Patent ID: 7854314

Claim:
An article singulating conveyor assembly, comprising: a conveying surface defining a plurality of tandem zones, said conveying surface traveling in a longitudinal direction; each of said zones comprising a pair of laterally spaced side frame members and a plurality of elongated driven rollers that are generally parallel to each other, said driven rollers supported at said side frame members, wherein said driven rollers are each divided into a plurality of segmented roller sections that are separately rotatable about a common axis; each of said zones further comprising a plurality of motorized rollers, each adapted to drive corresponding sections for the driven rollers in that zone, each of said motorized rollers comprising an elongated cylindrical shell that is generally parallel to said frame members and a motor that rotates said shell; at least one article sensor that is adapted to sensing articles in said zones; and a control, wherein said control is responsive to said at least one article sensor and is adapted to activate each of said plurality of motorized rollers for each of said zones independent of the other of said motorized rollers in a manner that tends to singulate laterally adjacent articles.