U.S. patent application number 16/924590 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-29 for system and method for treating fish.
The applicant listed for this patent is Foster-Miller, Inc.. Invention is credited to Kare Finstadsveen, Matthew Haggerty, Timothy Przybylowicz, Robert Steingart, Richard Wiesman.
Application Number | 20200337275 16/924590 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004943044 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-29 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200337275 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wiesman; Richard ; et
al. |
October 29, 2020 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TREATING FISH
Abstract
A system for removing parasites from fish includes a conduit
through which individual fish pass, a plurality of arms associated
with the conduit circumferentially spaced with respect to each
other, and a spray nozzle for each arm connected to a fluid source
for dislodging parasites from said fish. The nozzles are closely
spaced with respect to the fish for more effective treatment. A
pre-treatment substance may also be used.
Inventors: |
Wiesman; Richard; (Wayland,
MA) ; Steingart; Robert; (Wellesley, MA) ;
Haggerty; Matthew; (Dedham, MA) ; Przybylowicz;
Timothy; (Boston, MA) ; Finstadsveen; Kare;
(South Weymouth, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Foster-Miller, Inc. |
Waltham |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004943044 |
Appl. No.: |
16/924590 |
Filed: |
July 9, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15914374 |
Mar 7, 2018 |
10757922 |
|
|
16924590 |
|
|
|
|
62468692 |
Mar 8, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K 61/13 20170101;
Y02A 40/81 20180101 |
International
Class: |
A01K 61/13 20060101
A01K061/13 |
Claims
1. A continuous system for removing parasites from fish, the system
comprising: a downwardly angled fluid spray treatment conduit: a
motorized fish conveyor apparatus including a conduit with water
and a treatment compound therein transporting fish from a pen to
the downwardly angled fluid spray treatment conduit; and adjustable
spray nozzles in the downwardly angled treatment conduit closely
spacing the spray nozzles with respect to the fish and each
connected to a fluid source for dislodging parasites from the
fish.
2. The system of claim 1 in which the motorized fish conveyor
apparatus includes an Archimedes screw.
3. The system of claim 1 in which the motorized fish conveyor
apparatus includes a coiled conduit attached to a motorized
shaft.
4. The system of claim 1 further including a plurality of spaced
sets of arms associated with the downwardly angled fluid spray
treatment conduit, each set of arms including circumferentially
spaced arms, each said arm carrying at least one said spray
nozzle.
5. The system of claim 4 further including means for adjusting said
arms relative to the conduit.
6. The system of claim 5 in which said arms include a distal shoe
for engaging the fish and each nozzle is fixed to the shoe.
7. The system of claim 6 in which said distal shoe is pivotably
attached to the distal end of said arm.
8. The system of claim 5 in which said arms are pivotably attached
to the conduit and biased away from the conduit.
9. The system of claim 5 in which each said arm constitutes a bar
linkage pivotably attached to the conduit.
10. The system of claim 9 further including a spring associated
with the bar linkage biasing it away from the conduit.
11. The system of claim 5 in which the spray nozzles are rearwardly
angled.
12. A continuous method for removing parasites from fish, the
method comprising: transporting fish from a pen to a downwardly
angled fluid treatment conduit via a motorized fish conveyor
apparatus including a conduit with water and a treatment compound
therein; automatically adjusting spray nozzles in the downwardly
angled fluid spray treatment conduit to closely space the spray
nozzles with respect to the fish to dislodge parasites from the
fish.
13. The method of claim 12 in which the motorized fish conveyor
apparatus includes an Archimedes screw.
14. The method of claim 12 in which the motorized fish conveyor
apparatus includes a coiled conduit attached to a motorized
shaft.
15. The method of claim 12 father including a plurality of spaced
sets of arms associated with the downwardly angled fluid spray
treatment conduit, each set of arms including circumferentially
spaced arms, each said arm carrying at least one said spray
nozzle.
16. The method of claim 15 further including adjusting said arms
relative to the conduit.
17. The method of claim 16 in which said arms include a distal shoe
for engaging the fish and each nozzle is fixed to the shoe.
18. The method of claim 17 in which said distal shoe is pivotably
attached to the distal end of said arm.
19. The method of claim 16 in which said arms are pivotably
attached to the conduit and biased away from the conduit.
20. The method of claim 16 in which each said arm constitutes a bar
linkage pivotably attached to the conduit.
21. The method of claim 20 further including providing a spring
associated with a bar linkage biasing it away from the conduit.
