

[0133] However, if the torque equals or exceeds (or in some embodiments comes close to) Thr_II, then current may be reduced to avoid that the torque exceeds, continues to exceed, or further exceeds, the threshold Thr_II. In this example, the constant Thr_II may change from fish to fish, e.g., so as to take into account that some fish (e.g., larger fish and / or fish being assessed to have stronger abdominal roof, e.g., based on fish specific data obtained from an external device and / or from a fish measuring device) may optimally be gutted using a relatively larger threshold constant Thr_IIa, whereas other fish may advantageously be processed using a relatively lower threshold constant Thr_IIb < Thr_IIa (e.g., to take into account that already a smaller torque is assessed to be associated with an unacceptably high risk of penetrating the abdominal roof).

[0134] Still further, even within the individual fish, the constant may take on different values. For example, in case a first section of a fish is assessed to have a slightly stronger abdominal roof and a second section is assessed to have a slightly weaker abdominal roof, the threshold constant may firstly take on a relatively slightly higher value Thr_IIal, and then decreased slightly to Thr_IIa2 < Thr_IIal .

[0135] In this phase the motor is controlled to follow the predetermined path, e.g., using a control algorithm, such as a closed-loop (feedback) control algorithm using the input from the position sensor to follow the predetermined path unless a torque threshold is exceeded.

[0136] If the torque threshold is exceeded, the motor is controlled to continue, yet rather being controlled to actually following the predetermined path, it is controlled to following a path as close as possible to the predetermined path without exceeding the torque threshold. This may effectively be seen as following (tracking) the torque threshold.

[0137] If the predetermined path can (again) be followed without exceeding the threshold - the motor is controlled to (resume) following the predetermined path unless a torque threshold is (again) exceeded, in which the above applies (again). In either case, once a criterion for ending the second phase is met (e.g., that a gutting tool has reached a certain position with respect to the fish along a longitudinal direction of the fish, e.g., defined with respect to an anatomical structure of the fish), the process proceeds to the third phase.

[0138] To sum up, the motor may be seen as being controlled to follow the predetermined path as closely as possible under the boundary criterion that the torque threshold may not be exceeded.

[0139] 3. Finally, in a third and last phase of the gutting cycle, where the one or more gutting tools are to be retracted away from the abdominal roof - and hence not a risk of penetrating the abdominal roof - the controller is again arranged to control the motor to follow the predetermined path, and retract the one or more gutting tools with a relatively high, such as infinitely high (or absent), torque threshold Thr_III > Thr_II. In this phase the motor is again controlled to follow the predetermined path, e.g., using a control algorithm, such as a closed-loop (feedback) control algorithm using the input from the position sensor to follow the predetermined path.

[0140] FIG. 3 shows a gutting process in a diagram with a (full drawn) first line 342 representing a predetermined path of a fish, a (dashed) second line 344 representative of a traced position of a gutting tool in an xy-coordinate system following the fish (i.e., a coordinate system moving in the x-direction with the fish being conveyed in the x-direction), and a (dash- dotted) third line 346 showing a difference between the first and the second lines (such as showing for each x-position the y-distance between the gutting tool and the abdominal roof). The axes x and y are being defined as shown in FIG. 1 (where it is noted that due to the conveying in the x-direction, the x-axis equally indicates time). At a first point 348, the gutting tool is in an idle position. Then between the first point 348 and a second point 350, the gutting tool is in a first phase, wherein it moves with a relatively high torque threshold towards the abdominal roof. The first phase ends at the second point 350, and a second phase starts at the second point 350 and ends at a fifth point 356. Between the second point 350 and a third point 352, the gutting tool moves with a relatively low torque threshold (compared to the threshold limit in the first phase) towards the abdominal roof without exceeding the relatively lower threshold limit. At the third point 352, the torque threshold is reached or exceeded. Between the third point 352 and a fourth point 354, the gutting tool is controlled to follow the predetermined path as closely as possible without exceeding the threshold limit, which has the consequence that a distance to the predetermined path increases and reaches a maximum at the fourth point 354. For the remainder of the actual gutting (i.e., the remainder of the gutting process until a retraction phase), i.e., between the fourth point 354 and a fifth point 356, the gutting process continues with the gutting tool being controlled to follow the predetermined path as closely as possible without exceeding the threshold limit, which has the consequence that while a distance to the predetermined path generally decreases, the predetermined path is not arrived at until a sixth point 356. A third phase starts at the fifth point 356 and ends at the sixth point 358. At the fifth point 356, a criterion for ending the second phase is met in that that the gutting tool has reached a certain position with respect to the fish along a longitudinal direction of the fish (coincident with the x-direction in the present example). In consequence, the process proceeds to the third phase starting at point 356, wherein the gutting tool is retracted with a relatively high threshold limit (compared to the threshold limit in the second phase) and moved to the idle position in the sixth point 358.

[0141] FIGs. 4-7 show working drawings of a gutting device and / or elements thereof.

[0142] FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of elements of a gutting device, more particularly gutting tools arranged along a conveying direction 414, including an abdominal opening device (not shown), a mechanical profiling tool or a non-contact profilometer (not shown) (which could be replaced with a camera, such as a 2D camera), a centering and supporting tool (before the cutting) 404a, a knife to cut open the fish 404b, a suction nozzle 404c, and a fish measuring device 412 in the form of a 3D scanner.

[0143] FIG. 5 shows another isometric view of the elements also depicted in FIG. 4 wherein like reference signs designate like features.

[0144] FIG. 6 shows a gutting device 600 comprising elements also depicted in FIGs. 4-5 wherein like reference signs designate like features. FIG. 6 furthermore shows a conveying means 606 for conveying the fish, which is an endless belt conveyor. FIG. 6 also shows a frame 624 and a casing 626.

