Device for feeding corn

A device for placing elongated objects transversely onto a conveyor is disclosed. A preferred device is adapted for moving ears of corn. The preferred device includes a vibratory trough feeder which arranges and moves the ears substantially end to end and into a plurality of lanes, a plurality of drop gates for dropping a group of ears onto a receiving conveyor below, an eccentric conveyor for moving the ears from the lanes into the drop gates, a mechanism for actuating the drop gates, and a receiving conveyor capable of traveling in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lanes, and located beneath the drop gates.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for delivering 
elongated objects to a conveyor. In particular, it relates to a device for 
depositing ear corn transversely onto a compartmented receiving conveyor. 
In the commercial manufacture and handling of almost any type of product, 
it is desirable to deliver the products to be processed in an orderly 
fashion into processing equipment. In the manufacture and processing of 
ear corn, it is highly desirable to place the ears transversely across a 
compartmented conveyor before inspection, husking, cutting, or the like. 
Also, it is often desirable to inspect the ears after size grading and 
before further processing steps. 
An example of a known automated device for placing small, elongated objects 
on a conveyor is described in Grafius U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,508. The 
apparatus described includes a vibrating bowl having a base portion, a 
side wall and a ramp spiralling around the inner perimeter of the side 
wall such that the elongated objects are conveyed from the bottom end of 
the ramp along the upper surface of the ramp to a top end of the ramp. The 
bowl in the preferred embodiment makes pulsed movements which combine 
short counterclockwise displacement with a short upward displacement. 
Grafius, Col. 5, lines 26-29. As the objects move along the outside edge 
along the ramp, a long axis of the objects become aligned in a direction 
of travel of the objects and are deposited end-first into a chute. The 
chute drops the objects onto a notched spur gear having notches of a size 
sufficient to transversely receive the objects. As the spur gear rotates, 
the objects are deposited transversely onto a compartmented conveyor. 
Other automated devices for handling objects are known. Horii U.S. Pat. No. 
4,586,613 describes an apparatus for sorting fruits and vegetables by 
weight and by shape which includes a tiltable shallow bottomed tray 
conveyor including a plurality of trays. An electronic weight measuring 
unit is arranged below the travelling path of the trays. A planar 
shape-measuring device utilizing a photosensor is arranged above the tray 
and faces downward. A second photosensor is provided proximate the 
downward facing planar shape-measuring unit on one side of the tray 
conveyor path and perpendicularly to detect the height of an object on the 
tray. A portion of the conveyor path includes a distribution section 
having discharge operation units which are spaced at short intervals and 
are arranged to tilt each tray for sorting objects by grade and by rank. 
Receiving bins are provided for receiving the classes of objects 
distributed to them. The device is useful for sorting substantially 
spherical objects such as fruit. 
Lapp et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,894 describes a trough-like vibrating 
conveyor for sorting and separating two differently shaped components in a 
mixture. The mixture includes generally cylindrical shaped parts, and 
generally flat shaped parts. The conveyor includes two motors which are 
unbalanced, are arranged on opposite sides of the conveyor and are offset 
relative to each other. Near the discharge end of the conveyor is included 
a plurality of substantially horizontal rods having axes positioned in a 
general direction of travel of the components. The rods are provided to 
separate the flat and cylindrical particles exiting the conveyor from 
damaged particles or waste. The damaged and waste particles fall through 
the openings between the rods, while the flat and cylindrical particles 
remain on the rods. By selecting the degree of offset of the motors, the 
flat shaped articles follow a first path, exiting a first side of the exit 
end of the conveyor and the cylindrical particles follow a second path, 
exiting a second side of the exit end of the conveyor. 
Another type of vibrating conveyor is described in Makino U.S. Pat. No. 
4,040,303. That apparatus includes a first mass and a second mass. The 
first mass includes a vibration excitor of the rotary eccentric weight 
type and the second mass includes an object to be vibrated. The two masses 
are interconnected by resilient elements designed to permit a desired 
vibration amplification from the vibration excitor to the object to be 
vibrated. The device includes means for changing the operating frequency 
of the system to operate at a frequency near resonance level. 
Rice et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,184 discloses an apparatus for sorting 
objects by weight. The objects are fed by means of a conveyor into a 
weighing section of a moving belt. The weighing station generates a 
pneumatic pressure signal proportional to the weight of the object and the 
signal is transmitted through a conduit to a memory section. A booster 
generates an output signal proportional to the weight signal. The 
programmer, in response to the output signal of the booster operates two 
valves to permit the introduction of a new weight signal and to transmit 
the output signal from the booster to a sorting section. The sorting 
section includes an initial deflecting section which receives the weight 
signal and transmits an operating signal if the weight signal exceeds a 
predetermined value. 
A device for deflecting the article off of the conveyor in response to the 
operating signal is provided. The deflecting device includes sorting 
sections having pneumatically operated pistons which actuate a sorting 
arm. The sorting arm meets the object and directs the object off the 
conveyor belt to a bin, chute, separate conveyor or the like. 
Marmet U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,387 describes a device for separating chickens 
of a weight above a predetermined weight from the rest of the flock. The 
device includes top and bottom frame sections each being substantially 
rectangular in shape. Legs are connected between the corners of the frame 
sections. Arranged between each pair of legs and connected between the 
frame section are upright supports. Arranged forwardly of the frame 
structure are chicken receiving stalls secured to and extending forwardly 
from the upright supports at the front end of the frame structure. These 
stalls constitute passageways for directing or guiding a chicken toward a 
feed box or water trough. A lower portion of the receiving stall includes 
a chicken walk or treadle equipped with an actuating mechanism and a load 
cell. If the weight of the chicken exceeds a predetermined weight, a guard 
member is elevated to prevent the chicken from passing through the frame 
structure. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A device for placing elongated objects transversely onto a conveyor is 
disclosed. A preferred embodiment of the present invention feeds ears of 
corn, either with or without husks. The preferred device includes a 
vibratory feeder having an ear receiving surface adapted for causing the 
ears to align end to end and travel substantially single file in a 
plurality of lanes across the ear receiving surface. The preferred device 
also includes an eccentric conveyor positioned substantially transverse to 
the lanes and located proximate an exit end of the ear receiving surface. 
The device also includes a plurality of drop gates located proximate the 
eccentric conveyor on a side opposite the exit end of the ear receiving 
surface. The eccentric conveyor comprises a pair of shafts mounted for 
rotation transverse to the lanes. Mounted onto the shafts are a plurality 
of eccentric pulleys and sprockets. 