22. The method of claim 16 in which the spray nozzles are
rearwardly angled.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 15/914,374 filed Mar. 7, 2011 which
claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.
No. 62/461,692 filed Mar. 8, 2017, under 35 U.S.C. .sctn..sctn.
119, 120, 363, 365, and 37 C.F.R. .sctn. 1.55 and .sctn. 1.78, and
is incorporated herein by this reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This subject invention relates to methods and systems for
treating fish (e.g., salmon) to rid them of parasites. (e.g., see
lice).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Fish farming is a large business but the damage caused by
parasites cost fish farmers huge sums of money each year. Chemical
treatments (see, e.g., U.S. 2013/0095126, incorporated herein by
reference) may be ineffective and/or costly, may damage or kill the
fish, and/or may pollute the water and/or damage other organisms.
Certain pesticides, drugs, vaccines, and the like may result in
genetically resistant sea lice.
[0004] Warm water and/or fresh water treatments may be ineffective,
expensive, and often require long treatment times. Moreover, if the
sea lice become resistant to fresh water, then wild saltwater fish
migrating in fresh water can be put at risk.
[0005] Some mechanical treatments have been proposed. For example,
WO 98/24314, incorporated by reference herein, proposes using water
jets to remove sea lice from salmon. But, the water jets are fixed
in place. Since the salmon are not stationary, and are not a
constant size, large fish may be damaged by the water jets and, for
smaller fish, the jet pressure may not be great enough to
effectively remove the sea lice. Moreover, the water from the spray
nozzles has to travel through water before reaching the surface of
the fish body lowering the effectiveness of the water jet. And, the
water jets are in a single fixed configuration with fixed
angles.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In one preferred method and system, fish (e.g., salmon) are
treated in two zones in a cost effective and expedient manner to
more effectively remove parasites (e.g., sea lice) from the fish.
The throughput of the preferred system results in many fish being
treated in a short amount of time. Parts of the process may include
a batch treatment or the system may be configured for a continuous
process. In the first treatment zone (which may be optional), the
fish are subject to a treatment that kills and/or weakens the
parasites. This may include chemical treatments, for example, some
son of osmotic de-regulation that may be used in the first zone for
killing, paralyzing, and/or weakening the parasites. Optionally, or
in addition, the pH level of the sea water in the first treatment
zone may be adjusted up or down, or both, to speed and increase the
effectiveness of the treatment. Other substances such as hydrogen
peroxide may be used. Other treatments may include varying
temperature, salinity, dissolved gases. light exposure, or any
other methods including sound, pressure, ultrasound, electrostatic,
electromagnetic, laser, and/or plasma exposure (hat may kill or
weaken the parasites. The parasites may be killed or weakened by
the treatment(s) in the first treatment zone. Some parasites may be
weakened or temporarily paralyzed but still attached to the fish.
Other parasites may be released from the fish in live first
treatment zone.
[0007] In the second treatment zone, physical treatments, (e.g.,
fish agitation, water jets sprayed through air at the fish) remove
parasites front the fish. The removed parasites and their eggs (if
any) may be collected by the system, killed (if still alive) and
may be used as food (e.g., food for the fish that were previously
treated), or for other purposes. The dead parasites may also be
collected and simply discharged back into the ocean. This also
applies to the parasite's egg-strings and loose eggs. Preferably,
the fish are not stressed or harmed, the environment is not harmed,
and the method and system are cost effective, 90-100% of the
parasites may be removed from the fish using the systems described
herein.
[0008] The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need
not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not
be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving all of
these objectives.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those
skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred
embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIGS. 1A and 1B is a block diagram showing an example of the
primary components associated with a system for and method of
treating fish where the first treatment zone is a batch
subsystem;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of a treatment
system in accordance with the block diagram of FIGS. 1A and 1B;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the primary components
associated with an example of a system for and method of treating
fish where the first treatment zone is continuous;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a system in
accordance with the block diagram of FIG. 3;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of a mechanism
for treating fish in the first treatment zone;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another mechanism for
treating fish in the first treatment zone;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another example of first
and second treatment zones;
[0017] FIGS. 8A-8C are schematic views showing examples of spray
heads mounted on pivoting arms in the second treatment zone keeping
the spray head nozzles at a constant or near constant close
distance and/or at a near constant, predefined angles with respect
to the surface of the fish as it proceeds through the second
treatment zone;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of a spray
head extending from a shoe member;
[0019] FIGS. 10A-10C are schematic views showing a fish traveling
through an example of the second treatment zone where the spray
heads are mounted to four bar linkages;
[0020] FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing fish directed through a
radially expandable chute and spray heads arranged on extendible
and retractable pistons mounted to a ring disposed about the
expandable chute;
[0021] FIGS. 12-14 are schematic views of spray nozzles attached to
a radially expandable chute;
[0022] FIG. 15 is a view showing how die spray nozzles maintain a
constant jet angle to the surface of the fish and a constant water
jet force along the surface of the fish; and
[0023] FIG. 16 includes views of another fish treatment system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed
below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being
practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be
understood that the invention is not limited in its application to
the details of construction and the arrangements of components set
forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.
