System for equally spacing and transferring items from a first to a second conveyor

A system (1) for picking up randomly-spaced items (2) off first conveyor means (6) and transferring the same in equally-spaced manner on to second conveyor means (15), said system (1) comprising:

• third conveyor means (12) traveling between said first (6) and said second (15) conveyor means, and a series of pick-up means (33) assigned to said third conveyor means (12), and wherein the speed of said third conveyor means (12) differs from that of said first conveyor means (6);
• characterised by the fact that it comprises an electronic control system (8) comprising processing means (10) for determining a position wherein at least one of said pick-up means (33) corresponds with one of said items (2), and for accordingly enabling said pick-up means (33) for lifting said item (2) off said first conveyor means (6);
• said processing means (10) also providing for subsequently disabling said pick-up means (33) for transferring said item (2) in controlled, equally-spaced manner on to said second conveyor means (15);
• means (66) for detecting and quantifying travel of said third conveyor means (12);
• the output of said travel detecting and quantifying means (66) being connected to a counter (68) on said control system (8), and that said processing means (10) determines the first least significant bits on said counter (68) indicating a total count value equivalent to travel over one space between adjacent said pick-up means (33) for detecting the location of a given pick-up means (33) within said space and in relation to a predetermined position;
• said processing means (10) also determining a next number of most significant bits, for identifying the progressive number, within said series, of the pick-up means (33) to which said least significant bits refer;
• and
• means (71, 72) for identifying an initial element in said series of said pick-up means (33).