Search

EP-4734765-A1 - DORSAL SURFACE DEVEINING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

EP4734765A1EP 4734765 A1EP4734765 A1EP 4734765A1EP-4734765-A1

Abstract

Systems and methods for dorsal surface deveining of shrimp are described herein. The deveining performed using the systems and methods involves aligning the abdomen of the shrimp and slitting or cutting the dorsal surface of the abdominal segments along a selected length of the abdomen (e.g., along a superior-inferior axis extending between the head and the tail of the shrimp) using a rotating blade to cut into the dorsal surface of the abdomen and remove the mud vein of shrimp.

Inventors

  • EID, ELLIOT D.
  • REMMEL, Shaun
  • DEMING, Jeff
  • O'LEARY, BRIAN
  • LAMBERT, MICHAEL

Assignees

  • Nova-Tech Engineering, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240627

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A deveining system configured to remove at least a portion of a vein through the dorsal surface of a shrimp, the system comprising: a blade operably connected to a blade actuator, the blade actuator configured to rotate the blade about a blade axis; a working surface configured to support a shrimp in a processing position relative to the blade; a transport apparatus configured to move one or both of the blade and the working surface relative to each other along a processing axis such that the blade, when rotated about the blade axis, cuts into a dorsal surface of a shrimp supported on the working surface in the processing position; wherein the blade comprises a cutting edge defining a blade perimeter radially distal from the blade axis, wherein the blade comprises a plurality of channels formed into the cutting edge, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels extends from an opening in the cutting edge to a terminal end located radially inward from the opening, and wherein the plurality of channels are oriented in the same direction such that, for each pair of successive channels encountered when moving about the blade perimeter in a first direction, a terminal end of a first encountered channel is located between an opening of the first encountered channel and an opening of a second encountered channel.
  2. 2. A deveining system according to claim 1, wherein the transport apparatus comprises a deveining carriage configured to move relative to the working surface along the processing axis between a first position and a second position and a carriage actuator operably attached to the deveining carriage and configured to move the deveining carriage between the first position and the second position; and wherein the deveining system comprises a controller operably connected to the blade actuator and the carriage actuator, wherein the controller is configured to: operate the carriage actuator to move the deveining carriage from the first position to the second position, wherein moving the deveining carriage from the first position to the second position moves the blade along the processing axis, and operate the blade actuator to rotate the blade about the blade axis when moving the deveining carriage from the first position to the second position.
  3. 3. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the cutting edge of the blade comprises a serrated cutting edge comprising plurality of valleys located between successive pairs of peaks when moving about the blade perimeter in the first direction, and wherein, optionally, for each channel of the plurality of channels, the opening is located in a selected valley of the plurality of valleys between a midpoint of the selected valley as measured between the successive pair of peaks at each end of the valley and one peak of the successive pair of peaks such that the opening is located closer to one peak than the other peak of the successive pair of peaks at each end of the valley.
  4. 4. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cutting edge of the blade comprises a serrated cutting edge comprising plurality of valleys located between successive pairs of peaks when moving about the blade perimeter in the first direction, and wherein the plurality of channels comprises successive pairs of channels when moving about the blade perimeter in the first direction, and wherein the openings of each successive pair of channels are separated by one or more successive pairs of peaks when moving about the blade perimeter in the first direction.
  5. 5. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cutting edge of the blade comprises a serrated cutting edge comprising plurality of valleys located between successive pairs of peaks such that, when moving in the first direction about the blade perimeter over each valley of the plurality of valleys, a blade radius measured from the blade axis to the cutting edge decreases when moving away from a first encountered peak of the successive pair of peaks towards a bottom of the valley and wherein the blade radius increases when moving away from the bottom and towards a second encountered peak of the successive pair of peaks, and further wherein, for each channel of the plurality of channels, the opening is located in a portion of the valley in which the blade radius is increasing.
  6. 6. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels comprises a uniform width measured along a channel axis extend from the opening towards the terminal end.
  7. 7. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels comprises an inner edge located closer to the blade axis than an outer edge of the channel, and wherein the inner edge of the channel comprises a straight edge when moving from the opening towards the terminal end, and, optionally, wherein the outer edge of the channel comprises a straight edge when moving from the opening towards the terminal end.