If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are
not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof
are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and
convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction,
or disclaimer.
[0025] FIG. 1 shows an example of a system for removing parasites
from fish kept in pen 10 (which may be in the ocean). The system
may, for example, be located on a vessel such as a barge or well
boat. See US 2016/0244130, incorporated by reference herein.
[0026] Fish in pen 10 are transported in sea water to the first
treatment zone 12. Various mechanisms can be used to transport fish
in sea water, which may include: vacuum pumps, conveyors, or
Archimedes' screws. See WO 2014/129908 and also WO 2014/184776 both
incorporated by reference herein.
[0027] In first treatment zone 12, the fish may be treated with a
substance (e.g., a solution) introduced into the treatment zone 12
as shown at 16. An exemplary dwell time may be 5-25 minutes.
Preferred is an osmotic deregulator which weakens and/or kills sea
lice on the fish. Examples include Brine (CaCO3), iodine, potassium
iodide, and lactic acid (e.g. four parts per thousand). Other
possible treatments include known chemicals and compounds.
Adjusting other variables, such as dissolved gases, salinity, and
temperature, in conjunction with an osmotic deregulator or other
treatment substance may decrease treatment time and improve
effectiveness. The pH level of the water in treatment zone 12 may
be adjusted to decrease treatment time and improve effectiveness.
See, U.S. Pat. No. 8,759,073 incorporated by reference herein. For
example, sodium hydroxide may be used to raise the pH of live sea
water while maintaining a safe level of pH and exposure time for
the fish to approximately 10.0. Hydrochloric acid may be used to
lower the pH of the sea water to approximately 4.0 while
maintaining a safe level of pH and exposure time for the fish.
Again, the dwell time, in one example, may be between two and
thirty (e.g., five) minutes. If needed, the water output from
treatment zone 12 may be treated again to bring it back to a
nominal pH level (e.g., 8.3). Ozone may also be used in treatment
zone 12. See, for example, WO 2014/129908 and WO 2013/066191 (both
incorporated herein by this reference). The water temperature in
the first treatment zone may be controlled to improve the
effectiveness of the treatment and to improve the general health of
the fish during treatment.
[0028] In treatment zone 12, some or all of the parasites will be
killed or at least weakened. One or more of the above described
treatments as well as others may be used in treatment zone 12. The
parasites may be weakened to the point they are not as strongly
attached to the fish. Some parasites may be removed from the fish.
The fish are then preferably transferred to second treatment zone
18 where a physical treatment is preferred to remove parasites from
the fish. Treated fish with reduced parasites are then returned to
a pen. The fish may optionally be sedated for the treatment in the
first and/or second zone. The system may further include separation
zones 22a, 22b, and 22c where lice (and/or their eggs) in the sea
water and/or another solution present in the system are collected
and exterminated at station 24. UV radiation may be used. Other
extermination means may be used. The dead sea lice may be
transported to storage vessel 26 for use as fish food, for example.
The separation zones may include, for example, grates, filters, and
the like through which water and any sea lice (and/or their eggs)
pass but fish are directed to a different path. These separation
zones ensure the parasites do not reattach themselves to the fish
and ensure that any eggs do not mature into parasites. There may be
a singulation and/or orientation mechanism 28 upstream of treatment
zone 18 so only a single fish at a time, oriented head first,
enters treatment zone 18. Singulation and/or orientation may also
be performed manually with a mechanism to present the fish to human
operators for this purpose. Sea water may be sprayed on the fish in
treatment zone 18 via pump 14b. Pump 14c may be used to pump sea
water at separation zone 22b to mix with the treatment solution at
16 which is pumped into treatment zone 12. Any removed sea lice and
egg strings in the system due to spraying of the fish, scraping of
the fish, and/or due to movement of the fish, or treatment of any
kind of the fish, may be removed from the system in separation zone
22c where water and removed sea lice are directed to extermination
zone 24. In some examples, the fish are not swimming in the sea
water in second treatment zone 18.
