Fish Feed Conveyor Alignment for Continuous Salmon Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fish processing systems require significant manual effort and lack continuous process monitoring, leading to inefficiencies and interruptions in supplying fish to the speed conveyor, which affects throughput and process safety.
Innovation Solution
A fully automated fish supply system with a control device that integrates conveyor belts and flaps to regulate the flow of fish from bleeding to the speed conveyor, ensuring continuous and capacity-optimized filling by linking the bleeding apparatus with fish processing units through conveyor strands and detection means for alignment and quality assessment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual feeding is used to supply fish to the speed conveyor, then flexibility in handling and quality assessment is improved, but labor intensity increases and continuous supply is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic fish supply where the fish themselves guide the process through their movement on the conveyor belts. The fish flow from the bleeding apparatus onto the first conveyor belt, then to the second conveyor belt, and finally to the speed conveyor without manual intervention, allowing the system to serve itself
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical handling by operators is replaced with an automated conveyor system. The first and second conveyor belts, along with control flaps and clocking flaps, create a mechanical substitution that eliminates the need for operators to manually pick up, align, and place fish while maintaining continuous supply capacity of up to 250 fish per minute
2Manufacturing precision
If manual alignment and positioning of fish is performed, then quality assessment and separation capability are improved, but processing time increases and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alignment actions automatically as fish move through the conveyor system. The first conveyor belt aligns fish in the conveying direction, and the second conveyor belt maintains this alignment before fish are transferred to the speed conveyor, ensuring proper head/tail and prone/supine orientation without adding manual processing time
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system ensures continuous alignment and positioning action without interruption. Fish are constantly being aligned and positioned as they move through the system, eliminating the discontinuous nature of manual alignment where operators must stop and restart the process for each fish, thereby maintaining high throughput of up to 250 fish per minute
3Extent of automation
If automated conveyor system is implemented, then labor requirements are reduced and continuous supply is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system is divided into distinct functional segments: the first conveyor belt for initial transport and alignment, the second conveyor belt for controlled transfer, control flaps for separation, and clocking flaps for timed release to the speed conveyor. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function independently while maintaining overall system simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The second conveyor belt acts as an intermediary between the first conveyor belt and the speed conveyor. It receives fish from the first belt, maintains alignment, and transfers them to the speed conveyor through control flaps and clocking flaps, simplifying the overall system architecture by providing a clear intermediate step rather than a direct complex transfer mechanism
4Productivity
If high throughput capacity is maintained, then productivity is improved, but supply continuity and process reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback through control flaps and clocking flaps that respond to the presence and position of fish. The control flaps separate fish onto different conveyor strands based on their position, and the clocking flaps release fish to the speed conveyor at precisely timed intervals, ensuring that the high throughput capacity of 250 fish per minute is maintained while supply continuity and reliability are preserved through real-time adjustments
Data Source
AI summary
A fish supply system automatedly conveys fish with defined head/tail and prone/supine alignment to a fish processing apparatus. A speed conveyor transverse axially conveys fish with defined alignments to the apparatus. Feeding apparatuses are arranged above the speed conveyor, each having a cascade conveyor for transverse axially conveying fish, having receptacles separated from by controllable flaps. A clocking flap controls output to the speed conveyor from the last receptacle. A supply device includes a first central conveyor belt, flow scales determining fish regulated mass throughput onto the belt. A speed regulatable second central conveyor belt follows the first conveyor belt. Conveyor strands continuously connect the second belt with the feeding, wherein control flaps separate fish from the second conveyor belt to the conveyor strands. A control device connects with and technically controls the first and second conveyor belts, flow scales, the flaps, conveyor strands, speed conveyor and feeding apparatuses.