Other

Allen Fruit Co., Inc.

Gulzar Ahmed

Joseph J Stupak, Jr

James F Bausch

Gregory L Branch

Richard T Symer

An article dispensing system and method that has a first and a second vibratory feeder; a rotary trough dispenser having one or more receiving troughs in which counted or weighed articles are dispensed for packaging; while the next trough within the rotary trough dispenser is indexed in a rotational step-wise fashion.

Systems and methods for controlling the dispensing of articles

A product speed checking apparatus for attaching to a vibratory conveying system and a method thereof for dispensing product, including a sample pan mounted to capture flow of product between two vibratory conveyors; a first sensor and a second sensor, each placed separately at a predetermined distance from one another and each capable of independently reading product handled by the sample pan; and, a programmable logic controller operatively arranged to calculate an approximate time between the reading of product by the first sensor and the reading of product by the second sensor and computing product speed by dividing distance between two sensors with the travel time between the two sensors.

Speed checking attachment for use with vibratory conveyors

A method and apparatus for checking the weighing one or more objects in a vibratory apparatus comprising the steps of accepting product into an in-line feeder to a discharge feeder without being weighed, determining an angle of decline of a fixed chute and a rotating chute based upon the flowing characteristics of the free flowing material being transferred, generating a sampling signal by a control system, the sampling signal causing the air cylinder to rotate the rotating chute in the position to capture the free flowing material and weighing the in-line sample for comparison purposes with the calculated weight.

Check weigher comprising of a rotating weighing chute with an accumulating and a discharge position that calculates flow rate by measuring weight accumulated during a predetermined time interval

A weighing vibratory apparatus and method. In one embodiment, an infeed vibratory conveyor element feeds a bulk product to a weighing vibratory conveyor element. In another embodiment, bulk product is fed directly to a weighing vibratory conveyor element and flow rate is determined by measuring the loss of weight therefrom. The weighing vibratory conveyor element includes a weight measuring apparatus that weighs the product at the same time that the product is being dispensed through vibrations. The weight measuring apparatus may be coupled to the vibratory conveyor element through damping mechanisms. An electrical signal output of the weight measuring apparatus may be low-pass filtered to provide an improved signal for feeding to a controller for controlling the flow rate.

Weighing vibratory apparatus and method

An elongate vibratory conveyor for moving products is reciprocated by driving a motor with a cyclical nonuniform motion by supplying power nonuniformly to the motor. The conveyor is reciprocated in opposite lengthwise directions, without any substantial movement of the conveyor normal to the lengthwise direction. Motor control circuitry variably drives the motor automatically in response to feedback from a sensor which senses a motion related to the conveyor motion. The feedback signal is compared to a selected one of a set of predetermined different motion patterns, and the motor is driven by supplying power nonuniformly thereto in accordance with the selected motion pattern. The conveyor system readily enables instantaneous reversibility of the product flow at the same average velocity, and instantaneous variable control for modifying the motion of the conveyor to obtain either different desired average product velocities or the same average product velocity at different conveyor inclinations or reciprocating frequencies, all irrespective of changes in conveyor loading or resistance to slip of the products conveyed. Separate motors driving either the same conveyor or separate conveyors are driven with cyclical nonuniform motions in synchronization by synchronizing their respective power supplies.

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Tualatin, OR, United States of America

Gulzar Ahmed