[0029] FIG. 2 shows an example where a series of gates 30a and 30b
are used. Fish are brought into optional separation zone 22a via
conduit 40 with gate 30a open and gate 30b closed until a
predetermined amount of fish are present in chamber 32a of
treatment zone 12 in sea water. Weighing or some other process may
be used to determine when a sufficient number of fish are present
in chamber 32a.
[0030] A treatment solution or compound such as shown at 16 is then
pumped into chamber 32a to treat the fish for a predetermined dwell
time after which gate 30b is opened and, the fish may be singulated
and oriented at station 28 to travel within one or more conduits,
42a, 42b, 42c of treatment zone 18. The fish, after mechanical
treatment in treatment zone 18 then pass through separation zone
22c and back into a pen.
[0031] A continuous flow system is shown in FIG. 3. Continuous flow
may be beneficial as the fish may be treated faster enabling a
higher throughput through the system. Continuous flow may also have
the advantage of exposing each fish more precisely to the treatment
desired for the precise amount of time. Here, in treatment zone 12,
the fish are treated while they are singulated or at least in
smaller groups and moving in water. FIG. 4 also shows an example
where treatment zone 12 is a continuous flow process as opposed to
a batch process. Still, the fish spend a predetermined time in
treatment zone 12 via, for example, a serpentine conduit 50.
Alternatively, a motorized Archimedes screw 60, FIG. 5, inside
conduit 62 may be used. In another version shown in FIG. 6. coiled
conduit 64 is fixed to motorized shaft 66 for treating fish 67 for
a predetermined dwell time in the first treatment zone 12. In still
another version, die pocket feeder mechanism of U.S. 2005/0158430,
incorporated by reference herein, may be used. Thus, the fish may
be moved along in water through first treatment zone while being
treated using one or more of the mechanisms described above (or a
similar mechanism).
[0032] Also, whenever the fish must be transported from one
location to another in the overall system, the subsystems shown in
FIGS. 4-6 or the pocket feeder mechanism of U.S. 200/0158430 may be
used. Other subsystems may be used as well.
[0033] FIG. 7 shows an example of a system where a motorized
vertical conveyor 70 is used to bring fish 67 in sea water up to
separation zone 22a where the sea water is removed from the system
at separation zone 22 through filter 72. Lice in the sea water may
be further filtered out, killed, and collected as noted above.
[0034] Optionally, a treatment substance as shown at 16 is
introduced into the sea water in vertical conveyor 70 to treat the
fish and kill or at least weaken the sea lice or oilier parasites
as the fish move upwards in the conveyor. The pH of the sea water
may be raised or lowered, a chemical or biological agent may be
used, the water may be warmed or cooled, and/or an osmotic
treatment may be used. Other treatments may be used as well. Thus,
in this example, the device which moves die fish into the system is
also the first treatment zone.
[0035] Then, the fish, now in air. travel in downwardly inclined
conduit 42 and are subject to mechanical treatment in treatment
zone IS. Preferably, the treatment zone 18 constitutes a continuous
treatment subsystem. In one preferred embodiment, a series of
circumferentially oriented spray heads are used. For example, there
may three sets of spray heads with four or eight spray heads in
each set. If four spray heads are used, they may be oriented
90.degree. apart and if eight spray heads are used they may be
oriented 45.degree. apart. The spray heads function to dislodge the
parasites from the fish. In separation zone 22b, there is a grate
or filter as shown at 73 for removing from conduit 42 any fluid
ejected by the spray heads. Again, any sea lice (and/or eggs) in
this fluid may be filtered out, collected, and/or destroyed. The
conduit may be inclined to provide the optimal velocity and
efficacy e.g., between 5 and 90.degree. with respect to horizontal.
Killing the eggs in the system can prevent lice from these eggs
from returning which could create further problems.
[0036] Featured in some embodiments are spray heads which are urged
close to the fish 67 no matter their size. Also, the spray heads
may be configured to always spray a fluid, (e.g., water or gas) at
a constant angle relative to the fish outer surface. A treatment
substance may also be added to the fluid supplied to the spray
heads.
[0037] In systems with fixed spray heads, small fish may not
receive enough of a pressurized spray to dislodge sea lice and a
large fish may receive a pressurized spray at too high a pressure
and/or velocity, and/or momentum which damages the fish scales,
eyes, fins, or the like. This problem is addressed in the subject
invention.
[0038] Also, any given fish body is small in diameter at the head,
then larger in the middle, and them smaller again at the tail.