  8. 8. A deveining system according to claim 7, wherein, for each channel of the plurality of channels, the straight edge of the inner edge of the channel defines a channel angle with a radial line extending from the blade axis through a center of the opening of the channel, and wherein the channel angle is greater than 0 degrees, 5 degrees or more, 10 degrees or more, 20 degrees or more, 30 degrees or more, 40 degrees or more, or 50 degrees or more, and, optionally, wherein the channel angle is 80 degrees or less, 70 degrees or less, or 60 degrees or less.
  9. 9. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels occupies a channel arc measured from the opening to the terminal end relative to the blade axis of 2 degrees or more, 4 degrees or more, 6 degrees or more, or 8 degrees or more and, optionally, wherein the channel arc is 20 degrees or less, 16 degrees or less, 12 degrees or less, or 10 degrees or less.
  10. 10. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the plurality of channels comprises six or more channels, eight or more channels, 10 or more channels, and 12 or more channels, and optionally, wherein the plurality of channels comprises 24 or fewer channels, 20 or fewer channels, 16 or fewer channels, or 12 or fewer channels.
  11. 11. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the blade protrudes from a slot in a bearing surface of a blade shield, wherein the bearing surface faces the working surface; wherein the bearing surface comprises a cutting arc portion in which the bearing surface defines a shield depth measured radially from the blade axis and wherein the blade comprises a blade radius measured from the blade axis to an outermost edge of the blade, wherein the blade radius is greater than the shield depth within the cutting arc portion; and further wherein the bearing surface comprises a trailing arc portion to one side of the cutting arc portion such that, when the blade moves along a dorsal surface of a shrimp supported on the working surface, the trailing arc portion follows the cutting arc portion, and wherein the shield depth in the trailing arc portion increases when moving along the bearing surface away from the cutting arc portion.
  12. 12. A deveining system according to claim 11, wherein the shield depth in the cutting arc portion is concentric with the blade such that the blade protrudes from the slot by a uniform distance within the cutting arc portion.
  13. 13. A deveining system according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein the slot extends into the trailing arc portion and, optionally, wherein the slot defines an end of the trailing arc portion.
  14. 14. A deveining system according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the bearing surface defines a straight line within the trailing arc portion beginning at a junction between the cutting arc portion and the trailing arc portion.
  15. 15. A deveining system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the blade is configured to rotate within a blade shield and wherein the blade protrudes from a slot in a bearing surface of a blade shield, wherein the bearing surface faces the working surface; wherein the blade shield comprises a blade cavity extending about a perimeter of the blade outside of the slot in the bearing surface, and wherein the blade shield comprises one or more ports opening into the blade cavity, the one or more ports configured to introduce liquid into the blade cavity; and wherein the system comprises a liquid source in fluid communication with the one or more ports and configured to deliver liquid into the blade cavity when the blade is rotated about the blade axis by the blade actuator.
  16. 16. A deveining system according to claim 15, wherein the liquid source comprises a delivery apparatus configured to selectively deliver liquid to the one or more ports, wherein the delivery apparatus is operably connected to the controller and the controller is configured to operate the delivery apparatus to deliver liquid into the blade cavity when the blade is rotated about the blade axis.
  17. 17. A method of processing shrimp, the method comprising: positioning a shrimp in a processing location on a working surface such that a dorsal surface of the shrimp faces a cutting edge of a blade, wherein the cutting edge of the blade defines a blade perimeter radially distal from a blade axis, wherein the blade comprises a plurality of channels formed into the cutting edge, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels extends from an opening in the cutting edge to a terminal end located radially inward from the opening, and wherein the plurality of channels are oriented in the same direction such that, for each pair of successive channels encountered when moving about the blade perimeter in a first direction, a terminal end of a first encountered channel is located between an opening of the first encountered channel and an opening of a second encountered channel; and cutting into the dorsal surface of the shrimp using the blade, wherein the cutting comprises: rotating the blade about the blade axis, contacting the dorsal surface of the shrimp with the cutting edge of the blade, and advancing the blade along the dorsal surface of the shrimp over a selected distance while rotating the blade to cut into the dorsal surface of the shrimp.
  18. 18. A method according to claim 17, rotating the blade comprises rotating the blade in a second direction opposite the first direction.
  19. 19. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 18, wherein advancing the blade along the dorsal surface of the shrimp comprises moving the blade relative to the shrimp and/or moving the shrimp relative to the blade.
  20. 20. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the method comprises holding the blade in a selected location along the dorsal surface of the shrimp for a selected period of time after contacting the dorsal surface of the shrimp before advancing the blade along the dorsal surface of the shrimp.