The vibration of the feeder positions the ears on an upper surface of the 
eccentric pulleys which transfer the ears into the corresponding drop gate 
located in a line of travel of each lane. Means for actuating the drop 
gates are provided which allow the ears to fall onto a surface of a 
receiving conveyor located beneath the drop gates. Advantageously, the 
receiving conveyor moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the 
direction of travel of the ears within the lanes, and the ears are placed 
substantially transversely onto the receiving conveyor where the ears can 
be visually inspected, cleaned, cut or husked, for example. In a preferred 
embodiment, the surface of the receiving conveyor which receives the ears 
is compartmented. The preferred device is capable of placing ears on a 
moving compartmented conveyor at rates up to about 440 ears per minute.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A device for placing elongated objects transversely onto a conveyor is 
disclosed. A first preferred embodiment is an ear corn feeder shown 
generally in FIG. 1. This first preferred embodiment is capable of 
receiving a stream of randomly placed ears of corn from a conveyor and 
placing the ears in spaced apart relationship transversely onto a 
receiving conveyor at speeds up to about 440 ears per minute. 
Advantageously, ear corn traveling with its longitudinal axis in a 
direction of travel moves at a maximum linear speed of about 50 feet per 
minute. The slower linear speeds allow for better control of the ears 
during feeding. In the preferred embodiment, the receiving conveyor is a 
rod conveyor having the rods placed transversely on four inch centers. The 
440 ears per minute capacity translates to a receiving conveyor speed of 
up to about 146.7 feet per minute. 
In a preferred embodiment, freshly picked corn ears are delivered to a size 
grader 35 by means of a belt-type supply conveyor 22 which is loaded from 
above at a feed end (not shown) in the preferred embodiment by means of a 
supply hopper (not shown). "Conveyor" for purposes of this disclosure is a 
belt-type conveyor having at least one flexible endless element driven by 
a plurality of rollers unless otherwise indicated. An example of a belt 
type conveyor suitable for conveying corn ears is available from 
Billington Welding of Modesto, Calif. In a preferred embodiment, the 
supply hopper (not shown) is filled by means of an end loader or dump 
truck. The conveyor 22 moves generally in the direction as shown by arrow 
24. The conveyor 22 in a preferred embodiment is positioned on an incline. 
A discharge end 26 of the conveyor 22 delivers a plurality of ears of corn 
28 to a vibratory feeder 20. The vibratory feeder of the preferred 
embodiment has a capacity of moving at least 440 ears per minute. The 
vibratory feeder 20 has an upper pan 27 which includes an upper surface 
having a substantially flat portion 30 and a corrugated portion 33. In a 
preferred embodiment, the corrugated portion 33 includes a plurality of 
valleys which are spaced on 8 inch centers. The corrugations are large 
enough to accommodate an ear of corn. In the preferred embodiment, the 
depth of the corrugations from a peak to a valley is about 3 inches. 
In a preferred embodiment, the vibratory feeder 20 is substantially 
horizontal and is corrugated in a direction of travel 32 of the ears 28 
such that when the ears exit the feeder 20, a centerline axis of each ear 
is aligned in a direction of travel as shown by arrow 32 upon entry into 
the size grader 35. The vibratory feeder 20 of the preferred embodiment is 
a 2 mass vibratory feeder available from Key Manufacturing of 
Milton-Freewater, Oreg. 
The size grader 35 includes a plurality of elongated rods 34 which in the 
preferred embodiment are of a smaller spacing at a feed end 36 of the size 
grader than at a discharge end 38 of the size grader. The spacing between 
rods at the feed end are smaller than that at the discharge end. The 
described configuration functions to allow undersized ears to fall through 
the openings in the size grader 35 into a chute having a lower opening 37 
(shown in phantom) proximate the feed end 36 which delivers undersized 
ears to a waste conveyor 29, which travels in the direction shown by arrow 
31, located beneath the supply conveyor 22. 
The spacing between the rods 34 allows the larger sized ears 28 to pass 
over the area which sorts out smaller ears and fall through the spaces 
between the rods 34 near the discharge end 38 onto an upper surface of a 
feed conveyor 40 located beneath the size grader 35. A cylindrical axis of 
each rod 34 of the size grader 35 lies on a plane which is positioned at a 
declining angle with respect to the horizontal such that the ears 28 fall 
from the feed end 36 toward the discharge end 38 by means of gravity. In a 
preferred embodiment, the size grader 35 is mounted onto a substantially 
stationary frame while the flat portion 30 and corrugated portion 33 of 
the upper pan 27 move at a selected frequency effective to convey the ears 
28 in the direction of travel indicated by arrow 32. 
In a preferred embodiment, an air cleaner (not shown) is located above the 
size grader 35 and blows air in a direction substantially normal to a 
plane containing a longitudinal axis of at least two of the rods 34. The 
air flow is sufficient to clear debris from the size grader 35. 
In the preferred embodiment, the feed conveyor 40 has a first portion 41 
traveling in a direction shown generally by arrow 42, a second portion 43 
traveling in a direction shown generally by arrow 44, and a third portion 
45 traveling in a direction shown generally by arrow 46. The first 41, 
second 43 and third 45 portions are collectively referred to as the feed 
conveyor 40. It is to be understood that the precise arrangement of the 
portions of the feed conveyor 40 is relatively unimportant. What is 
important is that a stream of ear corn 28 after size grading is delivered 
in a substantially constant stream to a delivery device 48 of the present 
invention. 
The delivery device 48 of a preferred embodiment includes a vibrating pan 
50 which receives ears 52 from the feed conveyor 40 which in the preferred 
embodiment is inclining in the direction shown by arrow 46. The feed 
conveyor 40 deposits the ears 52 onto an upper end of a drop chute 54 
which in a preferred embodiment is fixedly mounted onto a substantially 
vertical shaft 56 as shown in FIG. 2 which is mounted for pivotal rotation 
on a stationary frame (not shown). In a preferred embodiment, the drop 
chute 54 is pivotally mounted to an overhead frame (not shown) above the 
pan 50. 
FIG. 2 shows a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the 
present invention. The drop chute 54 is formed of sheet metal such as 316 
stainless steel sheet stock which has upwardly extending side walls 57 
which prevent the escape of ears 52 from the sides of the chute and 
channels the ears 52 toward a feed end 59 of the vibrating pan 50. The 
drop chute 54 in a preferred embodiment includes means for limiting the 
degree of rotation of the drop chute 54 about a rotational axis of the 
shaft 56 such that all the deposited corn ears 52 are positioned proximate 
a feed end 59 of the vibrating pan 50. 
