US 2015/0083548 A1Published application

Apparatus and method for inspecting and processing pellet-shaped articles

AssigneeAckley Machine Corporation

InventorE. Michael ACKLEY

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Abstract

A conveyer apparatus for inspecting and processing pellet-shaped articles, each of the pellet-shaped articles including a first side and a second side, the conveyer apparatus comprising: a conveyer including a plurality of carrier links to convey a plurality of pellet-shaped articles along a predetermined conveyer path; a first inspection unit including at least one camera to inspect the first side and/or the second side of each of the pellet-shaped articles and determine an orientation of each of the pellet-shaped articles on the conveyer; a processing unit including at least two processing devices, each on an opposite side of the conveyer to process the first side and the second side of each of the pellet-shaped articles; and a second inspection unit including at least one camera on each side of the conveyer to inspect the first side and/or the second side of the pellet-shaped articles after processing.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A conveyer apparatus for inspecting and processing pellet-shaped articles, each of the pellet-shaped articles including a first side with a first characteristic, a second side with a second characteristic opposite the first side, the first characteristic being visually distinguishable from the second characteristic, and a belly band that interconnects the first side and the second side, the conveyer apparatus comprising:

a conveyer including a plurality of carrier links to convey a plurality of pellet-shaped articles along a predetermined conveyer path, each carrier link having a pocket to receive and transport a pellet-shaped article in a vertical orientation along the predetermined conveyer path;
a first inspection unit including at least one camera to inspect the first side and/or the second side of each of the pellet-shaped articles and determine an orientation of each of the pellet-shaped articles on the conveyer based on detection of the first characteristic and/or the second characteristic;
a processing unit including at least two processing devices, each located on an opposite side of the conveyer to process the first side and on the second side of each of the pellet-shaped articles based on the determined orientation;
and
a second inspection unit including at least one camera on each side of the conveyer to inspect the first side and/or the second side of the pellet-shaped articles after processing by the processing unit.

2 more elements

A method for inspecting and processing pellet-shaped articles, each of the pellet-shaped articles including a first side with a first characteristic, a second side with a second characteristic opposite the first side, the first characteristic being visually distinguishable from the second characteristic, and a belly band that interconnects the first side and the second side, the method comprising:

conveying a plurality of pellet-shaped articles along a predetermined conveyer path of a conveyer within carrier links that transport individual pellet-shaped articles in a vertical orientation;
detecting the first characteristic and/or the second characteristic of each of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles with at least one camera of a first inspection unit;
determining an orientation of each of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles based on detection of the first characteristic and/or the second characteristic with the first inspection unit;
processing the first side of each of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles with one of at least two processing devices of a processing unit and processing the second side of each of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles with the other of the at least two processing devices of the processing unit based on the determined orientation of each of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles;
and
inspecting the hole and/or the mark of each of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles with at least one camera of a second inspection unit located on each side of the conveyer.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/032,452Filed 20 Sep 2013
Published: 26 Mar 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B65G 43/08
Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting: control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged
B07C 5/00
Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material
B41F 17/36
Printing apparatus or machines of special types or for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for: for printing on tablets, pills, or like…
B65G 17/12
Conveyors having an endless traction element, e.g. a chain, transmitting movement to a continuous or substantially-continuous load-carrying…:…