Singulation apparatus and method
AssigneeCompac Technologies Limited
InventorsSheldon Phillip White, Jonathan Patrick Jackson, Max Hilton Hendrikse, Eric Adrianus Plessius
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to apparatus for carrying articles such as fruit for sorting, and in particular though not exclusively to apparatus for singulating the articles. There is provided a singulation apparatus for an article carrying system, the apparatus comprising a flume adapted to receive a plurality of articles at a first end; a fluid inlet associated with the first end and arranged in use to direct a fluid flow to carry the received articles along the flume to a second end; wherein a parameter of the fluid flow is controlled in order to singulate the received articles along the flume. A method for singulation is also disclosed.
Claims9
A singulation apparatus for an article carrying system, the apparatus comprising:
- a dry in-feed comprising at least one in-feed belt, said at least one in-feed belt being adapted to convey a plurality of articles;
- a flume having a first end and a second end, wherein the flume comprises a receiving portion that is located so as to receive the plurality of articles from an outlet of the in-feed at or proximate to the first end of the flume, and wherein the receiving portion of the flume is positioned lower than the outlet of the dry in-feed;
- a liquid inlet in liquid connection with the first end of the flume and adapted to provide and direct a liquid flow from the first end of the flume to the second end of the flume, carry the received articles along therewith;
- and
- a control device adapted to control a parameter of the liquid flow in order to singulate the received articles along the flume
- further comprising a pliable landing surface at the first end for receiving the articles prior to carriage along the flume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.