Patent ID: 6547079
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: B07B,Y10S

Abstract:
A machine for sorting, by size, pear-shaped objects having the general shape of an oval with a more or less narrow end, said machine comprising:a conveyor capable of moving essentially horizontally and having a first alignment of equidistant parallel primary rollers separated each from the other by an interval sufficient to allow one object to pass through, the conveyor also having a second alignment of secondary rollers each arranged in alignment with an interval between adjacent ones of said primary rollers, said secondary rollers being capable of moving in a direction that is perpendicular to a plane of travel of said primary rollers; means for conveying the primary and secondary rollers along a sorting path of said conveyor; means for guiding said secondary rollers along the sorting path of said conveyor, said guide means being operable to progressively move said secondary rollers away from said primary rollers along the length of the sorting path, wherein said primary and secondary rollers do not rotate about their axes over a greater part of the sorting path; and means for positioning the objects with their longitudinal axes essentially parallel to said primary and secondary rollers, said means for positioning the objects being located upstream of the sorting path.