Automated chicken sorting conveyor belt
AssigneeHatchery Planning, Inc.
InventorsSteven Meriwether Cole, Garland Alan Vaughn II, Zachary Adam Chance
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims11
A sorting system, comprising:
- a first conveyor belt to receive a first chick and a second chick from a sorting process, the first conveyor belt having a first position configured to deposit the first chick in a first area of a bin and a second position configured to deposit the second chick in a second area of the bin, wherein the first position and the second position are above the bin;
- and
- the bin to receive the first chick in the first area and the second chick in the second area from the first conveyor belt.
A method of sorting chickens, the method comprising:
- moving a first conveyor belt to a first position to deposit a 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 first conveyor belt;
- determining, using a chick counter, an amount of chicks to move the first bin from the first position to a second position;
- moving, based on the determining using the chick counter, the first conveyor belt laterally from the first position to the second position to deposit a second chick in a second bin area of the first bin, wherein the first position and the second position are a same height above the first bin;
- and
- moving a second bin to the first bin location and moving the first conveyor belt to the first 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 first conveyor belt.
The method of claim 9, further comprising:
- moving a plurality of second conveyor belts to the first position to deposit a plurality of fourth chicks in the first bin area of the first bin, wherein each of a plurality of edges of the plurality of second conveyor belts are proximate to a top of the first bin at the first bin location, wherein the first bin location is located to receive the plurality of fourth chicks from each of a plurality of edges of the plurality of second conveyor belts;
- and
- moving the plurality of second conveyor belts laterally from the first position to the second position to deposit a plurality of fifth chicks in the second position of the first bin, wherein the first position and the second position are a same height above the first bin.
The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a plurality of conveyor separators between the first conveyor belt and the plurality of second conveyor belts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.