In a preferred embodiment, a pneumatic actuator (not shown) is mounted to 
the shaft 56 and the chute 54, causing the chute 54 to rotate from side to 
side approximately 110.degree.. The vibrating pan 50 in a preferred 
embodiment is mounted onto a plurality of resilient members 58 which 
permit vibration transfer from a vibration excitor (not shown) to the pan. 
The resilient members 58 are also mounted onto a stationary frame 60 of 
the vibrating pan in a preferred embodiment. The resilient members 58 in a 
preferred embodiment are springs which are mounted at an angle 62 with 
respect to the vertical which is about 15.degree.. Angle 62 is selected 
such that articles of the size and weight to be moved travel generally in 
a direction indicated by arrow 66 when the vibrating pan 50 is in 
operation. Angles 62 between about 12.degree. and about 15.degree. are 
sufficient to convey objects such as corn ears. 
In a preferred embodiment, the vibrating pan 50, and a two mass vibratory 
shaker 53 including the resilient members 58 and the stationary frame 60 
are supplied as a unit and can be purchased from Key Manufacturing of 
Milton-Freewater, Oreg. by specifying a multi-lane "Nubbin" grader. It is 
also necessary to specify a selected pan shape which is described in 
detail below. 
According to FIG. 2, the general direction of travel of the ears is in a 
first direction indicated by arrow 63 along the feed conveyor 40, and then 
in a direction indicated by arrow 64 through the drop chute 54. The ears 
52 are delivered to a feed end 59 of the vibrating pan 50 which in the 
preferred embodiment has a substantially horizontal corrugated portion 70 
and a declining section 76. The vibrating motion of the pan 50 moves the 
ears in a direction shown generally by arrow 66. 
In an alternate embodiment, the size grader can be positioned above pan 50 
such that conveyor 40 and drop chute 54 are not required. 
In a preferred embodiment, the vibrating pan 50 has a first substantially 
flat and horizontal upper portion 51. As the ears 52 move generally in the 
direction of arrow 66 along the flat portion, the ears 52 approach a feed 
end 68 of the corrugated portion 70. The corrugated portion 70 in the 
preferred embodiment is substantially horizontal. The corrugated portion 
70 includes a plurality of ridges 72 and valleys 74. In the preferred 
embodiment, an uppermost edge of the ridges 72 are at the same vertical 
elevation as the flat portion 51. The vibrating pan 50 of the present 
invention also includes a declining section 76 integrally formed with the 
flat portion 51 and the first corrugated portion 70. 
In a preferred embodiment, the declining section includes a plurality of 
elongated "V" shaped troughs 84 extending from the valleys 74 of the 
corrugated portion 70 and are aligned in a direction of travel of the ears 
shown generally by arrow 66. The troughs 84 are spaced apart on 8 inch 
centers in a direction transverse to the valleys, and are about 2 inches 
wide. Since the average range of ear corn diameters is between about 11/2 
inches and about 31/2 inches, the 2 inch trough width is sufficient to 
accommodate almost any variety of corn ears currently grown. 
In a preferred embodiment, the declining section 76 declines from the 
horizontal at an angle 78 of about 2.degree.. The angle 78 of decline is 
selected to accelerate the ears to about two to three times the approach 
velocity, which spreads apart the ears traveling substantially end-on-end 
in each of the troughs. The intersection of the corrugated portion 70 and 
the declining section 76 defines a ridge 80 in a pan of a preferred 
embodiment. The ears 52 pass from the corrugated portion 70 onto the 
declining section 76 as the pan 50 vibrates. In the corrugated portion 70, 
the vibratory motion due to the motor (not shown) and resilient members 58 
cause the ears 52 to move in the direction shown by arrow 66. In the 
declining section 76, the ears 52 move by a combination of propulsion from 
the drive means of the vibratory device (not shown) and in part by means 
of gravity. 
In the preferred embodiment, the flat portion 51, the corrugated portion 70 
and the declining section 76 define the pan 50 and are integrally formed 
of stainless steel sheet stock. 
The present invention is preferably a two mass vibratory system including a 
drive motor (not shown) which causes the vibrating pan 50 to vibrate in a 
manner which propels the ears 52 in a direction shown by arrow 66. 
Referring back to FIG. 1, in a preferred embodiment, the declining section 
76 includes a plurality of openings 82 and the narrow troughs 84 are just 
wide enough to support an ear of corn traveling substantially in the 
direction shown by arrow 66. In a preferred embodiment, the troughs 84 are 
about 2 inches wide. If any ears are not aligned over the narrow troughs 
84, the ears fall through the openings 82 in the declining section 76 and 
are received below in a recycle hopper 86 as shown in FIG. 2. The presence 
of the openings 82 and the positioning of the recycle hopper 86 prevent 
the narrow troughs 84 from delivering more ears to a discharge end 90 of 
the declining section 76 than can be moved away by means of an eccentric 
conveyor 88 of the present invention positioned proximate the discharge 
end 90. 
In a preferred embodiment, a single cross brace (not shown) extends across 
a lower surface of each narrow trough 84 proximate the discharge end 90 
for minimizing vibration of the type which is not useful in moving the 
ears in the desired direction. A preferred brace includes an elongated 
strip of round or rectangular metal sheet stock. 
The recycle hopper 86 in the preferred embodiment extends substantially 
downwardly and tapers inwardly to deposit the ears 52 onto a recycle 
conveyor 92. In the preferred embodiment, the recycle conveyor 92 
comprises a conventional endless moving belt 94 which delivers the 
overflow ears 52 back proximate a feed end of the feed conveyor 40. 
Alternatively, the recycle conveyor 92 sends the recycled ears 52 back 
through the size grader 35 (shown in FIG. 1). In yet another embodiment, 
the recycled ears 52 are fed directly onto the drop chute 54. 
The present invention includes means for controlling the rate of feed of 
the ears 52 to the delivery device 48 of the present invention. A 
preferred means includes providing an optical sensor for measuring a 
height of ears present on the recycle conveyor. The optical sensor in 
response to a visual observation generates a signal which is received by a 
controller (not shown). The controller shuts off the supply conveyor 22 
until the optical scanner senses that the height of the recycled ears has 
been reduced, or eliminated. 
The precise means of control is not critical due to the capacity of the 
preferred embodiment to recycle excess ears, and avoid plugging up the 
machine. Other preferred methods of controlling the feed rate include 
collecting recycled ears into a hopper, and sensing the level in the 
hopper. When the hopper is full, the controller turns off the conveyor 22 
and turns on a recycle return conveyor (not show) which empties the 
contents of the recycle hopper onto the feed conveyor 40. The present 
invention is not limited to the above described means of controlling the 
rate of feed of the ears into the delivery device 48. 
