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US 10,512,943 B2Granted
Sorter
AssigneeJohn Bean Technologies Corporation
InventorsRichard D. Stockard, James A. Chalmers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for sorting workpieces, such as chicken nuggets. The sorting system includes a conveyor system that advances in a forward direction and one or more blow off bars positioned over the conveyor system. The blow off bars extend along the forward advancing direction. The blow off bars include one or more valved nozzles connected to a pressurized source of a fluid, and the nozzles are positioned to discharge the fluid across the conveyor system.
Claims19
A method for sorting workpieces, comprising:
- arranging singulated workpieces on a conveyor system in one of a plurality of lane divisions across a width of a single conveyor belt surface while the single conveyor belt surface advances;
- determining a characteristic of the workpieces in the lane divisions as the conveyor belt surface advances and assigning one of a plurality of sort categories to the workpieces in the lane divisions;
- and
- blowing off the workpieces from the conveyor belt surface with a jet of fluid across the conveyor belt surface as the conveyor belt surface advances, wherein the workpieces are blown off corresponding to the assigned sort category for the workpiece, and wherein the workpieces assigned to the same sort category are collected together.
1 more element
A method for sorting workpieces, comprising:
- arranging singulated workpieces on a conveyor system in one of a plurality of lane divisions across a width of a conveyor surface while the conveyor surface advances;
- determining a characteristic of the workpieces in the lane divisions as the conveyor surface advances and assigning one of a plurality of sort categories to the workpieces in the lane divisions;
- and
- blowing off the workpieces from the surface of the conveyor system with a jet of fluid across the surface of the conveyor as the surface advances, wherein the workpieces are blown off corresponding to the assigned sort category for the workpiece, and wherein the workpieces assigned to the same sort category are collected together, and further comprising blowing off workpieces from two lane divisions with a single blow off bar having valved nozzles to direct the fluid laterally of the blow off bar.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.