Abstract: The main purpose is to provide an electronic controlling apparatus for controlling the setting members for processing tools and guides of a fish processing machine, which apparatus is easy to handle and designed to guarantee a disturbance-free operation. To this end, there is provided a first module as central computer, a second module comprising a signal amplifier and adapting means, as well as third module designed as a computer periphery circuit. The third module comprises a control unit commonly forming memory, combinatorial and control means, as well as an input part and an output part, which are provided for signal decoupling, signal noise suppressing and signal processing. In particular, each module is designed in the form of a plate, the three plates being interconnected electrically and mechanically for forming a structural unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for gaining skin-freebelly flaps of fish and an apparatus for performing such method. In a fish filleting machine which processes the fish being conveyed tail first and comprises a belly and back filleting tool, a rib severing tool designed as a scraping tool, and a severing tool for releasing meat bands on either side of the spinal column in the tail region, a cutting device is arranged between the two first-mentioned tools, and a further severing device is arranged directly behind the rib severing tool. By actuating the latter at the instance of arrival of the belly cavity end, a cutting element thereof, comprising a knife blade, penetrates the fillet meat up to the inside of the skin and, during further advancing of the fish, splits the skin off the meat portions covering the ribs and the lateral vertebral appendages of the skeleton, i.e. off the belly flaps, so that these are obtained skinless after having passed the rib severing tool.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying pasty substances, for example sausage stuffing, is designed as a radial displacer piston conveyor for a rotary angle-proportional delivery of substance portions. This is made possible by designing a control cam section controlling the substance discharge as a circular involute. It is proposed to reduce the large and theoretically infinitely high acceleration forces acting on each displacer piston at the instant of the start of its discharge action by designing the involute section of the control cam with a run-up section and a run-off section, each, whose courses are designed mirror-inverted to each other. The arrangement thereof is such that at the instant when one displacer piston runs onto said run-up section, the preceding piston enters the run-off section, so that, during the passage of those two cam sections, two displacer pistons, each, participate in the substance discharge. The acceleration values thereof add up to become zero.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus for transferring pieces or object of soft consistency, in particular fillets of fish, from a conveyance in their longitudinal direction into a conveyance in transversal direction and aims to solve the task to convey the fillets further in a stretched position lying side by side. For solving this task, a braking device is used in the region of the transitional position between a feeder and a delivering conveyor, which braking device comprises a driven conveyor whose lower run faces the conveying surface of the delivering conveyor leaving a gap thereto and is driven to rotate endlessly in the direction of movement of the conveying surface and essentially at the speed thereof.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus which can be utilized for the quality inspection of fish fillets and enables the detection of faulty spots resulting from processing deficiencies, such as skin or fin remainders, blood spots, bones, as well as from parasites and others. To this end, fillets are guided to a light emitter by means of a conveyor belt which is made from a material which allows light to pass at low absorption. The light emitter comprises light sources which are arranged out of direct sight by means of screens. Due to its characteristic to allow light to pass by dispersion, the fillet will appear illuminated in darker surroundings.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device in processing machines for severing the belly flaps of fish. A mechanical arrangement is suggested which includes a detecting device activated by the fish to be processed, which device is associated with a locking device holding the cutting tool locked in a raised position and being released when the fish is passing.

Abstract: The invention concerns a decapitating apparatus for fish in which the fish to be processed is conveyed by entrainers essentially transverse to its axis and by fixing its longitudinal position by a holding element engaging the eye-hole and accompanying the fish. For adjusting the holding element a guide bar is arranged for engaging the holding element in a guiding manner in the region of a severing device performing a wedge-shaped decapitating cut and for displacing the holding element resiliently out of its path of movement.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to enable the mechanical processing in the usual manner without presorting, of fish caught in drift or stationary nets, a very high percentage of these fish thus being damaged at their heads. This is made possible in that the fish placed in troughs of a conveyor transverse to their longitudinal axis come into operational relationship on their path of conveyance with a circumferential surface of a driven rotational body moved to swing in the axial direction of the fish. Therein the head of the fish enters the wedge formed between a support surface of the conveyor and the circumferential surface of the rotational body so that the circumferential surface comes into contact with a head flank of the fish. By limiting the swinging movement of the rotational body by placing a thickness sensing element operationally related to a rotational body onto the fish the desired positioning for a beheading of the same is achieved.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device for processing fish heads, especially for separating pieces suitable for human consumption, especially the cheeks, the chin flesh and the tongue resp. the gills, the latter being unsuitable for human nutrition. The device is characterized in that a feeding trough receiving the fish head in swimming position is provided, a feeler being arranged at its end to activate a conveyor which engages the fish head behind the lower jaw while opening the pharynx and pushes it on the spear-shaped end of a guide. In the region of the guide the fish head is taken over by a conveyor extending over and along the guide and guided to a cutting device for separating the fish head, the gills being ripped out beforehand by spreading flaps arranged on the flanks of the guide.

