초록 ▼

Fruit or other objects placed on the conveyor and spun by the conveyor are properly oriented on the conveyor by the method and apparatus of the invention by ejecting one or more adjacent touching objects or ejecting objects which form stacked triplets. An optical sensor determines wherein there is o

Fruit or other objects placed on the conveyor and spun by the conveyor are properly oriented on the conveyor by the method and apparatus of the invention by ejecting one or more adjacent touching objects or ejecting objects which form stacked triplets. An optical sensor determines wherein there is or is not a gap between objects and relates that gap detection to the position of the objects on the conveyor. Detection of a continuous signal through a controller circuit causes a downstream solenoid to be energized according to predetermined timing. The solenoid in turn, when energized, rotates a finger which is coupled to, carried with the conveyor system and situated underneath the pocket between adjacent spools. The finger rotates upwardly and ejects the objects sitting in the pocket, thereby removing the misplaced or touching objects on the conveyor belt.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] An apparatus for spacing objects on a conveyor comprising a plurality of object supporting elements with substantially uniform mutual linear spacing within said conveyor, comprising:sensor means for observing said conveyor and detecting a continuous region thereof in which the numb

[ We claim:] [1.] An apparatus for spacing objects on a conveyor comprising a plurality of object supporting elements with substantially uniform mutual linear spacing within said conveyor, comprising:sensor means for observing said conveyor and detecting a continuous region thereof in which the number of objects supported exceeds the number of object supporting elements; andremoval means for removing at least one of said objects from said region, said sensor means in controlling communication with said removal means,wherein:each of said supporting elements preferably supports, in a predetermined manner, not more than one such object within a specified range of size and configuration,each such object is preferably thus supported by a single supporting element, said sensor means detects spacing between adjacent objects supported in said region; and said removal means causes removal, from said conveyor, of one such object observed by said sensor means to be separated from an object adjacent thereto by less than a selected distance.