In another embodiment, the declining section 76 is replaced by a plurality 
of declining chain conveyors which convey the ears 52 from the corrugated 
portion 70 to the eccentric conveyor 88 of the present invention by means 
of frictional contact between the husks and the chains. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the present invention includes means for 
delivering the ears moving through the troughs 84 into a means for 
dropping the ears onto a receiving conveyor. In a preferred embodiment, 
the means for delivering the ears includes an eccentric conveyor 88. The 
eccentric conveyor 88 includes a plurality of eccentric pulleys 96A and 
96B which are fixedly mounted in pairs in the preferred embodiment onto 
rotatable shafts 98A and 98B respectively. Each pair of pulleys is closely 
spaced to accept a lower surface of an ear 52. In the preferred 
embodiment, a center to center distance between pulleys is about 11/2 
inches. The eccentric conveyor 88 also includes a plurality of endless 
moving members 100 mounted within a groove 101 (shown in cross section in 
FIG. 3A) on the outer surfaces of eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B. In a 
preferred embodiment, the endless moving member 100 is a flexible belt. 
The outer diameter of each eccentric pulley in a preferred embodiment is 
approximately 4.625 inches, and the pulleys have an approximate 4.500 
pitch diameter. 
Referring back to FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment, the shafts 98A and 
98B are substantially solid, have central shaft axes which lie within a 
horizontal plane 99 (into the paper) and have a one inch nominal outside 
diameter. The eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B of the preferred embodiment 
have an approximate 1 inch diameter bores extending therethrough which are 
each identically offset from a center point by about 0.500 inches. In a 
preferred embodiment, the shafts 98A and 98B are stationary relative to 
the bore in each eccentric pulley 96A and 96B. The pulleys are locked into 
place on the shafts in the preferred embodiment. 
Because the eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B rotate about an axis which is not 
located centrally on the pulley, the eccentric pulleys have a "lower" 
position shown in solid lines and an upper position shown in phantom. In 
the preferred embodiment, both eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B are in the 
same phase during rotation. For purposes of this disclosure, "in phase" 
means that the eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B reach their maximum vertical 
height at the same time and also meet their minimum vertical height at the 
same time. 
A vertical height of the lowest point of the troughs 84 at the discharge 
end 90 in the preferred embodiment is approximately one half inch below a 
vertical height of an upper surface of the endless moving member 100 when 
the eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B are at their minimum height (shown in 
solid lines). With this geometry, the majority of each ear moves off of 
the troughs 84 and becomes positioned directly over the eccentric pulleys 
96A and 96B as shown in FIG. 3 due to vibratory movement. Although the 
preferred height difference is about plus one half inch, the distance can 
vary plus or minus about one half of an inch, depending on the geometry 
and surface smoothness of the ears. 
In order to process a wide variety of corn, the present invention includes 
means for adjusting the height of the eccentric conveyor 88 relative to a 
valley of the troughs 84. The preferred means includes mounting the 
eccentric conveyor on a frame which has a height adjustment. 
Both eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B travel in a direction of rotation shown 
by arrows 102A and 102B. As the eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B rotate in 
direction 102A and 102B, an upper surface of the endless moving member 100 
moves both vertically in a direction shown by arrow 103 and horizontally 
in a direction shown by arrow 104 which lifts the ear 52 and accelerates 
the ear into a drop gate 156 located on the opposite side of the eccentric 
pulley 96B. The combination of rotational motion as well as acceleration 
in the directions 103 and 104 has the effect of increasing the 
gravitational forces on the ear 52 and allows the eccentric conveyor 88 to 
convey the ear 52 in to the drop gate 156 without additional means of 
propulsion. Once positioned in the drop gate 156, the ear 52 may be 
dropped onto an upper surface of a receiving conveyor 108 located beneath 
the drop gate 156 as will be described below. 
Referring to FIG. 4, each narrow trough 84, 84A, 84B and 84C, for example 
84, positions an ear between a pair of two closely spaced eccentric 
pulleys 96A and 110A. In the preferred embodiment, the pulleys 96A and 
110A are spaced apart by 11/2 inches from center to center. The second 
pair of eccentric pulleys 96B and 110B in the preferred embodiment are 
substantially identical to the construction of pulleys 96A and 110A. That 
is, all four eccentric pulleys 96A, 96B, 110A and 110B are fixedly mounted 
onto their respective shafts 98A and 98B and all four eccentric pulleys 
96A, 96B, 110A and 110B have on their outer surfaces a notch for receiving 
an endless moving member 100 and 112, respectively. The second set of 
pulleys 96B and 110B are aligned with the first set 96A and 110A and a 
centerline of the trough 84. A set of four eccentric pulleys 142, 144 and 
146 are positioned in similar fashion proximate each additional trough 
84A, 84B, 84C and so forth. 
In the preferred embodiment, 20 sets of two eccentric pulleys each are 
mounted onto shaft 98A and 20 sets of two eccentric pulleys each are 
mounted onto shaft 98B. The total number of eccentric pulleys therefore is 
80. However, eleven sets are covered since only nine lanes are used. The 
total number of operational pulleys is therefore 36. In the preferred 
embodiment, two closely spaced pulleys per cob per shaft are used to 
straddle the ear and provide stability. In another embodiment, a wider 
pulley having a V-shaped notch on its outer circumferencial surface would 
be an acceptable substitute for a pair of adjacent pulleys. In yet another 
embodiment, four pulleys per lane substantially identical to the first 
preferred embodiment except without belts can be used with some varieties 
of corn. 
Only every other set of eccentric pulleys 142, 144 and 146 in the preferred 
embodiment are used while the remaining sets (of four each) are covered by 
shield members 126A, 126B, 126C and 126D. In the preferred embodiment, the 
shield members 126A through 126D are formed from substantially flat sheet 
stock material having 90.degree. bends near each end forming a cap over 
each set of four unused eccentric pulleys such as a set defined by pulleys 
128A, 128B, 130A and 130B, for example. It is to be understood that since 
according to the first preferred embodiment, only alternating sets of four 
eccentric pulleys are used to practice the present invention, placing the 
additional unused eccentric pulleys on the shafts 98A and 98B is not 
necessary. An alternate embodiment uses all twenty lanes with no ear 
recycling feature. 
