Patent ID: 6851250

Claim:
A wrapping machine for wrapping trayed food products, comprising: a wrap station at which trayed food products are wrapped; a film dispensing station for drawing out film over trayed food products at the wrap station; a conveying system for moving trayed food products along a defined path to the wrap station including: a first conveyor along a first portion of the defined path; a second conveyor along a second portion of the defined path, the first conveyor having an output end which is aligned at a height with and feeds to an input end of the second conveyor for feeding trayed food products traveling along the first conveyor to the second conveyor; at least one sensor for determining a lateral position of trayed food products moving along the first conveyor, the sensor comprising an optical sensor arrangement positioned to avoid direct contact with trayed food items; at least one actuator for controlling a relative lateral position between the output end of the first conveyor and the input end of the second conveyor; a controller for receiving signals from the sensor and for controlling the actuator, wherein, for a given trayed food product moving along the first conveyor, and based upon signals received from the sensor, the controller effects movement of the actuator to define a relative lateral position between the output end of the first conveyor and the input end of the second conveyor to place the given trayed food product in a desired lateral position on the second conveyor, wherein the actuator is connected for moving the output end of the first conveyor along a linear laterally extending axis while an input end of the first conveyor remains laterally stationary.