SHELLFISH POSITIONING AND OPENING APPARATUS

摘要

A shellfish positioning and opening apparatus having at least one process ing lane whereby the apparatus includes the following stations of an in-feed and singulation station followed by a reorientation assembly station utiliz ing a vision system and a holding and opening assembly station. The said pro cessing stations are operatively connected in that order together to receive shellfish having meat therein to position said shellfish according to their shape and orientation to enable shellfish to be halved so that one shellfis h half has the shellfish meat thereon. A method is also included having the steps of -singulating the shellfish; applying vision system to determine and compare orientation of shellfish, reorienting each shellfish so that the sh ellfish is pointing in the right direction, abutting said shellfish to the v ertical alignment device to cause said shellfish to be substantially vertica l and loading shellfish onto lifting assembly to lift said shellfish to allo w the holding and opening assembly to hold it against the hinge breaker, app ly a vacuum to create a gape whereby the knife assembly slidably operates to cut the meat from one shellfish half.