Patent ID: 8408380
Filing Date: 2013-04-02
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. A conveyor induct system comprising: a plurality of sequentially arranged conveying surfaces positioned upstream of a release location; at least one article sensor adjacent to at least one of said conveying surfaces; and a control that produces controlled edge-to-edge gaps between articles at the release location, said control adapted to define a plurality of ratio-gappers, said ratio-gappers responsive to said at least one article sensor to control speeds of at least some of said conveying surfaces, said ratio-gappers adapted to use said at least one article sensor to determine a distance between a downstream edge of a control region of a first article on one of said conveying surfaces and an upstream edge of a control region of a second article on an adjacent one of said conveying surfaces downstream of said one of said conveying surfaces, wherein the control region is a surface portion of an article that will influence movement of that article when contacted by one of adjacent said conveying surfaces, said ratio-gappers further adapted to determine an available distance between the control region of one of the first and second articles and the release location, each of said ratio-gappers adapted to control a speed of one of said conveying surfaces as a speed ratio relative to a speed of the adjacent downstream one of said conveying surfaces, each of the speed ratios being based at least partially upon the relative distance between the downstream edge of the control region of the first article and the upstream edge of the control region of the second article and the available distance of the control region of one of the first and second articles from the release location.