Fmc Corporation

Other

Fmc Technologies, Inc.

Stanley P Turcheck, Jr

James P Martin

Randy K Baird

Arthur L Dean

Harold E Patterson

William R Brown

Junius D Scott

John D Gotal

Richard J Wahler

A differential motion conveyor includes a cylindrical moving magnet linear motor to drive a trough into vibration to convey material. The linear motor utilizes a compact, efficient and powerful design using an annular stator which drives an armature. The armature includes opposing shaft ends which are connected to either the trough or to a conveyor base, or to a counterweight depending on the conveyor design, to drive the trough into reciprocation to feed particles along the trough.

Linear motor drive for vibratory feeders and conveyors

A bucket conveyor apparatus includes one or more conveyor chains, and a plurality of conveyor buckets which are pivotally mounted on the conveyor chains. While the buckets are positioned in spaced apart relationship along the chains, the present apparatus includes an arrangement for relatively reducing this relative spacing at an infeed station of the apparatus. An arrangement of guide members is provided for relatively reducing the effective length of the conveyor chains thereby relatively reducing the spacing between the conveyor buckets at the infeed station. Efficient loading of material into the buckets is thus facilitated since spillage of material between the buckets during loading is substantially abated.

Bucket conveyor apparatus having improved infeed station

A vibratory conveyor apparatus includes a vibratory drive having first and second pairs of counter-rotating drive shafts, with first and second eccentric weight sets respectively mounted on the drive shafts. In distinction from previous constructions, the eccentric weights of the vibratory drive are mounted to induce maximum vibratory forces out-of-phase with each other, thereby effecting improved efficiency for material conveyance. The vibratory motion provided by the present conveying system has been found to be particularly suitable for handling of delicate or fragile materials.

Vibratory conveyor apparatus with phase-optimized conveyor drive

In an article handling system that functions to make article discrimination-identification determinations, the possible article orientations A, B, C . . . are stored and compared to establish maximum pixel difference numbers and identification of longitudinal window position along the article where such maximum difference occurs. Each of the possible orientations is compared with all other possible orientations so that a small number of windows is identified as part of a setting procedure. When operating, the work articles are scanned and only the data at window locations are used to make article orientation identifications to reduce time and memory requirements for data processing.

Method for determining article orientation in an article handling system

A high resolution article handling system serves as an article discriminator or identifier by creating an object silhouette. The objects are singulated on a conveyor and scanned by a linear array of CCD units (2048 pixels per inch) at a scan rate of 10 MHz. Pixel transitions corresponding to object edge points are converted to a single count value from a counter which is synchronized with the scanner. A microprocessor with a first in, first out buffer memory needs only a capacity to handle the count value rather than all data from the pixels. Article orientation is corrected in response to signal generated by determining the count value difference between a reference value and a work article value at only the scan slice windows at equally spaced positions along the article length where differences have been predetermined to be a maximum.

High resolution parts handling system

A method for processing compacted data without converting the data into uncompacted form. A first set of digital data is converted into compact form by recording a set of points at which the signal level changes. A second set of digital data is likewise converted into compact form by recording the points of signal level change. A logic function is then used to compare the first set of compact data with the second set of compact data.

Method for processing compacted data

A high resolution object handling system serves as an object discrimination--identification by creating an object silhouette. The objects are singulated on a conveyor and scanned by a linear array of CCD units (2048 pixels per inch) at a scan rate of 10 MHz. Pixel transitions corresponding to object edge points are converted to a single count value from a counter which is synchronized with the scanner. A microprocessor with a first in, first out buffer memory needs only a capacity to handle the count value rather than all data from the pixels.

High resolution camera sensor having a linear pixel array

A high resolution object handling system serves as an object discrimination - identification by creating an object silhouette. The objects are singulated on a conveyor and scanned by a linear array of CCD units (2048 pixels per inch) at a scan rate of 10 MHz. Pixel transitions corresponding to object edge points are converted to a single count value from a counter which is synchronized with the scanner. A microprocessor with a first in, first out buffer memory needs only a capacity to handle the count value rather than all data from the pixels.

High resolution camera with hardware data compaction

A high-resolution vision system for a detailed inspection of parts. A charge coupled device provides high-resolution in both an X and a Y axis. Data from the charge coupled device resulting from a standard part is stored in compact form. Compact data from a part being inspected is compared with the compact data from the standard part to determine if the tested part is good or not.

High-resolution vision system for part inspection

A material handling work piece orienter utilizes an array of optical sensors to sense work piece orientation and other characteristics and determines the status of the work piece preparatory to taking action on said work piece. The orienter has the flexibility to be taught numerous work piece orientations and characteristics in a short time with a selective degree of accuracy.

Element recognition and orientation

A programmable parts reorienter and feeder utilizing a fiber-optic array in a sensing head to determine an initial orientation of a part passing through a parts handling unit. The sensing head is coupled to a microprocessor that has been programmed to recognize properly oriented as well as misoriented parts. After determining the initial orientation of the part the microprocessor will direct a reorienter device to either pass the part in the first orientation, orient the part to a preferred orientation or, in some cases, reject the part.

Growing community of inventors

Homer City, PA, United States of America

Stanley P Turcheck, Jr