Sensor-Actuated Blade for Gill Net Fish Removal and Bleeding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Gill net fishing faces challenges in efficiently removing fish from nets and initiating the bleeding process, which is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and often results in damaged fish meat and compromised market value.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a sensor-actuated blade system that cuts fish free from gill nets and initiates bleeding by extending a blade to pierce the fish's gill upon detection, using pneumatic or electronic actuators, with optional delay mechanisms to ensure safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual methods are used to remove fish from gill nets, then fishermen can extract fish from the net, but the process becomes labor-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to automatically detect fish presence and triggers the blade mechanism without human intervention. The apparatus performs the cutting action autonomously once a fish is detected in the net, eliminating the need for manual extraction while maintaining continuous operation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical extraction with an automated sensor-actuated blade system. Optical or capacitive sensors detect fish presence, and an actuator mechanism automatically positions and deploys the blade to cut the net, substituting human labor with an automated electromechanical system.
2Reliability
If the bleeding process is initiated manually after fish removal, then fish can be bled, but the process delays quality preservation and increases labor requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fish removal cutting action with the bleeding initiation action into a single operational step. The same blade that cuts the net to free the fish also simultaneously pierces the fish's gill area to initiate bleeding, eliminating the need for a separate manual bleeding step and ensuring immediate quality preservation.
3Productivity
If large holes are cut in the net to remove fish quickly, then fish removal speed increases, but net damage increases reducing net reuseability
Solution Approach 1:
The blade mechanism is designed to make precise, localized cuts only at the specific point where the net entangles the fish. This targeted approach removes minimal material (typically one or a few threads) compared to large holes, preserving the overall integrity and reuseability of the net while still achieving rapid fish removal.
4Ease of operation
If manual fish handling is performed on deck, then fish can be processed, but the process becomes physically demanding and may damage fish meat
Solution Approach 1:
The blade and actuator mechanism are extracted from manual handling operations and integrated directly into the net retrieval system. The automated system performs both the net-cutting and fish-bleeding functions before fish are fully handled on deck, removing the need for physically demanding manual manipulation and reducing mechanical damage to fish meat.
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
Facilitates rapid and efficient fish removal with minimal net damage and consistent bleeding, enhancing the quality and shelf-life of caught fish.
Implementation Method 1
an electronic unit having a flat outer surface with a sensor thereon... a fish entangled in a gill net is brought near the sensor along the flat surface such that the fish gill is near the blade opening. Upon sensing the fish...
Implementation Method 2
a piston-actuated blade mounted behind an opening in the surface adjacent to the sensor. Electronics are provided to receive signals from the sensor and to operate the piston, which may be pneumatic, electronic or hydraulic.
Implementation Method 3
a piston-actuated blade mounted behind an opening in the surface adjacent to the sensor. Electronics are provided to receive signals from the sensor and to operate the piston, which may be pneumatic, electronic or hydraulic.
Implementation Method 4
the piston is actuated causing the blade to briefly extend through the opening in the surface in order to simultaneously cut the net and also punch into the gill of the fish... This action cuts the fish free from the net
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides methods and apparatus for efficiently removing fish from gill nets and consistently initiating the bleeding process by providing electronic units having a flat outer surface with a sensor thereon, and a piston-actuated blade mounted behind an opening in the surface adjacent to the sensor. Electronics are provided to receive signals from the sensor and to operate the piston. In operation, a fish entangled in a gill net is brought near the sensor along the flat surface such that the fish gill is near the blade opening. Upon sensing the fish, the piston is actuated causing the blade to briefly extend through the opening in the surface in order to simultaneously cut the net and also punch into the gill of the fish, and then quickly retract. This action cuts the fish free from the net with minimal damage to the net, and also initiates the bleeding process.