Patent ID: 6257395
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
An apparatus for uniformly distributing parts on a conveyor surface:(a) a storage bin for holding randomly oriented parts in bulk;(b) an elevating conveyor adjacent said storage bin, said elevating conveyor acquiring a fragment of the randomly oriented parts in said storage bin, said elevating conveyor elevating said fragment of randomly oriented parts and delivering said fragment of randomly oriented parts to a chute;(c) a vibratory conveyor receiving said fragment of randomly oriented parts from said chute;(d) a belt conveyor for receiving the randomly oriented parts from said vibratory conveyor, said belt conveyor including a camera field of view area and a robot pick area; and(e) a trough positioned adjacent a downstream end of said belt conveyor for receiving any of the randomly oriented parts not retrieved from said belt conveyor, said trough returning the randomly oriented parts received therein to said storage bin.