Patent ID: 6691857
Filing Date: 2004-02-17
Classification: B65B,B65G

Abstract:
Automatic alternating fruit feeder to a cell receiver in quincunxes, characterized by the fact that its structure consists of:Transport lines preferably formed by two adjacent conveyor belts (1)-(1â€²) that go in the same direction at different speeds to facilitate the separation and positioning of the fruit, They are preferably arranged on different planes, forming a horizontal dihedral edge open upwards to take the fruit it transports, aligns and positions; A detection means block, preferably photoelectric cells, on each transport line, located on top of the transition zone of the fruit from said lines to the cell transporter, so that some cells (2) check the presence of fruit in each and all of the cells included in the transversal alignment being supplied, whilst other cells (3) check the existence of fruit in the outlet ends of the feeder lines, arranged to be transferred to the tray or cell transporter; Articulation means of the supply line supports, preferably pneumatic cylinders, arranged so that they are able to alternately separate and bring nearer the outlet ends of the lines, making them turn on their inlet ends to supply the cells of a transversal alignment (4) in which they are symmetrically moved towards the outside of the transporter (FIG. 1); and to recover the parallelism positions of the lines (FIG. 2) to supply the cells of the following transversal alignment (5) in which they are symmetrically grouped towards the central zone of the transporter; Magnetic or optical detection means (6) of the arrangement of the cells in the alignment to be supplied, arranged underneath the inlet zone of the fruit to the transporter, and capable of directing the operation of the pneumatic cylinders that suitably position the supply lines; and Means (7) to check the existence of fruit at the feeder inlet, which control the starting or stopping of the conventional transporter (8) to achieve regulated continuity of the general supply.