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US 11,758,885 B2Granted
Automated chicken sorting conveyor belt
AssigneeHatchery Planning, Inc.
InventorsSteven Meriwether Cole, Garland Alan Vaughn, II, Zachary Adam Chance
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Technologies are described herein for an automated chicken sorting conveyor belt system. Conveyor belts that move chicks from a loading area into bins move laterally (or horizontally) as the chicks fill up the bins. This reduces various impact, acceleration, and other forces imparted on the chicks.
Claims10
A sorting system, comprising:
- a first conveyor belt to receive a chick from a sorting process, the first conveyor belt configured to:
- move a bin to a first lateral position to receive the chick;
- and
- laterally move the bin from the first lateral position to a second lateral position to deposit the chick in the bin at the second lateral position, wherein the first lateral position and the second lateral position are a same height on the conveyor belt;
- the bin to receive the chick from the first conveyor belt;
- and
- an optical density sensor to determine an amount of chicks to move the bin from the first lateral position to the second lateral position.
4 more elements
A method of sorting chickens, the method comprising:
- moving a first conveyor belt to a first lateral position to receive a first chick and deposit the first chick in a first bin area of a first bin at a first bin location, wherein an edge of the first conveyor belt is proximate to a top of the first bin at the first bin area, wherein the first bin area is located to receive the first chick from the edge of the first conveyor belt;
- determining, using a chick counter, an amount of chicks to move the bin from the first later position to a second lateral position;
- moving, based on the determining by the chick counter, the first conveyor belt laterally from the first lateral position to second lateral position to deposit a second chick in a second bin area of the first bin, wherein the first lateral position and the second lateral position are a same height above the first bin;
- moving the first bin from the first bin location to a second bin location, wherein the second bin location is located to not receive chicks;
- and
- moving a second bin to the first bin location and moving the first conveyor belt to the first lateral position to deposit a third chick in a first bin area of the second bin at the first bin location, wherein the edge of the first conveyor belt is proximate to the top of the second bin at the first bin area of the second bin, wherein the first bin area of the second bin is located to receive the third chick from the edge of the first conveyor belt.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.