Apparatus and method for accumulating a stream of articles with multiple outfeed directions
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsDouglas A Imes, Chadwin R. Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for controlling a flow of articles includes an infeed conveyor providing a plurality of articles to the system and conveying articles in a feed direction. A reversible conveyor is at least partially contiguous with and parallel to the infeed conveyor and provides articles to a first outfeed conveyor providing the plurality of articles in the feed direction to a first downstream operation or a second outfeed conveyor providing the plurality of articles in a direction opposite the feed direction to a second downstream operation.
Claims17
A system for controlling a flow of articles, comprising:
- an infeed conveyor providing a plurality of articles to the system, the infeed conveyor conveying articles in a feed direction;
- at least one reversible conveyor capable of conveying articles in the feed direction and in a direction opposite the feed direction, wherein the reversible conveyor is at least partially contiguous with and parallel to the infeed conveyor;
- a first outfeed conveyor providing the plurality of articles in the feed direction to a first downstream operation;
- and
- a second outfeed conveyor providing the plurality of articles in a direction opposite the feed direction to a second downstream operation.
A method for controlling a flow of articles, comprising:
- providing a flow of articles to an infeed conveyor in a feed direction;
- flowing the articles along a reversible conveyor in a selectable the feed direction or direction opposite the feed direction;
- providing the flow of articles to a first outfeed conveyor in the feed direction and to a first downstream operation;
- reversing the reversible conveyor;
- and
- providing the flow of articles to a second outfeed conveyor in the direction opposite the feed direction to a second downstream operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.