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US 5,605,216 AGranted
Board turning apparatus
AssigneeHi-Tech Engineering, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Raybon, Russell R. Kennedy, L. Charles Gaither, Patrick M. Conry
Life of this patent
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AssigneeHi-Tech Engineering, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Raybon, Russell R. Kennedy, L. Charles Gaither, Patrick M. Conry
Estimating the term…
A board turning apparatus is provided with a conveyor for transporting a board through an inspection station; the inspection station includes an array of photocells located below the conveyor and which operate to detect and scan the facing surface of a board as it passes over the photocell or is held in the inspection station by a detent arm; the output of the scan by the photocell array is delivered to a computer having an analyzing program for detecting discoloration in the surface or edges of the board that are scanned by comparing the scan to a set of conditions stored in the computer; a turning arm is connected to the computer and is actuated to engage an edge of the board and turn the board over by rotating it about its opposite edge on the conveyor to turn over the board to facilitate and optimize subsequent operations on the board such as edging of the board.
An apparatus for inspecting and orienting moving wood boards having opposite side edges for subsequent operations on each wood board comprising a conveyor for moving the wood boards sequentially along a travel path, an inspection station positioned adjacent said path at a first location, said inspection station including a photoelectric device for scanning a surface of a wood board as the wood board passes through said first location and providing an electronic data output, an analyzing device for receiving said output from said photoelectric device and comparing said output to a set of conditions stored in said analyzing device, said analyzing device providing a control signal in response to a selected correspondence between said output and said set of conditions, an orienting device located adjacent said first location along said path, a control device operably connected to said orienting device for actuation of said orienting device upon receipt of a said control signal from said analyzing device, said orienting device comprising a pivot means for turning a board over on said conveyor upon receipt of a said control signal.
An apparatus for inspecting and orienting moving articles for subsequent operations on each article comprising a first conveyor for moving the articles sequentially along a travel path, an inspection station positioned adjacent said path at a location to receive articles from said first conveyor, a second conveyor for removing articles from said inspection station, said inspection station including a photoelectric device for scanning a surface of an article when the article enters said inspection station and providing an electronic data output, an analyzing device for receiving said output from said photoelectric device and comparing said output to a set of conditions stored in said analyzing device, said analyzing device providing a control signal in response to a selected correspondence between said output and said set of conditions, an orienting device located adjacent to said inspection station, a control device operably connected to said orienting device for actuation of said orienting device upon receipt of a said control signal from said analyzing device, said orienting device including an article engaging arm movable between an actuated and a deactuated position and a turning arm also movable between an actuated and deactuated position, said first conveyor extending in a first plane and said second conveyor extending in a second plane located vertically below said first plane, said inspection station including a plurality of article supporting, fixed plates each having a substantially flat surface extending at an angle between said planes of said first and second conveyors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.