[0145] FIG.7 shows a gutting machine 700 comprising two gutting devices, wherein the first gutting device, closest to a point of view, is similar to the gutting device and the elements shown in FIGs. 4-6, wherein like reference signs designate like features, and a second gutting device, which is identical or similar (yet substantially mirrored with respect to an yx-plane and / or copied and displaced in the z-direction) gutting device (with conveying means 706) is shown further away from the point of view (displaced in antipa ra llelly with the z-direction with respect to the first gutting device FIG. 7). The two gutting devices in FIG. 7 are arranged in parallel, such as forming dual lane gutting device. The two gutting devices in FIG. 7 are mounted on the same frame 724 and enclosed within a single casing 726. Although the present invention has been described in connection with the specified embodiments, it should not be construed as being in any way limited to the presented examples. The scope of the present invention is set out by the accompanying claim set. In the context of the claims, the terms "comprising" or "comprises" do not exclude other possible elements or steps. Also, the mentioning of references such as "a" or "an" etc. should not be construed as excluding a plurality. The use of reference signs in the claims with respect to elements indicated in the figures shall also not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Furthermore, individual features mentioned in different claims, may possibly be advantageously combined, and the mentioning of these features in different claims does not exclude that a combination of features is not possible and advantageous.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b), comprising : a. one or more gutting tools (104a-b, 404a-c), b. conveying means (106, 606, 706) for conveying the fish, c. a motor (108) arranged for moving the one or more gutting tools into and out of an opened abdominal cavity of the fish, wherein the motor is an electrical motor, and wherein the motor is configured to output one or more electrical parameters of the motor, and d. a controller (120) arranged for controlling the motor, wherein the controller is arranged for receiving the one or more electrical parameters, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters.

2. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to claim 1, further comprising a position sensor (118), wherein the position sensor is arranged for determining a position of at least one gutting tool within the one or more gutting tools, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least partially on output from the position sensor.

3. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters, preferably based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on the output from the position sensor.

4. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to claim 3, wherein the metric is representative of a force or a torque exerted by the motor.

5. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of claims 3-4, wherein the controller is arranged so that the one or more gutting tools follow a predetermined path (110), such as a predetermined path suitable for gutting the fish, unlessthe metric exceeds a predetermined threshold, in which case the metric is reduced until said threshold is no longer exceeded.

6. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is arranged so that one or more parts determine how the controller controls the motor based on the electrical parameters, and wherein said one or more parts are different for different fish, such as constant during gutting of each single fish.

7. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is arranged so that one or more parts determine how the controller controls the motor based on the electrical parameters, and wherein said one or more parts are non-constant during gutting of a single fish.

8. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of claims 6-7, wherein the one or more parts are arranged to depend on, such as vary with a. a positional relation between the gutting device or a section thereof and the fish, such as the fish subjected to gutting, or a section thereof, and / or b. a direction of movement of the gutting device with respect to the fish, such as the fish subjected to gutting, or a section thereof.

9. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is arranged for reducing a torque or force applied by the motor based on the one or more electrical parameters, for instance in case a metric determined based at least partially one the one or more electrical parameters exceeds a threshold, and subsequently continue gutting, for instance by increasing the torque or force applied by the motor based on the one or more electrical parameters.

10. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the motor is a servomotor.

11. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is a closed loop controller arranged to control the motor via a closed loop based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, and optionally based on the output from the position sensor according to any of claims 2-3.

12. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, furthermore comprising : o a fish measuring device (112) for obtaining fish specific data.

13. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a position sensor (118), wherein the position sensor is arranged for determining a position of at least one gutting tool within the one or more gutting tools, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on output from the position sensor.

14. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the plurality of electrical parameters.

15. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, which does not comprise any one or more force or torque transducers external to the motor.

16. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein any force or torque exerted by the motor is measured exclusively using the electrical parameters of the motor.

17. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is arranged for controlling the electrical motor by adjusting the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, such as a current, to a non-zero value and subsequently continue gutting.

18. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is a closed loop controller arranged to control the motor via a closed loop based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, wherein the controller is arranged for tracking a set point, such as wherein the set point corresponds to a non-zero value of the one or more electrical parameters of the motor, such as the current, or a metric determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters, preferably with said metric being based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on the output from the position sensor.

19. Gutting device (100, 600) for gutting fish (102a-b) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is arranged to control the motor based at least on a metric, wherein said metric is determined based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters, preferably based at least partially on the one or more electrical parameters and at least partially on the output from the position sensor, wherein the controller is arranged so that a. In a first mode of operation, the one or more gutting tools follow a predetermined path (110), such as a predetermined path suitable for gutting the fish, unless the metric exceeds a predetermined threshold, b. If the metric exceeds the predetermined threshold, a second mode of operation is entered, wherein the metric is reduced until said threshold is no longer exceeded, and gutting is continued along a path wherein the predetermined threshold is being tracked, and c. If the predetermined path can be reached, such as reached again, while the predetermined threshold is being tracked, the first mode of operation is entered, such as re-entered.

20. A gutting machine (700) comprising a plurality of gutting devices (100, 600) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of gutting devices are arranged in parallel, such as two gutting devices being arranged in parallel lanes.

21. Method (230) for gutting fish (102a-b) comprising : o providing (232) one or more gutting tools (104a-b), such as providing the gutting device according to any of claims 1-19 or such as providing the gutting machine according to claim 20, o conveying (234) the fish towards the one or more gutting tools, o controlling (236) a motor (108) moving the one or more gutting tools into and out of an opened abdominal cavity of the fish, based at least partially on one or more electrical parameters of the motor, wherein the motor is an electrical motor.

22. Use of a gutting device (100, 600) according to any of claims 1-19 and / or a gutting machine (700) according to the claim 20 for gutting of fish (102a-b).

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