In a preferred embodiment, the first shaft 98A is driven by means of a 
motor (not shown) attached to the frame 230. An electric clutch 114 is 
provided and is chain driven by the motor (not shown). The clutch 114 
allows the motor to rotate substantially continuously. The clutch 114 is 
connected to the shaft 98A by means of a coupling 116. A controller (not 
shown) sends a signal to the clutch 114 to engage the motor for a time 
sufficient to allow the shaft 98A to rotate one complete revolution per 
cycle. A timer is provided which sends a signal to the controller that a 
cycle is complete. The controller then signals the clutch to engage the 
motor to begin another cycle. Only one revolution is required to move an 
ear of corn 52 from a position substantially above the eccentric pulleys 
96A, 110A, 96B and 110B into a corresponding drop gate 156. 
The clutch 114 in the preferred embodiment is a Warner single revolution 
clutch no. CB-8 and is available by ordering part no. CB-8-F-CCW from the 
Warner Corporation of S. Beloit, Ill. The preferred clutch has a one and 
one half inch bore and runs on 120 AC, 60 cycle power. 
The shaft 98A is mounted for rotation on a stationary frame 230 by means of 
bearings (not shown). Mounted onto an end of the shaft 98A opposite the 
motor end is a sprocket 118 for receiving an endless timing chain 120. The 
endless timing chain 120 meshes with a second sprocket 122 located 
proximate a first end 124 of the second shaft 98B which is similarly 
mounted for rotation within the stationary frame 230 by means of bearings 
(not shown). The preferred sprockets 122 and 118 are of the same size such 
that shafts 98A and 98B rotate at substantially the identical rotational 
speeds which in the preferred embodiment is about 85 r.p.m. Both sprockets 
are: Martin sprocket nos. 40BTL22H with 1610 pound bushings and 1 inch 
bores. Since in the preferred embodiment the sprockets 118 and 122 are of 
the same diameter, the speed of the shaft 98B rotates at substantially the 
same speed as shaft 98A. 
In the preferred embodiment, the controller (not shown) sends a signal to 
the clutch 114 which engages the motor (not shown) for an amount of time 
sufficient to cause each eccentric pulley mounted on shafts 98A and 98B to 
rotate one revolution. The controller is programmed to cause the clutch 
114 to repeat the sequence approximately every 1.45 seconds at a feed rate 
of about 400 ears per minute in the preferred embodiment. In the preferred 
embodiment, the motor (not shown) is a gearmotor manufactured by Shimpo 
Corporation of Japan. The motor has a circulate reducer. The motor may be 
ordered from the Baldor Corporation of Fort Smith, Ark. by specifying part 
no. 61B17-140TC and requesting a Baldor 145 TC frame, one and one-half 
horse power 230/460/3 V, 60 cycle T.E.N.V., 1750 r.p.m. washed-down duty 
motor. The preferred reducer and drive chain reduces from 1750 r.p.m. 
motor speed to 85 r.p.m. shaft speed in the preferred embodiment. 
In a preferred embodiment, the motor (not shown) which drives the shaft 98A 
has an output shaft onto which is mounted a sprocket (not shown). Mounted 
onto the clutch 114 is a second sprocket 158. Sprocket 158 and the 
sprocket of the motor shaft (not shown) are connected by means of an 
endless chain (not shown). In the preferred embodiment, both sprockets 158 
and the sprocket mounted onto the output shaft of the motor (not shown) 
are Martin sprockets no. 40BTL22H with 1610 pound bushings and 1 inch 
bores. According to the preferred embodiment, the rotational speed of the 
motor shaft is reduced by a gear reducer and chain connected to the motor 
(not shown) to achieve a shaft 98A speed of about 85 r.p.m. 
The combination of the endless moving members 100 and 112 coupled with the 
drive configuration described above assures that each eccentric pulley 
will move at substantially the same rotational speed and that each 
eccentric pulley will rotate in phase with the other eccentric pulleys. In 
other words, each eccentric pulley according to a preferred embodiment, 
reaches its maximum "upper" position at precisely the same time while each 
eccentric pulley will reach its minimum "lower" position at precisely the 
same time. The preferred height increase from "lower" to "upper" positions 
is about 1 inch. 
In a preferred embodiment, a drop gate 156 includes a pair of substantially 
rectangular leafs 106A and 106B whose inner edges in a first "closed" 
position are substantially parallel to and proximate a center of the 
trough 84 such that when the ear is transferred from the eccentric 
conveyor 88 to the drop gate, the ear is positioned substantially 
centrally in the closed drop gate 156. In a preferred embodiment, each of 
the narrow troughs 84 includes a valley 93 which is spaced about 8 inches 
apart from each adjacent valley. In a preferred embodiment, the pan 50 
includes 9 troughs 84. 
In a preferred embodiment, the controller holds the drop gates 150, 152, 
154 and 156 in a first "closed" position while the clutch 114 engages the 
motor and drives the eccentric conveyor 88 to place ears in the drop 
gates. 
In the preferred embodiment, the motor (not shown) rotates the shafts 98A 
and 98B at speeds sufficient to obtain a surface velocity on a horizontal 
portion of the endless moving member 100 of between about 80 and about 120 
feet per minute with a preferred speed of about 100 feet per minute. 
Referring back to FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment, a rotating spinner bar 
132 provides an additional means for moving the ears from the pan 50 to 
the drop gates 156. A preferred spinner bar 132 is fixedly mounted onto a 
shaft 131, the shaft being mounted for rotation on the stationary frame 
230 between the drop gates 150, 152, 154 and 156 and the eccentric 
conveyor 88 (shown in FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 3, the spinner bar 132 is 
a rubber tube having a through-bore of a size to snugly receive the shaft 
131. In another embodiment, the shaft 131 has a larger diameter portion 
defining the spinner bar 132 and is of a substantially solid construction. 
In the preferred embodiment, the shaft 131 is of about a 1 inch outside 
diameter, and the spinner bar is of approximately 11/2 inches outside 
diameter. The spinner bar 132 spins at a substantially constant rate of 
approximately 250 feet per minute surface speed. The spinner bar 132 
according to the preferred embodiment is driven by a motor 129 (shown in 
FIG. 4) which in the preferred embodiment is a Baldor one-half horse power 
foot mounted Baldor motor having a 230/460/3 V/60 cycle, no. 56 frame TENV 
rated motor which operates at 1750 r.p.m. This motor may be obtained by 
ordering part no. WDN3538 from the Baldor Corporation of Fort Smith, Ark. 