Abstract: A fish guiding device is provided for guiding fish for processing in fish filleting machines particularly before and during the fish processing cut. The device includes guiding elements which engage the flanks of the fish and are spread apart by the latter in a counter-directed pivoting movement. The guiding elements are provided with a further degree of freedom in the form of a counter-directed swivelling movement about an axis extending substantially parallel to the fish path. Such movement enables the guiding elements to adapt to the flanks of the fish fed between them and positions the ventral fin in a precise position for removal even when the belly opening cut runs unsymmetrically.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for raising fish into uniform belly-back position. To improve the effect of an uprighting station comprising a guiding chute for the fish lying on their side and a controlling edge arranged above the longitudinal center of the guiding chute to yield resiliently, it is suggested to form the controlling edge as a periphery of a rotatingly driven circular disk. The repulsing effect realized under the conveying operation effects a secure aligning of the fish even when their quality is influenced by distortions and deformations or damages in the head area, and also makes it possible to raise headless fish.

Abstract: A device for arranging fish in uniform head-tail alignment comprises a rotating gripping device of radially arranged pincer-like gripping elements. These form a vertical slot into which the fish led tail end first are introduced. Following the rotation of the gripping device the gripping elements are held closed in a region of a stationary sector of each one revolution so that the tail fin is grasped and the fish carried along thereby. After passing the highest point of the revolution of the gripping device the fish turns over under the effect of gravity and is then released head end leading. Fish led head first cannot enter the slot because of their thicker heads and are passed on directly.

Abstract: A device for aligning fish to be handled in fish-processing machines is shown. The object of the invention is to lead fish, especially those with approximately circular cross-section to the processing tools so exactly that the processing can be carried out most economically, i.e. with a high yield without any danger of undesirable parts, e.g. the skeleton, remaining in the product to be used. The device according to the invention handles fish whose abdominal cavity is opened. The device comprises, in a known manner, a saddlelike guide element which supports the fish in its abdominal cavity, conveying means which engage the flanks of the fish being arranged on both sides of the guide element. A support surface which is formed with a concave cross-section carries knives extending into the fish path and lying flush with the support edges.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing fish tail pieces of the same length a fish conveyed transverse to its longitudinal axis in conveying troughs is displaced in the conveying troughs by a pulling engagement of its tail fin and is transversely cut after reaching the desired position. The device for carrying out this method comprises a gripping device in the form of a circular disc with a number of pincers which run with the trough conveyor and clampingly seize the tail fins. The diverging movement of the pincers which, due to the circular path, diverges from the conveying direction of the trough conveyor effects the displacement of the fish, this displacement being ended by the severing of the tail fin by means of a circular knife whose position can be adjusted.

Abstract: A device for positioning of fish into their correct position for decapitating is disclosed. This device is applicable in fish-processing machines in which the fish lying transverse to their longitudinal extension in receiving troughs of a chain of troughs are fed to a decapitating tool. To this end, a shifting device comprises a shifting element engaging the snout of the fish and being activated and positioned dependent on the detection of the thickness of the fish in the region of its head. A feeler is coupled to a position sensor which emits measuring signals dependent on the position via a control circuit to control a stepping motor which drives the shifting element.

Abstract: In an needle bar drawing device or gill box comprising needle bars carried by chains is arranged a bristle mat consisting of one or few layers of bristles extending along the whole needle field up to the proximity of a clamping gap formed between a pair of exit rollers. The bristle mat is penetrated by the needles of the needle field and creates a stripping effect at the disappearing position of the needles in the region of the nip, this stripping effect avoiding the conveying of fibers freely swimming in the sliver, and thus the danger and disadvantage of any lap forming.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for mechanically decapitating fish, in which fish lying on one of their sides are conveyed transversely and decapitated by a wedge-shaped cut by means of a decapitating tool. In order to perform an exact symmetrical and economical decapitating cut independently of the respective size of the fish to be processed the decapitating tool is mounted pivotably about a pivot axle extending in the plane of symmetry of the same and parallel to the conveying direction of the fish. The adaptation proceeds automatically through a pair of centrally synchronized feeler rails which are borne on the housing carrying the knives of the beheading tool.

Abstract: A needle rod for use in needle bar drawing devices, also termed and known as gill boxes is proposed to comprise needle plate segments (7) which are releasably connectable to a carrier bar (2) and which have a profile of T, Z or Y shaped cross-section. The needles (12) are bent approximately at right angles in the region of their shafts (13) and are securely connected to the carrier plate (8) not only with the free ends (14) of the same but also with the parts of the shafts (13) directed towards the needle tip (15).

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for transferring fish processed or presented in a vertical attitude with their tail downwards into a longitudinally aligned position with regard to their head-tail attitude. The apparatus has a pair of horizontally guided conveyor belts which engage the flanks of the fish and below which a flap is arranged to be pivotable against the force of a spring about a transverse pivotal axis. The conveyor belts are resiliently supported by means of pressure rollers in the vicinity of the flap and extend parallel to one another up to these rollers, but diverge after these. A conveying surface is provided below the divergent section of the conveyor belts.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for skinning fish having a skinning roller with which a fixed knife cooperates whose lower surface directed towards the skinning roller is constructed as a presser surface which together with the skinning roller defines a narrow gap. The peripheral surface of the skinning roller is provided with first grooves extending longitudinally which are interrupted by two arrays of second grooves situated approximately in the middle of the two halves of the skinning roller and extending around its periphery. The second grooves have a greater spacing than that of the first grooves.