Automatic high speed tie plate reorienting mechanism

An automatic mechanism for inverting the sensed orientation of a rail tie plate comprising:

• an inclined conveyor surface adapted so that a rail tie plate may slide thereon and having an upper end and a lower end, said surface having first and second transverse openings located on said surface in spaced parallel relationship to each other, each said opening being defined by corresponding upper and lower aperture edges of said surface, said second opening being located closer to said upper end than said first opening;
• a stop member designed to be substantially coextensive with said first opening and adapted to reciprocate between a retracted position and a vertically extended position, said stop member adapted to stop the descent of the plate when in said extended position;
• a flipper member designed to be substantially coextensive with said second opening and adapted to reciprocate between a retracted position and a vertically extended position, said flipper member adapted to impact the stopped plate and invert same;
• and
• control means connected to said stop member and said flipper member and adapted to sequence the reciprocating action thereof so as to effect inversion of the conveyed tie plate.

A method for inverting conveyed articles having distinguishable top and bottom surfaces along an inclined conveyor surface comprising:

• sensing the orientation of the articles on said surface;
• stopping an improperly oriented article at a first end thereof by means of a pivoting stop member having a portion which pivotally projects vertically from said conveyor surface to contact the article;
• and
• flipping the stopped article by exerting sufficient force to a second end thereof using pivotable and reciprocable flipping means having a portion projecting vertically beyond said surface to cause the article to flip over said stop member and land on said surface in an inverted position.