Fixed in place spray heads do not account for this change in fish
geometry. This problem too is addressed in the subject invention as
discussed below. Finally, prior systems sprayed fluid towards the
fish while the fish were in water. The water generally diminishes
the effectiveness of the fluid jet spray by diminishing the jet
velocity and/or impact pressure, and/or momentum. This problem too
is addressed in the subject invention since the fish preferably
travel in conduit 42 in air or other medium. In prior systems, if
the fish in water passed too dose to a given fixed jet spray head
then the fish could be harmed including any damage to the eyes or
other sensitive areas.
[0039] FIG. 8A shows an example where spray head 80 is mounted to
the distal end of arm member 90 pivotably attached inside
downwardly inclined conduit 42. Fluid is supplied to spray head 80
via hose 92. Arm 90 is biased away from conduit 42 via compression
spring 94. Spray head 80 may be further fitted with a shoe 96 which
may pivot relative to arm 90 and which is biased via a spring 98 to
an orientation parallel with the longitudinal axis of the conduit.
As shown in FIG. 9, spray head 80 may rise above an orifice in shoe
96 and includes a nozzle 98. A grommet may surround spray head 80
and is fitted to shoe 96. The nozzle 98 may be configured for
delivering a fan spray of fluid. The fan spay could be curved in
shape conforming to the fish body. In some embodiments, the nozzle
and/or the spray head may pivot with respect to the arm it is
mounted to. The spray head may then oscillate (e.g., between angles
of 0 to 90.degree. or less).
[0040] In FIG. 8A, the spray from a nozzle (see nozzle 98, FIG. 9)
is shown to be tangential to the surface of the fish. In other
embodiments, the spray may be at an angle relative to this tangent
(e.g., 0-90.degree.). The nozzle may also deliver a spray angled
appropriately to clean underneath and/or behind fins, gills, and
the like. The lateral orientation of the nozzles may be
+/-90.degree. along the front to back of the fish.
[0041] Shoe 96 may be made of or include a slippery top surface
(e.g., Delrin or Teflon or similar type material) so as not to harm
the fish. The shoe may also function to scrape parasites off the
fish body. As shown in FIGS. 8A-8C the arms pivot so at all times
the spray head is kept very close to the fish body no matter its
size and, for a given fish, close to its small head, larger body,
and smaller tail as the fish passes through the system. The spray
head nozzle, in all cases, is also kept aligned to spray fluid at a
selected optimized angle between 0 and 90 degrees rearward along
the fish body to more effectively dislodge parasites and eggs from
the fish while not harming scales, gills, and fins.
[0042] In this way, the jet spray is more effective: the cleaning
spray is in air, the spray nozzle is kept a near constant distance
from the fish no matter its size or what portion of orientation
anywhere along the circumference of the conduit the fish is being
treated, and the jet spray remains at a near constant angle
relative to the fish body. With the cleaning sprays in air, little
energy is lost from the spray as it moves through air to the lice
and fish surface. Alternatively, if the fish and spray jets are in
water, as long as the spray nozzle is kept a near constant distance
from the fish and a near constant angle relative to the fish body,
the spray pressure may be adjusted to remain effective.
[0043] In FIGS. 10A-10C, the spray heads 80 are attached to four
bar linkages 100. Preferably, the spray heads are attached to top
bar 102 thereof. Top bar 102 is then attached via pivots 104 and
106 to bars 108 and 110 which are pivotably attached via pivots 112
and 114 to the conduit 42 wall (the fourth "bar").
[0044] By using a four bar or other linkage, the spray head nozzle
is kept at a constant distance from the fish body and at a constant
angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the conduit. The linkage
keeps the spray head at a constant angle with respect to the pipe
wall as the linkage and the spray head follows the outer surface of
the fish moving by. With pivoting shoes on the outer bar, the head
will follow the fish surface and keep the jet spray angle constant
with respect to the fish surface while bar 102 stays parallel to
the pipe wall. Compression spring 116 between arms 108 and 110 may
be used to bias the four bar linkage away from the conduit (e.g.,
at a 90.degree. angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the
conduit wall).
[0045] In some examples, opposing spray heads may be 1-2 inches
apart from each other (when the arm is 90.degree. to the conduit),
the spray heads may be disposed a near constant distance of 1-2
inches from the fish body, may provide a fluid spray at a pressure,
for example, of 25-200 PSI and at a flow rate, for example, of
0.5-1 GPM to effectively remove parasites. Fan shaped sprays or
other shapes may be used to optimize treatment coverage on the
surface of the fish regardless of the shape and size of the fish.
