Fish Head Cutting Systems with Laser Sizing and Jam Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fish processing systems face issues such as inadvertent damage to fish, complexity, high cost, and inefficiency in processing fish of different sizes, leading to jamming and reduced operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A fish processing system with a decoupled blade and laser measurement sensor to determine fish size for precise cutting, a detection sensor to ensure complete head removal, and an adjustment cylinder to align fish with processing subsystems, reducing jamming and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a guillotine knife operated with a pneumatic cylinder is used to sever fish heads, then head removal is achieved, but the system becomes complex and expensive to produce and operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of head removal from the complex pneumatic guillotine system and implements it using a simpler blade mechanism that can be actuated by more basic means, thereby maintaining effectiveness while reducing system complexity and cost
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a simpler, more economical blade system that can be easily replaced or maintained, substituting the expensive and complex pneumatic cylinder mechanism with a more cost-effective solution that achieves the same head removal function
2Reliability
If a fixed-timing guillotine knife system is used, then head removal is performed, but inadvertent damage to the fish occurs due to mistiming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a fixed-timing blade actuation system to a dynamic system that adjusts blade timing and position based on the actual position and size of each fish, thereby preventing mistiming-related damage while maintaining consistent head removal
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor fish position and dimensions, using this information to adjust the blade actuation timing and positioning, thus preventing harmful mistiming effects while ensuring reliable head removal
3Productivity
If a conventional fish processing system is used, then processing continues, but jamming occurs when processing fish of different sizes, reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the processing system to adapt its parameters (such as blade position, conveyor speed, or spacing) based on the size of each fish, enabling continuous processing of variable-sized fish without jamming while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes key operating parameters dynamically based on fish size measurements, allowing the system to accommodate different fish dimensions without causing jamming, thus maintaining both productivity and adaptability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves reliable and efficient fish head removal with reduced jamming, ensuring accurate cutting and alignment for different fish sizes, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing downtime.
Implementation Method 1
a measurement sensor, which may be a laser measurement sensor, that measures a height of the fish across the head from the belly to the back of the fish
Data Source
AI summary
A fish processing system includes a measurement sensor configured to measure a distance across a head of a fish as the fish moves along a conveyor. A drive mechanism provides movement of a blade across a transport path of the fish along the conveyor in response to the determined distance to accurately sever the head of the fish based on the size of the fish. The system may also include a detection sensor for closing a wall of a trough to reject fish with heads that are not properly removed by the blade as well as an adjustment cylinder to vary a position of a conveyor relative to a fish processing subsystem to avoid jamming. Related methods for severing a portion of each fish in a series of transported fish based on the size of each fish are also provided.