Method of equally spacing items in article handling systems
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorPeter Berdelle-Hilge
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To equally space items along a first path, a predetermined number of items is moved towards each other to minimize distances between the items, and a gear mechanism is engaged with each item. The gear mechanism includes crossed bars, wherein pairs of the bars are coupled at middle joints so that each pair of bars forms an X-shaped structure and opposite ends of an X-shaped structure are coupled at end joints to respective ends of neighboring X-shaped structures. The gear mechanism is activated so that the gear mechanism acts upon each item and moves each item along the first path a predetermined distance to equally space the items.
Claims7
A method of equally spacing a predetermined number of items along a first path, comprising:
- moving the items towards each other to minimize distances between the items;
- engaging a gear mechanism with each item, the gear mechanism comprising crossed bars, wherein pairs of the bars are coupled at middle joints so that each pair of bars forms an X-shaped structure and opposite ends of an X-shaped structure are coupled at end joints to respective ends of neighboring X-shaped structures;
- and
- activating the gear mechanism so that the gear mechanism acts upon each item and moves each item along the first path a predetermined distance to equally space the items.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.