Different sets of nozzles may be in stages of the process to give
maximum efficiency. The fan nozzles may overlap as needed for the
biggest fish (bigger circle) and thus the longest circumference and
distance between the nozzles. In one example, the final cleaning of
the fish to remove salmon lice and eggs may be done by "curtain"
nozzles. Flat shaped jets or jets that are made out of a slit in
the circumference of the tube that face inwardly may be used, to
make the pressure variation less dependent on the distance from the
head of the jet.
[0046] There are other means for adjusting the arms depending on
the size of the fish and the conduit and for closely spacing the
spray head nozzles with respect to the fish. For example, FIG. 11
shows singulated and oriented fish in a vertical or angled conduit
which here is in the form of a flexible conforming transversely or
circumferentially or radially expandable chute 42' (e.g., a net,
mesh, or the like). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,141,
incorporated by reference herein.
[0047] The material of the chute may assist in scraping sea lice or
other organisms off the surface of the fish in the second treatment
zone 18. The material of the chute, however, should be configured
to allow tire water jet to reach the surface of the fish body. In
this example, there is a ring 120 disposed about the chute and the
spray heads 80 (in this example 8 spray heads) are mounted on
piston arms 122 extending inwardly from the ring 120. Ring 120 may
form a distributer for tire fluid delivered to it via hose 92 and
thus is configured to deliver the fluid to die individual spray
heads via their respective arms. This radially expandable chute may
also act as a speed controller, so the fish is constantly treated
equally over its length passing the nozzles at a controlled
speed.
[0048] The piston arms may extend and retract based on the size of
fish 27 in the chute and the area being treated (e.g., head, body,
tail) to keep the spray nozzles of the spray head at a constant or
near constant close distance to the surface of fish 27. Preferably,
the spray nozzles of the spray heads are oriented to spray
rearwardly along the body of fish 27 to effectively remove
parasites and to prevent damage to the scales of fish 27. The
piston arms may be actuated.
[0049] One or more sensors 130 may be used to sense the distance of
the body of fish 27 from the ring 120 (or, alternatively, a
nozzle). The output of the sensor(s) may be fed to a processor (not
shown) which then drives the actuators of the piston arms
accordingly to keep the spray heads at a desired distance to the
fish body. The sensor subsystem could be based on capacitance, for
example, wish the exterior of chute 42' including markers which can
be sensed by the sensor(s). Other sensor subsystems may be used. In
other examples, the nozzles are attached to the material of the
chute or sleeve. See FIGS. 12-14.
[0050] The ring/piston arrangement shown in FIG. 11 may be used, in
addition, in conjunction with conduits 42a, 42b, and 42c. FIG. 2,
as well provided there are orifices in the conduits for the spray
heads and piston arms. In some examples, the second treatment zone
includes only one conduit. In other examples, the second treatment
zone includes multiple conduits. The nozzles may be used in
multiple stages, multiple angles, and/or orientations. Also sensors
may be employed to target single salmon lice or more dense
populations to make the process more cost effective. This process
could also contribute to counting and/or to verily the quality of
the cleaning process in a cost effective way. Also possible is a
closed-loop control system with real-time monitoring of key
parameters to ensure consistent quality e.g. salinity, temperature,
O2, CO2, number of fish processed, and the like, the amount of sea
lice removed per period of lime and the like. Data could be
gathered and analyzed over time to provide optimal treatments
amongst the individual treatment centers or groups of treatment
centers.
[0051] The result in any embodiment is a more effective treatment
method and system which is cost-effective and which is ecologically
sound.
[0052] FIG. 15 shows how the nozzles are configured to maintain a
constant jet angle to the surface of the fish and how the nozzles
maintain a constant water jet force along the surface of the fish
(e.g., adjusting the nozzles so they are kept at a constant or near
constant distance from the fish).
[0053] FIG. 16 shows an embodiment where two drive belt assemblies
urge fish from a treatment tank to another location. The belts may
be mesh like in construction so nozzles spray a fluid from inside
one or both belt assemblies.
[0054] Although specific features of the invention are shown in
some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only as
each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features
in accordance with the invention. The words "including",
"comprising", "having", and "with" as used herein are to be
interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any
physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in
the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible
embodiments. Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the
art and are within the following claims.
[0055] In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution
of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of
any claim element presented in the application as filed: those
skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim
that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many
equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and
are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if
anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more
than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are
many other reasons the applicant can not be expected to describe
certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element
amended.
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