In a preferred embodiment, an upper surface of the spinner bar 132 is at 
substantially the same vertical height as the upper surface of the endless 
moving member 100 when the eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B are in their 
"upper" position (shown in phantom). When the ear 52 passes over the 
spinner bar 132, the additional surface speed of the spinner bar 132 
assures that the ear 52 will move completely off the eccentric conveyor 
and into the drop gate 156. Although a preferred embodiment of the present 
invention includes a spinner bar, it is to be understood that the 
eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B generally provide enough momentum to the ear 
52 such that the ear reaches the drop gate without further assistance. In 
a first preferred embodiment, the spinner bar 132 is mounted onto the same 
adjustable frame which supports the eccentric conveyor 88. Further height 
adjustment 133 is also provided so that the maximum height of an upper 
surface of the spinner bar 132 is at a same height as the maximum height 
of the eccentric pulleys, and the minimum height of an upper surface is 
approximately at the same height as the minimum height of the eccentric 
pulleys. 
FIG. 5 shows a side elevational view of a second preferred eccentric 
conveyor of the present invention. In a second preferred embodiment, the 
eccentric pulley 134 located proximate the spinner bar 136 is of a 
diameter which is larger than the diameter of the eccentric pulley 138. 
The shafts 139A and 139B have central rotational axes which are within 
separate planes, where the shaft 139B closest to the spinner bar is 
positioned about 1/2 inch lower than the shaft 139A. In this case, as with 
a first preferred embodiment, both eccentric pulleys 134 and 138 travel at 
the same rotational speed and reach a maximum vertical height at precisely 
the same time. It is believed that the eccentric pulley 134 closest to the 
spinner bar 136 can be up to 100% larger in circumference than the 
eccentric pulley 96A (shown in FIG. 3) and adequately accelerate the ear 
52 into the corresponding drop gate 156 without a spinner bar. 
In a third preferred embodiment, the eccentric pulleys are of the same size 
and alone provide enough frictional contact between the outer surfaces of 
the eccentric pulleys and the ear corn such that a belt is not necessary. 
In such a case, the use of a metal eccentric pulley may be sufficient to 
accelerate the ears. It might also be desirable to provide a knurled or 
rubber coated outer circumferencial surfaces on the pulleys to improve 
frictional contact between the pulleys and the ear if necessary to process 
some varieties of corn. 
Referring back to FIG. 4, a valley 93 of each narrow trough 84, 84A, 84B 
and 84C defines a line of travel of each lane of ears. As each ear is 
accelerated toward a drop gate 156, for example, comprising a first leaf 
106A and a second leaf 106B, the leafs 106A and 106B suspend the ear 
directly above a receiving conveyor 108 below (shown in FIG. 3). In 
operation, each set of eccentric pulleys, each set being defined by four 
pulleys 96A, 96B, 110A and 110B, and additional sets 142, 144 and 146, for 
example, respectively transfer in a single revolution of the shafts 98A 
and 98B an ear to each corresponding lift gate 150, 152, 154 and 156 
located along the lines of travel of the ears. 
Because every other set of four eccentric pulleys remain unused according 
to a preferred embodiment, the drop gates located in a line of travel of 
the covered pulleys are not used in the operation of this embodiment. It 
was surprisingly discovered that by selecting an 8 inch center to center 
spacing between valleys 93 in the declining section 76, that enough space 
between valleys became available to recycle ears and avoid plugging and 
jamming at the eccentrics during operation. The vibrating pan was modified 
to include 9 lanes rather than the original 20 and the improved version is 
what is shown in FIG. 1. As a result of the pan modification, it became 
desirable to cover unused eccentric pulleys and disable the unused drop 
gates. 
Referring to FIG. 6, a side elevational view of a plurality of drop gates 
159, 160, 162, 164, 168 and 170 are shown. In the preferred embodiment, 
each drop gate, for example gate 168, comprises a first leaf 172 and a 
second leaf 174. Each leaf 172 and 174 is hinge mounted onto a 
substantially horizontal drop gate shaft 176F and 176G having a 
substantially horizontal axis 218 (shown in FIG. 7). 
Each alternating drop gate 160, 164 and 168 in the preferred embodiment has 
a first closed position as shown in FIG. 6 and a second open position 169A 
and 169B (shown in phantom) in which adjacent leafs 172 and 174 pivot 
downwardly in a direction shown by arrows 178 and 180 along a central axis 
of each shaft 176F and 176G. In a preferred embodiment, the adjacent leafs 
defining a drop gate move substantially in unison in opposite directions. 
In the first closed position as illustrated in FIG. 6, the spacing between 
the lowermost edges of adjacent leafs 172 and 174 is about 1/2 inch. The 
spacing in the first closed position in the preferred embodiment is at 
least about 1/2 inch in order to avoid operator pinch points or jamming 
the machine if an ear becomes lodged between the leafs 172 and 174 while 
the leafs are returning to the closed position. 
The drop gates 160, 164 and 168 of the preferred embodiment also have a 
second open position which is reached when the leafs 172 and 174 rotate in 
the direction shown by arrows 178 and 180 respectively. The adjacent edges 
of the leafs 172 and 174 open to a width of at least approximately 31/2 
inches in the preferred embodiment to allow the ears to fall freely. 
Every other adjacent leaf, for example, leafs 172 and 173 in the preferred 
embodiment includes a piano-type hinge proximate an upper edge, each hinge 
being mounted onto a substantially solid drop gate shaft 176F as described 
above. In the preferred embodiment, each drop gate shaft is formed of 3/8 
inch round stock. 
Referring back to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the elevation of the 
uppermost portion of each drop gate is about the same as the elevation of 
endless members 100 when the eccentric pulleys 96A and 96B are in their 
lowermost position. Although this is a preferred configuration, the height 
of the uppermost portion of each drop gate as compared to the height of 
the eccentric conveyor 88 is not critical. 
Referring back to FIG. 6, in a preferred embodiment, actuation means 
comprising a plurality of pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184 (shown in FIG. 
7) together operate to move leafs 181, 179, 177, 175, 172 and 174 
respectively from a first closed position to a second open position. To 
open the gates, the pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184 are activated, causing 
leafs 181, 177 and 172 rotate in a first direction as shown by arrow 178, 
and leafs 179, 175 and 174 rotate in a direction shown by arrow 180. To 
close the gates, the actuators return to the original position and the 
direction of rotation of the gates reverses. 
In the preferred embodiment, since only nine lanes are used in the delivery 
device 48 (shown in FIG. 1), only nine gates are actuated by the described 
actuation means. The gates which are not actuated by means of the 
pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184 remain closed. 
