Patent ID: 11864498
Assignee: FIREFLY AUTOMATIX, INC.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 18:
19. A method for forming a roll of sod comprising:
detecting a length of a tail of a slab of sod as the slab of sod is being formed into a roll while the slab of sod advances along one or more inclined conveyors;
detecting when the slab of sod has reached a front end of an upper conveyor that is positioned above the one or more inclined conveyors;
when the slab of sod has reached the front end of the upper conveyor, rotating the upper conveyor in a direction that is opposite a direction of rotation of the one or more inclined conveyors to thereby cause the slab of sod to be advanced under the upper conveyor;
while the slab of sod remains under the upper conveyor, rotating the upper conveyor a specified amount in a reverse direction to thereby cause the slab of sod to be formed into a complete roll, the specified amount being based on the detected length of the tail;
after the slab of sod has been formed into the complete roll, rotating the upper conveyor in the direction that is opposite the direction of rotation of the one or more inclined conveyors to thereby cause the roll to be advanced along the one or more inclined conveyors towards a stacking conveyor.