Abstract:
A conveyor having a retractable stop providing a nonsliding contact surface to the leading faces of conveyed articles to prevent damage to the faces of the articles. One version of such a stop has a contact surface defined by the peripheries of rollers that rotate on the accumulated articles as the stop moves from a blocking position accumulating articles on the conveyor to a retracted position releasing accumulated articles to advance downstream along the conveyor.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for singulating articles in a singulating conveyor having an elimination, or separation, conveyor to strip articles not in single file and recirculate or redirect them. The elimination conveyor has a pass-through conveyor belt portion that passes articles received single file from an infeed conveyor off the downstream end of the singulator and a laterally adjacent second conveyor belt portion with rollers that rotate to divert articles not in single file toward or off the side of the elimination conveyor. A recirculation conveyor receives articles diverted off the side of the elimination conveyor and returns them to the infeed conveyor. For refeeding diverted articles to the singulating conveyor downstream, a conveyor receiving articles from the downstream end of the second conveyor belt provides a path parallel to the pass-through articles and feeds them onto a downstream registration conveyor to merge back into the flow.
Abstract:
A conveyor having a flighted belt and providing a gapless end-off or end-on transfer of articles. The conveyor belt includes segmented flights at spaced intervals along its length. Each segmented flight includes slots dividing the flight into laterally spaced segments, or dogs. A transfer platform allows for a smooth transfer of articles onto or off the end of the belt. Fingers on the transfer platform separated by gaps extend to distal finger tips that are positioned close to the conveying surface of the belt at an end of the conveyor. The transfer platform is laterally aligned with the gaps positioned to coincide with the flight segments to permit them to pass cleanly through as the belt articulates about a sprocket set at the end of a carryway. Optional article-advancing rollers in the conveyor belt between consecutive flights propel articles forward along the belt to a forward flight.
Abstract:
A package -culling conveyor system and a method for culling flat packages from a bulk flow of flat and non-flat packages. The conveyor system includes a tilted conveyor belt (24) conveying flat packages while non-flat packages tumble off its lower side. A high - friction conveying surface or a raised barrier along the length of the conveying surface of the tilted conveyor belt (24) holds flat packages on the tilted belt. The separated packages are more fully culled in a conveyor comprising a roller conveyor belt (36) with belt rollers (38) rotated in a direction to push packages sidewise toward a culling element that extends along the belt's length. Culling elements include powered rollers (55) or vertical walls forming side guards. The culling elements block the non-flat packages from exiting off the side of the belt so that they are conveyed off the end of the belt separate from the flat packages.
Abstract:
A spacing conveyor having article-accelerating rollers and selectively retractable stops to control the gaps between consecutive conveyed packages. A sensor measures the length of a package being fed onto the spacing conveyor. A controller selectively actuates one or more actuators positioned along the length of the conveyor to move selected stops advancing with the conveyor from a retracted position to a blocking position to receive packages a variety of sizes and to control the gaps between consecutive packages.
Abstract:
A conveyor having a flighted belt and providing a gapless end-off or end-on transfer of articles (82). The conveyor belt includes segmented flights (66, 66') at spaced intervals along its length. Each segmented flight (66, 66') includes slots dividing the flight (66, 66') into laterally spaced segments, or dogs. A transfer platform (48') allows for a smooth transfer of articles (82) onto or off the end of the belt. Fingers on the transfer platform (48') separated by gaps extend to distal finger tips that are positioned close to the conveying surface of the belt at an end of the conveyor. The transfer platform (48') is laterally aligned with the gaps positioned to coincide with the flight segments to permit them to pass cleanly through as the belt articulates about a sprocket (14, 115) set at the end of a carryway. Optional article-advancing rollers (80) in the conveyor belt between consecutive flights (66) propel articles (82) forward along the belt to a forward flight.
Abstract:
A package-culling conveyor system and a method for culling flat packages from a bulk flow of flat and non-flat packages. The conveyor system includes a tilted conveyor belt conveying flat packages while non-flat packages tumble off its lower side. A high-friction conveying surface or a raised barrier along the length of the conveying surface of the tilted conveyor belt holds flat packages on the tilted belt. The separated packages are more fully culled in a conveyor comprising a roller conveyor belt with belt rollers rotated in a direction to push packages sidewise toward a culling element that extends along the belt's length. Culling elements include powered rollers or vertical walls forming side guards. The culling elements block the non-flat packages from exiting off the side of the belt so that they are conveyed off the end of the belt separate from the flat packages.
Abstract:
Conveyors and methods for operating conveyors to accelerate laterally adjacent conveyed articles over different distances. The conveyors (10) provide a conveying surface atop rollers (IG) in a conveyor belt (12). The belt rollers (16) ride on a bearing surface (30) underlying the belt (12) on a carryway. As the belt (12) advances, the rollers (16) riding on the bearing surface (30) rotate in a direction of rotation (15) to accelerate conveyed articles along the belt (12) in the direction of rotation (15). The bearing surface (30) is shaped so that its length (dl, d2) in the direction of belt travel varies across the width of the conveyor (10).
Abstract:
A conveyor having a conveyor belt with wall segments that pivot between a retracted position below the conveying surface of the belt and an extended position above the conveying surface. When extended, the wall segments form a wall along the length of a portion of the belt to prevent conveyed articles from moving laterally past. The retractable wall segments are cam- or spring-actuated. Diverting conveyors using the retractable wall segments in an oblique-roller conveyor belt are useful as sorters or switches.
Abstract:
A sorting switch (220) for diverting articles (22) from one or more infeed conveyors (24) to two or more outfeed conveyors (26, 27). A pre-alignment conveyor (30) receives articles from one or more infeed conveyors and selectively diverts individual articles into two or more lateral regions for delivery to an alignment conveyor (28) downstream. The alignment conveyor (28) more precisely aligns the articles (22) within each of the regions for delivery to outfeed conveyors (26, 27) at the downstream end of the alignment conveyor (28). The alignment and pre-alignment conveyors are realized as belt conveyors with rollers (52) arranged to rotate universally or on axes in specific orientations. In some versions, a belt's rollers roll on bearing surfaces whenever the belt is advancing. In other versions, rollers are selectively actuated by moving bearing surfaces. In yet other versions, rollers (52) are not contacted by bearing surfaces at all.