Alignment assembly
AssigneePackaging Progressions, Inc.
InventorsCharles D. Faust, Dante M. Pietrinferni
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An alignment system is disclosed. The system includes at least one arm including a plurality of fingers, and a linkage bar connected to the at least one arm. A sensor is adapted to detect a presence of a product. A controller is configured to selectively drive the linkage bar based on a signal from the sensor such that the plurality of fingers are driven between: (1) a first position in which the plurality of fingers are adapted to extend into a conveying path of a product conveyor, and (2) a second position in which the plurality of fingers are adapted to be positioned away from the conveying path of the product conveyor.
Claims20
An alignment system comprising:
- a plurality of arms, each arm directly connected to at least one finger, thereby establishing a plurality of fingers;
- and a linkage bar connected to the plurality of arms;
- a sensor adapted to detect a presence of a product in an area defined between the plurality of fingers;
- and
- a controller configured to selectively drive the linkage bar based on a signal from the sensor indicating that a product is in an area defined between the plurality of fingers such that the plurality of fingers are driven from:
- (1) a nominal first position in which the plurality of fingers are adapted to extend into a conveying path of a product conveyor, to
- (2) a second position in which the plurality of fingers are adapted to be positioned away from the conveying path of the product conveyor.
A conveyor arrangement comprising:
- a product conveyor;
- an alignment system comprising:
- a plurality of arms, each arm including at least one finger, thereby establishing at least four fingers, wherein the at least four fingers together form an arcuate orientation,
- a linkage bar connected to the plurality of arms;
- a sensor adapted to detect a presence of a product in an area defined between the at least four fingers;
- and
- a controller configured to selectively drive the linkage bar based on a signal from the sensor such that the at least four fingers are driven between:
- (1) a first position in which the at least four fingers extend into a conveying path of the product conveyor, and
- (2) a second position in which the at least four fingers are positioned away from the conveying path of the product conveyor;
- wherein the controller is configured to wait a first predetermined time period after the sensor detects the presence of a product before driving the at least four fingers from the first position to the second position and wherein the controller is configured to wait a second predetermined time period before driving the at least four fingers back to the first position from the second position.
A method of aligning products on a product conveyor, the method comprising:
- providing:
- a product conveyor adapted to drive products along a conveying path;
- and
- an alignment arrangement including a plurality of arms, each arm directly connected to at least one finger, thereby establishing a plurality of fingers;
- a linkage bar connected to the plurality of arms;
- a sensor adapted to detect a presence of a product in an area defined between the plurality of fingers;
- and
- a controller configured to selectively drive the linkage bar based on a signal from the sensor indicating that a product is in an area defined between the plurality of fingers;
- advancing products on the product conveyor into engagement with the plurality of fingers such that the products are shifted to align with a predetermined centerline;
- detecting a presence of the products in the area defined between the plurality of fingers via the sensor;
- driving the plurality of fingers from (1) a nominal first position in which the plurality of fingers extend between into the conveying path of the product conveyor, to (2) a second position in which the plurality of fingers are positioned away from the conveying path of the product conveyor based on the signal from the sensor indicating that a product is in an area defined between the plurality of fingers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.