Description

DORSAL SURFACE DEVEINING SYSTEMS AND METHODS RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63/524,444 filed 30 June 2023 and titled DORSAL SURFACE DEVEINING SYSTEMS AND METHODS, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD Systems and methods for dorsal surface deveining of shrimp are described herein. BACKGROUND Preparing shrimp for human consumption may include performing one or more processes such as heading, peeling, deveining, etc. Deveining involves removal of at least a portion of the portion of the digestive tract passing through the abdominal segments of the shrimp (sometimes referred to as the vein, mud vein, etc.) and it may be performed manually or by equipment designed to at least partially devein the shrimp. SUMMARY Systems and methods for dorsal surface deveining of shrimp are described herein. The deveining performed using the systems and methods described herein involves aligning the abdomen of the shrimp and slitting or cutting the dorsal surface of the abdominal segments along a selected length of the abdomen (e.g., along a superior-inferior axis extending between the head and the tail of the shrimp) using a rotating blade to cut into the dorsal surface of the abdomen and remove the mud vein of shrimp. The shrimp processing system and methods may be used on shrimp with or without the abdominal shell segments in place on the abdominal segments, i.e., the system and methods can be used to cut through the abdominal shell segments if they are still in place on the abdominal segments of the shrimp. In one or more embodiments, the shrimp may be aligned while cutting into the dorsal surface to maintain proper orientation of the shrimp during the cutting process. In one or more embodiments, the aligning may involve contacting the shrimp on opposing sides of the abdomen between the dorsal and ventral surfaces. In one or more embodiments, the rotating blade may include channels formed into the cutting edge, the channels extending into the blade. The channels may, in one or more embodiments, facilitate removal of the mud veins while the blade is cutting into the dorsal surface of a shrimp. Although not wishing to be bound by theory, it is thought that the openings of the channels may perform a scooping action to facilitate removal of the mud vein as the blade is advanced along the dorsal surface. Regardless of the theory, the inventors have observed that blades with channels are more effective at removing mud veins than blades without channels. In one or more embodiments, removal of mud veins is even more effective when a liquid (e.g., water or any other suitable liquid) is delivered to the rotating cutting edges of the blades while the blades are cutting into the dorsal surfaces of shrimp. In one or more embodiments, shrimp processed by the systems and methods described herein provide a product that is easier to peel at the time of consumption with reduced degradation the quality of the meat of the shrimp because the width of the cut is limited to the thickness of the blade and no further processing after cutting into the shrimp using the systems and methods described herein is required. In one or more embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may be used in conjunction with the shrimp processing apparatus and methods described in International Applications WO 2021/158892, WO 2021/158894, and WO 2021/158897 - each titled SHRIMP PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHODS (Eid et al.) and each describing a variety of processes that can be performed on shrimp including heading (i.e., removal of the head (carapace) of a shrimp), peeling, severing the mud vein proximate the tail of the shrimp (to facilitate mud vein removal), etc. Performing one or more of the processes described in those applications using the shrimp processing apparatus and methods described in the above applications before and/or after processing shrimp using the peelable shrimp processing apparatus and methods described herein may result in an even more superior product for peeling at the time of consumption. In a first aspect, one or more embodiments of a deveining system configured to remove at least a portion of a vein through the dorsal surface of a shrimp as described herein, the system comprise: a deveining carriage configured to move above a working surface along a processing axis between a first position and a second position; an alignment apparatus attached to the deveining carriage, the alignment apparatus configured to align a shrimp located on the working surface along the processing axis as the deveining carriage moves from the first position to the second position; a blade connected to the deveining carriage; a blade actuator operably connected to the blade, the blade actuator configured to rotate the blade about a blade axis; a carriage actuator operably connected to the deveining carriage and configured to move the