Patent GB-929854-A (GB)
Title: High speed sorting apparatus
IPC: B07C5/16
Filed: 1961-09-26
Abstract: 929,854. Sorting by weighing. FMC CORPORATION. Sept. 26, 1961 [Nov. 7, 1960], No. 34382/61. Class 143. [Also in Group XXX] Apparatus in which articles are sorted by weight comprises a main conveyer 12 for articles of the proper weight, a pair of diverting conveyers 13, 14 for over-and-under-weight articles respectively, a pair of spaced deflectors 83, 84 near the inlet end of the main conveyer 12, one on each side, each deflector being arranged to be activated independently of, but in co-operation with, the other to act as substantially parallel guiding surfaces to deflect an article from the main conveyer to one of the diverting conveyers and check-weighing mechanism which controls the deflectors, the surfaces of the diverting conveyers 13, 14 having a higher coefficient of friction than that of the main conveyer. The main conveyer 12 comprises a smooth-surfaced plastic belt 26, a drive roller 29, a driven roller 31, a forward support member 22, a rear support member 23 and a connecting plate 24 to provide a flat surface along which the upper run of the main conveyer belt 26 rides. The diverting conveyers 13, 14 comprise rubber-coated belts 44a, 44, drive rollers 38a, 38 and support members 36a, 36 with their upper surfaces at a level which brings the belts 44a, 44 slightly below the level of the lower surface of the upper run of the main belt 26. The drive rollers 38a, 38 are in turn driven from the shaft of the main conveyer roller 31 through universal points 41a, 41. The tension of the belts 26, 44, 44a is adjusted by rollers 51 and the main belt 26 has an additional idling roller 59 for maintaining its tension. Rollers 69 provide partial support for articles as they are being transferred. The conveyers 12, 13 and 14 are driven at the same speed as the discharge conveyer 71 of a check weighing.machine 72 by a belt 73 which drives a pulley 70, the shaft 76 of which is coupled to the shaft 32 of the roller 29. The check weigher 72 classifies articles into those which are overweight underweight and normal weight and accordingly preconditions electrical circuits to operate when triggered by an article breaking a light beam from a lamp 127 to a photo-electric cell 128. If an article is overweight a circuit is completed through a coil 232C of a relay 232 and contacts 160 of a timer mechanism 129, whereupon the closing of relay contacts 232A closes a holding circuit through the coil 232C and the contacts 160. The closing of relay contacts 232B preconditions the energizing circuit for a selenoid 97a, which circuit includes contacts 180B of a relay 180. If an article is underweight a relay 154 is energized to precondition a circuit which controls a solenoid 97. The interception of the light beam by an overweight or underweight article causes an amplifier 220 to cease holding open a relay 181R, the contacts 181 of which therefore close and cause energization of the relay 180, the contacts 180B of which then close, completing the circuit of the solenoid 97a through contacts 232B or the circuit of the solenoid 97 through contacts 154B, according to whether the relay 232 was energized by an overweight article or the relay 154 by an underweight article. If the article was of normal weight neither of the relays 232, 154 would have been energized. The solenoid 97 is incorporated in an underweight article rejecting mechanism 17 and when energized it causes the deflectors 84 to be moved to a position, as shown, whereby underweight articles are diverted to the conveyer 14. Similarly the solenoid 97a in an overweight article rejecting mechanism 16, moves the deflector 83 to divert overweight articles to the conveyer 13. When the motor 212 of the timer mechanism 129 has caused one revolution of a cam 218, the contacts 160 are broken, so opening the holding circuits of the relays 154, 180 and restoring the circuits to their neutral conditions.