Food grade sheet stacker

A food grade classifying conveyor assembly for stacking sheets of food items, the food grade classifying conveyor assembly comprising:

• a primary conveyor operable to convey primary sheets of food items to a discharge zone;
• a secondary conveyor operable to convey secondary sheets of food items to the discharge zone such that individual ones of the secondary sheets of food items arrive at the discharge zone at substantially the same time as, and are stacked with, individual ones of the primary sheets of food items, thereby forming two-high stacks of sheets;
• a tertiary conveyor defining a waiting zone, the tertiary conveyor operable to convey tertiary sheets of food items to the waiting zone where the tertiary sheets of food items are held until an add-a-sheet condition is met;
• a stacking conveyor positioned to receive the two-high stacks of sheets via the discharge zone and operable to stack the two-high stacks of sheets one upon another to form a column of sheets;
• and,
• a controller operable to determine whether the add-a-sheet condition is met, wherein in response to determining that the add-a-sheet condition is met, the controller operates the tertiary conveyor to move one tertiary sheet of food items from the waiting zone to the discharge zone at substantially the same time as, and to stack with, one of the primary sheets of food items conveyed via the primary conveyor and one of secondary sheets of food items conveyed by the secondary conveyor, thereby forming a three-high stack of sheets.

A food grade sheet stacker for stacking sheets of food items, the food grade sheet stacker comprising:

• a lane switch conveyor including an infeed location, a transition zone, a first discharge path, and a second discharge path, the lane switch conveyor operable to divert sheets of food items received at the infeed location between the first discharge path and the second discharge path;
• and,
• a first lane of classifying conveyors positioned to receive sheets of food items via the first discharge path, and a second lane of classifying conveyors positioned to receive sheets of food items via the second discharge path, each of the first lane of classifying conveyors and the second lane of classifying conveyors including:
• a discharge zone;
• a primary conveyor operable to convey sheets of food items to the discharge zone at a baseline average speed;
• a secondary conveyor operable to convey sheets of food items to the discharge zone at a secondary conveyor average speed that differs from the baseline average speed such that individual ones of the sheets of food items conveyed via the secondary conveyor arrive at the discharge zone at substantially the same time as, and are stacked with, individual ones of the sheets of food items conveyed via the primary conveyor, thereby forming two-high stacks of sheets;
• a tertiary conveyor operable to convey sheets of food items to a waiting zone;
• and,
• a diverter assembly operable to divert sheets of food items to one of the primary conveyor, the secondary conveyor, and the tertiary conveyor,
• wherein each tertiary conveyor is operable in response to a signal to add one of the sheets of food items from the respective waiting zone of the tertiary conveyor to a two-high stack of sheets formed by the corresponding secondary conveyor, thereby forming a three-high stack of sheets.