In another preferred embodiment, the delivery device 48 has a corrugated 
section having corrugations on 4 inch centers. The declining section 
includes twenty narrow troughs, and the eccentric conveyor includes 80 
eccentric pulleys, forming twenty lanes. In this embodiment, all of the 
drop gates are actuated by the means described above. That is, each leaf 
is pivotally connected to a pneumatically actuated linking arm. 
The pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184 (shown in FIG. 7) are operated at a 
rate which in the preferred embodiment opens the leafs 181 and 179, 175 
and 177 and 172 and 174 faster than the ear is capable of dropping by 
means of gravity and therefore the ears fall freely without spinning onto 
an upper surface of the receiving conveyor 108 (shown in FIG. 3) below. In 
the first preferred embodiment, the ears fall a distance of about six 
inches from the drop gate to an upper surface of the conveyor 108. 
FIG. 7 is a top plan view illustrating a preferred means of actuating the 
drop gates of the present invention. A preferred means of actuating the 
drop gates of the present invention opens and closes alternating drop 
gates by means of a pair of pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184. The remaining 
drop gates remain stationary. A first set of leafs 203, 201, 199, 186, 
190, 194 and 198 are each pivotally connected to a first linking arm 200 
by pivot pins 187A through 187G. The first linking arm 200 is pivotally 
connected at one end to the pneumatic cylinder 182 and is pivotally 
connected at the opposite end to pneumatic cylinder 184. A second set of 
leafs 206, 210, 214, 221, 223, 225 and 235 are pivotally connected to a 
second linking arm 202 by pivot pins 215A through 215G. The second linking 
arm 202 is also pivotally connected to each pneumatic cylinder 182 and 
184. Leafs 188, 192, 196, 204, 207, 208, 209, 213, 212 and 216 are not 
pivotally connected to either linking arm and remain stationary in a first 
preferred embodiment. 
The pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184 in the first preferred embodiment are 
supported by the linking arms 200 and 202 which in turn are supported by 
the pivot pins 215A-215G and pivot pins 187A-187G. First ends 241 and 243 
of the linking arms 200 and 202 are free. 
The means to actuate the drop gate also includes a crank arm 239 to allow 
the linking arms 200 and 202 to move in the horizontal as well as in the 
vertical direction. Crank arm 239 is mounted to the stationary frame 230 
and connects the frame to the opposite ends 226 and 228 of the linking 
arms 200 and 202. 
The crank arm 239 includes a center pivot pin 237. The pivot pin 237 is 
mounted for rotation onto the frame 230. Pivotally connected to the pivot 
pin is a control arm 219. At one end of the control arm, a pivot pin 231 
is provided for pivotally connecting the control arm to a first end of 
linking arm 232. At an opposite end of the control arm 219, a pivot pin 
233 is provided for pivotally connecting the control arm to a first end of 
linking arm 234. The second end of linking arm 232 is pivotally connected 
to the opposite end 228 of linking arm 200 by means of pivot pin 229. The 
second end of linking arm 234 is pivotally connected to the opposite end 
226 of linking arm 202 by means of a pivot pin 227. 
In operation, the pneumatic cylinders move the linking arms 200 and 202 in 
a direction indicated by arrow 205, and in a direction opposite the 
direction shown by arrow 205. During operation, the linking arms 200 and 
202 remain substantially horizontal, yet move in the vertical direction 
enough to allow the leafs to move in an arc. 
In the preferred embodiment, twenty drop gates are provided for dropping 
corn onto a conveyor beneath the drop gates. However, as mentioned above, 
only 9 gates are operational. Alternating gates according to the first 
preferred embodiment are not connected to linking arms 200 and 202. 
Pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184 operate each of the 9 pairs of operational 
gates. 
Each of the drop gate shafts 176A through 176G (shown in FIG. 6) are 
pivotally mounted to the frame 230 which holds the entire drop gate 
assembly suspended above the receiving conveyor 108 (shown in FIG. 3). 
Referring back to FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment, the conveyor 108 is 
a rod-type conveyor defined by a plurality of transversely extending rods 
(not shown) which are stationary in relation to the endless moving belt 
236. In the preferred embodiment, the transversely mounted rods are spaced 
apart on 4 inch centers and are suspended about 11/2 inches from an upper 
surface of the moving belt 236. The rods and upper surface of the belt 
define compartments which are of a size to individually receive a single 
ear of corn falling from a drop gate above. Although a preferred receiving 
conveyor 108 comprises a rod-type conveyor, it is to be understood that 
any compartmentalized surface suitable for receiving an elongated object 
transverse to a direction of motion of the conveyor would be suitable for 
receiving elongated objects such as corn ears. For example, the present 
invention includes a compartmentalized conveyor of the type shown in FIG. 
8. 
FIG. 8 is a schematic side elevational view of another preferred receiving 
conveyor of the present invention. A quantity of trough-shaped notches 238 
extend transversely across a surface of the conveyor and are of a suitable 
size and shape for receiving an ear of corn 240. In this embodiment, the 
endless belt 242 includes integrally formed compartments. 
In a preferred embodiment, one or more optical sensors are mounted above 
the receiving conveyor 108 (shown in FIG. 3) and are provided to sense the 
position of the rods on the conveyor relative to the drop gates. The 
optical sensor observes when a rod passes the sensing device and sends a 
signal to the controller. The controller activates a timing device which 
generates a signal when a selected time has past. The controller then 
activates the pneumatic cylinders 182 and 184 (shown in FIG. 4) to open 
the gates and drop each ear centrally into alternating compartments on the 
conveyor as shown in FIG. 9. 
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the declining section 76, the eccentric 
conveyor 88 and a receiving conveyor 108 of the present invention. In 
operation, ears of corn 244 travel along the valleys of the corrugated 
portion 70 and across the narrow troughs 84 of the declining section 76 
where some ears become dislodged and fall into the recycle chute 86. The 
ears that remain on the narrow troughs 84 travel onto an upper surface of 
the eccentric conveyor 88 by means of the delivery device 48 and by means 
of gravity and are transferred onto the drop gate section 150, 152, 154 
and 156 which has been removed from FIG. 9 for clarity (shown in FIG. 4). 
As the first set of ears (indicated by numeral 1) are placed on the closed 
drop gates, the optical sensor (not shown) below scans for the presence of 
the transversely mounted rod on the rod conveyor below. The rod conveyor 
108 in the preferred embodiment moves substantially continuously in a 
preferred embodiment at a linear speed of about 133.3 feet per minute. 
