GB923689A - Improvements in or relating to segregation devices - Google Patents

Abstract

923,689. Sorting by weighing. ILLUMITRONIC SYSTEMS CORPORATION. May 29, 1961, No. 19374/61. Class 143. [Also in Group XXX] Articles are fed from a conveyer belt 12 via an endless conveyer 22 to one of three belts 48, 46, 50, according to whether the article is of normal weight, over-weight, or underweight, respectively. As each article interrupts a beam of light from a photo-electric device 11, it operates a switch 10 of a weighing device 8 of which the conveyer belt 12 is a part. If the article is over-weight or under-weight the switch 10 energizes respective solenoids 52, 54, so as to deflect a cable 66 in one direction or the other, thus deflecting either a. leaf-spring 76 or leafspring 78 respectively. The article being guided by rails 14, 14, and rollers 16 passes on to a respective carrier 34 which is capable of lateral sliding movement on rods 32 carried by chains 30, 30, of the conveyer 22. Each carrier 34 has downwardly-extending pins 44, 44, which when the leaf-springs 76, 78, are undeflected, pass on either side of them and permit the carrier 34 to proceed along the centre line of the conveyer 22 to the central conveyer belt 48. If the leaf-spring 76 has been deflected by the action of the switch 10, as shown in Fig. 8, the corresponding pin 44 of the carrier 34 passes on the inside of the spring 76 and causes lateral deflection of the carrier 34 so that the pin 44 is moved into engagement with the outer face of an angle-shaped cam member 80. With continuing movement of the conveyer 22 the carrier 34 is thus progressively deflected diagonally by the cam member 80 into a position in which it passes on to the belt 46. Similarly, under-weight articles are deflected by a cam member 82 to move diagonally across the conveyer 22 to pass on to the belt 50. The invention may be modified so that more than three paths, or even only two paths may be provided for the carriers. There may be two switches 10. Instead of being responsive to the weight of the articles the switch 10 may be operated in respect of their size or the degree of filling of containers. The carriers 34 are returned to their initial central position during the return run of the conveyer 22 by further angle-shaped diagonally disposed cam members similar to the members 80, 82.