Conveyor assembly for providing selectively spaced products

A conveyor system for providing selectively spaced products for packing in cases, comprising:

• a diverter belt assembly, comprising a diverter belt and a diverter belt motor operatively associated with the diverter belt for driving the diverter belt;
• a pick conveyor belt assembly, comprising a pick conveyor belt and a pick conveyor belt motor operatively associated with the pick conveyor belt for selectively driving the pick conveyor belt, the pick conveyor belt being operatively aligned with the diverter belt for receiving products from the diverter belt;
• a sensor operatively associated with the diverter belt and operable to sense the position of a product on the diverter belt;
• an encoder operatively associated with the diverter belt motor and operable to determine the speed of the diverter belt;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to the pick belt motor, the encoder, and the sensor, and adapted to vary the speed of the pick belt motor relative the speed of the diverter belt and position of a product on the diverter belt to selectively space products on the pick conveyor belt.

A system for spacing products on a conveyor assembly, comprising:

• dual pick belts, wherein said pick belts are parallel with each other;
• a diverter operable to selectively distribute products to said pick belts;
• a sensor for determining information about the arrival of products to the diverter;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to said sensor, said diverter, and said pick belts, wherein
• said controller is operable to adjust the desired operating speed of said pick belts based on information about the arrival of products to the diverter.

A method for providing selectively spaced products on a conveyor assembly, comprising the steps of:

• a) transporting a plurality of products on a feed conveyor belt to a diverter belt;
• b) aligning the diverter belt with a first pick belt for delivery of a selected number of products to the first pick belt while;
• c) advancing the first pick belt at a desired speed to provide selected spacing between products on the first pick belt, wherein providing selected spacing comprises
• sensing the position of a product on the diverter belt,
• determining the speed of the diverter belt, and
• adjusting the desired speed of the first pick belt;
• d) once the select number of products has been delivered to the first pick belt, aligning the diverter belt with a second pick belt for delivery of a second selected number of products to the second pick belt;
• and
• e) advancing the second pick belt at a desired speed to provide selected spacing between products on the second pick belt wherein providing selected spacing comprises
• sensing the position of a product on the diverter belt,
• determining the speed of the diverter belt, and
• adjusting the desired speed of the second pick belt.

A system for selectively spacing products for packing in cases, comprising:

• a conveyor assembly operable to deliver products;
• a sensor operable to detect the position of a product on the conveyor assembly;
• a first pick off belt assembly adapted to be operable at a desired speed in order to selectively space products on the first pick off belt;
• a second pick off belt assembly adapted to be operable at a desired speed in order to selectively space products on the second pick off belt;
• a controller operable to selectively adjust the desired speed of the first and second pick off belts;
• and
• a diverter assembly operable to selectively divert products to the first and second pick off belt assemblies.