When the sensor determines that the ears shown as reference numeral 1 will 
be centered between the rods after the ear freely falls to the surface of 
the rod conveyor 108, the controller (not shown) activates the pneumatic 
cylinders 182 and 184 to rapidly open the gates and deposit the ears 
identified by the numeral 1 in alternating compartments on the rod 
conveyor 108. 
According to a preferred embodiment, the rod conveyor 108 moves 
continuously while the eccentric conveyor 88 intermittently loads the drop 
gates. Referring now to FIG. 10, as the first series of ears located on 
the receiving conveyor 108 advance approximately half way past the 
eccentric conveyor, which in the preferred embodiment is nine ear spaces, 
a second series of ears indicated by numeral 2 is loaded into the drop 
gates (which are removed from this drawing for purposes of illustration). 
It is to be understood that the timing of each revolution of the eccentric 
conveyor 88 allows sufficient time for the receiving conveyor 108 to 
advance 9 spaces according to a preferred embodiment. While the receiving 
conveyor 108 is moving in a direction as shown generally by arrow 245, a 
second group of ears, marked as number 2 in the drawings, is loaded into 
the drop gates which are removed from this figure for purposes of 
illustration. The controller is programmed to reactivate the pneumatic 
cylinders after the photosensor sends the ninth signal. After a selected 
time delay, the control device actuates the pneumatic cylinders 182 and 
184, (shown in FIG. 7) dropping the second set of ears on the receiving 
conveyor below. It can be seen from FIG. 10 that by advancing the 
receiving conveyor 108 a total of 9 compartments between each drop, that 
the conveyor will eventually be substantially filled with transversely 
positioned ears in nearly every compartment. In practice however, it has 
been found that an upper practical limit on the percent filled 
compartments is about 70% when a twenty lane feeding device is used. When 
using the lanes is possible and therefore the ears must be fed at a slower 
rate to prevent pluggage. Greater fill rates can result in jamming at the 
eccentric conveyor. When nine lanes according to the first preferred 
embodiment are used and a portion of the ears can be recycled, then fill 
rates up to 95% are possible and have been achieved. 
It has been surprisingly discovered that by loading ears onto a conveyor in 
a manner which positions the ears substantially transversely across the 
receiving conveyor 36, that greater production speeds have been attained 
that were not possible prior to the present invention. The device 
described above is capable of delivering up to about 440 ears per minute 
to the receiving conveyor 108 and at the same time positioning each ear 
transversely across the conveyor receiving surface into individual 
compartments. 
The gates of the preferred embodiment should be at least about 18 inches in 
overall length when processing corn to accommodate a cob which can be up 
to about 12 inches in length plus 2 to 3 inches for the cob stock and 2 to 
3 inches for the husks and silks. 
FIG. 11 shows another preferred feeding device 246 of the present 
invention. The feeding device 246 includes a vibratory pan 248 including a 
flat section 250, a corrugated section 252 and a declining section 254 
defined by a plurality of downwardly sloping narrow troughs 256. The pan 
248 is substantially identical to what is described in the first preferred 
embodiment. Below the feeding device 246 is a recycle chute 258. 
A retention device 260 is provided for spreading apart the ears within the 
troughs 256. The retention device includes a pivotally mounted shaft 262 
which in the preferred embodiment is mounted in bearings 264. The bearings 
are mounted on a stationary frame 266. Mounted on the shaft 262 is a 
rubber strip 268 which extends downwardly toward an upper surface of the 
troughs 256, and is long enough to prevent ears from passing under a lower 
edge 270 of the strip 268 (shown in FIG. 12). A crank arm 272 is mounted 
onto an end 274 of the shaft 262. The crank arm is pivotally mounted to a 
pneumatic actuator 276 and upon delivery of fluid pressure, rotates the 
shaft 262 and strip 268 (shown in broken lines) in a direction indicated 
by arrow 278 enough to allow an ear of corn to pass under the strip. The 
controller then signals the actuator 276 to return the strip to the 
original position. The above described retention device is useful to 
obtain fill rates of up to 95% on a receiving conveyor (not shown) during 
operation. Without providing such a device, fill rates on a sustained 
basis of slightly less are obtained. 
One of the advantages of the present invention is that even for extremely 
high production speeds, it is possible to maintain a maximum linear ear 
speed during processing of 30 to 50 feet per minute. It is generally known 
in the art that when ears travel with their longitudinal axes positioned 
parallel to a direction of travel, at linear velocities approaching about 
200 feet per minute, ears of corn can become airborne and bruising and 
other damage is likely. The present invention is capable of delivering 
ears at a rate which is greater than twice the maximum known rate for 
end-to-end travel yet maintains a maximum ear velocity no greater than 
about 50 feet per minute in a long direction of each ear. Furthermore, 
little to no damage to the ears as a result of processing with the 
preferred device has been observed. 
Although the above-described embodiments of the present invention employ 
the use of a vibratory feeder to deliver ears of corn to the eccentric 
conveyor of the present invention, it is to be understood that other means 
of delivering ears into a plurality of lanes may be used to load a 
receiving conveyor. For example, a conventional rubber belt conveyor could 
be used to feed the ears into a plurality of funnel type troughs which 
deliver ears into lanes on a moving conveyor. 
Also, although the preferred embodiments employ feed rates on the delivery 
device 48 (shown in FIG. 1) of between about 30 and about 50 feet per 
minute, it is to be understood that this limit is due to the design 
characteristics of the machine. Other feed devices could be operated at 
speeds up to 200 feet per minute while still maintaining control over the 
ears. It has been discovered that the eccentric conveyor of the preferred 
embodiment works best at speeds up to about 70 ears per minute. 
Also, the present invention is not limited to a device which deposits nine 
elongated objects per cycle onto a moving conveyor. It is preferred to 
select a number of lanes which is an odd number to obtain the greatest 
fill efficiency on the receiving conveyor. The number of lanes is limited 
in the case of feeding corn to a number which will conveniently fit within 
a pan having a width which is small enough to obtain an even distribution 
of the corn on the flat end. In the first preferred embodiment, the width 
of the flat portion 51 of the vibrating pan 50 is about five feet wide. 
If a vibratory pan configuration is used, the rate of feed of each lane 
will be between about 30 and about 50 feet per minute. Based on this feed 
rate, the number of lanes is selected to obtain the desired capacity 
machine. According to the first preferred embodiment, a nine lane machine 
is capable of delivering about 440 ears per minute to the receiving 
conveyor. Although the first preferred embodiment employs nine lanes, a 
large number of lanes could be used to load elongated objects transversely 
onto a conveyor. 
Although the present invention has been described with reference to 
preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that 
changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit 
and scope of the invention.